Title : Pattern-based Chinese herbal therapeutics in peri-menopause: Clinical applications & evidence-based medicine
Abstract:
Peri-menopause is a complex transitional phase marked by fluctuating hormones, metabolic changes, and shifts in mood, sleep, cognition, and overall vitality. Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine offers an individualized and holistic framework for understanding and treating these changes through pattern differentiation, allowing practitioners to address the root imbalances underlying symptoms rather than focusing solely on hormonal decline. This presentation outlines the key TCM patterns involved in peri-menopause, including Kidney Yin and Yang deficiency, Liver Qi stagnation, Heart–Kidney disharmony, and Spleen Qi deficiency, and highlights the classical herbal formulas most effective for each pattern. In addition to reviewing these diagnostic frameworks, the session will explore how Traditional Chinese Medicine conceptualizes peri-menopause as a multidimensional neuroendocrine transition, emphasizing regulation of the HPA axis, modulation of thermoregulation, support of vascular and metabolic stability, and harmonization of emotional and cognitive function. Current evidence-based research on herbal therapies, and acupuncture will be reviewed, along with considerations for safety, herb–drug interactions, and integration with conventional treatments such as hormone therapy. Clinical cases will illustrate diagnostic reasoning, pattern refinement, treatment planning, and outcome evaluation. Participants will gain practical, evidence-informed strategies for incorporating Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine into peri-menopause care, helping improve patient outcomes through a holistic, systems-oriented, and integrative approach.
