Are you suffering from menopause symptoms including hot flushes, insomnia, dryness and moodiness?
While these can be primarily due to a change in hormone levels, it's usually more than just estrogen involved. Menopause should not be a time of suffering, but women of all ages are experiencing more hormonal imbalances and symptoms, especially in the lead up to menopause.
Once you reach menopause your ovaries produce minimal estrogen and your adrenals take over some of this hormone production. A huge factor for many women is that their adrenals are already overworked from ongoing stress and production of stress hormones. This is why supporting adrenal function with herbs and lifestyle can have a huge impact on menopause symptoms.
An under-active thyroid may also be contributing, especially if you're suffering from dryness, fatigue, low mood, weight gain and constipation. Thyroid function is also impaired by ongoing stress and is commonly under-diagnosed in women.
An imbalance in your three estrogens or an excess of estrogen/s may also be involved - this is where saliva hormone testing can help to find out what the underlying imbalance is for you.
An increased risk of osteoporosis is associated with menopause, and while this is mostly blamed on reduced estrogen there are likely other factors involved. Replacement with synthetic estrogen or supplementing calcium alone have their own side effects, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. While low calcium is a problem, excess calcium can also be a problem!
Many other minerals and good fats are required to properly absorb and utilise calcium and support bone density. If you have been recommended to take calcium make sure the supplement uses a more absorbable form of calcium such as a chelate or citrate. It should also include other minerals such as magnesium, boron and zinc along with vitamin D3 and K2.
Including certain fats in your diet is also essential for your body to absorb these minerals and the super important fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), which many people are lacking in our modern diets. These foods include
pasture raised eggs (especially the yolk!), butter, ghee, cream, animal liver/kidney/pate
pasture raised, full fat and fermented brie, gouda cheese and kefir
Fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut and kim chi also contain Vitamin K2, as does natto and emu oil.
Other factors that can inhibit mineral absorption include tea, coffee, sugars, refined grains, a diet high in whole grains/legumes/nuts/seeds (due to phytic acid content - especially if not soaked or fermented), poor digestive function, dysbiosis (imbalance in gut bacteria), fiber supplements, vitamin D deficiency and a low fat diet.
These fats, minerals and vitamins are essential for reducing your risk of many chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, alzheimers and cardiovascular disease, along with boosting mood, skin appearance and weight regulation.
Some of my favourite herbs for menopause symptoms include Rehmannia, Zizyphus, Sage, St John's Wort and Black Cohosh.
Magnesium and B vitamins can also be great to support your nervous system and stress response. Working on reducing and managing stress in your life is also super important - gentle exercise can be one way to help with this.
When our bodies are out of balance then symptoms and disease develop - so it's about finding where the imbalances are in your body and lifestyle and working on restoring balance where it's needed.
If you'd like help relieving menopause symptoms or suspect your have a hormonal imbalance I'd love to help you.
Marion McConnell is a degree qualified Naturopath who helps women with stress, hormone imbalances, anxiety and fatigue. The clinic is located in New Farm Brisbane, and consultations are also available via Skype. You can contact Marion here.