Waking up drenched in sweat. Sleep that no longer feels restorative. Mood swings that seem to come out of nowhere. If you’re in or approaching menopause, you may recognize some of this — and you’re far from alone. Most women experience some form of menopausal symptoms, though how much they affect daily life varies enormously from person to person. This often starts years before your period stops entirely, during what’s called perimenopause — and that phase is really what this post is about.

I get asked often whether acupuncture can actually make a difference here, or whether it’s just placebo. Here’s what’s actually happening in the body, what the research says about acupuncture and Chinese herbs, how functional medicine and testing can offer answers, and what to expect from treatment.

What’s happening in the body during perimenopause and menopause?

Menopause means the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen and progesterone. These hormones do far more than regulate your menstrual cycle — they also influence body temperature regulation, sleep, mood, and energy levels.

Hormone balance is really about the interplay between three systems: your ovaries (estrogen and progesterone), your adrenals (cortisol), and your thyroid. During perimenopause, as ovarian hormone production gradually declines, the body becomes more reliant on the adrenals and thyroid to help maintain balance. That’s a key reason stress management and a healthy thyroid become especially important during this transition — and why symptoms can look so different from person to person, depending on how well these systems are functioning to begin with.

This isn’t “just in your head,” and it isn’t something you need to quietly push through either.

What can functional medicine and testing offer?

Because perimenopause puts extra demand on the adrenals and thyroid, it’s often worth actually looking at what’s happening in the body rather than guessing. Some of what I look at:

• DUTCH testing — gives a picture of hormone patterns across the day, including cortisol and the breakdown products of estrogen and progesterone, which tells you more than a single blood draw at one moment in time.
• Nutrient deficiencies — certain deficiencies become more common with age and can amplify fatigue, mood swings, and sleep issues.
• Common forms of anemia — easy to miss, but can contribute significantly to fatigue during this period.
• Stress management — since the adrenals take on a bigger role as ovarian hormone production declines, this is rarely optional; it’s central to feeling well during perimenopause.

The goal is to understand the whole picture before building a plan, rather than treating symptoms one at a time.

Can acupuncture and Chinese herbs help? What does the research say?

Several studies, including systematic reviews, suggest acupuncture can reduce both the frequency and intensity of hot flashes and improve sleep quality for many women in menopause. The evidence base is growing but still developing — acupuncture should be seen as a complement to, not a replacement for, the care you’re already receiving or should discuss with your doctor, particularly if symptoms are severe.

Chinese herbs are a tool I use often in perimenopause and menopause, and in my clinical experience I’ve seen good results specifically for hot flashes and night sweats. In Chinese medicine, this type of symptom pattern is often understood as a deficiency of kidney yin and/or kidney yang, together with liver blood deficiency and/or stagnation — a framework that, alongside the Western picture of declining hormone levels, helps tailor treatment more specifically to each person.

What can you expect from treatment?

I never work from a one-size-fits-all template. A first visit involves a thorough review of your symptoms, health history, and what you’ve already tried. From there, we build a treatment plan — often a combination of acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and functional-medicine guidance on diet, nutrition, and lifestyle, with relevant lab testing as a foundation when it’s needed to understand the full picture.

One simple thing to try at home

Before bed, try an essential oil blend of vetiver and jasmine specifically, applied to the soles of the feet and the arch — a point where the Spleen (SP) and Kidney (KD) channels meet. This particular combination, vetiver together with jasmine, is something I’ve seen help reduce hot flashes. The same blend also works well as a small foot bath.

Want to take the next step?

If menopause symptoms or perimenopause are affecting your daily life, you’re warmly welcome to book a consultation. We’ll go through your situation at a relaxed pace and see what could make the biggest difference for you specifically.

Warmly,
Cora