The Cleansing Weed
The Hormone Dilemma
Many women facing menopause are confronted with what seems like a dilemma without a solution. They must tolerate the mood swings, night sweats, insomnia or hot flashes of “The Change” or risk hormone replacement therapy. Some women assume the risk, while others just suffer the symptoms.
Menopause is not just about hot-flashes and night sweats, however. For some, these symptoms never occur. Instead, some women experience depression, insomnia, memory loss, anxiety, weight gain and joint pain among many others. Menopause may also increase a woman’s risk for osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Today, faced with increasing stressors and less than perfect diets, these imbalances are even more profound due to the interrelationship between the adrenals, the thyroid gland, and levels of hormones available. Hormone levels are commonly imbalanced by the time a woman reaches her thirties, as demonstrated by increasing complaints of PMS and annoying weight gain. Menopausal symptoms are becoming more common and more severe. Menopause without adverse symptoms, otherwise known as “ideal menopause”, is becoming increasingly rare.
Oriental Medicine works for menopause by treating each woman as a unique individual. The pattern of symptoms tells us where to look for weakness in the body. Other signs, like an individual’s pulses or even their tongue, show us where the body needs to be strengthened and where things need to be moved. Everyone is different. If stress in your life has caused depletion of your adrenals they may not be able to make even the small amount of hormones you need for an “ideal menopause”. The same stress affecting a different part of your body could cause anxiety and mood swings. What you eat may also cause problems. Caffeine can cause hot flashes while sugar can be the cause of your joint pain or memory loss. It all depends on where your body is weak. Oriental Medicine, acupuncture and herbs can help to locate your body’s weaknesses and treat them.
Simple dietary changes such as reducing or eliminating sugar, refined carbohydrates, and caffeine may also help deal with the uncomfortable changes associated with the onset of menopause. The unsightly weight gain that often seems to appear out of nowhere and settles around the mid-section can have a lot to do with something called insulin resistance, a condition in which the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels and fat storage becomes impaired. Close to the onset of menopause, many women’s metabolisms change and they are no longer as efficient at converting gluten containing carbohydrates (bread/pasta/baked goods and other products made with wheat/rye/barley/spelt or kamut) into quick energy sources. Therefore, when foods high in sugar or refined carbohydrates are eaten, rapid weight gain and elevated triglycerides can result, both of which have been linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
While most individuals benefit from either reducing or eliminating gluten and sugar in their diet, every woman needs to be individually evaluated to determine what dietary changes are appropriate for her unique biochemical needs.
Melody Pickell, Lac and Lisa Saslove, MS, RD
Menopause is not just about hot-flashes and night sweats, however. For some, these symptoms never occur. Instead, some women experience depression, insomnia, memory loss, anxiety, weight gain and joint pain among many others. Menopause may also increase a woman’s risk for osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Today, faced with increasing stressors and less than perfect diets, these imbalances are even more profound due to the interrelationship between the adrenals, the thyroid gland, and levels of hormones available. Hormone levels are commonly imbalanced by the time a woman reaches her thirties, as demonstrated by increasing complaints of PMS and annoying weight gain. Menopausal symptoms are becoming more common and more severe. Menopause without adverse symptoms, otherwise known as “ideal menopause”, is becoming increasingly rare.
Oriental Medicine works for menopause by treating each woman as a unique individual. The pattern of symptoms tells us where to look for weakness in the body. Other signs, like an individual’s pulses or even their tongue, show us where the body needs to be strengthened and where things need to be moved. Everyone is different. If stress in your life has caused depletion of your adrenals they may not be able to make even the small amount of hormones you need for an “ideal menopause”. The same stress affecting a different part of your body could cause anxiety and mood swings. What you eat may also cause problems. Caffeine can cause hot flashes while sugar can be the cause of your joint pain or memory loss. It all depends on where your body is weak. Oriental Medicine, acupuncture and herbs can help to locate your body’s weaknesses and treat them.
Simple dietary changes such as reducing or eliminating sugar, refined carbohydrates, and caffeine may also help deal with the uncomfortable changes associated with the onset of menopause. The unsightly weight gain that often seems to appear out of nowhere and settles around the mid-section can have a lot to do with something called insulin resistance, a condition in which the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels and fat storage becomes impaired. Close to the onset of menopause, many women’s metabolisms change and they are no longer as efficient at converting gluten containing carbohydrates (bread/pasta/baked goods and other products made with wheat/rye/barley/spelt or kamut) into quick energy sources. Therefore, when foods high in sugar or refined carbohydrates are eaten, rapid weight gain and elevated triglycerides can result, both of which have been linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
While most individuals benefit from either reducing or eliminating gluten and sugar in their diet, every woman needs to be individually evaluated to determine what dietary changes are appropriate for her unique biochemical needs.
Melody Pickell, Lac and Lisa Saslove, MS, RD
