Menopause
The Change: Menopause & Aging
Menopause! The dreaded word in a woman's life (and sometimes the men around her)! We have all heard horror stories about hot flashes, night sweats, and hormonal mood swings associated with this time of life referred to as "the change".
How to get through "The Change", a.k.a. Menopause
In not-so-recent times, women going through menopause would be diagnosed as crazy. (Read Am I Crazy or Menopausal?) Or nowadays, women are tagged as bi-polar, manic-depressive, or depressed, and quickly prescribed some pharmaceutical remedy. Some of these "magic remedies" such as HRT proved to have consequences that were far worse than the hot flash, or menopause symptoms they were prescribed to alleviate. The estrogen hormone given to women was later shown to increase risk of breast cancer. (Read our exposé on hormone replacement therapy as well as the National Institute of Aging's article on Menopause and Mental Health, as well as their information and advice on Hot Flashes.)
Natural Methods to Relieve Menopause Symptoms
So what do we do now? There are various natural methods of dealing with this normal bodily process, and the balancing of our hormones. Some specific techniques, herbs, or foods will make your hot flash sessions a thing of the past. (Read about things you can do to alleviate hot flashes.) Others will give you the added benefit of postponing or alleviating osteoporosis (bone density loss) which is another side effect of aging. Annemarie Colbin provides information on the cause and solution of bone density loss in our featured article, Bones 'R Us: Food and Our Bones.
So whether you're in pre-menopause (officially-termed perimenopause), or right in the heat of the menopausal experience, there are many things you can do without prescription drugs to feel a lot better. The US National Institute on Aging provides good advice in this article about Keeping Healthy during the menopausal years of life. There is no reason for menopause to make your life miserable when there are so many options (natural and otherwise) that will make you feel better.
The Benefits of Menopause
Is menopause all bad? Contrary to popular belief, perhaps propagated by the medical and pharmaceutical industries, the menopausal years are not all bad. It is a time of increased spiritual search for meaning as well as healing of our relationships and changing our attitudes and priorities. Many women discover new interests and passions. Even a woman's sex life can be renewed as women develop a new sense of confidence and self-esteem which reflects their being at ease in their own skin. (Read Linda E. Savage, Ph.D.'s article on Menopause and Crone Sexuality.)
What Does All This Mean?
For more information on menopause, read our Menopause Glossary, our list of Menopause-Related Organizations, and also our Menopause Reading List and Resources as well as information on Ongoing and Future Research.
Advice for a Healthy Menopause:
Am I Crazy or Menopausal?
by Kristi Meisenbach Boylan.
Balancing Female Hormones - Naturally
by Elora Gabriel.
Bones R' Us: Food and Our Bones
by Annemarie Colbin.
Estrogen Alternative
by Raquel Martin with Judi Gerstung, D.C.
Hot Flashes, Hot Flushes:
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off.
Keeping Healthy During Menopause
Menopause and Crone Sexuality
by Linda Savage, Ph.D.
Can We Prevent Osteoporosis?
by Raquel Martin with Judi Gerstung, D.C.
Resources & Information:
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT):
Pros and Cons from the National Institute on Aging
Long-Term Effects of Estrogen Deficiency
Related Articles:
Affirmative Aging
by Louise Hay.
Aging Gracefully
by Louise Hay.
Aspiring to Beauty
by Eve Bruce, M.D.
Belly Dancing for Body, Mind, and Spirit
by Iris J. Stewart.
Conquering Fatigue
by Debra Waterhouse, M.P.H., R.D.
Feminine Wisdom & Aging
by Kristi Meisenbach Boylan.
Herbs to Improve Your Sex Life
by Beth Ann Petro Roybal and Gayle Skowronski.
Why Do I Feel So Tired?
by Debra Waterhouse, M.P.H., R.D.
Menopause Organizations
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Menopause Organizations. Various organizations supply information and other assistance to women experiencing or approaching menopause. Phone numbers and addresses sometimes change. If any of these are out of date, please let us know.
Menopause Terms Glossary
| Menopause Glossary. A definition of various terms associated with pre-menopause, menopause, or the menopausal age group.
Menopause and Mental Health
| A popular myth pictures the menopausal woman shifting from raging, angry moods into depressive, doleful slumps with no apparent reason or warning. However, a study by psychologists at the University of Pittsburgh suggests that menopause does not cause unpredictable mood swings, depression, or even stress in most women. In fact, it may even improve mental health for some. This gives further support to the idea that menopause is not necessarily a negative experience.
Keeping Healthy throughout Menopause
| Good nutrition and regular physical exercise are thought to improve overall health. Some doctors feel these factors can also affect menopause. Although these areas have not been well studied in women, anecdotal evidence is strongly in favor of eating well and exercising to help lower risks for CVD and osteoporosis.
Hot Flashes
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Hot flashes, or flushes, are the most common symptom of menopause, affecting more than 60 percent of menopausal women in the U.S. A hot flash is a sudden sensation of intense heat in the upper part or all of the body.
Am I Crazy or Menopausal
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My first thoughts were that I was going crazy. I was sure of it. After all, what else could possibly be causing the sudden and unexpected onset of memory lapses, anxiety, depression, night sweats, and phobia attacks that had completely turned my life upside down? My initial visits with my internist had turned up nothing, further convincing me that I was losing my mind...
