What I Love About Menopause – Understanding What Menopause Is
How to make your menopause positive and joyful
Start with your core foundation of health. If you have not found a doctor or health professional you can talk openly with about menopause, try another. Take a medical-grade vitamin supplement on a daily basis to fill in any nutritional gaps and support hormonal balance. We prefer those that are readily absorbed and contain a rich supply of omega-3’s, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, like the ones we had formulated for Women to Women (Click here to find out more). Eat a balanced diet of whole foods, including a good ratio of protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and fiber. Limit your exposure to toxins by purchasing organic foods whenever possible. Drink at least eight glasses of filtered water a day and limit caffeine and alcohol. If you are smoking, get help to stop. Get some fresh air and exercise daily — 30 minutes or more, if you can.
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If you think you’re experiencing symptoms of hormone imbalance, take our online Hormonal Health Assessment. This is a good place to start, and it’s free! Determining whether your symptoms are mild, moderate, or severe will give you some insight into what kind of work lies ahead. Don’t worry if your symptoms are severe — often my patients who feel the worst recover the fastest. Click here to get started.
Many women trying to restore their hormonal balance will benefit from progesterone support, at least in the beginning of their efforts. Progesterone is a building block for estrogen and other hormones, so your body can use it in an adaptogenic way to restore hormonal balance.
So many women we see are in the throes of adrenal imbalance and don’t know it. Cortisol is a major hormone, and until it’s in balance, you won’t be able to balance your estrogen and other sex hormones. So if your body isn’t responding to the fundamental steps we’ve already discussed, learn about this problem and figure out if it’s blocking your progress. Take our Adrenal Health Assessment to gauge where you are.
If your symptoms don’t respond to these basic steps, you might want to discuss Hormone Replacement Therapy alternatives with your healthcare practitioner. Many of my patients go on bioidentical hormones in perimenopause and for some time after menopause. They do so for various health reasons, but also because they think they look better — which makes them feel better. When they feel better, they have the energy to do some of the emotional work that helps them grow from the inside. This in turn gives them the confidence to take care of themselves so they don’t have to take the hormones anymore. Click here for more information on this topic.
Don’t ignore any issues of vaginal dryness and loss of sexual libido. One of my patients began the most passionate marriage of her life at age 60 — proof positive that sex is as good if not better later in life. For more information, read our article, “Safe (and Enjoyable) Sex in Your Middle Years“. Topical estrogen creams containing estriol will help the vaginal dryness that often accompanies the drop in blood estrogen levels at menopause. Bioidentical hormones and exercise are also helpful in this area.
At some point it’s essential that you examine the relationship between your emotional experience and health. Examine unhealthy habits and relationships. As you look inward, building your cocoon, ask yourself what and whom you want to bring along with you. If you are weighed down by your relationships (to others, to work, to food), find someone to talk to. Ask your friends or family for a referral. Your local religious institution or your healthcare practitioner is a good place to start. For more information on this important topic, read our article, “How Emotional Experience Determines Your Health“.
Read our article on alternative medicine for information on different techniques that can help you with intractable symptoms or to give you new insight into yourself and your total well-being.
Try a lifecoach. Lifecoaching is a targeted therapy that helps people of all ages discover what they are inherently good at and what kind of work/relationships would give them the most satisfaction. There are life coaches in almost every part of the nation. For more information on this process, log on to Cheryl Richardson’s website. Think about the things you love to do in your leisure time: listening to music, decorating, knitting, reading — they can be a launching pad to something new.
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