What to Expect When Menopause Arrives and What You Can Do to Relieve the Symptoms

Menopause is defined as the time when a woman no longer has monthly menstrual periods for one whole year. Normally experienced after the age of 40, this stage is a natural part of every woman’s life. No two women experience menopause the same way—one woman may suffer from many symptoms, while another may not experience any at all. In the months or years that lead to menopause (perimenopause), many women experience the following symptoms:

• Irregular periods
• Hot flashes
• Difficulty sleeping or sleep disturbances
• Mood swings
• Loss of breast fullness
• Thinning hair
• Vaginal dryness
• Decreased fertility

After a woman reaches full menopause, the ovaries cease releasing eggs and producing most of their estrogen. Bladder control problems, headaches, joint pains, and irritability are common symptoms that can affect women in conjunction with the others during this stage.

If you are suffering from menopause symptoms, there are things that you can do to help find relief. Eating healthy foods will give you energy and keep you physically and emotionally balanced. Limiting your consumption of alcohol and caffeine can help you to sleep without disturbances. If you are overweight, consider working to shed those excess pounds—losing weight may help with hot flashes. Regular exercise may help you to manage your weight, sleep soundly, and improve your mood. Stress reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, or acupuncture will also help you cope with your symptoms.

Nutrition: Foundation for Overall Health

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is the foundation of your health. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are the five elements: fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. These philosophies emphasize balance, which is just as essential in Western medicine as Eastern.

Just as you are a specific mixture of all five elements, your diet needs to contain a mixture of foods to balance and nourish you. Different bodies and lifestyles will require different amounts of certain food groups, but the diet as a whole must contain a broad variety of healthy foods. Both Western and Asian nutritional philosophies recommend similar concepts, including:

• Avoiding wheat, gluten, and dairy products
  
• Avoiding excess fructose, as is found in honey and fruits
  
• Avoiding products high in refined sugar
  
• Avoiding soda (regular or diet)
  
• Restricting caffeine consumption, with a preference for herbal or green teas
  
• Eating only high quality proteins, oils, and fats

Instead of ascribing to the high dosage supplementation of vitamins and minerals that is recommended by orthomolecular philosophy, it may be better to focus your nutritional efforts on the consumption of nutrient-rich foods and herbs to balance and nourish you. Although herbs are not a key source for vitamins, the majority of herbs used in Chinese medicine include a wide range of nutritional substances.