What is Menopause?

A post titled What is Menopause, about the topic so many woman face at this biological phase in their life probably would have made sense to write first.

Being that it's this week's theme and all.

Instead I wrote first about the Natural Approaches to Menopause and then about Menopause and Calcium.

What do they call that? Putting the cart before the horse? The carrot behind the rabbit? Dessert as a first course -

Duh.

They say mental acuity is sometimes challenged during Menopause.

When I first started my nutritional consulting practice I was 33. What did I know about Menopause? I knew my mom didn't talk about it and her butt got really big. ( She went from a size 8 to an 18 in her hips almost over night - whoa where did that butt come from? ) We never talked about it.

As clients approached me about this very natural end to the bearing children phase of life. I looked at it rather clinically. What symptoms were they experiencing and what nutrients and herbs benefit those symptoms? That's my job. I didn't have a relatedness to the concern, as I don't really have a relatedness to high blood pressure either, I just knew that if I listened, and if they did as I recommended and really understood that science does support natural methods- my clients could feel better without taking drugs.

To this day I marvel at the wisdom of the human body.

A woman's ovaries shift into low gear during Menopause, when that happens the hormonal system produces less progesterone and estrogen. This fluctuation of hormones starts a wonderful chain reaction in the many other systems of the body and when that happens it causes a bit of havoc

Common symptoms include:

Hot flashes
Insomnia
Mood Fluctuations
Anxiety
Forgetfulness
Bone, Heart, Colon and Breast health risk increases
Vaginal health can also be of concern

During this time, 65 percent of the requests for treatment are due to night sweats, and 45 percent are due to psychological syndromes.

More specifically 5 areas of the body are affected:

Vasomotor: Hot flashes, palpitations, spontaneous sweating, panic attacks and the inability to sleep.

Psychological: Anxiety, mood swings, depression, poor memory and lack of concentration.

Urogenital: Sexual organ atrophy, dyspareunia (pain during sex), trigonitis and frequent and urgent urination.

Skeletal: Osteoporosis, vertebral crush fractures and femoral neck fractures. Symptoms usually begin well into menopause.

Cardiovascular: Ischemic heart disease and/or cerebrovascular disease. Symptoms usually begin well into menopause.

The average age for those seeking treatment for menopause is 44.

It used to be that the most prescribed hormone replacement therapy was Premarin, a form of estrogen ( sourced from the urine of a horse- no thank you very much ) and this drug alleviated some of the symptoms of menopause .. . and increases, at the same time, the risk of hormone-dependent cancers. ( hmmmmm - is that really necessary?) In 2002 a huge study was halted when the risks of this drug far outweighed the benefits. Some versions of this medidal approach are still being prescribed today.

What solutions are you seeking? Does the medical approach confuse you, or even horrify you - like it does me?

What about all the zillions of natural solutions offered on the Internet? I read somewhere that standing on your head was good for menopause - sure wish I had bookmarked that one!

I am skilled at helping woman sort the trend and the hype. I can provide a sensible personalized high quality nutritional supplement approach that will give you the results you are striving for.

Additionally I am utilizing a natural approach myself as I am entering in this wonderful phase of my life. Can I now relate? You bet I can.

If you or anyone you know would like assistance with regards to supplementation and Menopause, I'd be absolutely delighted to help.

May the Menopause be with you.


arty hot flash relief flickr image credit