According to Chinese medicine, menopause is directly related to a lack of vitality. What does this information give us and is it possible to somehow increase the level of energy in order to delay the onset of menopause?
Menopause is the complete cessation of ovarian function. Previously, scientists believed that this condition occurs when a woman «runs out» of eggs. That is, the ovaries have developed a resource, the last egg leaves the body, and that’s it — there is no more childbearing function.
But this theory did not explain such a phenomenon as menopause at a young age: for example, during the war, women stopped menstruating at 30 and even at 20 years old. In some, the ovarian function then resumed (then a diagnosis of «amenorrhea» was made — a temporary absence of menstruation), in others, the childbearing function was no longer «turned on».
Menopause or amenorrhea?
Normally, a woman goes through menopause around the age of 49. What diagnosis would a doctor make for a woman whose periods stopped, say, at age 45? Most likely menopause. And if there is no cycle at 39 years old? Probably amenorrhea. In this case, the diagnosis largely depends on the optimism of the doctor: will menstruation return or not? Well… Probably not! That means menopause. Or is it still? Then amenorrhea. How does a doctor determine this? Literally by eye.
None of the diagnostic equipment is able to consider the resource of the ovaries and determine how much longer they will work. Therefore, periodically the diagnosis is made incorrectly, and even after a year of “rest”, menstruation can resume. Why?
Chinese approach to the problem
Chinese medicine is based on the idea of qi — life energy. If there is a lot of strength, the ovaries work at 100%, and the body honestly prepares for the birth of a new life every month. If the level of vitality decreases, then one of the first «turns off» the childbearing function — as an element of luxury.
In conditions of scarcity, it is irrational to spend energy on preparing for childbearing, it is better to redistribute energy to maintain one’s own resource. In the case of wartime, the level of vitality fell sharply and radically: a woman had to spend an incredible resource on survival, and her periods disappeared. If after the end of all the tests the level of vitality was restored, then the cycle could turn on again. If the deficit persisted (lack of nutrition, hard work), then the periods did not return.
With age, the level of vital energy decreases smoothly and gradually. And at the next moment the body makes a decision: there is not enough strength — we turn off the ovaries. This idea opens up additional opportunities for us women: in particular, the ability to delay the onset of menopause, if there is such a desire.
Energy storage methods
Where do we get vitality and how to increase their flow? We have three main sources of qi:
Sleep. Most modern city dwellers lack sleep, even if they do not feel acute sleep deprivation. This has been proven by various experiments. For example, energetic, young, healthy people were placed in a room with artificial lighting — without any business. And for the first 7-10 days, they slept at least 16 hours a day, making up for the lack of sleep. And only after that they switched to a normal eight-hour sleep pattern.
Therefore, even if you are sure that you are getting enough sleep, try to arrange a restful weekend or vacation when you can sleep as much as your body asks for. And you will be surprised how it will increase your resource. After the sleep deficit is replenished and you get enough sleep, establish an 8-9-hour sleep schedule so as to maintain your internal resource.
Food. A lot has been written and said about him, and all the experts one way or another agree on one thing: food should be fresh, natural and varied. These are the basic postulates that allow you to maintain the strength of the body at a decent level. Each age has its own adequate nutrition — I wrote about this in the article «Chinese medicine: nutrition rules for different ages.»
Breath. This is one of the most powerful sources of additional strength, which is used as part of the Chinese qigong gymnastics. In the Chinese tradition, there are special energy practices that allow not only to increase the resource, but also to accumulate strength for a more energetic, full, happy life.
For men, the path to energy practices is long and thorny: you need to go through several stages of qigong in order to start mastering breathing exercises. Women can learn the replenishing breathing system literally from scratch, within the framework of women’s Taoist practices.
As experience shows, breathing techniques, combined with healthy sleep and proper nutrition, allow you to accumulate enough vital energy to delay the onset of menopause or even turn it into amenorrhea, that is, restart the hormonal system.