I recently saw this funny description of menopause:
“Menopause is a Latin word that means men, you might wanna pause before you do anything that’s gonna tick this woman off.”
Menopause is certainly the subject of many jokes, but when you’re going through it, it’s not so humorous.
But the good news is there are some very innovative, effective ways to help you feel like you’ve “turned back the clock!”
Let’s start by looking at the facts first.
The ovaries retire
The technical definition of menopause is the stage of life when a woman’s ovaries stop functioning. In other words, they stop releasing hormones and cease producing eggs.
Although that sounds pretty straight-forward, nothing could be farther from the truth.
The average age for the onset of menopause is 51, although it can come calling in women as young as 40 or even their late 30’s. (Yours truly was 44.)
The best way to predict when you might face it is to look at your mom—menopause is genetically linked, so you’re likely to fall within a few years either way of the age your mother was at onset.
It takes six to 12 months without a period to be officially diagnosed with menopause, but other symptoms can be rocking your world before that. The period of time during which symptoms are seen but before your period ends is called perimenopause.
Note that women who have had their ovaries surgically removed (typically as part of a hysterectomy) are suddenly thrust into the world of menopause, many times far earlier than Nature intended.
It can also be triggered by chemotherapy.
Itty bitty hormones, GIGANTIC CHANGES
When menopause hits, estrogen and progesterone production by the ovaries comes to a screeching halt.
As this happens, your pituitary gland senses something’s wrong and steps up its production of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) to try to jump start your pooped-out ovaries.
That’s why a blood test showing elevated levels of FSH is one of the ways that menopause is diagnosed.
Estrogen is crucial for the functioning of many of your body’s cells, so menopausal symptoms can run the gamut and include:
- Hot flashes
- Headaches
- Vaginal dryness
- Frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Changes in mood and mental functioning
- Brain fog
- Rapid heart rate
- Dizziness
- Weight gain
- Thinning hair
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Joint pain
The many downfalls of standard treatments
The typical treatment options for menopause include synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and symptomatic treatment (antidepressants or sleeping pills).
But long-term use of synthetic HRT is associated with an increased risk of breast and uterine cancers…so you can go from miserable to fighting for your life
It can also raise your risk of gallstones and blood clots, and cause nausea, breast tenderness, liver disorders and fluid retention.
And antidepressants and sleeping pills come with a plethora of serious side effects (including increased risk of suicide!), plus you run the risk of dependence with sleep drugs.
Safe, natural ways to get relief
The good news is there are natural, highly effective ways to help ease the symptoms of menopause!
Here are six measures that you can try:
- Supplement with probiotics
The friendly bacteria in your gut metabolizes and recycles hormones, including estrogen, thyroid hormones and phytoestrogens from food sources, which can help offset symptoms of menopause, PMS and perimenopause.
So if you’re approaching menopause, this is yet another great reason to achieve and maintain a healthy microbiome balance with Super Shield PLUS multi-strain probiotic formula!
Plus Super Shield PLUS can help support your immune function, which in turn can help fight UTIs –a common menopausal symptom.
- Eat the right foods and stay away from the wrong ones
When menopause hits, it’s vitally important to have a healthy diet of wholesome real foods, while at the same time avoiding those that make menopause worse:
Some of the best foods to concentrate on are: Fresh fruits and vegetables (especially cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower), wild-caught fish, organic beef and poultry, eggs, nuts, seeds, yogurt, legumes, beans, whole grains, avocado, and healthy fats like real butter, coconut oil and olive oil. Also, be sure to drink at least 8 glasses of filtered water each day.
Note that phytoestrogen foods like soy/tofu have also been shown to help, but I refuse to recommend soy because over 90 percent of the soy grown in the US is genetically engineered.
Foods to avoid include: Conventional meats (as they may contain hormones which can add to your misery), processed foods, vegetable oils, deep fried foods, soda, sugar and high fructose corn syrup, and excessive alcohol consumption.
- Get some exercise
It’s hard to beat exercise when it comes to relieving menopausal symptoms!
Exercise helps counteract menopause-related weight gain and encourage better sleep, plus it stimulates the release of endorphins which can help curb depression and mood swings.
Get your doctor’s OK and get going. Even something as simple as taking a brisk walk 3-4 times per week can help.
4- Try ashwagandha
Many women experience increased stress, anxiety, moodiness, weight gain, insomnia and even episodes of depression during the menopausal years.
The herb ashwagandha has been shown to help reduce anxiety and depression, improve memory and cognitive function, stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels, combat insomnia and encourage better sleep, and help your body fight against the harmful effects of stress—all of which can are music to a menopausal woman’s ears.
Our very own Ashwa Blend Gummies are a tasty, convenient way to take advantage of this impressive herb, plus they also provide Vitamin D and zinc—two important nutrients to support healthy aging.
5- Get enough Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is crucialfor proper nerve and brain function—and this is especially important with the mental functioning challenges and brain fog that accompany menopause.
B12 is also essential for the production of acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter that allows the nerves and brain to communicate. Healthy levels of acetylcholine can help you maintain clear-thinking abilities throughout your life.
Unfortunately, as we age, in addition to facing menopause, our stomach acid production can decrease and that affects vitamin B12 absorption….so deficiencies are common.
But you can help ensure your body has what it needs by supplementing with a top-quality B12 spray like Hydroxaden 2.5.
6- Consider bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT)
Unlike synthetic HRT, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) works to help naturally reestablish the way your body sends messages to your tissues and organs to keep them healthy.
The body has an easier time assimilating bio-identical hormones because they are identical in molecular structure to the hormones naturally made in your body.
You’ll have to seek out an integrative practitioner that does BHRT because it’s more of a holistic therapy, and many mainstream doctors are still not familiar with it, but it is growing in popularity.
Start feeling better!
If you are menopausal, see what a difference it can make in your symptoms to support your body through this life stage naturally!
To your health,
Sherry Brescia
