*“Maturation, spiritual depth, wisdom and social authority”*

For the sake of simplicity, I am going to refer to the topic as menopause but for clarity:

· Pre- menopause regular periods but some symptoms may be noticed eg hot flushes, mood changes.

· Peri-menopause ovary function starts to decline, periods could become less regular

· Post menopause – last period and the future

The Western culture often presents us with a very negative image of menopause with the expectation of ‘inevitable’ negative symptoms, mood changes, sleep difficulties, night sweats, loss of libido, weight gain to name a few of the most common.

In most Western societies menopause if medicalized, seen through a narrow lens, focussing on the decline of oestrogen levels & changes in hormones which can lead to many of symptoms mentioned above. This leads to a natural transition being seen as pathology, often leading to medical interventions including HRT.

However! A troublesome transition to menopause is not inevitable, it is a sign that your body is not coping with the imbalance of hormones, as your body navigates it way through this stage in life.

But we can get to the source of the problem, help the where the process is ‘stuck’ and allow your body to settle into it’s natural rhythm. It is, after all a completely natural transition and the body makes no mistakes in its design to sustain life.

Other cultures view of menopause

In traditional Chinese culture menopause is not framed as a medical crisis or hormonal deficiency requiring intervention, but as a pivotal life-stage.

In Chinese medicine menopause signals maturation, wisdom, spiritual depth and social authority.

In Chinese literary tradition, menopause inspires metaphors of seasonal change.

“When the menses cease, the spirit flourishes” Daoist texts

Menopause in Japan is viewed as a natural life stage, with the term “konenki” meaning renewal, season, and energy. Japanese women rarely report experiencing hot flashes, a symptom so rare that the media had to create a new term for it: “hotto furasshur”.

Menopause is often characterized as a time when the body loses its balance, and the Japanese see the causes as both cultural and physical.

Nature does not rush

It takes time for your body to register the changes in hormones, nature does things gradually giving you time to adjust. If you are in good health these changes can happen smoothly and comfortably.

This in itself shows that menopause is not a deficiency caused by falling hormones that needs ‘corrected’ there are other factors to consider.

Some symptoms are related to age in general, life stages of adjustment for example ‘empty nest’ more dependant elderly parents, stress.

Often, disparagingly termed ‘Mid life crisis’ I challenge this negative view and suggest it is a time of reflection, a new phase in life how might I now go forward, change in lifestyle, career perhaps, a fresh look at things as we awaken to a new era in life.

We cannot base all of the common symptoms associated with menopause on this stage in life but sometimes nature needs a hand if the conditions are not right.

Of course for many women reading this life can be disastrously interrupted with quite severe symptoms, leaving you desperate for help and not knowing where to turn.

So let us look firstly at what we can do to create the optimum conditions and encourage the body to perform efficiently again and return you to health.

Natural option instead of HRT?

YES!

If your body is not coping with the changes then there are many things that can be tried before resorting to pills.

HRT and other chemical drugs override the complex and harmonious system that nature designed to gradually adjust you to the new stage.

So often a drug is prescribed to solve one ‘problem’ only to create another, of course needing another medicine to sort that and so the roller coaster of medication begins.

But the good news is there are many choices available and the individual, holistic systems of medicine are powerful, gentle, non-toxic and not addictive.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

Never was this so important as today, to pay attention to the food you eat.

Processed, refined , ‘easy & quick’ nutrient deficient diets are common and most people have less time to buy or find! fresh, good quality ingredients and cook from scratch.

A balanced whole food diet = balance / harmony = hormones working efficiently . We have to create the optimum conditions for optimum health.

Even just a few changes, to begin with, can have a dramatic impact on your health, for the better.

Removing refined carbohydrates and replacing with ‘whole’ foods
Read the ingredients on any packaging and rule of thumb - if you cannot pronounce it - don’t eat it!
Include oily fish in your diet (if you cannot tolerate this, good quality supplements can be very beneficial) see my supplement blog!
Look after your liver, it works hard to rid your body of toxins, drugs, alcohol and unwanted hormones such as old Oestrogen which it will process and eliminate from the body.

Regular exercise

You don’t have to join a gym or take up running but regular walking is a fantastic way to get regular exercise and is easy for most of us to include in daily life.
Encourages better breathing, reduces stress, increases endorphins, allows you to absorb some vital Vitamin D and improves your general well being.

Homeopathic medicine and menopause

Hormonal imbalance is not a 1st aid or ‘acute’ disorder and needs to be handled carefully so as to re-set this incredibly complex and wonderful system.

There are over 3500 Homeopathic remedies and for best results a qualified and registered practitioner is recommended when dealing with long term, distressing or frequent symptoms, which, for many women is their experience of this major transition in life.

Celebrate!

Let’s embrace the change ‘re-frame’ it and see the natural cycle of life with the wonder that it deserves.

A time to take your place, honour your intuition, life experience and become the inspiration of younger women.

Lets celebrate our wonderful body as we move into our vibrant, energetic place of wisdom by supporting our body to do it’s intended job.