Menopause isn’t the dark art that you've been led to believe but the market place is now crammed with magic one stop shop supplements and programmes to help you resolve your symptoms in one go; which may or may not work. I look at all of these new options with interest as I love to learn but I come away going: well maybe. The problem for you the reader is which one of these will work and how many do you try and for how long before you hit the right one for you? You may go through 20 different types because each one of your friends said: This one worked for me and it’s demoralising when you try and you feel no difference. I’ve had many women come to me in this state and say: Why will your way work when nothing else has? Very good question and one that I will answer today in the secret to resolving your menopause symptoms.
The secret to resolving your menopause symptoms
I was recently asked: Why don’t you help women for free? Times are difficult! I’ve pondered on this since and yes, I do help women for free but it does require investment on your part – to read these blogs and take action on what I write within.
Here’s the secret to resolving your menopause symptoms – time and action… and it’s what people in general don’t want to hear because it’s means making an effort. You’re a very lucky person if you find the magic supplement or HRT works for you without side effects. I’m here though for the women who are struggling and reach out for help or want to understand what’s going on so that they can resolve the root cause of their symptoms to have a happier and healthier menopause and life beyond. I’m here to help you resolve your symptoms and I do this under the banner of naturally but really, it’s under the banner of your health.
What I’ve discovered about menopause symptoms
I’ve been around the whole menopause arena now for 8 or so years and for me only just recently has oestrogen started to play a part in my symptoms; as I’ve technically reached menopause now (one year without periods… nearly!). When I first put a name to my symptoms it was perimenopause as I had a load of symptoms but regular periods. When I started investigating and learning the real cause it became apparent that stress is stored in my body (and still is) and how this affects my physiology; firstly, suppressing progesterone. A lot of women are the same low progesterone/ high cortisol/ oestrogen dominance; it’s a balancing act of these hormones (these are the main 3). Women then may have differing levels of each of these hormones and this interplay that variates the symptoms and how to resolve them.
The way I now see it (and what works for my clients) is that I veer away from trying to balance hormones with hormones. If you add in a hormone, you’ll create a different balance - it may sway to a good balance… or a bad one (i.e. adding in oestrogen at the wrong time.) Instead (after years of research and client practise) I know to give the body the right nutrients so that it can start to lower your stress levels and allow your hormones to balance themselves. If you take stress out of the menopause change (yeah right, I hear you cry!) then menopause happens with minimal interruption to your physiology (i.e. less symptoms).
Here's another secret to stepping onto the right path to resolving your symptoms: take a good plant-based multivitamin. Not a fancy menopause supplement no! A good plant-based multivitamin – why?
Because it contains the minerals that your body requires to deal with stress; lowering the hormone cortisol and raising progesterone. Feeding your body vitamins helps your body rebalance its own hormonal stasis. Your body knows what to do; it just needs the available nutrients to do it with!
The options to resolve your menopause symptoms naturally
There are 3 avenues to resolving your menopause symptoms once and for all:
Get a professional to help you: costs money but fast tracks you to feeling great!
Read self help from a qualified specialist and follow advice: great if you’ve got a clear head and some energy - create time and space to read and implement the solutions.
Feel exhausted and overwhelmed and don’t have the capacity for the 2 above?
Your very first step: say NO to as much as you can to create time. Use this time to rest and rejuvenate to a point where you do start to feel some energy to enable you to choose one of the above. If you’re saying; yeah, but to this option then you do need to re-evaluate your time and energy and make this change because there is no other way. I see this time and again at my talks and why women don’t move forwards – they think they don’t have time. The ONLY person that can make space and time in your life is you!
When you’re struggling – you’re tired and you have brain fog this triggers overwhelm and it is very difficult to take on board how to make change. I know I’ve had my times in life where I feel exhausted and it’s about just getting through. But something has got to give to intercept the path you’re on and there really are only a few options: combat current symptoms with HRT and/ or nutrition plus create time to rest and rebuild your energy.
Your symptoms are less to do with hormones and more to do with exhaustion and the physical stress stored in your body.
If your body is a car then your petrol tank is registering empty. Not empty of hormones; empty of vitamins and minerals (which help your body make the hormones!)
Most of the supplements on the market that are a blend of many ingredients have very little petrol and a lot of turbo boosters. By this I mean they have adaptogens to give you energy. The problem is though; from my point of view as a Chinese medicine practitioner is that there is nowhere to get the energy from in your body as you’re already too exhausted. This is why I come back to filling up the tank – put the petrol in so the car has energy to run on… then look at fine tuning.
When I first helped women in my shiatsu practice to resolve menopause symptoms it was really effective for those who were hot but not tired. Those that felt tired and were cold were a complete mystery to me at the start; and I was in this category! One of my clients gave me a Eureka moment one day and it was this: it’s all very well resolving imbalances if you have the full tank to begin with; this really got me thinking and going back to my Chinese medicine books. Women in the menopause transition have an empty tank! It was there in black and white – something called Kidney Yang deficiency which won’t mean anything to you but it really hit home with me.
The way to resolve this deficiency; which manifests as so many of your symptoms (like fatigue coldness over emotional stressed aching joints brain fog anxiety … the list goes on…) is to feed your body what it’s missing. So, I come back to nutrients - the petrol in your tank!
It’s a simple message – and you can step through this and make changes as many women have already done with my book Understanding Your Menopause.
Steps to resolve your menopause symptoms naturally
If you could draw an outline of your body, it would show two ways to combat symptoms for now and for the future:
Ensuring that your body receives enough nutrition stops the stress in your body and your symptoms from getting worse; the more nutritionally rich you are the more you’ll lower symptoms.
The long-term goal is to plug the causes of stress at the root to stop it from storing up in your body again and again – this takes time, thought and effort but it equates to the way you live your life and how you think about yourself….
The more fast paced your life is, the more you cut into your sleep, the more high-level fitness you do and the less time you have for yourself; the more nutrition you need.
It is this simple – secret # 3: If you use up your energy then you need to replace it. If you don’t - you’ll have symptoms.
There are clear steps to take for both reducing the overall cause and combatting current stress levels; together they reduce or completely resolve your symptoms. The amount of time this takes depends on how much action you take.
In the book I mentioned above it can help you feel significantly different in 4 to 8 weeks; with initial changes ocurring in 1 to 2 weeks. You can turn your symptoms around by using good plant-based supplements which are just super nutrient rich foods Check out my researched guide here.
If you're not a fan of reading how about watching a video series instead? The 28 Days Menopause Programme (formerly 28 Days to a Happier and Healthier Menopause).
If you’re unsure where to start then try this: in just 2 hours you can have the complete insight into why you have your symptoms and how you can resolve them with my Masterclass: Finding Your Balance in Menopause.
If you can’t afford to pay £9 for the menopause masterclass email me and I’ll send it you for free on one condition: you watch it and take at least one action! (I can’t help you if you won’t help yourself).
If you have just one major symptom, you’d like to resolve then one of my blogs is a great starting place for you. For instance, insomnia is the first symptom you should aim to combat - to understand how to rebuild your sleep I have a blog dedicated to this here. Otherwise just put in a search word and you’ll find the blog you need.
When your situation is more complex (i.e. you have long term health conditions) or you want support and a good listener, plus receive a complete detailed plan for you and your exact symptoms that’s a consultation with me. I’ll work to help you to feel like your old self as quickly as possible. Those that are lucky enough to live near me have the option of Shiatsu for Menopause which is a great power start to relieving your symptoms and getting your quality of life back on track.
Summary of the secret to resolving your menopause symptoms
It starts with you wanting to change; then the how appears (because it’s in your conscious); then you have to take action – there is no other way. That action can be your time or your money; without one or the other there isn’t change. If your first change is to create time for yourself this is an excellent starting point!
What will you choose to do?
Meet Andrea - Holistic Menopause Specialist
Andrea is a shiatsu and Chinese medicine practitioner who uses the principles and wisdom of Chinese medicine in a completely practical way to help you resolve your symptoms naturally and effectively. If you live locally you can book in for a wonderfully relaxing Shiatsu for Menopause, otherwise Andrea does online in depth consultations where you'll leave with an actionable plan to follow. Andrea is also passionate about doing workplace talks and has written a book to help you step through simple and effect changes to reduce your symptoms: Understanding Your Menopause
