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The Menopause Guide: Blending Eastern Wisdom and Western Science to Navigate a New Chapter

By Sakina Di Pace,

By Sakina Di Pace,

Acupuncturist and founder of Sérénité

At the time of writing this guide I am 45 and beginning my own journey through perimenopause. And honestly, I feel lucky.

Lucky that this is happening at a time when menopause is no longer something to be whispered about. Hot flushes, restless nights, brain fog, dryness, and mood changes are symptoms so many of us know too well. For a long time they were brushed aside or treated as something to be embarrassed about. Now women are speaking up, sharing their experiences, and finding strength in each other’s stories. Books are being written, podcasts recorded, conversations opened, and the taboo is slowly fading.

Still, the amount of information can feel overwhelming. So my aim with this article is to talk to you like we were breaking the topic down whilst sitting together having tea.

I feel my background and experience spanning both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can help with some practical advice that can make this transition for you lighter.

What is Menopause?

From a Western point of view

Menopause is the moment when you have gone 12 months without a period, usually around age 51. The years before that, called perimenopause, can last anywhere from 4 to 10 years.

What is happening is mostly hormonal:

  • Oestrogen, the hormone that plumps skin, protects bones, and steadies mood, begins to fluctuate and then decline.
  • Progesterone, which calms you and helps you sleep, also drops.
  • Testosterone lowers more slowly, which can affect energy and libido.

Because these hormones touch almost every system in the body, the changes are wide-ranging.

Studies show that around 60 to 80 percent of women in Western countries experience hot flushes or night sweats during this transition. In contrast, studies in Asia report lower rates. One large Chinese study found about 36 percent of women experienced hot flushes, while some Japanese surveys showed numbers closer to 10 to 20 percent.

Why the difference? Diet, lifestyle, and perception all play a role. In many Asian countries, soy and phytoestrogen-rich foods are common, movement is part of daily life, alcohol intake is lower, and menopause is viewed more as a natural stage than a medical problem.

From a TCM point of view

 In Chinese medicine, menopause is seen as a natural transition called the Second Spring. It is not about decline, but about energy shifting inward.

Here’s the simple way to understand it. Yin, the body’s cool, moist, anchoring energy, gradually depletes as we age. When Yin is too low, it cannot hold Yang, the warm and active energy, down. This is why heat suddenly rises to the chest and face. TCM calls this empty heat.

  • Hot flushes and night sweats = Yin too weak, Yang escaping upward
  • Mood swings = Liver Qi, which regulates emotions, becomes unsettled
  • Dry skin, hair, or vaginal dryness = less Yin and Blood to nourish the body
  • Thinning hair = Kidney Jing, our deep vitality, naturally declining

Instead of treating this as something to fight, TCM encourages nourishing Yin, supporting Blood (the nourishing fluids that keep us hydrated and grounded), and conserving Kidney energy. In real life, this simply means eating warm, nourishing foods, keeping stress low, sleeping well, and choosing movement that supports you rather than drains you. When you do that, this new season feels lighter and more balanced.

Understanding the most common symptoms

Once you know what menopause is, the next step is recognising how it shows up in daily life. Symptoms can feel random and confusing at first, but they all have an explanation. Here are the most common that women notice, explained from both a Western and a TCM perspective. If you recognise yourself in these, you’re not alone.

Western view

TCM view

Why am I suddenly burning up at night?

The hypothalamus, your body’s thermostat, becomes more sensitive when oestrogen falls. Small shifts in core temperature trigger blood vessels to open, creating a sudden wave of heat and sweat.

With less Yin to anchor Yang, heat rises to the upper body. This is empty heat.

Why is my sleep so fragile?

Falling progesterone reduces calming brain chemicals that help you drift off. Add in night sweats and fluctuating oestrogen, and sleep becomes lighter and more broken. Cortisol, the stress hormone, also spikes more easily, keeping you alert when you should be resting.

Without Yin to cool and settle, the Shen, or mind-spirit, is not anchored. Heat and restlessness disturb the night.

Why do I feel more irritable or anxious?

Oestrogen and progesterone influence serotonin and GABA, two messengers that steady mood. When they fluctuate, emotions follow. Poor sleep and more frequent cortisol spikes make stress harder to handle.

With less Yin and Blood to nourish it, the Liver loses its smooth flow of Qi. This stagnation shows up as frustration, mood swings, or sudden sadness.

Why is my weight shifting to my belly?

Lower oestrogen changes fat storage, moving it from hips and thighs to the belly. Muscle mass also naturally declines, which slows metabolism. Stress-driven cortisol adds fat around the middle.

The Spleen is in charge of transforming food into energy. With age, stress, and sugar, its Qi weakens. Dampness gathers as heaviness and belly weight.

Why is my skin drier and my hair thinner?

Oestrogen supports collagen and oil production. In the first five years after menopause, up to 30 percent of skin collagen is lost. Skin becomes thinner and drier. With less oestrogen, androgens like DHT act more strongly on hair follicles, causing them to shrink.

Yin and Blood nourish the skin and hair. As they decline, dryness, fine lines, and thinning appear. The Kidneys, which hold Jing, also govern hair. With less Jing, hair weakens.

Why am I drier ‘down there’ and less interested in sex?

With less oestrogen, vaginal tissue becomes thinner and less lubricated, which can make intimacy uncomfortable and affect desire.

In TCM, “Blood” describes the nourishing, hydrating fluids in the body. When Yin and these fluids decline, dryness can appear everywhere, including intimate tissues. Kidney energy also influences sexual vitality, and it naturally turns inward with age, which can change desire.

How to Navigate This Transition

The foundation is food and lifestyle, because they influence everything else. On top of that you add supplements to fill the natural gaps that appear during menopause. And once the base is steady, you can bring in extra tools for deeper, long-term support.

Food

Food is medicine at every stage of life, but during menopause it plays a massive role in how you feel.

  • Western tips: Balance blood sugar by adding protein to every meal. Eat colourful vegetables and whole foods. Include omega-3 rich foods such as fish, flax, and walnuts for skin and brain.
  • TCM tips: Favour warm, easy to digest, Yin-supportive meals. Think soups and stews, bone broth, tofu, black sesame seeds, goji berries, leafy greens. Oysters are a classic. In TCM they calm Yang, while in Western nutrition they are rich in zinc, which supports skin, hair, and repair.
  • Both agree: alcohol and too much coffee aggravate symptoms.
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Bonus Recipe: My Mother In Law Yin-Boosting Soup

The soup that helps you keep your cool and stay juicy through menopause
Ingredients
  • 1 litre chicken or vegetable bone broth
  • 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Thumb of ginger
  • 1 cup shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 cups spinach or dark greens
  • 200 g organic tofu or 1 cup cooked lentils
  • 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon goji berries
  • Sea salt and pepper
Method

Sauté onion, garlic, and ginger in a little oil. Add broth and shiitake and simmer for 10 minutes. Add tofu or lentils and greens and cook for five more minutes. Finish with goji berries and sesame seeds. Simple, warm, and nourishing for Yin.

Lifestyle

In our 30s and 40s many of us get used to pushing through: juggling work, family, and commitments at a pace that often feels non-stop. But during perimenopause and menopause, the body is asking us to shift gears. This is not the time to keep running at full speed. It is the time to learn to slow down a little, to listen more closely, and to build routines that restore rather than deplete.

image Exercise

Movement is essential, but it does not have to be intense. In fact, very intense workouts can sometimes raise cortisol, the stress hormone, which makes symptoms worse and pushes fat toward the belly. Instead, aim for steady, consistent activity. Walking, Pilates reformer, yoga, and swimming support circulation, joints, and stress-reduction. Strength training is particularly important, because falling oestrogen affects bone density and muscle mass: lifting weights, even light ones, helps protect bones, stabilise joints, and keep metabolism strong.

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image Stress care

Menopause makes the body more sensitive to stress. Cortisol spikes more easily, and high cortisol is linked to belly weight, poor sleep, and low mood. That’s why daily stress-reduction practices are not luxuries — they are medicine. Breathing exercises, journaling, qi gong, meditation, or even a quiet walk outside lower cortisol and help the nervous system return to balance. When stress is managed, hot flushes, sleep, and mood all improve.


Every Thursday I go for a long walk — sometimes with a friend, sometimes alone. When I’m by the coast, I even do longe côte (sea walking up to the waist). It’s one of my favourite ways to clear my head, move gently, and reconnect with myself.

image Sleep

Sleep becomes fragile during menopause, but as I outline in my dedicated article on it, it’s also the foundation of everything else. A single night of poor sleep can affect appetite, cravings, blood sugar, mood, and memory. Restoring good sleep is one of the most powerful ways to feel better during this transition. 

Simple steps help: keeping the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet, going to bed at consistent times, and avoiding screens late at night.

For women struggling with night sweats, the 8sleep Pod5 is a game-changer. It allows you to instantly cool your bed from your phone, so you can fall back asleep quickly. Do look at my article on sleep though as I have more to say on this.

This is not just about comfort. Continuous sleep allows your body to regulate hormones more smoothly, stabilises appetite, and supports emotional resilience the next day.

Supplements

Supplements are not a cure-all, but they can cover the gaps and give gentle daily support. When you take them matters too:

  • Magnesium: best taken in the evening, it helps relax muscles, calm the nervous system, and support deeper sleep
  • Zinc: pair it with Vitamin C at breakfast for better absorption and to support skin, hair, and hormones throughout the day
  • Reishi or Cordyceps mushrooms: usually taken in the morning or afternoon to give calm, steady energy without the jitters of caffeine
  • Omega-3s: with a meal, to support brain, joints, and inflammation balance
  • Vitamin D: ideally in the morning with food, as it can gently support energy and mood while protecting bones and immunity

You can find a link to all the supplements I recommend here: Healf — SERENITE Collection

Extra Support: Long-Term Health Investments

Once you have your basics in place with food, lifestyle, and supplements, there are two investments I personally recommend that have made a huge difference in how I navigate menopause: an infrared sauna and the 8sleep Pod5 (a mattress cover that controls bed temperature). They are more than just products. From my own experience, they are life-changing. The daily reset, the comfort, and the relief they bring make such a difference not only for managing menopause symptoms but also for long-term health.

Infrared light to support you through menopause

Infrared saunas use light waves that are invisible to the eye but deeply absorbed by the body. Unlike a traditional sauna that simply heats the air around you, infrared light penetrates the skin and gently warms your tissues from within. This deep warmth boosts circulation, encourages your cells to detoxify, and helps regulate the nervous system. It is soothing, restorative, and feels almost as if it were designed for this stage of life.

Here is how it supports you through menopause:

  • Balances hormones by calming the stress response and smoothing cortisol rhythms
  • Supports bones by improving circulation and stimulating natural repair processes
  • Moistens joints by increasing fluid movement and reducing stiffness
  • Reduces hot flushes by retraining the body’s thermostat to be less reactive
  • Helps with vaginal dryness by improving pelvic blood flow and tissue comfort
  • Improves sleep when used in the evening by deeply relaxing the nervous system
  • Lifts mood and energy by boosting circulation and encouraging gentle detox

This has been one of the best health decisions I have ever made. The comfort, relief, and energy I get from my sauna sessions feel life-changing. It’s that good that I still can’t believe society hasn’t forced one into every home!

This is the sauna I bought: Sunlighten Sauna. Their customer service is excellent, and if you mention you are coming from me, you will get a discount.

The 8sleep Pod5

Hot flushes and night sweats at night are some of the most exhausting symptoms of menopause. They wake you up repeatedly and leave you drained the next day. The 8sleep Pod5 is a mattress cover that cools or warms your bed instantly, giving you full control over your sleep environment.

What makes it extra special is that each side of the bed can be set to a different temperature. So if your partner likes to sleep warm and cosy (like mine does 🙄) with the window closed, while you feel like throwing off the covers and opening every window, this is the perfect solution. You both get exactly what you need.

Here’s how it helps:

  • Instant cooling relief when night sweats hit, so you can fall back asleep
  • Supports deeper, continuous sleep, which steadies hormones and appetite
  • Helps recovery by preventing overnight overheating and cortisol spikes
  • Improves resilience because with good sleep, everything else feels easier
  • Offers dual-zone temperatures, so you and your partner can each sleep your way

Now, a little honesty because this is a serious investment.

I wasn’t impressed with their customer service, and there are a few small annoyances that I genuinely thought would have been ironed out by now considering the price. But despite that, the Pod5 has still made a huge difference for my sleep. When your nights are interrupted by heat and you’re desperate for rest, the cooling feature is worth it.

It feels like a luxury, but when sleep is fragile and precious, having this kind of control really does help.

Skincare that Supports This Season

Skin loses collagen quickly after menopause, research shows that up to 30 percent of collagen can be lost in the first five years. Supporting circulation and giving your skin what it needs is the best thing you can do for your skin during this season.

Needle tapping for hair

As hormones shift, hair can become thinner and more fragile. Needle tapping is a simple technique that uses a small hammer with tiny needles to gently stimulate the scalp. This boosts microcirculation, bringing fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the follicles, which helps strengthen the roots and support healthier growth over time.

Facial cupping for skin

Facial cupping works by creating a gentle suction on the skin. This lifts the tissue, increases circulation, and moves lymph. Fresh blood flow brings oxygen and nutrients to the surface, which can soften fine lines, add glow, and reduce puffiness. It is a natural way to help your skin look more rested and supported during menopause.

Prickly pear seed oil in the evening

Menopausal skin often feels drier and more delicate. Prickly pear seed oil is rich in Vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants that deeply nourish and protect the skin barrier.

Applied in the evening, it works with your skin’s natural overnight repair process, leaving it softer, calmer, and more supple by morning.

On top of these practices, remember that true skin and hair health also comes from within. Collagen is supported by bone broth soups, gentle exercise like walking or yoga, and the supplements mentioned earlier. Together, they help strengthen skin and hair during this new season of life.

Podcasts and Books I Keep Coming Back To

One of the things that has helped me most is listening to other women speak openly about menopause. I love putting on a podcast while cooking, walking, or even sitting in the sauna (which you can do with an infrared sauna as it doesn’t damage phones or earphones!). Hearing honest voices makes you feel less alone, and the best part is realising that the subject is no longer taboo.

Mel Robbins @melrobbins

Mel has a way of being raw, real, and relatable. In her episodes on menopause, she shares her own struggles while also bringing in experts to explain the science in simple terms. It feels like listening to a friend who also happens to know exactly what you are going through. I recommend starting with Episode 157: Everything You Need to Know About Menopause.

Dr. Mindy Pelz @dr.mindypelz

Dr. Mindy Pelz is brilliant at explaining how our hormones shift through different stages of life. She talks about fasting, nutrition, and lifestyle changes in a way that is both inspiring and practical. Her conversations about perimenopause and menopause are full of lightbulb moments and help you see this stage as a time of renewal rather than decline. A great one to listen to is “Navigating Perimenopause, Metabolic Health & Brain Fog”.

Books worth reading

Final Thoughts

Menopause is not the end of youth, it’s the beginning of a new chapter. In TCM, this stage of life is called the Second Spring — a time when your energy turns inward, your wisdom deepens, and you step into a season of renewal. Instead of fighting against the changes, the invitation is to nourish Yin, conserve energy, and honour the body as it shifts into a new rhythm.

In the West, we are only just beginning to reclaim this view. For too long menopause was seen as loss. But ageing is a privilege that not everyone gets, and there is power in embracing it. With the right food, lifestyle, supplements, and supportive tools, you can move through this transition with strength, grace, and even joy.

So let’s see menopause for what it truly is: a chance to reset, to realign, and to embrace the wisdom that comes with time. It’s not something to hide from, but something to embrace proudly and fully.