The Great Awakening--Menopause By: Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN,
HHP
Menopause is a natural transition all women experience, as
natural as adolescence. For your grandmother and
great-grandmother, life expectancy was shorter. Reaching
menopause often meant that their life was nearing an end. But
this is no longer true. Today women are living longer—on
average, until age 78. How you experience menopause is
determined by many factors: attitude, diet, overall health,
genetics, and your cultural group. Medical science views
menopause as the state of your body after you had completed one
full year without having a period. It is most definitely not a
disease! By making wise decisions about your menopause and
healthy lifestyle, you can make the most of the 20, 30, or more
years afterwards!
Attitude Many women report that they are glad to no longer have
their monthly periods and all of the hormonal or just physical
issues that accompanied their periods. They feel a freedom from
having to be concerned about pregnancy and birth control. There
is a sense of more energy, and a sense of freedom that comes
without the biological drive to be mother, helper, and nurturer.
Many women turn their attention to those things in life they
have put aside. Some start new careers or businesses. Others
take up creative pursuits like photography or painting, while
others travel to places they have wanted to see. These women
have a positive attitude.
Those women who dread menopause, see it as unnatural, or a sign
of old age (and we all get old don’t we!), have more problems
enjoying the transition during perimenopause. They report more
symptom issues. Negative attitudes result in negative
experiences.
Wake-up Call Everything is magnified, starting in your
perimenopause, then continuing on as you make the transition
into menopause. Issues you have not reconciled as a woman will
surface for you to deal with. Perhaps long overdue lifestyle
changes need to be made. Your body is very smart and it will
start to purge any “stuffed” emotions. This means the body does
not want to carry these negative thought patterns or habits
inside anymore. If you have experienced trauma or hurtful
experiences—the ones unresolved--they will come up. You will
remember incidents you ignored or just could not deal with at
the time. Maybe you did not have a safe space to work on them.
This is the opportunity to let them go. If you understand this
purge and welcome it, you will experience an easier transition.
Health issues that have been neglected will also wake-up. Be
sure you get thorough check-ups and tests during this time,
including dental, vision, heart health, as well as hormones.
Health issues are serious to me. I have walked the path of being
unhealthy and the path of health. I very definitely choose being
healthy. We can implement preventative health. Diet, exercise,
clean water, stress management, healthy environment, and no
synthetic drugs go a long way in creating and keeping a healthy
body.
Spiritual Awakening You may find that the changes you are making
lead you to an awakening spiritually. This happens to many women
who welcome this growth. Seek out your local church, take
classes in meditation, discover new spiritual thought, or a
renewed connection with God. You are a spirit with a body.
Approaching your spiritual wellness includes making choices that
take care of yourself physically and emotionally.
Proactive Steps Although menopause is one of the important
physical milestones in a woman's life, many women lack concrete
information about what is taking place, and what are the
options. It is your right to know your body and be informed.
With a proper attitude, diet, nutritional supplements, exercise,
and simple lifestyle changes, most of the unpleasant side
effects of menopause can be minimized to a great extent. With
this knowledge and preparation you can step forward with grace
and embrace it! To make menopause fun and pleasant: ŸMake
choices to eliminate/reduce stress. ŸCreate a sanctuary space
for yourself where you can meditate, write, draw, or anything
that expresses your thoughts and emotions. ŸFind an exercise you
like and stick with it. ŸEvaluate diet and reduce weight, if you
have gained pounds over the years. ŸBecome selfish with your
time for yourself. Do more things for you and evaluate
care-giving roles. ŸGet enough rest and sleep. ŸDevelop an
outside interest or hobby. ŸHave joy and fun in your life. If
this means making new friends, go do it. You can find out more
about progesterone in my eBook, Balancing Your Hormones Without
Drugs…You Can Feel Good Again and in the articles posted on this
Web site. For a free subscription to the worldwide e-newlsetter,
Advanced Health & Wellness visit us at
www.oasisadvancedwellness.com and www.oasisserene.com
If you haven’t gone through menopause yet, you’ll want to have
an easy adjustment to your body’s changes. Begin to educate
yourself about the symptoms and their causes before, or during,
perimenopause--the time when you begin to experience symptoms.
Be sure to check out all the articles at our
Menopause-PMS-Progesterone Resource Center:
www.menopause-pms-progesterone.org
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