Читать книгу Manage Your Menopause Naturally - Maryon Stewart - Страница 9
ОглавлениеWELCOME TO THE SECOND HALF OF YOUR LIFE
Making This the Time of Your Life
What if I told you that in a few weeks you could be feeling serene, sexy, wise, and calm, with harmonious hormones and free of your menopause symptoms? Wouldn’t you want that? My Six-Week Natural Menopause Solution has already helped thousands of women improve their well-being. You can be next.
In 2020, more than 50 million women are going through menopause in the United States, and it’s estimated that one billion women around the world will be experiencing menopause by 2025. That’s 12 percent of the entire world population! You are certainly not alone. And while more than 75 percent of women will experience symptoms of meno-pause — such hot flashes, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, and loss of sex drive — for a decade or longer, 55 percent of those women won’t do anything to try to alleviate them.
Often healthcare providers aren’t stepping in to help, either. A Mayo Clinic study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2019 found that many doctors and gynecologists lack training or even a basic understanding of menopause management. Only 7 percent of them felt adequately educated to help women going through meno-pause. So women are simply left wondering what has hit them, understandably feeling that this is the beginning of the end.
It seems completely unfair to me that so many women of a certain age are experiencing misery unless they are armed with sufficient knowledge to do a U-turn. The information and tools to do that are out there. But conflicting advice and information overload on the internet often make it difficult to know where to start and whom to believe.
Many women who are savvy, straight-talking problem-solvers in other areas of life seem to roll over and become victims when it comes to problems with perimenopause and menopause. Why is it that so many of us accept discomfort and stress and assume it’s all part of being a woman? It’s a time when huge numbers of us lose ourselves and feel as if we’ve been taken over by an alien. It can be frightening and isolating: the symptoms are sometimes even too personal to discuss with our best friends.
While this book was in production, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, creating additional responsibilities, anxiety, stress, and fear that most of us had never anticipated. In addition to all the other challenges and difficulties women face at midlife, we have had to worry about our own health and that of our friends and families; about our income, jobs, and education; and about what the “new normal” will look like for those who survive the crisis. Many of us have been stressed by being confined in our homes and isolated from others, caring for family members twenty-four hours a day, and having to adapt to working and learning from home. Essential workers have faced extraordinary demands on their mental, physical, and emotional stamina. It’s not surprising that many women feel they’re being pushed into a danger zone, feeling unable to cope mentally.
We can’t control external events, but we can take steps to improve our own well-being and resilience. Andrea Bauer, one of the women whose stories are featured in this book, hit the nail on the head when she told me, “Following your program I realized that I didn’t need to degenerate at menopause, but instead, with adequate knowledge and support, I could regenerate.” Even in a time of worldwide anxiety and uncertainty, that is so true.
Cutting through the Confusion and Taking Control
A few years ago, a friend of a friend posted on Facebook that she felt like she’d been hit by a steamroller. Her doctor had put her on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to mitigate menopause symptoms, but the side effects were as bad as the symptoms.
After this woman’s Facebook post, she was inundated with advice from friends offering “solutions.” Hearing about them made me realize just how confused women are. Most of them warned her not to take hormones at any cost, because family members and friends had been diagnosed with cancer after taking them. Some of the suggestions involved gritting her teeth and bearing it without any treatment. Others recommended she try a range of supplements or creams, or make changes to her diet. None of them got it quite right. But one of her contacts suggested that she get in touch with me, because she knew that I had pioneered a scientifically based, nondrug approach that has been helping women overcome their symptoms for decades.
I am amazed, frustrated, and angry that women are still in the dark, fending for themselves, with so little direction at such a crucial time in their lives — especially when many of us have busy and challenging work and home lives. In my 2019 survey of 1,100 women, titled “What Women Want,” 82 percent were hunting online for solutions to their suffering, without any clear road map or ability to distinguish good information from bad. In this survey, 37 percent of the women said they were given antidepressants for menopause; of these women, 80 percent felt this treatment was inappropriate. Although 41 percent were given hormone replacement therapy, 14 percent of those women didn’t take it out of fear. Of those that did, 62 percent reported they came off it because of adverse side effects. Ninety percent of all the women in this survey said they would like information to manage their menopause naturally.
The health issues associated with menopause go beyond managing the symptoms that hit us at perimenopause and menopause. In the years that follow, as our estrogen levels decline, we are at greater risk of heart disease, dementia, and osteoporosis. One hundred years ago, when women didn’t live long past the age of fifty, these were less significant concerns. But these days, when the big 5-0 is just the halfway mark for many of us, it’s hugely important to keep ourselves in good shape and to avoid becoming reliant on a cocktail of drugs and hormones that often have adverse side effects. As a result, we can joyously embrace all the days we’re blessed with, feeling confident that we’re still in the driver’s seat.
Most of the natural wellness books I have written over the years are fully medically referenced. (See the extensive reference section at the back of this book.) My drug-free approach is well supported by the medical literature. Much of that research might just as well be a secret, though. Women are often left in the dark during menopause, asking their doctors and friends for advice and not getting many answers other than suggestions of drug or hormone therapy, which at best should be considered a short-term solution. It’s a scandal and very unfair for womankind, because there is an effective solution that can be tailored to your individual symptoms, lifestyle, and budget.
This Six-Week Natural Menopause Solution is based on the program my team and I pioneered at the Natural Health Advisory Service (NHAS), an organization I ran in the 1990s, which helped hundreds of thousands of women all over the world. There is no need to suffer alone or to be conned into taking products that don’t even contain what they say on the label, or haven’t been shown to be either safe or effective. With the right knowledge, women can easily overcome their symptoms and reclaim their well-being naturally.
There’s no need to suffer during menopause. There’s an effective solution for you, and it will be my pleasure to help you feel better!
Perhaps because women often put the needs of others before their own, many of us don’t make time to look after ourselves properly. In addition to the physical symptoms we suffer from, the changes to our waistline and appearance occur so gradually that often it’s not until one day when we glance in the mirror and get a shock that we realize just how far south we have traveled! Though you may be one of those women who dread aspects of this journey, I can assure you that women who have been through my Six-Week Natural Menopause Solution overwhelmingly regain their zest for life, get back into good shape, experience increased self-esteem and libido. Many end up feeling better than they can ever remember.
I feel passionately that women should be able to get proper direction at what can be a hugely scary stage in life. There is simply no reason to suffer when you can feel so good! I hope this book boosts your well-being now and in the future. You are most welcome to join one of the virtual classes I run at maryonstewart.com/masterclass, where I often answer questions live.
Navigating Perimenopause and Midlife Mayhem
When signs of perimenopause first appear, it’s common to wake up in the morning feeling like life as you knew it is a dim and distant memory. Your hormones are in the driving seat, and you are left clinging on by your fingernails. Gone are the days when you rolled over in the mornings hoping your partner was in the mood for some fun. Instead of snuggling up for comfort and love, you are only too pleased to be on your own side of the bed, throwing off the covers as the heat overpowers you. When you cool down, you start to worry that having sex will be a nightmare, leaving you feeling sore instead of satisfied.
Repeated nights interrupted by drenching sweats leave you feeling overwhelmingly tired. Your skin takes on a pale hue and circles appear under your eyes, making you look like you haven’t slept for weeks. You drag yourself out of bed to get on with your day, but you struggle because you have no energy. You have gained weight through comfort eating, and your clothes are too tight, while lack of exercise has made you despondent and depressed. Frequent, unannounced “power surges” make your face as red as a beet, and you feel like you are melting. You wonder where all this may be going. How will you cope? Should you seek advice? Take hormones? You go online to find some natural alternatives, but the overwhelming amount of information makes you feel even more confused than you already are. In the back of your mind you wonder whether your partner will be supportive or might get fed up with the significant change in your relationship. Some of the things that are happening to you may even be too embarrassing to discuss with close friends, so you sit in not-so-splendid isolation, wondering what comes next.
By week 6 of Maryon’s Natural Menopause Solution I was pretty much symptom-free. My vaginal tissues healed, and my libido returned, which delighted my husband. I feel really great again. I can’t believe the difference. I’m so grateful.
— Helen Wilde
These are the reasons I developed my Six-Week Natural Menopause Solution. It can take you from feeling stressed, washed out, irritable, tired, and confused and in hormonal turmoil to feeling sexy, wise, intuitive, turbocharged, and cool (what I call the midlife SWITCH), and brimming with happy hormones. That might seem a big stretch right now. Your first mission is to be trusting and come with me on a journey to reclaim your mojo and get back in the driving seat.
Menopause literally means the end of menstruation, although most of us use the word more loosely to describe the physical and mental changes that we experience in the years before and after this event. It generally happens any time between the ages of forty-five and fifty-five, with around fifty-one being the average.
At birth, our ovaries contain thousands of follicles, or egg sacs, in which egg cells ripen and develop. At puberty, our ovaries start to release an egg each month under the influence of two chemical messengers, or hormones, produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. These two hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), in turn trigger our ovaries to produce two more hormones, estrogen and progesterone, which are responsible for thickening the lining of the uterus in preparation for conception and pregnancy. If no egg is fertilized, estrogen and progesterone levels decline, and the egg, together with the built-up uterine lining, is shed. This accounts for the bleeding during a period.
As we move through our forties, the supply of eggs we were born with starts to run out, and our ovaries stop releasing an egg each month. This means we no longer produce so much progesterone and estrogen. Eventually, our ovaries run out of eggs altogether, progesterone production ceases, and estrogen levels fall to an all-time low. Because estrogen is required for many bodily functions besides reproduction — including maintaining strong bones, a sharp mind, and a healthy heart — it is inevitable that we feel the effects as our naturally occurring estrogen levels drop. Replacing the body’s own estrogen with estrogens from plant sources not only replenishes our supply but also prevents the estrogen receptors in our cells from binding to estrogen-like chemicals in the environment (such as hormones used in meat production and some chemicals leached from plastics), which increase our risk of cancer.
Perimenopause
The body goes through a series of changes in the eight or so years leading up to meno-pause. These are known collectively as perimenopause (peri meaning “around”). The first sign that things are on the move is usually a change in the pattern of your periods. They may become irregular, longer or shorter, heavier or lighter. Other signs include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, loss of libido, loss of energy, sleepless nights, and difficulty concentrating, all of which may worsen over time.
Most of us are unprepared for perimenopause. For some women, it may simply be the inconvenience of never being sure when their period is going to arrive. If you are less fortunate, you may experience a worsening of PMS symptoms, as well as frequent mood swings and more “black” days.
PMS Meets Perimenopause
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to the physical and mental symptoms that occur just before the arrival of a period, then diminish or disappear shortly afterward, such as mood swings, bloating, food cravings, and digestive upset. Studies reveal that PMS is most prevalent in women in their thirties. But for some women, PMS never quite goes away. If your PMS bumps into the start of your menopause symptoms, which is quite common, then you have the worst of both worlds! In fact, due to the hormonal instability of perimenopause, PMS can become even worse.
Reliable research has found no consistent hormonal abnormality among PMS sufferers. Experts now think PMS may be caused by the undue sensitivity of the individual to the normal hormonal changes that take place in the second half of the menstrual cycle. This makes it much easier to see how PMS might fit in with some women’s perimenopausal experience.
Some doctors may argue that the most successful treatments for PMS include those that effectively switch off the ovaries, blocking the menstrual cycle, but that’s not what Mother Nature intended. Estrogen implants work amazingly well. But sadly, the benefit may not last, since the body adjusts to a new hormonal balance and the natural cycle re-imposes itself.
Our experience at the NHAS and evidence from other research show that PMS symptoms are often related to nutritional deficiencies, which can literally change the lenses through which we see the world. Billions of women around the world suffer nutritional deficiencies, even in wealthy regions. Symptoms can be reduced by improvements in diet, the use of certain nutritional supplements, and exercise. These changes can all influence female hormone function, the chemistry of the nervous system, general well-being, and physical fitness in a more gentle and effective way than hormonal treatment.
A study carried out by the NHAS looked at the relationship between previous PMS symptoms and current menopausal symptoms. We found some continuity between cognitive and emotional symptoms — such as anxiety, depression, confusion, and insomnia. However, there was little or no continuity of physical symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats. This lack of correlation suggests that menopause symptoms caused mainly by estrogen withdrawal are not greatly influenced by a history of PMS. Diet and lifestyle seem to make a big difference to many women’s PMS symptoms, which is good news if you are going through mood changes at the time of menopause.
Early Menopause
About 1 percent of women experience menopause before the age of forty. This is known as premature menopause or premature ovarian failure (POF). You are more likely to have a premature menopause if
• Your ovaries are removed by surgery (oophorectomy), which sometimes happens with a hysterectomy if your ovaries are abnormal, or may be done to prevent the spread of endometriosis or ovarian or endometrial cancer.
• You have radiotherapy or chemotherapy for treatment of leukemia or cancer.
• You have a family history of early menopause or a chromosomal defect.
• You smoke. (Research shows that heavy smokers tend to reach menopause up to two years earlier than nonsmokers.)
• You had your last child before you were twenty-eight.
• You have never had children.
• You are short or underweight.
• Your diet is poor.
Have You Reached Menopause? Testing Your Hormone Levels
If your periods start to become erratic, or you haven’t had a period for several months, you could be at the start of menopause. One way to find out is by measuring your level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
Before menopause, the normal range for FSH levels is up to eight units per liter (or mIU/mL, milliunits per milliliter). As you go into menopause, your levels of FSH may go as high as 100 units per liter. According to the North American Menopause Society, if a woman’s FSH blood level is consistently 30 units per liter or higher and she has not had a period for a year, it’s a sign that she has reached menopause. It usually remains at a high level for two years, or until your brain gets the message that your ovaries are no longer producing estrogen. At this point, FSH drops back to premenopausal levels.
Home kits for testing FSH levels in urine are available and can be ordered online. However, if you are still getting periods, your FSH levels will vary at different points in your cycle. For this reason, you will need to do the menopause home test twice, one week apart. If your FSH levels are high on only one of the tests, then it’s likely that you haven’t reached menopause. If both tests show a high reading, they confirm that you have arrived!
Midlife Switch
Fluctuating hormone levels may not be the only trigger of menopausal symptoms. Cumulative dietary and lifestyle factors can also play a significant part. Pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as nutritional imbalances resulting from years of dieting, poor eating habits, or malabsorption, often leave us in a nutritionally depleted state as we reach midlife.
Menopause also tends to hit most of us at a psychological turning point, when natural fears about aging and the future start weighing on our minds. In addition, it’s a time of life that often brings other challenges, such as the ups and downs of life with teenage children, caring for elderly relatives, relationship changes, trying to keep your career on track, or perhaps working outside the home for the first time in years. If, on top of all this, you have menopause to deal with, it’s not surprising if you feel below par. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has placed even greater stresses and strains upon us.
Despite all the changes, it’s important to keep things in perspective. Menopause needn’t be the end of life as you once knew it; rather it marks the beginning of a new phase that can be just as exciting and rewarding as your earlier years. There’s a lot you can do to make this transition smoother.
The Symptoms
Menopausal symptoms can be divided into three main groups:
1.Estrogen withdrawal symptoms
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Urinary incontinence
• Recurring urinary tract infections
• Loss of libido
• Vaginal dryness
• Painful sexual intercourse
2.Other physical symptoms
• Aches and pains
• Migraines and headaches
• Fatigue
• Constipation
• Irritable bowel syndrome
3.Mental symptoms
• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Irritability
• Mood swings
• Depression
• Confusion
• Memory problems
What You Can Do
In recent years, by far the most popular treatment for menopausal symptoms has been hormone replacement therapy. However, studies connecting HRT with an increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease have seen this therapy fall from grace. Many women have tried to come off HRT and find an alternative for controlling their symptoms. Fortunately, you can overcome menopausal symptoms, as well as protect yourself against heart disease and osteoporosis in the longer term, without taking hormones.
I really never thought I would find the old me again, but I am so relieved and grateful that I have. I can think clearly now, work in my usual efficient way, and be there for my family with energy and enthusiasm rather than hiding my overwhelmed self away.
— Gail Torr
Our latest audit of one hundred women on the 5-month NHAS Natural Menopause Program found that over 91 percent weaned themselves off HRT without any significant adverse effects. In addition, 66 percent of these women were completely or almost completely free of menopause symptoms within five and a half months of starting the program. A further 22 percent experienced some improvement in symptoms. The non-HRT users in particular experienced a dramatic reduction in the severity of their symptoms, with most going from severe to only mild symptoms. More than half the women also said their home life had improved and they were more productive at work.
A wealth of published research shows that natural approaches, including using isoflavones (Mother Nature’s estrogen), taking herbs like maca and St. John’s wort, having acupuncture, and regular relaxation are effective and cost-effective ways of controlling menopause symptoms.
Getting Started
In this book I reveal the secrets to managing menopause naturally, allowing you to devise your own program to help you through the menopausal years. Key areas I focus on include:
• Replenishing estrogen levels by following a diet rich in naturally occurring plant phytoestrogens
• Boosting nutrient levels to help your brain chemistry and endocrine system to function normally
• Learning to relax, which can dramatically reduce hot flashes and help you feel more in control
• Losing weight without dieting
• Reducing stress
• Improving your fitness and mental health through regular exercise
• Building up bones and muscle
• Protecting your heart and lowering cholesterol levels
• Sharpening your brain
• Rekindling your libido
• Rebuilding your self-esteem
• Regaining your zest and vitality for life
• Experiencing the benefits of nutritional supplements, such as phytoestrogen- based, hormone-moderating supplements that have been scientifically tested.
