Our bodies are born with an innate intelligence that governs our ability to self heal. The self-healing process is fueled by Qi. If your Qi is strong and balanced and you take good care of yourself, your own energy system will be able to regulate itself. By middle age, however, our bodies show the effects of years of stress and unhealthy lifestyle habits, and our Qi has declined and gotten out of balance.

Perimenopause

If you are in perimenopause, your body’s Qi and the function of your organs are just starting to decline. At this early stage, it may be easy to tune up your system. Acupuncture or herbs, alone or in combination, might bring quick relief from symptoms. If they do, don’t stop treatment too soon. Even if symptoms seem to have disappeared, the function of your organs will still need support. It’s a good idea to continue treatment for a while so you can be sure you’ve addressed the source of the problem. If you’re taking herbs, for example, keep taking them even if you feel fine. These herbs are designed to help your organs function better so you can heal yourself. Then you can gradually switch from herbal therapy to self-healing with foods, Qigong, and meditation.

Menopause

If you’re fully into menopause and experiencing its many discomforts, you can now understand where they come from and why. I strongly recommend the healing program that includes both classical Chinese herbs and acupuncture, and some form of energy practice, such as Qigong or Taiji. This will help unite your body, mind, and spirit.

If you’re fairly healthy, and the quality of your treatment is good, you should see an immediate improvement in hot flashes, night sweats, and palpitations. If you don’t, talk to your TCM practitioner to see if your treatment needs to be adjusted. Discuss whether your symptoms come and go during treatment, or if they get worse. Even if you do get quick relief from your symptoms, healing their root cause takes at least three to five months. The timing depends upon your general health and the skill of your doctor.

If you’re not very healthy, your treatment could take up to a year. You must be patient. Once you truly heal the root problem, you will have made a successful transition and should be able to make enough estrogen to keep your body healthy for the rest of your life.

Creating Lifelong Health

As you enter menopause, you now have the last great opportunity to become truly healthy for the rest of your life. Take responsibility for your own health and healing. It’s not up to your doctor to fix you. If menopausal symptoms return, look to your daily lifestyle. Usually this means your everyday habits are still not balanced enough to help you heal yourself thoroughly. Tried to find out why your own energy support system is not functioning as it should. You may not be eating well, for example, or you may be working too hard or for too many hours. You may not have a peaceful heart, or you may be trying to cope with too much stress. All of these things can consume too much Qi—just at the time when you need to conserve it the most.

Master Lu’s Secret Formula

Once you feel better, you may find that you retreat to the lifestyle you had before your menopausal symptoms slowed you down. Soon you’re spending more Qi than you should. But without the resiliency and recuperative powers of a younger body you must do things differently. So many patients ask, “What should I eat? Should I join a gym or start a workout program? How can I get more energy?”

You need only follow this one secret formula—do nothing. That is the best something you can do. This is the greatest way to heal and live a long, healthy life. You are not lazy if you take a rest. You are not lazy if you do nothing. You are being intelligent by conserving your Qi—your body’s life force.