The Great Awakening – Menopause

March 6th, 2013 by Loretta Lanphier, NP, BCTN, CN, CH, HHP

The Great Awakening – Menopause

Menopause is a natural transition all women experience, as natural as adolescence. For your grandmother and great-grandmother, life expectancy was shorter and reaching menopause often meant that their life was nearing an end. But this is no longer true – so get those thoughts out of your mind. Today women are living much longer—on average, until age 81. How you experience menopause is determined by many factors: attitude, diet, overall health, genetics, lifestyle and your cultural group.

Menopause Definition

Medical science views menopause as the state of your body after you have completed one full year without having a period. Menopause is most definitely not a disease or something to dread but is a natural biological process that can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States. In fact, menopause even in the 30′s is now being seen more and more. Surgical menopause is menopause induced by surgery such as a hysterectomy. By making wise decisions about your menopause experience and healthy lifestyle, you can make the most of the 20, 30, 40+ years afterwards!

Menopause Attitude

Many women report that they are glad to no longer have their monthly periods and all of the hormonal and physical issues that accompanied their menstrual cycle. Some feel a freedom from having to be concerned about pregnancy and birth control issues. And some feel a sense of aging because the childbearing years are over. Most women are actually surprised to feel a sense of more energy, and a sense of freedom while still realizing they can still fully enjoy their role of mother, helper, and nurturer. Many women turn their attention to those things in life they have put aside or always wanted to try. Some start new hobbies or businesses. Others take up creative pursuits like music, photography or painting, while others travel to places they have wanted to see. These women have a positive attitude and realize that this time of life is a blessing that can thoroughly be enjoyed.

Those women who dread menopause, see it as unnatural, or a sign of old age (and we all get old don’t we!) will have more concerns enjoying the transition during perimenopause. They report more health symptom issues. And it is a fact that negative attitudes and/or emotions often result in negative experiences.

Menopause Wake-up Call

Everything (it seems) is magnified, starting in your perimenopause years, then continuing on as you make the transition into menopause. Issues you have not reconciled as a woman will surface for you to deal with. Perhaps long overdue lifestyle changes need to be made. Your body is very smart and it will start to purge any “stuffed” emotions. This means the body does not want to carry these negative thought patterns or habits inside anymore. If you have experienced trauma or hurtful experiences—the ones unresolved–they will come up. You will remember incidents you ignored or just could not deal with at the time. Maybe you did not have a safe space to work on them. This is the opportunity to let them go. If you understand this purge and welcome it, you will experience an easier transition. If this becomes too overwhelming, seek out a qualified counselor, pastor or healthcare provider.

Health issues that have been neglected will also wake-up. Be sure you get thorough check-ups and tests during this time, including dental, vision, heart health, as well as hormones. Health issues are serious to me. I have walked the path of being unhealthy and the path of health. I very definitely choose being healthy. This is also a great time to implement preventative health practices. Healthy diet, exercise, clean water, stress management, healthy environment, and choosing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (when needed) rather than synthetic hormone replacement therapy go a long way in creating and keeping a woman’s body healthy and well — now and in the future.

Oasis Serene natural progesterone creme

Menopause Spiritual Awakening

You may find that the changes you are making lead you to an awakening spiritually. This happens to many women who welcome this growth. Seek out a local church, take classes offered by your denomination, read books about spiritual interests and cultivate a renewed connection with God. Remember that you are a spirit with a body. Approaching and nurturing your spiritual wellness is very important to your overall health and well being.

Menopause Proactive Steps

Although menopause is one of the important physical milestones in a woman’s life, many women lack concrete information about what is taking place, and their options for menopause support. It is your right to know your body and be informed. With a proper attitude, diet, nutritional supplements, exercise, hormone balancing and simple lifestyle changes, most of the unpleasant side effects of menopause can be minimized or even eliminated. With this knowledge and preparation you can step forward with grace and embrace your menopause years!

To make menopause fun, pleasant and an easy transition:

  • Reduce Stress. Start making choices right now to eliminate/reduce stress in your life.
  • Attitude. Eliminate as much negativity as possible. Focus on the positives in your life and practice gratefulness.
  • Sanctuary Space. Create a sanctuary space (a comfy chair and side table in your bedroom or guest room) in your home just for you where you can be alone to meditate, pray, write, draw, read, listen to music or anything that expresses your thoughts and emotions.
  • Exercise. Find an inside and outside exercise you like and stick with them. Use the inside exercise when weather prohibits being outside.
  • Healthy Diet. Go Healthy with a plant-based diet. Green-up your diet and reduce unwanted pounds. Many women find it much easier to gain weight during the menopause years.
  • Clean Food. Consume Local/Organic, Non-GMO food. Have fun and shop your local Farmers’ Markets every week.
  • Supporting Supplements. Consume food-grade supplements that help support your body during the menopause years.
  • Toxins. Eliminate endocrine disrupting chemicals & toxins.
  • Cleaning Products and Skin Care. Check ingredients of household cleaning products and personal skin care products. Try using natural skin care products.
  • Restful Sleep. Make it a priority to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Read Are Your Hormones Causing Sleep Issues?
  • Testing. Saliva test sex hormones for a baseline. If testing indicates a need, consider and research bioidentical progesterone USP.
  • Hobbies. Develop an outside interest or hobby.
  • Treat Yourself Kindly. Do more things for you and re-evaluate care-giving roles. It’s okay to be a bit selfish and take time for yourself.
  • Have Fun! Cultivate joy, positivity and fun in your life. If this means making new friends or letting go of toxic friendships, go for it! Most of all enjoy this wonderful season of your life!

If you haven’t gone through menopause yet, you’ll want to have an easy adjustment as your body changes. Begin to educate yourself about the symptoms and their causes before, or during, perimenopause — the time when you begin to experience symptoms.

Read more about what you can do to achieve hormone balance in my hormone health e-Book, Proven Secrets to Whole Body Hormone Balance.

Loretta Lanphier is a Naturopathic Practitioner (Traditional), Certified Clinical Nutritionist, Holistic Health Practitioner and Certified Clinical Herbalist as well as the CEO / Founder of Oasis Advanced Wellness in The Woodlands TX. She has studied and performed extensive research in health science, natural hormone balancing, anti-aging techniques, nutrition, natural medicine, weight loss, herbal remedies, non-toxic cancer support and is actively involved in researching new natural health protocols and products. A 14 year stage 3 colon cancer survivor, Loretta is able to relate to both-sides-of-the-health-coin as patient and practitioner when it comes to health and wellness. “My passion is counseling others about what it takes to keep the whole body healthy using natural and non-toxic methods.” Read Loretta’s health testimony Cancer: The Path to Healing. Loretta is Contributor and Editor of the worldwide E-newsletter Advanced Health & Wellness
†Results may vary. Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. Oasis Advanced Wellness/OAWHealth does not dispense medical advice, prescribe, or diagnose illness. The views and nutritional advice expressed by Oasis Advanced Wellness/OAWHealth are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician of choice.

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