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September/October 2004 Alternative Health
Menopause.....
The Pause That Enlightens

by Catherine Warner

Menopause is defined as the cessation of bleeding for 12 consecutive months. It is the actual "door way" into our post-menopausal, or wise woman years. However, the term peri menopause refers to the years before passing through this mighty doorway. Perimenopause can last up to 10 years, and these are the years of rapid change, spiritual, physical, and emotional. Peri menopause brings fluctuations in hormones that can be quite alarming when a woman does not understand what is happening to her body. Estrogen is produced by the ovaries all month long and it peaks just before ovulation and just before the period. Estrogen receptors exists all throughout the body and bone, brain, blood vessels and cholesterol are ALL influenced by estrogen levels.

Progesterone is produced by the ovaries only after ovulation and maintains pregnancy. This hormone also has receptors all throughout the body and can have sedating, mild pain relieving, and anti-inflammatory properties. In a woman's body, estrogen and progesterone tend to balance each other, when this balance is off, the body is put under hormonal stress, and a multitude of symptoms can develop, such as extreme P.M. S. irritability, decreased libido, loss of lubrication and elasticity in the vaginal area, arthritis symptoms, headaches, backaches, hot flashes, dry skin and hair. Small amounts of estrogen are stored in fat cells, so as estrogen levels fluctuate, a woman may tend to carry an additional 20 pounds. A woman experiencing any or all of these symptoms should certainly have her hormone levels checked by a qualified practitioner.

The most common hormone imbalance is estrogen dominance which contributes to mood swings, breast tenderness and bloating, cycle changes, sleep problems, hot flashes, low libido, and foggy thinking. Estrogen dominance can often be held in check by maintaining a healthy weight, making sure that your blood sugar stays balanced, and herbal support such as Chaste Tree Berry (Vitex agnus castus), Soy, Black Cohosh and Red Clover. Black Cohosh and Red Clover are considered "balancers" of estrogens, rather than "plant estrogens".

For a while Wild Yam creams were very popular, however studies have shown that these are not effective as we do not have the proper enzymes to utilize the necessary constituents. Which leads me to advise everyone to not be taken in by popular trends and hype. Research the supplements you take, ask professionals. Just because somethings says " Natural" does not mean it will help you, and most of all, listen to your body.

* Herbs to take for irritability and insomnia are Chamomile , Catnip, Hops, Oats, Motherwort, Passionflower, Valerian, Kava Kava and St. Johns Wort. Lack of sex drive can be supported with Passionflower tincture.

* Vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy can be common problems and should not be ignored. Once again support these changes by balancing hormones with diet, exercise, and herbal support, but do not struggle with this. There are some prescription creams available that do not have the negative side effects of hormone replacement therapies. It is important to keep that tender tissue plump and moist.

* And finally support those adrenal glands, as they are usually over stressed with all the hormonal changes, by reducing sugar and stimulants, lots of exercise, vitamins C, B complex and especially B5, and use Licorice Root and Siberian Ginseng, which is not really "ginsing" but Eleuthrococcus. This wonderful herb was discovered growing along the steppes in Siberia and was so beneficial to the body that it was equated to the Ginsing used in China, so was mistakenly called "Siberian Ginsing" though it is really not even in the Ginsing family.

Now we have looked at the physical side of Peri menopause, which really isn’t so frightening once you understand the role of hormones, and the proactive measures you can take, but I fear the word "menopause" has been given a very negative illusion in our society. This illusion I am speaking of has to do with the mental pictures we are given of aging women going insane, suffering with health and nervous conditions etc. Natural Menopause Is A Physical, Emotional And Spiritual Awakening Into Our Completion As Wise Women.

A woman's life moves in cycles great and small. It is the awareness of these cycles that connect us and keep us alive to all aspects of nature as well as the divine grace that governs us. We are the daughters and children laughing and playing and delighting in the forces of nature, we are the seductresses, and the erotic force that pulses within the secret gardens, we are the child bearers, the nurturers, the great givers, we are the Medicine in its, full strength and wisdom. As our bodies start preparing us to be the wise woman, hormones start to fluctuate and shift and we become self absorbed at times, for we cannot be otherwise when our bodies are doing such a dance. It is here that we must look within once more and take a close look at our lives. We become irritable, it is almost as if the things that would normally only slightly irritate, now becomes blown up and intolerable. Why? This is once again the opportunity for us to evaluate our lives and cut away that which does not serve our highest good. Cut away those things for once and for all that are depleting or demeaning to our spirits. I encourage you to look hard at all these "little irritations" they may be important. We have hot flashes. If you raise the body temperature by just 2 degrees, you can burn off 90% of the bacteria in the body which is what makes fevers so useful in children.

Can our body be clearing away built up toxins that have lain there dormant just waiting, like our little irritations, for an excuse to explode? Insomnia...we are driven to wake in the night and heed the call of our spirit, take counsel with the starlight, search our souls and find the peace that will enable us to walk the planet as a beautiful force of grace and wisdom.

All My Relations
And All My Sisters
Catherine Warner