“According to Chinese and ancient Ayurvedic Medicine, at age 60, women end their householder life and begin to develop their souls. Our fertility stops being about having children and starts being about what we create for ourselves that benefits us and the people around us.”

Christine Northrup

We as women need to start looking at menopause differently as something we no longer endure but instead go through as a natural change. We need to normalize menopause. After all, every woman will go through it eventually.

We must discuss menopause openly and celebrate corresponding changes to our bodies and mind with the power to change how we feel and take control of our health.

Depending on your perspective, your mid-life experience can present challenges as you grieve your youth and dread getting older.

Or you can adopt a different mindset and consider this a time to reinvent yourself after the kids leave home and you have more time to concentrate on your wants and needs.

Adopting a new mindset

As you start to look at life differently, you may ask some critical questions such as:

• Am I fulfilled?
• How can I add value and inspiration to my life?
• How can I serve others and feel good about doing so?
• What are the most essential elements in my life?

Menopause is a transitional phase to explore your needs and wants: a time to do less while creating more of what you want. Slow down a little and allow your body to rest and find peace. If you don’t, your body will let you know.

Paying heed to nature

We are continually evolving. Our hormones ebb and flow every minute just as nature is in a constant state of harmony and flux.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Lao Tzu

Health is about living in balance with your environment and adapting to hormonal changes. Thus, living in harmony with your hormones and gaining awareness of your feelings is crucial to recognize what your body seeks from you. Sit still and ask yourself, “What do I need right now?”

You may notice, for example, that nature affects your mood; but you must pay attention. Just before a storm rolls in, the atmosphere can become heavy and cause our bodies and energy to become lethargic. Or perhaps a sudden headache comes on without notice as a warm, dry wind descends from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, causing a rapid temperature rise. While exerting control over Mother Earth is impossible, you can control how you respond to her.

The art of balance

Menopause need not be a struggle. In Chinese medicine, balance is essential to health and well-being.

Yin is the body’s ability to cool itself and moisten with grounding earth energy. When we age, we become yin-deficient—and thus more stagnant. When this happens during menopause,

women overheat quickly and become dry. This rush in body heat causes anxiety and inner turmoil. Sound familiar?

All three major hormones—progesterone, estrogen and testosterone—must remain balanced for menopause to be healthy and occur via a smooth transition. When our ovaries stop producing these hormones, the adrenal gland typically takes over; but if we are in a high state of anxiety or stress, the body cannot respond well and we are knocked out of balance.

Food is life

Healthy eating should also remain top of mind, and Chinese medicine food therapy is most definitely a viable option to help ease menopause symptoms and thus bring balance to your life. Here are a few tips that can help you stick to a healthy diet brimming with benefits:

1. Keep in mind that although the body needs fewer calories as we age, we need to eat the right foods to function efficiently and support our health.

2. Aim to eat a high-fiber diet.

3. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, most notably leafy greens (e.g., kale, Swiss chard, spinach and my personal favorite, arugula).

4. Incorporate more nuts and seeds (e.g., flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds) into your diet.

5. Since most women need to turn down their internal thermostat when going through perimenopause, incorporate “cooling foods” into your diet. In Chinese medicine, foods have five different

temperatures and cooling foods are simply those that cool you down (e.g.,

cucumber, celery, cabbage, radish, cauliflower, watermelon, apples, grapefruit and pears).

I recommend eating at least two of these foods daily to tame your internal heat.

Slow down

Moving at a fast pace amidst a packed calendar is not a badge of honor (I’ve never known anyone to win some sort of award for her packed schedule. Have you?). Lighten up your days and set boundaries.

Chinese medicine states that daily living at a rapid pace consumes our Jing (life force), leaving us depleted and negatively impacting our qi (energy). As our organs cannot receive the qi they need to function well, primary reasons why our hormones become out of balance are stress and a lack of rest.

As I always tell my patients, “Doing nothing is actually doing something.” Taking time throughout the day to stop and do nothing, clear your mind and relax (even for a short period of time) helps your body recharge and recover and adds energy to the remainder of your day.

When we rest, our bodies can heal and recover. Conversely, if we continue to rush around in a constant fight-or-flight state, our bodies respond with hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety and weight gain.

No matter which stage you are in—whether the early perimenopause years when the body shifts from regular to irregular menstruation or full-blown menopause after menses stops—you cannot operate at the same level you did before this new time in your life. Traditional Chinese medicine can support you along the way and nourish both your physical and mental well-being as part of a healthy lifestyle.

If you would  like to learn more about emotional health and wellness,

take a look at this blog post

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By Jeanette Davison

Jeanette is a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. A hormone health expert specializing in menopause, she has over 15 years of clinical experience treating women as they navigate this challenging time of life. Jeanette’s mission is to educate and help women breeze through all stages of menopause symptom-free. Sign up to engage in a one-on-one online consultation so Jeanette can guide you through specific steps you can take to help alleviate your most trying menopause symptoms. Visit here to book a consultation and feel more empowered as you address menopause head-on.