Are You A Menopause Wimp? 8 Ways To Stay Sane During The Change

I blame our “modern” culture for hiding and not highlighting hormonal education, and all things hormone related for why we have such a bad relationship with menopause.

We have no coming-of-age rituals.

Menarche, pregnancy and menopause are deleted from our education. My parents certainly didn’t take any responsibility for informing me about the birds and the bees. And I got no real forewarning about the red spot that one day would appear in my underpants, except in whispered sleepovers with my girlfriends.

I remember as a 10 year-old being in the lingerie department with my mom. She hugged me and said, I think it’s time for you to have a bra. I was shocked! Okay, I’m a bit oblivious at times.

And maybe that’s why I was, once again, unprepared for that next big hormonal shift — after pregnancy, that is — menopause.

Actually, technically, it was perimenopause, the time period when your hormones start to shift and change, before your period officially stops. To be considered in menopause, you have to have gone without a menstrual cycle for a full year. 

No one told me about all of the implications of those wacky hormonal changes in my body. And despite being a homeopathic practitioner working with hundreds of women, I was once again disturbed by the havoc hormones wreak on our unsuspecting bodies.

It’s both fascinating and terrorizing when you consider the symptoms you may or may not be host to.

Here are a few: 

• Your hair falls out
• Everything dries up ... EVERYTHING.
• Hot flashes, night sweats, water pouring out of you (hence the dryness).
• Early waking or Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Joint pains ... my shoulders actually froze
• Reduced sex drive
• Painful sex
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Fuzzy thinking

So what’s a woman to do?

I don’t want to say get ready or be prepared, because I don’t want to set you up for anticipatory anxiety. (That’s some homeopathic humor!)  

But if you do want to be prepared. Personally, I found a lot of good info on Menopause.org.

I do want you to know that there are options, and there are things that can be done besides just waiting it out and seeing how everything lands.

We mostly want results NOW, preferring suppression over riding the hormonal wave.

But my suggestions are more about supporting your body, rather than suppressing the body doing its best effort to transition you into your next stage of being.

Here are five ways to care for your body during menopause:

1. Take care of yourself.
This is not some trite statement. It’s real, and it’s about time. If you haven’t learned how to do this before now, you must now. Really.

Say no. Take baths. Move in a way that feels good to you. Ask for hugs. Receive help. Take that trip. Only you know what that is.

Please do it now!
 

2. Remember, menopause is a gift.
It’s in the name. A time to pause. A time to reflect on this transformational transition and decide how you will now use all of the wisdom you’ve gained.

There are other gifts.

Be open to what they are for you.
 

3. Eat well. 
Protein, Essential fatty acids, Green food and water.

This is simplified but there is lots of information about how good food supports us.

There are excuses (sometimes that bowl of ice cream is self care) but not good reasons not to know.
 

4. Investigate herbs.

There are many herbs that support hormone production because of their molecular structure, and therefore can help alleviate symptoms.

Here are some to try: black cohosh, passionflower, chasteberry, wild yam and ashwagandha. Read the instructions or get some help from someone who knows how to take these herbs.
 

5. Exercise.
Moving increases endorphins, which elevates our mood, which helps us feel better.

Feel better! Move in whatever way you can. Increase that heart rate, and allow your blood to pump through your body.
 

And to tease you with homeopathy, I offer 3 possible remedies, out of the thousands of great options for helping you cope with menopause.

1. Pulsatilla: Emotional, weepy and hot. A woman needing this remedy is sensitive with wandering pains and a desire to be outside because she feels better there. She may stick her feet out of the covers at night, and be thirstless. Often has a history of difficult periods.
    
2. Sepia: Stagnation is the key word for this remedy. A woman needing this remedy is often chilly and loves to spend time in the sun warming up. Exertion also serves her, so a good hard workout helps. She’s irritable and doesn’t want to be touched often because she has already given so much she needs a break.
    
3. Sulphur: Hot, hot, hot! And worse in the heat. The heat rises and can be felt in the face. Being in bed under covers is heat producing too, so here’s another one that sticks their feet out of the covers. Sweets are their downfall and by 11am they are hungry, hungry hungry . . . even if they’ve eaten breakfast!

Menopause is not for the faint of heart.

Hell, being a woman is not for wimps. But there is help. We just need to remember to look for it and then receive it when it arrives!

Michele Brookhaus RSHom(NA), CCH, is a certified classical homeopathic practitioner with 18 years experience helping children and adults heal from symptoms as broad as eczema to depression and creator of Yoni's Bliss, a homeopathic lubricating gel.