Menopause Miso
Chicken Broth with Yellow Miso and Lotus Root
Serving size: About 2
2 Cups chicken broth – benefits blood, essence or Jing, spleen, stomach and Qi. Enters the kidney channel.
½ Cup yellow onion julienne– warm, counteracts damp and cold, improve blood and Qi circulation
2 Tablespoons water
¾ Cup tofu – builds Yin, blood and is a Qi tonic that supports the kidney
Small handful spinach – promote Qi and Blood and Yin
2-3 inch piece lotus root thinly sliced– counteracts heat and promotes Qi circulation
2 Scallion, green part - warm, tonifies yang, eliminates cold and supports blood circulation and digestion.
1 teaspoon miso – soy same as tofu benefits, naturally fermented foods are invaluable for digestion, warming, benefits the kidney,
1 Tablespoon goji berries – tonifies kidney Yin
Dash white pepper – counteracts damp
1 Tablespoon ginger, julienne– warming stimulates digestion and boosts circulation
½ Teaspoon sesame oil – counteracts heat and tonifies Yin
2 Medium shiitake julienne – blood and Qi tonic, supports spleen stomach and liver
Directions
Lightly cook the julienne onion and shiitake mushrooms in the 2 tablespoons water, add the chicken broth, ginger, goji and lotus (do not peel lotus, allow the hot broth to slightly braise.) bring to a simmer. Add the white pepper, tofu and miso (Thin the miso with a little stock then add back into the soup. Long cooking or boiling destroys miso’s beneficial organisms.) Add spinach and sesame oil and serve, garnish with scallions.
Options:
Seaweed is great for strengthening kidneys and building Yin so you could use dashi granules or make a broth using kombu and bonito flakes.
Add poached egg if you want more protein, should be antibiotic and hormone free if possible. Chicken eggs supports blood and promotes blood circulation, it also supports essence and Yin.
Honoring Menopause
In many Eastern cultures, menopause is often welcomed and honored as a time of transition for women. Many studies show that few women in Asian countries experience issues and symptoms during this transition, while in the West, we suffer needlessly!
Anxiety, night sweating, hot flashes, decreased libido, vaginal dryness, weight gain are among the most common issues that I see in my clinic for those going through menopause. In Chinese Medicine theory, it can be well managed with diet, herbs, and acupuncture with fewer risks and side effects than contemporary western solutions like hormone replacement therapy.
Kidney Yin deficiency (the common pattern found in Eastern Medicine for menopausal symptoms) can be managed with eliminating excessive sugar, poor quality meats, quitting smoking, reducing stress, and trying to not "burn the candle at both ends".
As we know now that food IS medicine, check out our blog for a yummy Menopause Miso recipe that supports both the Kidney Yin and Yang functions to help reduce unwanted menopause symptoms.
Menopause is natural! So why is it treated like a disease?
Menopause is a naturally occurring process, so why is it treated like a disease??? ‼️⚠️‼️ 💉💊Conventional medical treatments only address various symptoms and signs associated with menopause, however, symptoms and signs are just one factor of the whole picture. 🔆 📍📚 Both acupuncture and Functional Medicine understand that symptoms are merely indications of an imbalance deep within the body, and this time of change occurs because the body chemistry is shifting. . .
Chemistry change is a natural process, and there are so many ways that acupuncture and Functional medicine can look deeper to help this change be as smooth as possible. Estrogen is similar to what we call Jing Qi. Jing Qi is like the battery that provides us with all the life energy we need to power all our functions. As we age, our Jing Qi slowly decreases. 📉During menopause, our Jing Qi is often declining a bit faster and this can cause our organ systems to get out of balance. Left untreated, the imbalances get more severe and symptoms like hot flashes/night sweats get worse. 😨
When we get acupuncture and have our labs analyzed by a Functional Medicine doc, we can see the underlying imbalance and support the bodies ability to make hormones, instead of suppressing it with hormones! 💡Over working, poor dietary habits, energetic imbalances and blockages will increase the decline of Jing Qi. Treatment to support the healing energies of Jing, provide the body with the building blocks it needs in order to nourish, heal, and regain balance. 🌀