Menopause: It’s About Balance
Finally, after centuries of misunderstanding, menopause has been found to be a “normal part of life,” not a disease. And in recognition of the fact that replacing estrogen is not natural and brings dangerous side effects -- rather than the fountain of youth once touted -- hormone “replacement” therapy (HRT) is now simply called hormone “therapy” (HT).
None of these concepts are new, however. For over 5,000 years, a consciousness-based natural medical system from ancient India called Maharishi Ayurveda, has acknowledged menopause not as a mistake of Mother Nature’s that requires hormone replacement therapy, but as a natural transition. Yes, indeed, “shocking and novel” as it may seem menopause can actually be free of troublesome symptoms, health-promoting, and even spiritually transforming.
Once heavily promoted as the medical solution to heart disease, rapid aging after menopause, and weak bones, HRT is no longer recommended for the prevention and treatment of these problems. Instead, experts now affirm that chronic health problems, heart disease, and osteoporosis develop over a lifetime, resulting largely from lack of physical exercise, poor diet, and stress.
Menopause: A ‘Balance Deficiency’
So, just what is recommended for the prevention of major health problems after menopause? A healthy lifestyle, according to Ayurveda. How balanced or overall healthy you and your lifestyle are when you reach menopause largely determines how smooth your transition will be. For instance, if, while still in your 30s and 40s you are “burning the candle at both ends,” when your hormones start to change you are more likely to have mood swings, sleep problems, and troublesome hot flashes. However, if you maintain a healthy lifestyle, not only will you manage your stress effectively, you will probably breeze through menopause without any major problems.
Health-related problems don’t just start at menopause, they were already there. However, nature’s wake-up call, menopause symptoms, lets you know that if you don’t start paying attention to your health now, you’ll be in trouble later. According to Ayurveda, age 45 to 55 is a critical decade, as it provides the foundation which later health is laid. It’s the same as putting money in your IRA for a healthy financial future. If you “invest” in a healthy lifestyle when young, you will dramatically increase your “yield” of healthy years at midlife and beyond. If you want to age gracefully without the burden of chronic health problems, start making certain lifestyle changes now.
What You Can Do Now To Get ‘In Balance’
It’s true that each woman’s menopause experience is unique. While eating a healthy diet and getting enough exercise provides the foundation of good health for everyone, knowing precisely how your body is out of balance will guide you in selecting the lifestyle changes that are right for you. According to Ayurveda, the type of symptoms you have depend on which dosha (bodily principle) is “out of balance.”
The 3 bodily principles are: bodily substance (kapha or earthy), heat and metabolism (pitta or firey), and movement and flow (vata or airy). There are also 3 basic types of imbalances that relate to the “doshas” listed above. By “reading” your dosha symptoms and getting them back into balance you can ease your menopause transition. Following are the lifestyle symptoms and prescriptions for each of the 3 dosha imbalances:
1. K-Types are prone to weight gain. Their symptoms are: depression, fluid retention, lack of motivation, laziness, lethargy, slow digestion, sluggishness, weight gain for no reason, and yeast infections.
Ayurvedic Tips: Decrease cheese, cold foods and drinks, meat and sugar. Get up early (by 6 a.m.). Increase exercise. Add more fruits, legumes, whole grains, vegetables, and spices, such as black pepper, ginger, and turmeric to your diet.
2. P-Types are prone to a hot temper. Their symptoms are: anger, hot flashes, heavy periods, acne, irritability, night sweats, skin rashes, and urinary tract infections.
Ayurvedic Tips: Decrease excessive sun and overheating, hot spicy foods, hot drinks and alcohol. Go to bed before 10 p.m. and try to wind down earlier in the evening. Increase cooling foods, water intake, sweet juicy fruits (grapes, pears, plums, mango, melons, and apples), zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, and organic foods.
3. V-Types are prone to nervousness. Their symptoms are anxiety, constipation, bloating, insomnia, irregular periods, feeling cold, joint aches and pains, panic, loss of skin tone, palpitations, vaginal dryness, mild or variable hot flashes, and mood swings.
Ayurvedic Tips: Decrease caffeine and other stimulants, refined sugar, cold drinks, and salads. Increase warm food and drinks, regular meals, early bedtime, oil massage, meditation, yoga, walking and spices such as fennel and cumin.
Your Hormonal ‘Backup System’
According to Ayurveda, if the following 3 factors are in place, your hormonal changes at menopause will be easy and smooth:
* Your body is “clean” and uncluttered inside so your hormones and body can “talk” effectively.
* Your diet is wholesome and rich in phytoestrogens.
* Your mind/body system (consisting of 3 doshas) is in “balance.”
Even after menopause, your adrenal glands and ovaries continue to produce estrogens and “pre-estrogens.” If your mind and body are “in balance,” this hormonal production will naturally provide just the right amount of estrogen to prevent hot flashes which will, in turn, keep your arteries, bones, brain, colon, and skin healthy without the risk of breast or uterine cancer.
Although balancing your doshas is important, to ensure optimal hormone production after menopause, Ayurveda herbs are also beneficial. Used by skilled practitioners in balanced, synergistic combinations, these herbs help to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, irritability, libido problems, or mood swings. These herbs are: Indian asparagus root (shatavari; asparagus racemosus), licorice root, pearl, red coral, rose, sandalwood, and thick-leaved lavender (chorak; angelica glauca --related to the Chinese female tonic Dong Quai).
Hormonal Help From Plants -- It’s Not Just Soy!
One of the key factors in balancing hormones during and after menopause is diet. Did you know that Japanese women rarely experience hot flashes? The reason for this is that their diet contains large amounts of soy. Soy is rich in certain plant estrogens called “isoflavones.” “Lignans” compounds --– another healthful source of phytoestrogens -- are found in a variety of whole foods. These include cereals and grains, dried beans and lentils, flaxseed, peanuts and sunflower seeds, along with vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, carrots, garlic, and sweet potatoes) and fruits (pears, plums, and strawberries).
In addition, common herbs and spices such as licorice, nutmeg, oregano, thyme, and turmeric have estrogenic properties.
It’s really simple. All you need to do to have a rich phytoestrogen feast as a part of your daily regimen is eat a varied diet consisting of dried beans, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. But, remember, just as too much estrogen is unhealthy after menopause, too much phytoestrogens may also be dangerous. By getting your vitamins naturally, rather than from concentrated tablets or supplements, this danger can be avoided. Don’t forget moderation and variety is important.
When You Can’t Stop Flashing, Get The ‘Lead’ Out!
If left untreated, signs of deeper imbalances such as continual sleep disturbance, frequent hot flashes, and moderate to severe mood swings, will persist, possibly setting the stage for later disease. These stubborn symptoms are usually due to the build-up of toxins and wastes, also referred to as “ama,” in your body’s tissues.
When your body’s channels are clogged with wastes, the heat from metabolism builds up in your tissues. The results from these sudden surges in blood flow as the body tries to clear the channels and dissipate the heat build-up quickly are called hot flashes. For example, when you have a heater set on high in an overheated room with all the windows and doors closed, to cool down the room you have to first turn down the heater. However, you also need to open the doors and windows so that the heat can flow out. In other words, you are removing the “ama.”
So, no matter how much estrogen or phytoestrogen you have floating through your bloodstream, it won’t do you any good unless it connects with your body’s estrogen receptors, which are the tiny “keyholes” on your cells. Estrogen and phytoestrogens fit these keyholes just like minuscule keys and through them gain entry into your cells. And when these receptors get clogged with debris, the hormones aren’t able to get into the cells to do their job right. Therefore, despite a variety of attempted therapies, those bothersome menopause symptoms persist.
If this is the case, an internal cleansing approach such as the traditional Ayurvedic detoxification program (referred to as Maharishi Rejuvenation Therapy (MRT), or “panchakarma,” may be needed to clear the body’s channels and gain relief. Also the treatment of choice for more serious problems such as high cholesterol and osteoporosis, this ancient technology consisting of herbalized oil massage, heat treatments and mild internal cleansing therapies, does indeed reduce toxins in the body. In a study published recently by “Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine,” it was found that “Hormone disrupting PCBs and pesticide such as DDT were reduced by approximately 50% after just 5 days of treatment.” Other studies have also shown that the use of MRT results in an overall reduction in health symptoms, a rise in “good cholesterol” and reduction in free radicals.
Not only can MRT eliminate symptoms, it also dramatically reduces fatigue and stress. Some patients, after a week of MRT, report that they not only feel better, they have a profound sense of inner peace and well-being.
It’s Not Too Late
Oh sure, it seems that at midlife health problems just pop out of nowhere! It’s the cumulative effects of damaging lifestyle habits over the years that set in motion chronic disease and aging well before menopause. It’s not too late, however. With a few basic lifestyle changes and the healing power of Maharishi Ayurveda, these underlying imbalances can be resolved. A smooth menopause transition and great health adds up to good news for all! |
