Every woman, should she live long enough, will go through menopause. There is a lot of confusion associated with this natural process, especially when it comes to what a woman can do to prepare herself for menopause and ease the symptoms many women experience when they go through menopause. Here are the top seven things women approaching menopause should do to ease their symptoms and make the transition into the non-childbearing years as easy and enjoyable as possible.
Top 7 Things Women Approaching Menopause Should Do to Ease Symptoms
- Determine any imbalances ASAP. Many women wait until they experience symptoms before looking for a solution. A much more proactive approach would involve finding any imbalances before they create problems and/or symptoms. This may be as simple as speaking with your health care provider and completing a comprehensive physical exam and health history. If further information is needed, several functional tests can be used to help pinpoint exact nutritional and/or hormone imbalances that should be addressed to prepare a woman for menopause; check with your health care provider.
- Balance your hormones through diet. What you eat on a daily basis can make a big difference in how well your body functions. This is especially true when it comes to hormone balance. Avoiding foods that can create imbalance, such as cow’s dairy, sugar, soda/pop, coffee, and conventionally raised meat, fowl and fish can help a great deal. In addition, eating plenty of vegetables and vegetable juices (organic preferred), pure water and foods containing isoflavones (including soy) can help the body regulate hormones and ease the transition. We often use a Hormone Balancing Diet to help naturally balance your hormones with food.
- Use nature’s medicine cabinet. Black Cohosh has a long history of use to ease the symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes and night sweats. In addition, we have found the nutrients in EstroBalance to be very helpful to balance estrogen levels and prepare the body for menopause.
- Exercise. Research has shown that exercising for 30 minutes at least four times per week can top off estrogen levels and increase serotonin levels, both of which can prepare the body for and ease the symptoms of menopause. In fact, researchers from Sweden have shown that exercising vigorously for 30 minutes every day can virtually eliminate hot flashes in most women.
- Do yoga. A regular yoga practice has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of menopause, improve bone mineral density and balance hormone levels, not to mention it’s a great way to relieve stress and relax. Try to do 10-20 minutes of yoga every day, with longer sessions 2-3x/week.
- Breathe deep. Deep breathing is a great way to calm down and settle your stress response. An over-exaggerated stress response not only makes you feel tired, worried and on-edge, it can also disrupt your hormone balance. Doing some deep breathing exercises every day can help balance your stress response and keep your hormone levels in check.
- Try acupuncture or acupressure. Acupuncture has a long history of helping to balance the flow of energy through the body and can be very effective at improving the symptoms of menopause. Find an acupuncturist in your area that specializes in female health and give it a try.
Menopause is a natural transition that signals the start of the non-child-bearing years; in order to alleviate some of the stigma often associated with menopause we often refer to it as “Puberty, Part 2”. While there are many symptoms that are commonly associated with menopause, there are many things that you can do to prepare your body for menopause and ease the symptoms of menopause so you can enjoy the transition.