Integrative Health
Find your care
We offer a range of treatments designed to relieve menopause symptoms and increase your quality of life. Call 310-794-7274 to learn more about the Comprehensive Menopause Program.
Integrative Health and Menopause
The practice of Integrative Medicine blends conventional care with evidence-based traditional and complementary approaches to support whole-person health and wellness. Integrative medicine encompasses mind-body-spirit approaches such a yoga, tai chi, and mindfulness as well as acupuncture and natural/botanical supplements.
Integrative medicine has a unique role in supporting a person’s mind-body-spirit as they transition through menopause. Yoga, tai chi, and mindfulness have been shown to improve symptoms in menopause including hot flashes and mood disturbances. Incorporating integrative mind-body-spirit practices into a treatment plan can also be incredibly helpful in coping with stress and supporting healthy sleep. There is also emerging data to support other integrative approaches including hypnotherapy and acupuncture which can be helpful in managing difficult to control symptoms during menopause.
Natural products and dietary supplements remain a popular approach for people seeking symptom relief during menopause, but the data supporting use of these products is limited and inconclusive. There can also be a significant risk of harm from these products due to adverse side effects and/or interactions with medications. Finding reliable information about the safe and careful use of supplements remains a challenge for many persons experiencing menopausal symptoms. Using an integrative approach, patients can discuss the use of these products with their healthcare team to determine a risk and benefit assessment of using these products that is tailored to their individual health goals. Ultimately, the use of integrative medicine within the UCLA Menopause Program supports a personalized approach to care that can support a person going through perimenopause or in menopause.
Integrative Health Specialty Providers
Resources
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Menopause Symptoms in Depth
Mindfulness / Relaxation
UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC)
The mission of the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) is to foster mindful awareness across the lifespan through education and research to promote well-being and a more compassionate society. Mindful awareness (mindfulness) can be defined as paying attention to present-moment experiences with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to be with what is. Mindfulness can be trained systematically, and it can be implemented more fully in daily life by people of any age, profession, or background. MARC offers classes, programs, trainings, and events to UCLA, the Los Angeles community, and to a wider global community through virtual and in-person learning, web resources, and our free app with guided meditations, "UCLA Mindful"
- Drop-in meditation (Hammer Podcast) offered for free 2x/week,
- Mindful Awareness Practices (MAP) classes
- UCLA Mindful App
- Mindfulness for health and wellbeing video
Breathwork
SkyBreath Meditation
Sudarshan Kriya and accompanying breathing practices, referred to collectively as SKT and taught through the Art of Living Foundation worldwide, have been found to enhance brain, hormone, immune and cardiovascular system function. Published research shows that SKY significantly reduces stress, depression, anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and significantly increases well-being both mentally and physically. Research also demonstrates that the effects of SKY reach all the way down to the molecular level, to our DNA. Over 100 independent studies conducted on four continents and published in peer reviewed journals, have demonstrated a comprehensive range of benefits from SKY practice.
Yoga
UCLA Health Integrative Medicine virtual yoga therapy videos
Free Virtual Yoga Therapy. Meets every Tuesday and Thursday at Noon. Register here.
Acupuncture