Menopause Through the Lens of Classical Chinese Medicine: Why I Choose to Support Natural Transition
From Clinical Experience to Personal Practice
As a classically trained acupuncturist who has been treating menopausal symptoms for over two decades—beginning when I was 35, long before experiencing this transition myself—I want to share why I approach menopause as a natural process to be supported rather than a deficiency to be corrected.
This perspective is informed by the classical Chinese medical texts, particularly the foundational principles outlined in the Nei Jing, and validated by my clinical experience watching symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, and joint pain resolve through classical treatment approaches.
Recently, I was in a class with my teacher Jeffrey Yuen when he spoke about this very concept—the dangers of creating Yin stasis through hormonal augmentation during menopause. Hearing him articulate these principles so clearly validated my inner knowing and the feelings I'd been having about my own approach to this transition. It reinforced my conviction that there is profound wisdom in working with the body's natural rhythms rather than against them.
The Wisdom of the Nei Jing: Understanding Natural Cycles
The Nei Jing describes the natural cycles of human development in periods of seven years for women and eight years for men. According to this classical framework, at 49 (7x7), a woman's Tian Gui (heavenly water) naturally declines, her Chong and Ren channels become deficient, and her reproductive capacity ends. This is not pathology—this is the natural order.
The text explains that this transition occurs as our Kidney Jing (our constitutional essence) gradually depletes through the decades. This Jing is our most precious resource, governing growth, development, reproduction, and aging. The classical approach focuses on preserving and supporting this essence rather than artificially augmenting what is naturally declining.
The Problem with Augmentation: Understanding Yin Stasis
When we artificially augment the body with hormones during this natural transition, we risk creating what classical Chinese medicine terms "Yin stasis." This occurs when we introduce substances that the body's declining metabolic fire cannot adequately transform and utilize.
This concept helps explain some of the documented risks associated with long-term hormone replacement therapy, including increased cancer risk and cardiovascular complications that often emerge as women age. The classical texts warn against working against the body's natural rhythms, particularly when our transformative capacity is diminishing.
This is why many women are advised to discontinue HRT as they reach their 60s and 70s—the body's ability to process these additional hormones safely continues to decline with age.
Clinical Evidence Supporting Classical Approaches
The 2016 Acupuncture in Menopause (AIM) Study, conducted by researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine and Duke University, followed 209 perimenopausal and postmenopausal women and found that acupuncture significantly reduced vasomotor symptoms by 36.7% at 6 months, while the control group increased by 6.0%. Clinical benefits were sustained for at least 6 months beyond treatment.
In my practice, I integrate this evidence-based approach with ancient Daoist and classical Chinese medical wisdom, often supplementing with functional bloodwork analysis to create individualized treatment plans for each patient.
This aligns with classical understanding: rather than adding what appears to be missing, we regulate what is present and support the body's natural adaptive mechanisms.
My Clinical Approach: Supporting Natural Transition
In my practice, I focus on:
Preserving Kidney Jing through lifestyle modifications, appropriate rest, and targeted herbal support Nourishing Kidney Yin to address the cooling, moistening qualities that naturally decline Clearing Empty Heat that arises when Yin is insufficient to balance Yang Supporting Liver function to ensure proper hormone metabolism and circulation
This approach recognizes that menopausal symptoms often indicate the body's struggle to adapt to changing hormone levels, rather than simple deficiency requiring replacement.
A Pearl of Wisdom: Jeffrey Yuen's Foot Massage Technique
In that same class, Jeffrey shared a simple yet profound insight for managing menopausal heat symptoms: therapeutic foot massage targeting specific points that clear heat and ground rising Yang energy.
He taught us to focus on two key points:
Kidney 1 (Yongquan, "Bubbling Well") - located at the depression in the center of the sole when the toes are curled, this point clears heat and grounds scattered energy
Kidney 2 (Rangu, "Blazing Valley") - located under the bony prominence in the arch of the foot, where you can feel the bone at the top part of the arch and where the skin color changes, this point also helps clear heat from the system
The technique involves massaging these points and the entire foot, working to draw overheated energy downward and anchor floating Yang. By curling the toes inward during the massage, you are actively clearing heat and nourishing Yin. This clearing of heat helps with Liver stasis and directly addresses hot flashes and night sweats while helping to regulate the hormones. This simple practice can significantly impact sleep quality, reduce hot flashes, and provide grounding during this transition.
To create synergy with this technique, I've developed my own healing oil blend to enhance the therapeutic effect (though the massage is effective with or without oils):
1 oz cold-pressed sesame oil (deeply Yin nourishing)
15 drops Geranium (clears heat, regulates hormones)
10 drops Rose (cools heat, opens the heart)
15 drops Clary Sage (clears heat, balances hormones)
10 drops Eucalyptus Radiata (opens sensory portals, ensures flow, helps with headaches)
2-3 drops Ginger (just enough to anchor and gently nourish Kidney Yang)
Apply this blend to both feet before bed, massaging from the toes toward these heat-clearing points.
My Personal Experience: From Clinical Observation to Personal Application
When I experienced eight weeks of uncontrollable uterine bleeding, I was fortunate to work with my gynecologist, who has a functional medicine background. She suggested DIM not only for my menopausal symptoms but also for my cholesterol, which had begun to increase—both manifestations of Yin stasis.
Initially, when my symptoms began, I consulted another local acupuncturist who immediately wanted me to start using progesterone. Fortunately, my MD was appropriately skeptical and ordered comprehensive bloodwork. The results revealed that I was not progesterone deficient at all—I was actually estrogen dominant. This was classic Yin stasis: my liver was unable to adequately clear the hormones my body was producing.
The DIM has been transformative for me throughout this transition. Combined with classical herbal medicine to stop the acute bleeding, and then the longer-term DIM approach based on my specific bloodwork, it stabilized my period, eliminated the erratic bleeding, and has been an overall huge help. I'm deeply grateful to my gynecologist for this individualized recommendation—it perfectly illustrates how supporting the body's natural clearance pathways can resolve symptoms without disrupting hormonal homeostasis.
It's important to note that this approach worked for my specific pattern. Not everyone is estrogen dominant—each person's hormonal picture is unique, which is why proper testing and individualized treatment are essential.
This experience reinforced my understanding that every hormone you introduce must be processed by the liver. If you're also consuming alcohol or other liver-burdening substances, you may continue experiencing symptoms even while on HRT. The issue wasn't deficiency requiring augmentation—it was stagnation requiring clearance.
This is why I call my practice "The Art of Energetic Medicine." It truly is an art. I believe the hormonal system has its own inherent intelligence, and once you begin disrupting that natural homeostasis, other systems can become affected. While modern guidelines no longer recommend arbitrary age limits for HRT, the complexity of individual risk factors increases over time. I have a friend in her early 70s who loves her hormones, but her cardiologist has concerns about her specific cardiovascular risk profile. She's now navigating these competing medical opinions—a reminder that hormonal decisions become increasingly complex as we age.
The beauty of Chinese medicine is that it's available to support you at any point in your journey, regardless of what you decide about HRT. This approach is deeply personal and certainly not the path for everyone. I hold no judgment about individual choices, but I want to articulate this perspective clearly and offer support for others who resonate with this approach.
Evidence-Based Support for Classical Methods
Modern research on compounds like DIM (diindolylmethane) validates classical approaches to supporting hormone metabolism. DIM helps the liver process estrogen into safer metabolites, reducing the burden on an already stressed system—precisely what classical formulas have been designed to do for centuries.
A Different Paradigm
I share this perspective not to criticize other approaches, but to offer an alternative framework. Classical Chinese medicine views menopause as a transition to be supported with wisdom and patience, rather than a problem requiring immediate correction.
This approach has guided my practice for over twenty years and continues to inform how I navigate my own transition. The classical texts remind us that working with our body's natural rhythms, rather than against them, offers a path of greater harmony and often, better long-term outcomes.
For those seeking to understand their options more fully, classical Chinese medicine offers a time-tested framework for supporting women through this profound life transition with grace, wisdom, and clinical precision.
Dr. Deirdre Corrigan, DTCM, is a classically trained acupuncturist with over two decades of clinical experience treating women through all phases of reproductive health and beyond.
