Menopause, the elephant in the room that no one is talking about, just like painful periods, women so often just accept that it is something they have to put up with. (And now, you hear more & more about 'peri-menopause' - oh yes, this refers to slight menopause symptoms that can start up to a decade BEFORE menopause! )
More recent research is calling this acceptance into question as we understand more and more about exactly what is happening. The key here is that every woman is so unique as she enters these changes you just can't use a 'one size fits all' approach.
There are the life choice influences: Have you had children, how many children? Did you use birth control, what kind? How long? The physical environmental factors: How much exposure did you have to hormone imitators (like those in plastic), toxins in the environment, medical treatments, pharmaceuticals? Even where you live can affect the delicate balance of your hormones. The state of your present health,: your endocrine system, your liver? What is going on with your reproductive organs themselves? The emotional environmental factors: How much stress are you exposed to? And last, but not least, your genetic influences: What were your mom or grandmother's experiences? What is your body's own natural balance?
Phew!! Although it has been given a 'blanket' simple name, menopause is not simple at all and consequently, should be approached with a recognition of the intricacies that are involved. As you may have guessed, you will not find a simple answer here. Instead, we hope that by outlining all the facets that may be influencing your experience of 'the change' you will be empowered to understand your own, unique, personal challenges and address them. As you do that, here are a few 'fixes' that have worked for some women:
Include a small portion of unprocessed soy beans in your daily diet - (edamame beans or tofu). This is a great, easy recipe here. (Some sliced fresh green onion mixed in is a nice addition to the recipe too.) This fix relates to the different types of estrogen receptors in your body, with the soy plant estrogen providing a balance that can reduce the 'hot flushes' that are so uncomfortable.
Supplementation with B12 (cayanocobalamin)- this can help with night sweats. You'll want at least 50 mcg's daily or you can take 2000 mcg's weekly (your body is able to story B12 for a short period of time). As we age, our bodies become less efficient at absorbing B12. Some health issues blamed on 'getting old' are sometimes simply a B12 deficiency.
Liver support - Milk thistle tincture (by A.Vogel) helps your liver to better metabolize, which has a knock on effect of keeping you balanced.
Using Essential Oils to help bring your body into balance. Click here for a fabulous summary of how you can use essential oils to help balance hormones and ease the discomforts of menopause (plus they just smell amazing!!).
Then there are the staple, all round cure-all's: Exercise & reducing your stress (or managing your stress better), the lack of both have huge knock on effects that cannot be underestimated in their effect on your body staying in balance. Stress hormones overwhelm your body and lack of exercise makes it even harder for your body to shed it's toxic load. Just think of a fast moving stream verses a stagnant pond!
More recent research is calling this acceptance into question as we understand more and more about exactly what is happening. The key here is that every woman is so unique as she enters these changes you just can't use a 'one size fits all' approach.
There are the life choice influences: Have you had children, how many children? Did you use birth control, what kind? How long? The physical environmental factors: How much exposure did you have to hormone imitators (like those in plastic), toxins in the environment, medical treatments, pharmaceuticals? Even where you live can affect the delicate balance of your hormones. The state of your present health,: your endocrine system, your liver? What is going on with your reproductive organs themselves? The emotional environmental factors: How much stress are you exposed to? And last, but not least, your genetic influences: What were your mom or grandmother's experiences? What is your body's own natural balance?
Phew!! Although it has been given a 'blanket' simple name, menopause is not simple at all and consequently, should be approached with a recognition of the intricacies that are involved. As you may have guessed, you will not find a simple answer here. Instead, we hope that by outlining all the facets that may be influencing your experience of 'the change' you will be empowered to understand your own, unique, personal challenges and address them. As you do that, here are a few 'fixes' that have worked for some women:
Include a small portion of unprocessed soy beans in your daily diet - (edamame beans or tofu). This is a great, easy recipe here. (Some sliced fresh green onion mixed in is a nice addition to the recipe too.) This fix relates to the different types of estrogen receptors in your body, with the soy plant estrogen providing a balance that can reduce the 'hot flushes' that are so uncomfortable.
Supplementation with B12 (cayanocobalamin)- this can help with night sweats. You'll want at least 50 mcg's daily or you can take 2000 mcg's weekly (your body is able to story B12 for a short period of time). As we age, our bodies become less efficient at absorbing B12. Some health issues blamed on 'getting old' are sometimes simply a B12 deficiency.
Liver support - Milk thistle tincture (by A.Vogel) helps your liver to better metabolize, which has a knock on effect of keeping you balanced.
Using Essential Oils to help bring your body into balance. Click here for a fabulous summary of how you can use essential oils to help balance hormones and ease the discomforts of menopause (plus they just smell amazing!!).
Then there are the staple, all round cure-all's: Exercise & reducing your stress (or managing your stress better), the lack of both have huge knock on effects that cannot be underestimated in their effect on your body staying in balance. Stress hormones overwhelm your body and lack of exercise makes it even harder for your body to shed it's toxic load. Just think of a fast moving stream verses a stagnant pond!