Menopause
A transition, not a disease. Care for the years when the body is changing its rhythm.
Chinese medicine sees menopause as a natural change in a woman’s body chemistry. Hot flashes, night sweats, broken sleep, and mood swings are not the transition itself but signs of an underlying imbalance, and that imbalance is what we work on with acupuncture, herbal formulas, and nutrition.
Dr. Susan G. Schiff, A.P., DOM, has served patients in South Florida for more than 25 years, with a special concentration in women’s health, and is board certified in Chinese herbal medicine.
Reviewed by Dr. Susan G. Schiff, A.P., DOM. Last reviewed October 2026.
Understanding
Menopause
Most women stop menstruating between the ages of 48 and 52, but the symptoms of perimenopause can begin as early as 40 and continue to 55. A woman often notices first that her cycle is no longer what it used to be. As the last period approaches, the symptoms may become more pronounced: hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, headaches, insomnia, and moodiness.
Chinese medicine recognizes menopause as a natural transitional process. Ideally it is relatively uneventful. In a fast-paced, stressful life, though, underlying patterns of disharmony tend to surface, and they show up as the familiar cluster of menopausal symptoms.
How many symptoms a woman has, which ones, and how severe they are depend on many factors: her overall health, the support she has from family and friends, and her general level of stress among them. Symptoms may last anywhere from six months to more than two years, and for many women, relief during those years is what matters most.
When we treat menopausal symptoms, we first determine where the energetic disharmony lies and which organ systems have become imbalanced. Chinese medicine has described strategies for these imbalances for thousands of years, using acupuncture and herbal medicine to balance the Qi and strengthen the internal organ systems.
In the seasons of a life, the end of the menstrual cycle is one winter. What follows has long been called the second spring.
The symptoms women most often ask about. We look at the pattern behind them rather than treating the heat on its own, and acupuncture and herbal formulas can help ease them.
Insomnia, moodiness, and mood swings often travel together through this transition. Acupuncture works from the outside in and herbal formulas from the inside out, and together they can help ease both.
Joint and muscle achiness, bloating, and weight gain are common companions of the change. Whole food nutrition is a pillar of Chinese medicine treatment, and alongside acupuncture and herbs it can help ease them.
You do not have to wait for periods to stop. Symptoms of perimenopause can begin as early as 40, and a changing cycle is often the first sign, so it is reasonable to come in then.
Menopause is a transition, not a disease, and the symptoms that come with it are signs of an imbalance we can work with.
Dr. Schiff has treated these presentations for over 20 years, and every woman goes through this differently. If any of the following sounds like you, a first visit is where we sort out what pattern is behind it and what a plan would look like.
Hot flashes or night sweats
Sudden heat during the day, or waking soaked at night, whether occasional or many times a day.
Your cycle has changed
Periods that arrive earlier, later, heavier, or lighter than they used to, often the first sign of perimenopause.
Sleep that will not hold
Trouble falling asleep, waking in the small hours, or never feeling rested in the morning.
Mood swings or moodiness
Irritability, low mood, or emotions that feel bigger and faster than they used to.
Headaches, achiness, bloating
New or worsening headaches, joint and muscle aches, bloating, or weight gain that arrived with the change.
Dryness or low libido
Vaginal dryness and a decreased libido, symptoms many women find hard to bring up and that we talk about matter-of-factly.
Six questions we hearfrom women in the middle of the change.
Chinese medicine treats the symptoms of menopause as signs of an imbalance in the body's Qi and organ systems rather than as the transition itself. We first work out where that imbalance lies, then use acupuncture and herbal formulas to help balance the Qi and strengthen the organ systems involved. Acupuncture and herbal formulas can help ease hot flashes, night sweats, sleep trouble, and mood swings as treatment progresses.
No. Symptoms of perimenopause can begin as early as 40, well before the last period, and a changing cycle is often the first sign. You are welcome to come in at that stage rather than waiting for the last period.
Often both. Acupuncture works from the outside in, and Chinese herbal therapy works from the inside out. After your diagnosis, herbs are selected and combined, or a traditional formula is prescribed and adjusted to fit your symptoms. Whole food nutrition is a pillar of Chinese medicine treatment, and we can build an eating plan around the pattern you have.
It varies widely. Symptoms may last anywhere from six months to more than two years, and how many you have and how severe they are depends on your overall health, the support around you, and your stress level. A treatment plan is created after your evaluation and adjusted as your body responds.
A long conversation. We go through your health history, your cycle, your sleep, digestion, energy, and stress, and use the diagnostic methods of Chinese medicine, such as reading the tongue and pulse, to look at the person as a whole. From that we identify the pattern behind your symptoms and put together a plan of acupuncture, herbal medicine, and nutrition.
Yes. Coverage for acupuncture varies by plan, so we can verify your benefits before you arrive. Complete the online form on our New Patient Forms page and we will contact you as soon as your benefits are established.
Where to next?
Perimenopause Sleep and Mood
Common concern
Changes that can begin as early as forty.
Start from the concernInsomnia and Poor Sleep
Common concern
Fall asleep, stay asleep.
Start from the concernAcupuncture or hormone therapy for menopause: how do they compare?
Learn More
Hormone therapy cuts hot flashes by about 75 percent, acupuncture by roughly a third. Acupuncture has no hormonal risks and suits women who avoid estrogen.
Read the answer
The second spring
starts with a call.
Over 25 years of serving patients in South Florida. Tell us what the change has been like for you and we will take it from there.
All visits are by appointment only, in the office, at your clinic, at home, or by video.