Medical Guidance: Professor Huang Lin, Cardiovascular Specialist, Guangdong Provincial Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
After age 45–50, women often experience clinical symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, menstrual irregularities, insomnia with vivid dreams, irritability, emotional agitation, or symptoms of heat in the upper body and cold in the lower body. Medically termed menopausal syndrome, this period is also characterized by unstable blood pressure, often leading to hypertension.Research indicates that before menopause, the incidence of hypertension in women is only half that of men of the same age. However, after menopause, the incidence rate increases dramatically compared to men of the same age. Therefore, women in menopause should pay close attention to their blood pressure.
Key to Preventing Hypertension in Menopausal Women: Regulating Emotions
Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that at the age of forty-nine (the seventh seven-year cycle), women experience menopause. Kidney qi gradually weakens, leading to deficiency of qi and blood, insufficiency of essence and blood, and imbalance of yin and yang. This inability to nourish and warm other organs manifests as various symptoms.Women in this age group have endured phases of menstruation, vaginal discharge, pregnancy, and childbirth that deplete qi and blood. Most experience dual deficiency of qi and blood, with liver-kidney yin deficiency and yin-yang imbalance becoming the primary physiological and pathological characteristics of menopausal women.
TCM recognizes a close relationship between hypertension in menopausal women and the liver. Factors such as emotional imbalance, irregular diet, and environmental stress lead to yin-yang imbalance, liver-kidney deficiency, and yin deficiency with fire excess. Consequently, blood pressure rises, accompanied by dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, insomnia, forgetfulness, hot flashes, sweating, memory decline, and lower back/leg soreness. Irritability, anger, and emotional instability are also common.Thus, emotional imbalance plays a significant role in hypertension development. Consequently, TCM clinical treatment for menopausal hypertension emphasizes not only regulating yin-yang, tonifying liver-kidney, and promoting blood circulation to resolve stasis, but also soothing the liver, relieving depression, and harmonizing emotions.
Six TCM Strategies for Smooth Menopause Transition
Menopause is a natural physiological process. To navigate it safely and prevent blood pressure spikes, consider these approaches:
1. Recognize its uniqueness.After age 45, women experience menstrual irregularities. As estrogen levels decline, physical symptoms emerge—hot flashes, night sweats, poor sleep, fatigue, and irritability. Recognize these as signs of changing endocrine and biological functions, not cause for anxiety.By learning about the physiological and pathological changes of menopause, clinical manifestations, dietary considerations, and psychological adjustments through newspapers, television, and online media, women can face these bodily changes without fear or anxiety. Maintaining a cheerful and optimistic mindset helps reduce blood pressure elevation.Women entering menopause often serve as both the backbone of their families and key pillars in their workplaces. Family responsibilities and workplace competition create significant pressure. Combined with a tendency toward competitiveness and perfectionism in some individuals, clinical symptoms can become pronounced. For such individuals, in addition to medication, doctors may employ basic psychological interventions such as emotional release, symptom explanation, and active encouragement to provide emotional support, alleviate anxiety, and enhance a sense of security.We must also learn to release stress ourselves: relax our minds, communicate more with others, cultivate hobbies, participate in outdoor activities, and divert our attention. Controlling mental stress and emotional agitation can alleviate symptoms or even lead to spontaneous recovery.
3. Balanced Dietary Management. During menopause, accelerated metabolism increases the body's consumption of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Therefore, dietary structure should be appropriately adjusted to ensure adequate nutrition. Pay attention to balanced meals throughout the day, ensuring daily intake of essential proteins, vitamins, and trace elements from food sources.Moderately limit high-fat and sugary foods, reduce salt intake, avoid smoking and alcohol, and minimize consumption of stimulants like coffee, chili peppers, and fried foods. Increase intake of protein-rich foods such as milk, fish, soy products, fruits, and vegetables—especially soybeans, as their isoflavones help regulate female hormonal imbalances.
4. Engage in regular exercise. Some individuals are so preoccupied with work that they neglect physical activity, or lack awareness of its importance, leading to minimal or no exercise.In fact, regular exercise not only improves blood circulation, controls cholesterol levels, and maintains weight, but also stimulates the motor cortex of the brain, creating a sense of well-being. Find an exercise routine that suits you, such as jogging, brisk walking, swimming, Tai Chi, or yoga. Aim for at least three sessions per week, each lasting 30–40 minutes. Consistency is key to forming a habit.
5. Traditional Chinese Medicinal Diet Therapy. Clinically, we treat hypertension in menopausal women primarily by regulating yin-yang balance, nourishing the liver and kidneys, and promoting blood circulation to remove stasis. This approach helps alleviate symptoms, lower blood pressure, and regulate sleep. In addition to herbal medicine, we recommend complementary medicinal diets to "heal through food" and improve sleep. Below are several effective medicinal recipes:
(1) Lily and Lotus Seed Soup: Combine 20g lily bulbs, 10g lotus seeds, and 10g red dates with 200ml water. Simmer for 30–40 minutes. Consume morning and evening to nourish yin, moisten dryness, calm the heart, and soothe the spirit.
(2) Cassia Seed and Rose Tea: Steep 10g cassia seeds and 5g rose petals as a tea substitute. This formula regulates liver qi and lowers blood pressure.
(3) Wheat and Jujube Tea: 30g floating wheat, 10g red dates. Add 200ml water and boil for 30 minutes. Drink as tea. Nourishes the heart and relieves restlessness.
(4) Lingzhi Soup: 30g lingzhi,lean meat (ribs) 50g, simmer for about 1 hour. Consume the soup and meat to strengthen the spleen, boost qi, nourish the heart, and calm the spirit.
(5) Ginseng-Lotus Soup: Codonopsis 5g, Ophiopogon 10g, lotus seeds 10g, lean meat 50g. Simmer for about 40 minutes. Consume the soup and meat to boost qi, nourish the heart, and aid sleep.
(6) Supportive Psychological Intervention. Some women experience significant anxiety or depression during menopause alongside physical symptoms. In such cases, alongside Chinese and Western medication, actively seeking psychological counseling is recommended.
6. Supportive Psychological Intervention. Some women experience significant anxiety or depression alongside physical symptoms during menopause. In such cases, alongside Chinese and Western medication, actively seek psychological intervention. Through counseling, shift cognitive patterns regarding certain issues to improve emotional well-being, achieve mental health, and attain a high quality of life.