News from White Lotus

Most western women experience massive changes during menopause on many levels. It is interesting to note that hot flushes are a rare occurrence in China.

Hot flushes are basically caused by a fundamental imbalance of Yin and Yang energies in the body. The term is called Yin deficiency. The reason that the Chinese rarely suffer from this is mainly due to their practice of Qi gong which regulates the yin and yang energies of the body, their diet (soy based diets are yin in nature) and their life long habit of taking Chinese herbal medicine when they are healthy to remain healthy and prevent imbalances from occurring.

It does take time for your body to adjust to lower levels of estrogen but it can be a better transition if you eat yin foods and take some herbal medicine to support the body. In really severe cases you can have an imbalance of both yin and yang particularly if you have had a chronic illness, this is definitely best treated with strong herbal medicine and Qi Gong therapy.

In the west we eat Yang based foods (hot in nature) most of our lives which is why the imbalance is so strong. By the time you hit menopause most of the Yin of the body has been depleted. Yang foods, are hot, spicy, processed refined grains/junk foods, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, white sugar, greasy/deep fried foods, dairy foods. We also have stressful lifestyles which directly depletes the internal organs from a TCM perspective, causing illness and disease.

Yin Foods are fruits, vegetables, wholegrain foods (wholegrain wheat as opposed to white flour), green tea, legumes etc.Yin relates to body fluids and is cooling, nourishing in nature.

A lack of Yin in the body manifests as general menopausal symptoms, insomnia, hot flushes, mood swings, thirst, hunger, extremely dry skin, weak nails etc People that have a lack of yin in the body also develop wrinkles, redness, hair loss or thinning, pigmentation on their skin over time and and can often develop problems with their eyes.

If you want to increase your Yin the best way is to eat more plant based foods and wholefood grains. Drink good quality green tea every day , and good quality water.Avoid spicy foods and stay away from deep fried, alcohol, processed foods as much as possible. Go to bed before 10pm and have lots of time out for yourself. Avoid any excercises that cause you to sweat excessively such as jogging or bikram yoga. Your body and skin will thank you in the long run.

It is also beneficial to take herbal medicine on an ongoing basis as a maintenance to keep the bodies energy in balance and prevent the yin from depleting.

Qi Gong is a fantastic practice to bring about rapid balance to the body if you are suffering from change of life symptoms and should be practiced daily.