Menopause/PMS and EVERYTHING ELSE!

Can something so basic and so simple really be the answer? Some people consider ill health simply “the luck of the draw. They even include a genetic component to help explain it away.  You must first understand that the human body has the ability to function in a state of perfection, even with genetic predisposition, if it is allowed to do so. It was also designed to heal itself, so an open mind is needed to consider that this can be resolved with a completely noninvasive approach. Consider what is at stake, and that there are NO negative side effects, only benefits. This is the same basic approach that will support the body to do its best to come out from absolutely any dysfunction. It will put you in a place of living preventatively against the usual health issues that have become, not only a plague but considered a normal event that most of us will go through while we just hope for some grace when it hits! There are at some point, pieces of the resolve that are going to be unique to your issue or unique to your bio-individuality. The basic approach to securing a healthy foundation, however, is the same.

What you eat can also be a huge support as you go through different stages in your life. Your food choices can help influence PMS, fertility, adrenal and thyroid function, stress, conception and pregnancy, and menopause as well as everything else. Where including certain foods and some proper supplementation is a good focus to start, it does not completely address repairing the body that produced that dysfunction and allowed those symptoms to manifest. This goes back to the repair of basic absorption and metabolism through an optimal functioning digestive track. The question is will you be completely satisfied eliminating PMS and menopausal symptoms only, which does takes focus and commitment or with a more complete focus, by working on something that will give you the optimal state of health that is strong enough to stand up against all of the current health issues that you could otherwise spend your entire life fixing one crisis at a time. It is as close a definition of real health “insurance” as is possible.

Menopause and PMS are symptoms of a body that is out of balance. Contrary to popular belief, it is entirely possible to go through life and not have these factors interfere with, if not dominate your life. There are hormonal imbalances occurring at the time of these symptoms. Most of us will persevere and go through, what could be years of symptom. Currently the most popular remedy is to replace or rebalance the hormones by introducing them via a pill, cream or shot. Rather than the focus being on removing the factors that are responsible for the lack of balance, the big argument is if natural hormones are better than artificial or pharmaceuticals! The arguments include the risk of stroke, heart disease, depression,  blood clot and breast cancer, weight gain, anxiety, migraines, recurrent yeast infections to name but a few.  We, as a culture have been completely desensitized to the side effects of drugs, which is apparent when one hears the long list of side effects that makes any drug commercial sound like a comedy skit from Saturday Night Live!

 Between the misery and drama that occurs during PMS and Menopause, compounded by ignorance, woman are all too eager to take that hormonal remedy as they really don’t know what else they can possibly do and truthfully those  symptoms can defeat you.  Actually peri-menopause has been prominent in women as early as 30 years of age. If there was a way out wouldn’t the medical profession know about it? Wouldn’t the holistic or natural doctors know about it? It has become all too obvious that some think a holistic approach is to simply replace the pharmaceutical remedy with a natural one. So treating symptoms instead of correcting the cause is the norm.

 It is not just what you consume, it is what you can absorb and metabolize that gets results. The level of toxicity in the system is also a consideration as chemicals and heavy metals are endocrine and hormonal disruptors and quite often are the bottom line, the final frontier responsible for tearing down the body’s immune response. The approach to dealing with these chemicals and heavy metals is one that should only take place once a proper nutritional foundation has been laid and a certain level of functionality has returned to one’s digestive abilities. There is a correct order for things to take place to avoid havoc, drama and further tearing down or weakening your system. Handled correctly this can be done without adversity. Again, this is where knowledge and expertise is essential as well as working in a committed goal oriented program.

The biggest culprit in PMS/menopausal symptoms is refined sugar. On a scale of 1-10 it is a 10. Sugar will rob your body of C and B vitamins as well as strip you of your minerals. Magnesium and trace minerals are a big consideration in acquiring and maintaining optimal health. Sugar throws your PH into an acidic state and produces an environment that can then support yeast, bacteria, virus, parasites and cancer. I have heard testimonial from many women who state it is when they are consuming sweets that their hot flashes are far worse. Sugar weakens the adrenals, can interfere with blood sugar, over production of cholesterol, and interferes with digestion and the list goes on.  The biggest counter effect is leafy green vegetables and the right green supplement. Many of these supplements are too strong and cause detox reactions and challenge an already weakened state. So knowledge is key and this is where bio-individuality becomes apparent. Where you can get some results by implementing the strategy of less or no sugar and more greens, it will not give you the completely repaired system that can bring you peace of mind and insurance against continual ongoing health issues.

It is also impossible to talk about healthy hormone activity or good health at all without recognizing the need for healthy fats. Healthy fats are needed for basic hormone production, brain function, nervous system, being able to properly metabolize your fat soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E, K and the essential fatty acids. It is also responsible for protein metabolism and neurotransmitter activity which dictates our moods as does blood sugar which can run rampant without proper fat and protein. Infertility is commonly about a body that cannot produce the hormones needed to become pregnant or sustain a life in the womb. AN example of that is when a marathon runner will stop menstruating because their BMI has dropped. The body, in its wisdom, knows it cannot support a new life and will discontinue the menstrual cycle that prepares each month for a fertilized egg. This is not the only reason for infertility, but it does show how lack of healthy oils will interfere with your hormones. When we talk about brain and nervous system, which seems obvious when one sees the statistics on the shocking rise in antidepressants and antianxiety drugs that have become the norm since the 1980’s when everyone became erroneously taught to avoid fat in their diet. It is about learning which fats and how much you require, as well as repairing your body ability to metabolize them. Of all the macronutrients, fat absorption and metabolizing lipids is the one that needs the most repair in the most people and to the most serious degrees. Frequently these metabolic dysfunctions stem from not supplying your body what it has needed for a very long time.

There are also some that believe Menopause is also, on a holistic level, about finding resolution for ourselves and really coming into our own as we enter another phase of life. During the many passing years we have acquired wisdom through experience, while caring for others. We were driven and biologically equipped to take on those endeavors. It is part of our makeup genetically as well as culturally. Menopause can be seen as the phase where our truths are meant to surface that have been supressed. Even if we were not caretakers, there were other priorities and goals that may not serve us quite the same now. Other than the physiological opportunity for hormones to go awry, the emotional component that can go with that is the opportunity has presented itself for any buried or unrecognized personal needs to be shown and brought to the forefront. On many levels, it is time for things to be different and whatever that looks like, it wants to be acknowledged. So it would stand to reason that for women that have continually put their needs and wants aside, this could be a more dramatic event. It is the outward expression of the process going on within: the reclaiming of self.