ADVERTISING: Advertorial — That time of life: Menopause

When we are young, we can’t wait to reach that time of life when our monthly “curse” (as some term it) is over with. We can start thinking in terms of retiring in the next decade or so, and life taking on a more calm, wizened pace. But then when we get there, well, it isn’t quite what we thought. Symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, emotional instability and moodiness, reduced desire for sex, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, heavier periods, trouble sleeping, forgetfulness and an increase of health issues, all seem to combine against us and threaten to steal the very joy out of this time of life.

Is there anything we can do about it, or are we just stuck with this lot in life? Yes and no. Yes, there are many things we can do to try to mitigate many of these symptoms. So, therefore, you are not just stuck with this lot in life!

Start with the simple things. Sugar frequently will trigger hot flashes. Test it out. Go two weeks without sugar, then eat one of your favorite sugary “treats.” For many it’s a real eye-opener. Other triggers include hot foods and drinks, especially coffee, tea (especially caffeinated) and soups, alcohol (especially wine), spicy foods, smoking, heat (hot showers, saunas, blow dryers, heaters, hot weather), excess activity like exercise and stress. The more of the above you can eliminate, the better.

Helpful foods include healthy fats, especially avocado, high fat fish, raw nuts, butter, olive oil, coconut oil and other healthy fats. Make sure you avoid the bad vegetables, soy, canola, margarine and other hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Many vegetables and fruits are helpful for balancing estrogens, but be cautious if you have or have had estrogen-dependent cancer. Cruciferous, green leafy veggies and root veggies are all good vegetables. Avoid soy, even though it has estrogen-enhancing qualities.

Stress is a big trigger. Stress releases hormones that can cause an imbalance in sex hormones and make your peri-menopausal and menopausal symptoms worse. Relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, tai chi or qi gong are all helpful activities to keep stress manageable. Don’t forget to take care of your adrenal glands as they are critical to your response to stress.

Using treatment methodologies that enhance your body’s ability to manage stress and help hormonal balance is pretty important for many reasons at this time of life. Acupuncture is an effective means of balancing hormones. In a Menopause issue in June 2016 titled “Acupuncture in Menopause (AIM) study: A Pragmatic, Randomized Control Trial,” it concluded that “We found that a course of acupuncture treatments was associated with significant reduction in VMS [of menopause], and several quality-of-life measures, compared with no acupuncture, and that clinical benefits persisted for at least 6 months beyond the end of treatment.”

You don’t have to live with menopausal symptoms. These are just a few examples of what you can do. To learn more, attend our upcoming webinar: Menopause, PMS and Other Hormonal Imbalances, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 10. Register here: http://bit.ly/hormoneclass2021

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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with over four decades of experience. Carling is a “Health Detective.” She looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’Alene clinic. Visit Carling’s website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.