I’m on a mission to help women experience a symptom-free menopause transition as well as reduce the risk of developing age-related diseases such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Menopause represents a natural transition in life akin to that of puberty, menarche, and childbirth. It is NOT a disease despite what the medical community and media would have you believe. Every woman living through mid-life will undergo this biological event. Many women sail through the transition without any symptoms other than a gradual cessation of their menstrual periods (NIH, 2005, p. 2). Unfortunately, some women experience one or more bothersome symptoms such as hot flashes, weight gain, insomnia, mood swings, and decreased libido.
Research has shown the most relevant factors influencing a woman’s quality of life during the menopause transition include her social situation and her experience of stressful life events (Hunter, 1993, p. 33). The ongoing activation of the stress response can disrupt almost all body processes, causing symptoms in common with those attributed to menopause such as weight gain, insomnia, forgetfulness, mood swings, and decreased libido (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016).
Treating the symptoms of chronic stress with menopause hormone therapy and other FDA approved pharmaceuticals does not address the underlying root cause. If left unaddressed, the chronic stress you face in midlife can progress from annoying symptoms to the serious pathologies already mentioned.
At Enhanced Health Solutions, we aim to reduce the complexity and stress women face in midlife by implementing simple diet and lifestyle practices inspired by our hunter-gatherer and pre-industrial ancestors.
REFERENCES:
Hunter, M. S. (1993). Predictors of menopausal symptoms: psychosocial aspects. Bailliere’s Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 7(1), 33–45.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016, April 21). Chronic stress puts your health at risk. Retrieved July 21, 2018, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037NIH. (2005).
NIH State-of-the-Science conference statement on management of menopause-related symptoms. NIH Consensus and State-of-the-Science Statements, 22(1), 1–38.