Puberty and Menopause - 2 Reproductive Transitions that can Improve Your Health

There are two phases that all women go through, and men to some extent to - Puberty (both sexes) and Menopause (mainly thought of as women only). They are both times of great transition where we have the opportunity to improve our health and also become more aware of who we are, our own ideas, our purpose and express that into the world.

In Chinese Medicine these phases are considered to be gates of life. There are said to be 4 great gates of life - puberty, marriage, childbirth, menopause as well as many little gates sch as teething, going to university, the saturn return around 29 years old and other life changing events such as accidents, divorce or retirement. All these gates are times when we can throw out diseases or illnesses from the body so that we become healthier or the diseases can travel deeper into the body and becoming a much worse illness later in life.

In this article I aim to explain what is happening physically and emotionally during the phases of puberty and menopause and how the first phase can have an impact on the second if illnesses are not dealt with. The information is based from the Shiatsu and Chinese Medicine view point.

What Happens at Puberty?

Females move through life in 7 year cycles, males 8 year cycles and at certain ages there are different energy and physical changes, mental and emotional changes which give rise to certain consequences, behaviours and common illnesses. From an eastern perspective the body is always trying to find a balance between yin and yang. Yin is cool and quiet like night time and winter. Yang is warm and active like day time and summer. Leading up to puberty there are 3 key ages of development:

2 years old: - This is when the first wave of kidney yang comes through. It brings with it all the baby teeth, the first assertion of individuality and a desire for world domination. It’s a phase I’m quite familiar with at the moment having an almost 2 year old myself. Often referred to as the terrible two’s there can be more fevers and febrile convulsions at this age. The heat that comes with these conditions is a surge of yang that helps to clear any excess dampness in the body but if unable to illnesses such as asthma or epilepsy can arise.

9 years old - a seond smaller wave of kidney yang comes through and at this age children develop a much greater awareness of their emotions. Rather than just being angry or being sad they realise these feelings are not who they are but something that they are experiencing in response to a situation. Whilst it can give the 9 year old a better ability to stay focussed on their work it also can given them the ability to start suppressing those emotions that make them feel uncomfortable or that they’re told not to have. Behviourally they can be more grumpy and contradictory to their parents. It’s often a sign of what they may be like as a teenager. Common illnesses can be low blood sugar, the development of diabetes and more adult diseases. This is an important age to improve digestion. If not digestive disorders can lead to hay fever, diabetes and migraines.

14-16 years old - at puberty another huge surge of kidney yang comes through giving us the ability to reproduce. Plus all of the Jing (life force) that went into growth and development of the body and the brain now redirects into the reproductive system so it can be used during the fertile years. Teenagers should become more aware of their own individuality and be encouraged to express their own ideas. It’s the maximum time for grumpiness as well as common illnesses such as diabetes and glandular fever. If old illnesses are not thrown out of the body by the yang surge then they move further inwards leading to recurrcing episodes of glandular fever and potentially chronic fatigue.

Marriage is not as a big a deal as it was back in old China time and not all women go through childbirth so for the purposes of this article I’m just going to skip straight through to the next great gate of ilfe - menopause.

What Happens at Menopause?

My previous article “Menopause - Is This Really Happening To My Body” goes into detail about the western medicine understanding of what happens physiologically leading up to and during the menopause years. In Shiatsu and Chinese Medicine we look at what is happening to the balance of yin and yang. Generally, menopause is referred to as a yin deficient condition and this has been my understanding until recently. However, Dr Julian Scott, an eminent Pediatric Acupuncture specialist and auther of Natural Medicine for Women, sees from his 40 years of treating women that it is not so much a deficient condition but a change in the balance of yin and yang.

The Jing (life force) that had been going into the reproductive system is now diverted so it can be used elsewhere. The feminine yin energy does begin to decline but the feminine yang energy begins to increase. It is almost like the yang surges that happened during childhood and puberty as it brings with it a need to discover the self, take another step forward and develop a deeper understanding of oneself. There is reflection and consideration on what you’re going to do with the next phase of life, what the new direction will be. So it is far from being a time where there is a lack of energy and more a time of great energy.

As I mentioned at the beginning men to some extent also go through menopause as well. Whilst they still maintain an ability to reproduce the balance in ying and yang shifts for them during mid-life (generally between the ages of 48-56). However, it is the opposite to women. Their yang declines and the yin increases. This tends to make them less driven, less career motivated. Their driving force reduces and a softeness comes in. This is obviously a generalisation but it does mean that men and women become more like each other at this time. Both sexes are given the same opportunity for healing but also share the danger that diseases can go deeper if they are not thrown out.

Some of the main symptoms that arise for women as they move through menopause are heat - meaning that more yang is rising up to push out old illnesses, fibroids - meaning their is more coldness trapped in the body, sweating - showing the yang is trying to clear out dampness, migraines that seem to appear out of nowhere but are a sign there has been a tightness in the head the whole life (often as a result of cranial compression from their own difficult childbirth), prolapse, hot flushes with sweating and various odd illnesses that may arise from two different Chinese Medicine patterns - Damp-phlegm in the Liver and Gall Bladder and Lingering Pathogenic Factor.

How to Help Hot Flushes in Menopause

In Shiatsu we work more with the meridian or energy channel system of the body. Personally, I have had good success with using Shiatsu to alleviate hot flushes and from a recent webinar with Dr Julian Scott I now understand it is because they are often from a disease pattern that sits in the meridians or channels - Damp-phlegm in Liver and Gallbladder (think of a humid day and the wet feeling that comes with it - this is how we view damp in Chinese Medicine. Your internal environment is humid). The disease has often been there since childhood. Much of the time it is hidden from view and gives rise to different symptoms at different ages.

From 2 years onwards it can show up as a slight green vaginal discharge in girls or excessive smegma in boys. This comes and goes throughout life. From 14 to 25 it can be the cause of acne or greasy skin something that is often very difficult to get on top of. The Kidney Yang surge that comes through in puberty steams up the damp heat and phlegm that is in the body trying to push it out through the skin.

In the fertile years there are experiences of polycystic ovaries, premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction. Then in menopause it causes the hot flushes. The rising yang energy once again drives up the dampness into the head and the face. Post menopause it can lead to hip degeneration as this is an area where the liver and gall bladder channels flow closely together.

It more often than not opens the way for people for people to get sexually transmitted diseases and can be linked to a confusion or fear over relations with the opposite sex. This confusion in relation to the opposite sex or fear/ambiguity over sex can start from a very early age. It is important that it is resolved otherwise the disease cannot be transformed and pushed out therefore continuing the imbalance.

In Shiatsu we treat this condition by working with certain acupressure points on the liver and gallbladder channel. As damp and phlegm can be sticky and hard to shift the treatments have a much more vigorous quality - more movement, stretches and percussive work plus cupping to help the body detox. Dietary advice consists of eliminating foods that cause dampness and encouraging use of foods that help to drain dampness. It’s also about ensuring the client is getting regular moderate exercise. Dampness and phelgm makes us slow and sedentary so it is important to get the body moving as much as possible.

Odd Illnesses in Menopause

Sometimes we get illnesses that the body never completely cures. They sit in the glandular system (meridians/channels in shiatsu) and over time we get symptoms that come and go and are like an ‘echo’ of the original disease. Like a cough that comes and goes. It might be there in Autumn and Winter but disappears in Spring and Summer.

These illnesses are lingering pathogenic factors and create a very thick phlegm. Sometimes it is so thick that you’re not even aware of it. In Chinese Medicine phlegm is very thick and sticky. It is a more congealed form of damp. It is more thick than the icky mucosa you might cough up from a chest infection.

From 2 years onwards it can lead to skin problems and digestive problems. From 14—25 there can be glandular fever, fatigue and a greater likelyhood of self harming. This is a big cry for attention as this young perseond feels they’re not being recognised for what they’re meant to do.

In the fertile years there may be chronic fatigue, depression, fibroids and food allergies. In menopause there may be gall stones, migraine, panick attacks and divorce. Men are likely to experience these as well and can also experience what is often termed as a mid-life crisis as they also try to grapple with “what is my path?” or try to hold onto their youth. In post menopause there may be arthritis and a wide range of other health problems including cancer. Cancer is a very complex condition but in Chinese Medicine it’s basis is an accumulation of thick phlegm.

In Shiatsu sessions I talk to my clients about their mental and emotional health in terms of their spirit or soul. In Chinese Medicine this is called the Shen. This very thick phlegm can obscure the shen/spirit. It's like a thick fog that mists the heart and stops the inner voice, our true identity, from speaking to us and letting us know what our purpose in life or Ikigai is.

As mentioned above we should hear this voice first in puberty so that we can really begin to assert our individuality. If it is not heard the connection to the inner self is hazy and the way forward is not clear meaning we can move off on the wrong path or wrong career. They are not necessarily bad paths, just the wrong path and can lead to depression.

If this thick phlegm stays the whole life and is not thrown out the opportunity in menopause to find the right path and give the creative yang energy a new outlet is lost. Again this can lead to a great depression. Post menopause women may experience palpitations (a sign the Qi is stuck in the chest), anxiety, fatigue and a lack of enthusiasm for life.

Shiatsu treatments utilise points on the back of the neck and along the Bladder Channel running down the back. The points help a person to move forward in life. The treatments also aim to get the Qi moving so that an inner change can begin to happen and the lingering pathogenic factor is cleared from the channels. Discussion before and after a treatment is used to give the spirit an opportunity to express what it really wants to be doing with the life.

What is the Best Age to Start Improving Your Health for Menopause

Often we do not look for connections between the illnesses and diseases that we suffer. But the great gates especially puberty and menopause give us an opportunity to see connections, clear out pathogens and become healthier. They are times to really address our health and wellbeing.

Getting ahead of illnesses is vitally important. if your child is coming up to 12 years of age this is the time to seek assistance from an acupuncturist, herbalist, naturapth or specialist in peadiatrics to address any lingering childhood illnesses and set them up for a healthy puberty.

It is also important to prepare for menopause by getting treatments in the years prior. It is best to start treatments in your 40’s to ensure all the bodies energies are flowing in the right direction. Your 40’s are the best time to start taking some time out for yourself, get more rest and find strategies to help you be less stressed (see my previous article on Menopause for some helpful tips). Menopause is a time of big change. By taking better care of yourself in the years before it your energy can build up so that there is enough energy available to throw out old illnesses and reduce the chances of post menopausal conditions such as hip degeneration and cancer.

Shiatsu can be very beneficial to teenagers helping them feel less stressed as their body and spirit move into adulthood. I had the great pleasure of assisting a teenage boy with severe Renaud’s syndrome. We eased his symptoms and through his treatments he learnt stress reduction strategies that he put into place to help him through exams and dietary strategies to ensure his condition did no worsen.

My main area of expertise though is women’s health and I mostly work with women in their 40’s and 50’s. I have on occasion also treated their husbands/partners who are showing signs of going through mid-life crisis.

To book a Shiatsu treatment for pre-menopause, menopause or post menopause or to discuss if a Shiatsu is the correct modality for you contact Marian on 0403 550 695.