Hot flashes are a sudden feeling of heat produced by the dilation of our skin’s capillaries, often occurring with profuse sweating. Most people associate them with women who are perimenopausal, or menopausal, but you can also have hot flashes from medications, being overweight, having anxiety, drinking alcohol, having allergies, etc. It’s not a problem in and of itself, but if it’s happening all the time and affecting your life negatively, there is definitely value in addressing it. Getting acupuncture for hot flashes is a simple and effective way to cool off, and work on getting your body’s thermostat back to normal.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine theory hot flashes is the result of either an excess of pathogenic heat or more commonly from a deficiency of the body’s Yin (structure/substance). Our fundamental Yin and Yang (function/energy) energies are supposed to be in balance for optimal health, but when they start to veer off in one direction or another we begin to experience negative outcomes. If we have too little Yin, then we have relatively too much Yang. and our internally generated heat will flare out to the surface uncontrolled. When using acupuncture for hot flashes, we are attempting to redirect the flow of the body’s energies through the acupuncture meridians in order to restore proper balance. Then, the Yin will naturally “anchor” the Yang energies back into place.
Although getting acupuncture for hot flashes is a great start, we also recommend that people work on their stress levels and sleep patterns, examine their diet and exercise routines, and make sure to drink a proper amount of water. A modern lifestyle devoid of proper nutrition, lacking in sleep and putting out too much energy quickly depletes our reserves of Yin. For this reason, we also recommend meditation and working with the mind through psychotherapy. Other techniques we use include herbal remedies to Tonify Yin, as well as cupping, gua sha, tui na massage, electro-acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, and more.
