The miracle cream that will erase your wrinkles. Or Better than Botox. The secret to beautiful skin after 50. Nobel Prize Winner Technology in skin care. You, like me, probably have read them all and more, much more.
There are so many creams, potions, procedures and supplements promising us youth in a bottle, an injection, procedure or a pill. If they would work, we will not have wrinkles anymore. So is there a secret to beautiful, healthy skin at 50, during menopause and perimenopause? The pill is the closest from all those promises, the reason is that the secret is our hormones.
The supple, radiant skin that we had in our younger years depends greatly on our hormones.
The cream can put moisture, the procedure can force the skin to generate collagen and a more radical procedure can lift and iron out wrinkles, but the overall effect won’t give you beautiful skin. And, beautiful skin can make you look younger and prettier even with wrinkles and flaccidity. Beautiful skin has a characteristic called radiance. Radiance can go away during perimenopause and menopause. In Ayurveda, radiance is part of something called ojas and it means live, healthy tissues.
Skin radiance comes from our hormones and health. It is affected by emotions.
Have you seen the face of a bride? Happiness is visible. Audrey Hepburn was right:
Happy girls are the prettiest
If your estrogen is out of balance in earlier years then the skin maybe oily. Hormones out of balance in midlife in perimenopause or menopause can cause skin dryness, lack of luster, loss of volume and in some people, very reactive skin (that’s me). If the person has estrogen dominance, the skin is going to be oily. If your hormones, especially estrogen and T3, are not balanced your creams and treatments are not going to be as effective.
If your liver is not working properly you may develop allergies, redness, discolored patches, etc. A lower thyroid functions will bring dryness, hair loss and eye brow hair loss.
How do you get radiance?
Well, this is part of what a healthy lifestyle with low stress, good nutrients and happiness brings to your life. There are a few things you can do.
The main thing is to try to balance your hormones. This is a big topic and one of the main topics of this blog. In short, in order to balance our hormones we need to:
Eat enough good fat
Eat a diet rich in nutrients
Lower stress
Consume a low glycemic diet (low sugar)
Sleep
Eat a natural diet
Make sure you are having all the minerals your body needs
Be happy. Make yourself happy. Happiness is an attitude; it comes from within us, not from the exterior.
If you would like to know more about how to balance your hormones with lifestyle changes read here about my program BLISS in menopause
Help your organs
We also need to help our liver and adrenals. The liver and adrenals are going to help the thyroid and are going to help us have more available estrogen, our own estrogen.
The type of nutrition above will help you liver and adrenals. In some cases, we need to take supplements after a period of neglect. That is what I did and worked out very well for me. I will include a link to the products I took. If the imbalance is deeper, you need to go to a practitioner. I recommend an Ayurveda or functional medicine practitioner. The solutions for hormonal balance don’t give immediate results, you may need months before you see results, but the results are great if you keep trying.
Other tips for healthy skin
Follow a simple skin care routine. It should include cleansing, moisturizing and exfoliation once or twice a week.
Use a star ingredient or a few of them. You don’t have to become an expert or a junkie. Certainly you don’t need to use expensive products. I will be publishing a series of articles on this topic. Star ingredients are retinol, alpha and beta hydroxy acids and many more.
Don’t overexpose to the sun
I am not saying always use sunblock. Use a safe sunscreen when you are going to expose yourself for longer periods of time. But mostly use common sense, wear hats, stay indoors at the time the sun is stronger, don’t tan, etc. Take more precautions when you abruptly change to a different weather. For example, if you live in a cold place and take a winter vacation in the Caribbean. These changes are more damaging to the skin.
If you eat healthy your skin is more resilient and the sun causes less damage.
These are the products I used. These are affiliate links:
What comes to mind when you hear the word menopause, perimenopause and post-menopause? Old age, becoming old? Illness? Goddess time? Rebirth? Renew? Another female time? Hot flashes? Mood issues? What about self-care?
What if you could use self-care or self-loving activities, to combat some of the most common perimenopause symptoms and develop a more loving relationship with our bodies. During this special time we for sure need an extra dose of self-care. Self-care can come in many forms. The activities I suggest here are to address some of the worst premenopausal and menopausal symptoms and they are easy, cheap, and fun.
Do a happy list
What activities make you happy? Do you like to paint, to sing, to sew, to garden, to ….? Think back to your childhood and develop a list of the activities that make you happy. This is for you, not for anybody else; it doesn’t matter if your kids or partner don’t like them. The cheesy phrase “do more of what makes you happy” is true and effective.
Pick some of them and try to do them. You have to write them down on your calendar and make them happen. If money is an issue, look for cheaper ways; if time is an issue, look for shorter activities; if energy level is an issue, try less tiring activities.
How will this help you? It increases good hormones and lowers stress. Less stress is less hot flashes and more sleep. Good hormones is more energy and happiness, less depression, sensitivity and irritability.
Discover your inner dancer
My favorite dance is belly dance. It can be hard on your knees, so it may need modifications in midlife. Dance is a great exercise and happiness booster during perimenopause and menopause. Dancing makes us feel sexy and feminine. Some women tend to let their femininity go down with age and responsibilities. It is important to keep our femininity up, because that is part of our power.
Dance is also exercise. The exercise helps us relax and eliminate toxins. Dancing is a powerful, easy therapy for women. Take some dance lessons (it can be free online) and dance.
There are many women after 40 who join dance groups to develop closer relationships while doing something so pleasant. If you prefer the gym, try Zumba or similar exercises.
Clear your mind of nocebo
Nocebo is the evil brother of placebo. In placebo, we believe that something does good to us and it does it, although it is not supposed to. For example, medicine and sugar pills; some people take the sugar pills and get cured because of the placebo effect. It is our minds telling our cells to get healthy. Nocebo is the contrary.
In nocebo, we believe that something has a negative effect in us and it does, although it is not supposed to. For example, if someone gets convinced that she has an allergy to gluten, although that person does not have it, every time she has gluten she gets sick. This is how superstitions also work.
If we believe that we will suffer hot flashes because it is common for women in their 40s or 50s, we will. Remember common does not mean normal. Hot flashes and other symptoms are not normal even if they are common. Many women like me don’t suffer them. Don’t expect them; your mind is very powerful, if you expect them they will come.
Every time a negative age or menopause stereotype comes to your mind, negate it with something positive. For instance you can say things like: age is just a number, I am healthy and strong, I love myself, everything is OK, etc. Create your own mantras and repeat them.
Don’t let books, magazines or websites tell you that you will get sick, that menopause is a terrible time in a women’s life. They are trying to grab your attention and scare you into buying something.
Track your symptoms
If you are experiencing any perimenopause symptoms, keep a diary. Write down what you eat, your emotions (example: angry in the morning, sad in the afternoon etc.) and the time and situation the symptom presents itself. This is especially important for hot flashes (or hot flushes, if you are in Europe). If you identify the triggers you can manage them and have less symptoms.
Look for good company
Avoid negative people. Avoid negative talk about aging and menopause. Don’t hang around in websites and forums discussing symptoms (remember, nocebo is powerful). Look for positive, uplifting company in real life, online and in books and media.
Elect the positive
Listen to your inner dialogue and try to change negative thoughts with positive or neutral ones. Worry and stress create addiction. Avoid becoming an addict to these negative emotions.
Feel beautiful as you are
Every time you catch yourself saying something negative about your body, change it to something positive.
Love yourself
The media is telling us to hate ourselves, because we are not … skinny enough, rich enough, elegant enough, sexy enough, strong enough, etc. Reject these negative manipulations. They only do it so you buy their products. Remember fear sells.
Can the Mediterranean diet be the answer to midlife weight gain and the dreaded midlife spread (AKA tummy fat)? It is for sure a strong contender and a very delicious one.
The Mediterranean diet or way of eating has been touted as the healthiest diet in the world. Is it true or not? A lot of scientists think so, but a lot of them have also ignored some important truths about this way of eating. Is the Mediterranean diet a good diet for you? Let’s find out.
One thing is for sure, the Mediterranean diet is delicious and includes a great variety of foods in all food groups.
xassy.com
What is the Mediterranean Diet?
It is not a diet. By Mediterranean diet we are referring in reality to the main principles that the people around the Mediterranean eat.
The Mediterranean is a diverse region that extents around the Mediterranean Sea from Portugal going around including Israel and Egypt all the way to the norther edge of Africa. The main study on the Mediterranean diet was focused on Italy.
However all these countries and peoples eat in a similar way: a lot of seasonal vegetables, fish, not too much meat, olive oil, some wine and natural sweets.
Beyond diet, people in these areas used to walk a lot, have good friends and take life easy. Currently this way of life has changed in the Mediterranean and the diet and lifestyle are starting to look more like ours. In this article when we talk about the Mediterranean diet we are talking about the traditional diet, not about current practices.
What do they eat in the Mediterranean?
If I tell you in Italy, it is Italian food. Then you may think, “Oh, I
also love pizza” and I do too. They eat pizza or flat breads often but
it is part of the meal. The rest of the meal will include a lot of
vegetables and some animal protein.
In short they eat a wholesome diet including tons of veggies, fish, fats, whole grains, nuts and seeds, cheeses, wine, fruits, a little bit of meat and butter. They used to eat local, seasonal foods. They don’t call it healthy, they called it just regular food.
I find that there is an aspect that is rarely discussed, maybe because it can be obvious, but it is so important that I want to spell it out: In the past people in the Mediterranean (and everywhere else) used to cook at home from scratch.
I find that there is an aspect that is rarely discussed, maybe because it can be obvious, but it is so important that I want to spell it out: In the past people in the Mediterranean (and everywhere else) used to cook at home from scratch.
Their vegetables are not carrots and peas or bad looking broccoli, neither do they eat a ton of salads. The vegetables are cooked in many ways, and because they are so fresh and flavorful, they don’t need a lot of additives to taste great.
The wine
Oh yes, they drink wine. I will tell you something, women don’t drink as much, in fact some women don’t drink at all or just dessert wines once in a while. Wines are nothing special in most of the Mediterranean, they are everywhere. But yes, wine is part of the mixture.
Cheeses and milk
They don’t believe that milk is evil. They eat cheeses and drink milk. However, they didn’t get the propaganda of 5 servings of milk a day, they only have a couple of servings and probably mostly cheese. Traditionally their milk was of the highest quality, naturally organic, pasture raised, 100% grass fed from animals that were treated almost like pets.
Fish and meats
Fish is a common food in this region; after all they are on the Mediterranean Sea. Meat is also eaten, but in the past they didn’t eat much. They eat the whole animal, including internal organs and they eat seafood.
Gluten
They eat a lot of gluten. They eat a lot of grains and wheat. They eat grains, breads and pastas. But if we compare this to our bread consumption, the calories from bread type foods is lower than ours and of higher quality.
Fats
Lots of fats. Mainly olive oil and some butter and lard. The original study that highlighted the Mediterranean diet as very healthy compared their consumption of fats to Americans.
That study found that they were eating less saturated fat than Americans and they had a lower incidence of heart attacks. The study concluded that high saturated fat consumption was the cause of heart attacks. This study ignored other aspects of their diet such as low level of sugar consumption, a lot of walking and manual labor and lower stress levels. That study was the one that demonized saturated fats and promoted high carbohydrate consumption.
Sugar
They eat a lot less than us. They don’t eat:
Sugary cereals in the morning (this is an American invention)
Soups, sauces and salad dressings with sugar for lunch
A ton of calories from desserts
They don’t eat a lot of sweets such as chocolate and candies often
They don’t drink a lot of sugary drinks such as sodas and juices
Processed foods
Traditionally there were no processed foods. They purchased some foods such as cured meats, pickles, pastas, oils etc. but rarely sauces or prepared foods.
What they don’t eat?
They don’t have restrictions, they don’t eliminate food groups, they don’t demonize any foods. They don’t try to eat low fat or low carb or low calories, they don’t diet. They also don’t consume a lot of supplements. They don’t have super foods or fad diets.
They take the sun, but not to get tanned, they use hats and common sense to avoid it. They take the sun while out of the house. I mention this, because the sun is a source of vitamin D.
Coffee
They drink coffee in moderation. The Venti size coffees (or very large) never were seen in the region until Starbucks arrived. Usually they drink coffee with milk in the morning and a cup of black coffee (no sugar) in the afternoon.
The cup size is small and in many places it is mostly espresso type coffee (no cream and mostly without sugar). The amount of sugar varies but it is seldom super sweet (looking at you Starbuck’s lattes).
No fast food
Normally people in the Mediterranean take their time to cook and to eat. Everything is slow. Eating while watching TV or worse while driving is unheard off. In fairs and now while out of the house, people have started to buy snacks and eat them while walking.
Things are changing
When we talk about the Mediterranean diet we are talking of the diet of the past. The study on the Mediterranean diet was done right after the Second World War. The current Mediterranean diet and lifestyle, as I said before, is starting to look more like ours. So we want to copy the previous diet and life not the current one.
Is it healthy?
Yes, the traditional Mediterranean diet has everything that we think in actuality to be healthy. It is a very balanced diet that includes all food groups in moderation and to that we have to add a lot of walking, laughing and communicating. Traditionally there was also respect for elders; being older didn’t mean being sick and useless.
Is it a good diet in midlife?
Most of the principles of the Mediterranean diet are healthful, delicious and easy to incorporate in our lives.
Xassy.com
Something to keep in mind is that epigenetics is now pinpointing to the importance of our genetic makeup in nutrition. An example of this is:
People from countries like France and Germany traditionally have eaten a lot of saturated fats and they “might” process that type of fats better than someone from Mediterranean ancestry.
Epigenetics and the relation to nutrition is still being studied so we don’t have anything conclusive yet.
How to follow the Mediterranean diet at home?
Remember that is not only a matter of a diet, it is a lifestyle. It matters how you eat, slow, relax, calm and hopefully in good company.
The main principle of the Mediterranean diet is variety. Eat different foods, specially veggies and whole grains and seeds.
Low consumption of high quality red meats
Olive oil or other cold pressed oils
Natural foods, preferably local
Eat vegetables in season and lots of them. Add flavor
Eat delicious food. Learn Mediterranean recipes, they can be Italian, Greek, Spaniard, Middle Eastern, Portuguese etc. In the Mediterranean food is truly to enjoy it.
Eat slowly, preferably at the table, without stress
Low sugar. Don’t drink your calories and avoid added sugar. In the Mediterranean a lot of people tend to eat a little bit of sweet bread every day, but the portion is small and it does not have trans fats. They also have a small piece of seasonal fruit after a meal.
Don’t get full with bread and pasta and eat nutrient dense foods
Drink water instead of other drinks
Drink herbal teas
Some myths of the Mediterranean diet
One of the main myths is that it is low fat. It is lower saturated fat, but they use a lot of oil.
Olive and canola oil. Not true, they used only cold pressed oils, mainly olive. You may also use other oils if they are cold extracted. Canola oil is not cold extracted.
They don’t eat butter. Yes they do, not in high amounts because it is expensive there, but they use it. It is natural and from healthy animals. Here we have to look for pasture raised, grass fed, organic butter.
Wine. If you don’t drink don’t start because it is healthy, this is debatable. If you drink choose red wine and in moderation. For women max one glass a day, for men max 2 glasses a day (I recommend only one).
Low fat milk. The Mayo clinic, in their article about the Mediterranean diet, recommends low fat milk. The Mediterranean people don’t drink anything low fat. They drink full fat or 2% (they take some of the fat to make cream).
Can you lose weight with the Mediterranean diet?
Yes, but how much depends on how much you eat and where you are at. If you eat in moderation and you are currently eating a standard American diet you will probably lose weight and gain energy. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you will lose weight. If you are skinny and already eating “healthy,” you may not lose more weight, because your body is already in harmony.
Mediterranean diet and hot flashes
The Mediterranean diet and lifestyle can be very good to manage hot flashes (or flushes) and other peri-menopausal symptoms. A lot of the perimenopause and menopausal symptoms are aggravated or caused by stress, excessive sugar, lack of some nutrients (this affect the hormones) and some bad foods. A Mediterranean lifestyle can address some of those causes.
In Italy and other places in the Mediterranean women report less dryness and less hot flashes (or flushes) than in the USA.
After menopause the Mediterranean diet can be very healthy because it includes a lot of nutrients that will strengthen your organs and bones.
This diet has the very important bonus that it eliminates a lot of processed foods and excess sugar in other words toxins. With this we are eliminating health risks.
No doubt gaining weight is easy, but during menopause even the skinniest people add on some pounds, especially around the tummy. In the past everything was blamed on hormones, but that has changed. The reasons for menopausal weight gain are complex. Let’s take a look at some of them:
Calories add up
Through the decades of our lives most of us gain a little weight every year. Little by little it becomes more noticeable.
Drug effects
Many drugs cause weight gain. Some of the worst are anti-depressants and antibiotics. Antibiotics are now part of our normal food; they are fed to animals so they become fatter. Even some vegetables contain tiny amounts of antibiotics because animal manure or feces get in contract with the vegetables.
Our gut bacteria is affected
Our gut bacteria is fundamental to controlling weight. During midlife the gut bacteria is under a lot of pressure caused by antibiotics, stress, hormonal changes, and others. (Read gut bacteria during menopause).
Lack of muscle
As we age and don’t work out, we lose muscle. With muscle loss we need less calories to maintain our body so the extra calories go to our fat reserves. In other words, our metabolism slows down.
Weaker organs
By midlife some of our vital organs are tired or overwhelmed. We are surrounded by toxins and have not-so-healthy eating habits that affect our liver and thyroid. We have a ton of stress that affects our adrenal glands and some mindset habits affect the whole body. If the liver and/or adrenals are not working properly that will further affect our thyroid. This will have a direct negative effect on our weight, energy levels, mental clarity, happiness, hot flashes, etc.
Combination factors for weight gain
Some menopausal symptoms such as insomnia alter our gut bacteria and this causes weight gain. On top of that we don’t have enough energy during the day and move less. Some people suffer from depression during menopause and tend to eat a poor diet. This and other causes create the perfect storm for weight gain.
Stress at midlife
Stress causes weigh gain in most people. Many people resort to calorie-rich foods such as sweets, carbohydrates, fats and alcohol during stressful periods. For many women these are years of changes or personal dissatisfaction that result in stress, sadness, and worrying a lot. Stress creates many hormonal issues that contribute to weight gain. (Read stress in menopause)
Menopausal weight gain is different than previous weight gains
This is something that shocks many women. During perimenopause and menopause we don’t only gain weight, our body shape changes. We accumulate weight around our tummy and in the back. Belly fat is the main characteristic of menopausal weigh gain. In some women the breast may also grow, in others the contrary happens.
The worse type of weight gain
Belly fat is not good news. Belly fat is associated with heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and other illnesses.
Menopausal weight loss is totally possible
Weight loss is always challenging because it requires habit changes. Menopausal weight loss can be more challenging because there is no one size fits all diet, or no calories-in-calories-out. Our hormones and gut bacteria are different and are stopping us from losing weight. And as always there are a lot of diet options and misinformation and selecting the right choice is not easy. Totally not fair, but do not worry menopausal weight loss is possible.
How to lose weight in midlife?
The first thing that many women (including myself) find out is that the diets that used to work so well, do not work anymore. It is important to understand the causes of weight gain in midlife, because this makes it clear that it is not only a matter of a diet; we also need to:
Control stress, eat healthy, eat nutritious food, be happy, sleep well, etc. And the hormones? We also need to balance our hormones. Fortunately the same things that help us balance the hormones and strengthen our organs help to lose weight and to have a happier life. If we see the whole picture:
During midlife, our bodies are calling us to live a fuller, more meaningful life, to live every moment and protect our bodies.
That is the gift of menopause, an invitation to live a better life during our second half, or as it’s called in Chinese medicine “second spring.” Spring is a time of re-birth and awakening.
Xassy
To lose weight during perimenopause and post menopause we need a gentle reset. Good news, it is possible, more good news, it will improve your total health.
At this time more than a diet we need some lifestyle changes. I lost weight doing just that and you can do it too.
That is our motivation during midlife. Weight control is not about vanity, it is about health and quality of life. We are improving and protecting our current and future health, both physical and emotional, by learning to control our weight.
Can you smell something delightful to reduce or eliminate perimenopause and menopause symptoms? I am talking of essential oils and aromatherapy.
I love essential oils. I started to study aromatherapy in the early 90s, almost 30 years ago. I have used aromatherapy for many conditions and I find it works really well for hormonal and mental balance. These attributes make essential oils perfect to improve some of the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.
Why aromatherapy for perimenopause and menopause?
There are many essential oils that can help us during this time. This is in part because aromatherapy is very good at lowering stress and promoting joy. By lowering stress, our estrogens are available to fulfill their role instead of helping to keep cortisol in the body.
Those preserved estrogens will help in many aspects, including to sleep well, avoid hot flashes, keep weight under control and protect the skin and vagina against dryness. (Suggested reading: stress during menopause and perimenopause).
Promoting joy and wellbeing is another important role of essential oils. Depression, insecurity, irritability, and sadness are very common in women during perimenopause and menopause. These feeling are bad enough, but in addition they can help to trigger other bad symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia and low libido.
Essential oils with phytoestrogens
Many aromatherapy experts and fans believe that some essential oils have molecules that have similar effects as sex hormones. There are only small studies on this subject. Only a few essential oils have been found to have a possible phytoestrogen (estrogens from plants) effect; these oils are geranium and rose otto. However there are studies proving that certain essential oils alleviate the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. With or without phytoestrogens, essential oils are still very effective.
Which are the best essential oils for menopause and perimenopause? There are two ways to approach this question. We can treat specific symptoms or use oils to balance hormones.
Essential oils for hormonal balance
Geranium
There are a few small studies suggesting that geranium has an estrogenic effect on the body and it helps to balance hormones. I have noticed that when people have too much estrogen they tend to dislike geranium, finding it too strong, too floral or too sweet. Maybe it is a natural body response to avoid more estrogen. During menopause and perimenopause we normally need more estrogen, so it works very well.
Geranium has many other properties and benefits including reducing stress and improving blood circulation.
Rose otto
I could write a book describing this marvelous oil. Imagine holding sixty beautiful roses on your hands, picked for you at dawn, so they are at their peak. Imagine the incredible aroma and the lavish, delicate beauty of these flowers. Imagine how many bushes it took to produce those roses. From all these 60 roses it is said that one precious drop of essential oil will be produced, that’s right one, uno, eins.
This oil is the stuff of legends, from queens in biblical times to the Maharanis of India. It is one of the most expensive oils and one of the most adulterated ones, it is difficult to buy the real thing.
Ok, back to menopause and perimenopause. Rose otto may be estrogenic, this will help increase our estrogens and alleviate some menopausal symptoms. It has been used for a long time as an aphrodisiac. Beyond that it is very powerful for relaxation, happiness, and to induce calm.
At a spiritual level, rose otto helps to resolve anger, fear, and jealously, and it boosts confidence and happiness. We all can use these benefits.
Clary sage
This is the most recommended oil for women’s issues, including perimenopause and menopause. Many people with expertise in aromatherapy believe that it has phytoestrogens, but some experts who have studied the chemistry of the oil believe that that is not accurate. In any case this is a wonderful oil.
Many studies have confirmed that it is very relaxing, antidepressant, calming, and can produce an almost anesthetic effect. Clary sage oil has been shown to lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety and stress, and boost memory. This will help many menopausal symptoms.
Other oils
Other oils commonly used are fennel, cypress, angelica, lavender, peppermint and coriander.
Beyond hormones
We can also use essential oils that treat specific issues such lack of sleep, depression, irritability etc.
A study to lower menopausal symptoms
There was one study with about 52 women with perimenopause symptoms. The women got massages every day for 8 weeks. Half of the women had massages with essential oils and the other half without essential oils. The women with the essential oils experienced a lot of relief in their symptoms, the other women did not. (I am surprised with this result as I believe both groups should have benefited from stress reduction).
The oils used during this experiment were:
4 parts lavender, 2 parts rose geranium, 1 part rose (not clear which type), 1 part jasmine (not clear which type).
The carrier oils were almond 90% and primrose 10% at a 3% concentration of essential oils.
For people not used to essential oil preparation this is a more of a do-it-yourself recipe that I prepared for you if you want to try it.
Massage oil for menopause and perimenopause symptoms
You will need a 4 ounce (120 ml) bottle to store the oil Carrier oil 3 ounces (90 ml) almond oil 1 ounce (30 ml) primrose oil
Essential oils (EO)
36 drops lavender EO
18 drops rose geranium EO
9 drops of rose EO
9 drops of jasmine EO
Mix the essential oils separately, let them settle for a few minutes and add it to the carrier oils. You have now got your massage oil.
Conclusion
Aromatherapy is without a doubt a good solution to treat perimenopause and menopause symptoms. It is easy to access and normally without side effects. The essential oils can be used in personal care products, inhalers and in diffusers and burners. You can use essential oils to treat specific symptoms or to balance hormones.
Stress is really bad during menopause and perimenopause, it is worse than bad food and lack of exercise. You probably have read things like this: Eat this, eat that, do not eat that cake, it will kill you. Yes it has sugar, bring the priest we need an exorcist to get the sugar out and the gluten and the milk and the joy. No doubt sugar is bad, but the stress produced by the scary headlines is worse, at least for your hormones.
Stress is really bad during menopause and perimenopause because as you know those pesky menopause and perimenopause symptoms are the result of hormonal imbalance. In order to alleviate or eliminate the symptoms we have to balance our hormones. In the natural community there is a lot of emphasis on food to control or manage the hormones.
Without a doubt food is important; however, I think stress is equally or more important to balance your hormones.
Do you know anybody who eats super clean, super healthy and that person is bitter, judgmental, and she or he looks stressed out or with anxiety? I know more than a few. Food alone is not the answer. And more importantly, food should not create stress or deprive us of joy.
Why is stress really bad during menopause and perimenopause?
Let me simplify it: every time we stress out, two hormones rush out, adrenaline and cortisol. The one that keeps lingering to help us escape danger is cortisol.
In the past, we used these hormones when we needed to escape from a predator, in other words we ran to save our lives. Stress is a response to danger. In the present time, stress is caused by many factors, which are mainly harmless or at least nonlethal. In fact most of our stress is caused only by our thoughts. However, the body’s stress response is the same as if it were in danger.
The organ that creates cortisol are the adrenal glands. These glands are depleted in many people in our age bracket. They are depleted and not working properly because of a few factors: we have had too much stress throughout our lives, we may have taken hormones such as birth control pills and our lifestyle is not very healthy. So we may not be producing enough cortisol to support a lot of stress.
More cortisol less estrogen
Our body is always trying to protect itself. It will always give priority to immediate protection than to other bodily functions. Since the body believes that the stress hormones are so important for survival, when it does not have enough cortisol, it uses other hormones, including estrogen, to make more cortisol. During menopause and perimenopause, we have less estrogen and if we have stress it may be used to create cortisol instead of working as estrogen.
In conclusion
During menopause and perimenopause we have lower levels of estrogens and progesterone. We also have a lower capacity to make cortisol. If we have a lot of stress our body maybe using our little estrogen to make cortisol in order to supply fuel for our useless stress.
In other words your stress is depriving you of your estrogen, and we feel it in the form of all the menopausal symptoms.
Xassy.com
Stress is really bad. And the good news is….. you can control it, no prescription required.
The short answer is yes, many of us do. The next question is why some women experience a symptomless menopause and others (the majority) experience many symptoms during perimenopause and menopause. And what can you do if you are already experiencing some unpleasant symptoms? Can you improve? Yes, you can, and it is not difficult or expensive and you do not have to join a cult.
Most women who do not experience a bad perimenopause and menopause share some attributes and it does not look to be a genetic thing. The attribute most of these women share is a healthish, happish life. It is not necessarily super healthy or super happy. Many women who are experiencing perimenopause and menopause symptoms can benefit by copying “our secrets.”
Let me start by saying that there are some symptoms, but they are fewer and not severe. For example I started to gain weight and my body shape changed (but I stopped it), other women experience lack of sleep, depression, etc., these symptoms are not as bad or as many as in most women.
It is not difficult to avoid most of the perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms and I am going to tell you some the most important things you can do to avoid them. This is not a complete list, but I think it includes the most important aspects.
What you eat
Model Christie Brinkley is a lacto-vegetarian. She has a very active life, but nothing crazy. She has said that her menopause was painless. I have a friend who eats very healthy, but eats everything and works out moderately; she did not experience any bad symptoms. I know many other women who follow different types of diets and their menopause has been good. I am a fishetarian (or pesco vegetarian), a vegetarian who eats fish occasionally. So there is no one diet, but most of us eat a healthy diet without processed foods and rich in nutrients. Read Menopause and microbiome
Movement
An active life is important but most of us are not gym rats or super fit.
Don’t worry
A happy, healthy attitude is important, but life does not need to be perfect. What matters is the attitude.
Help
Some of us take supplements and vitamins, but not all of us. I rotate supplements, right now it is a multivitamin, omega 3, K2, calcium, magnesium, liver support and adrenal support. The adrenal and the liver support are not permanent and sometimes I take a thyroid support supplement.
More about the food
A woman like me who does not experience bad symptoms during menopause or perimenopause can be healthy vegan, a healthy vegetarian, a healthy omnivore, a healthy Paleo, Keto or other. The key here is to eat healthy.
Eating healthy means different things to different people. These are the most important aspects of a healthy diet during perimenopause and menopause:
Nutrients
The first characteristic is that the food has to be nutrient-rich. Many women in our age bracket have a mineral deficiency and they may be low in some vitamins. This is not about protein, it is about minerals and vitamins and most of them are in fruits and vegetables.
We need good fats.
Do not go on a low fat diet at this time of your life; your liver needs good fats. Avocados, nuts, good quality olive oil, good quality coconut oil, high quality butter (pasture raised and organic) and high quality, preferably fermented ghee.
Fresh and home made
When we eat out a lot we are eating low quality foods with lots of salt, bad fats and artificial ingredients. Processed foods are worse, they have all of the above and even more salt and ingredients that are not found in nature and many of them lack natural nutrients.
Lower the sugar
This is super important. I am not saying eliminate it, because that is difficult, but at least lower it to the lowest level possible without creating stress. Sugar is not only in sugar, but pastas and breads are processed like sugar in the body. All of those ingredients need to be consumed in moderation. Sugar alters insulin and this causes major hormonal imbalances in the body. You can eat whole grains and preferably as a grain and not as a flour. You can also have healthy normal bread in moderation.
Timing
Try to eat during a 12 hour or less window. Your body, especially your liver, need time to process food and eliminate toxins.
Other aspects
Low stress
Worry, stress, frustrations etc. have a very important effect on hormones. We can eat super healthy and become sick if our emotions are negative.
Thoughts
If we have a negative views of menopause or aging, we are more inclined to get bad symptoms.
Healthy environment
This is a big topic but in general avoid environmental risks such as candles and fragrances with artificial ingredients. Prefer essential oil burners or diffusers. Avoid anything that smells of plastic. Choose natural cleaning products.
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Imagine something in your body that can help you maintain your healthy weight, make you happier and keep you healthier. That is the role of the microbiome or good bacteria in our bodies. It is found all over the body, but especially in the digestive system (gut bacteria) and the mouth. During perimenopause and menopause the bacteria can suffer changes and it may have an effect in weight gain, depression, lack of sleep, hot flashes and other symptoms.
As you know we are full of bacteria, we have more bacteria than cells, about 10 times more.
That bacteria is critical for our wellbeing. Our microbiome, microbiota, or just bacteria, has a direct effect on our health, both physical and emotional. For this reason the microbiome is important for everyone, and at the time of menopause or perimenopause a healthy microbiome can help us have and easier transition. A non healthy microbiome can make us sick.
The microbiome can have an effect on the development of diabetes, obesity, depression and other illnesses common during midlife. It is very important to keep our bacteria happy. .
Microbiome and hormones during menopause and perimenopause
It can get very complicated when talking about endocrinology, in other words hormones, but we will keep it simple. The good bacteria in our bodies contribute to the composition of our blood which influences hormone levels. This has a direct effect on our immune system.
The microbiome influences the hormones, and the hormonal levels also influence the microbiome, it is a give and take relationship. During menopause and perimenopause the lowers levels of estrogens change the bacterial composition in the body, and this affects other hormones.
Many scientists suspect that this has a direct effect on belly fat accumulation.
The microbiome becomes one more very important aspect in bringing balance to our body. When talking about bacteria, we are talking of a new medical frontier. There is still much to be discovered and proven. But it has become accepted that it has a role to play in many of the menopause and perimenopause symptoms. .
Keeping the microbiome healthy after 40
Some practical tips to keep the microbiome healthy during post menopause and perimenopause. .
Old fashion
Our bacteria is very old fashioned. It does not like anything modern, including any foods that are not found in nature. Preservatives, artificial colors or flavors and processed foods alter the microbiome, destroying the good guys and helping the bad ones.
Our bacteria is very old fashioned. It does not like anything modern, including any foods that are not found in nature. Preservatives, artificial colors or flavors and processed foods alter the microbiome, destroying the good guys and helping the bad ones.
The good bacteria does not react well to animals raised with antibiotics and hormones and with vegetables full of pesticides. Organic produce and ethically raised animals are better.
From food
The bacteria also prefers nutrients from foods instead of vitamin pills and this could be a reason why many vitamins are not absorbed well by our bodies. .
Loves plants
Our bacteria is very health conscious. It loves plants. It prefers non soluble fiber. Some of its favorite foods are onions, garlic, asparagus, leeks and similar foods. These foods have non digestible fibers. The fibers reach the big intestine and there the bacteria interacts with them and as a byproduct creates some important nutrients and it reproduces keeping the colony healthy.
The good bacteria’s favorite nutrient seems to be glutamine. This is an amino acid found in meats such as poultry, beef, and fish. It is also found in vegetables like the ones mentioned above.
Our bacteria loves vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. These are the prebiotics, in other words the food for the micro-biotics. Some foods like onion and garlic and some spices also help to kill bad bacteria, helping the good one.
Loves a healthy lifestyle
The good bacteria thrives with nutrient-rich foods, low stress levels, regular exercise and sleep. In return the good bacteria help us sleep better, lowers inflammation, and regulates our stress levels. .
Likes good fats
Omega 3’s are also important for the microbiome. These fats help us keep the intestinal lining healthy and this avoids the overgrowth of bad bacteria. .
It doesn’t do drugs
The microbiota does not like medicines, especially if they alter the balance of acidity-alkalinity in the body. Most medicines are not microbiome friendly but some are more damaging than others such as anti-acids, and the worst are the antibiotics.
Antibiotics kill all bacteria, bad and good. Even natural antibiotic substances can have a very negative impact.
Fermented foods
We can include foods that naturally contain good bacteria such as lacto-fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, miso and kombucha to add more friendly bacteria to out gut.
We are all different and for that reason some of us benefit more with some types of foods containing bacteria. You can rotate between yogurt, sauerkraut and other foods to see which help you improve your digestion and bowel elimination. For me that food is sauerkraut, for you it maybe a type of yogurt.
Kefir is one the richest sources of bacteria, but try to have the non-sugar version.
What to do if you suspect your bacteria is under attack
We are constantly eliminating bacteria so we need to keep feeding the one we have. If you incorporate some of the advice above, especially when it comes to food, your microbiome will be healthier.
In normal circumstances there is no need to take probiotic pills. The bacteria depends on our health and for that reason we need to improve our lifestyle in general. Follow some the advice above and you should see some improvement. You may try a macrobiotic supplement, but usually they only work if you make lifestyle changes.
In extreme cases a few doctors are recommending fecal transplants in order to improve menopause symptoms, but this is rare. .
Keep it real, peaceful and easy
Many people recommend radical healthy diets for menopausal women, I do not. There are a few reasons for this, stress is bad, and a new diet will create stress and bad hormones. We first need to love ourselves so we can listen to our intuition because we have too many choices. How do you find the real diet? Who are you going to believe?
There are a lot of diets out there, most of them by people with little science background. Some of those people become fervent preachers promoting their diet to a level of extreme fanaticism. This scares away a lot of people. For those reasons I recommend to go slow and steady.
What I told you in this article is scientifically accepted by almost all the scientific community. It includes things that are easy to incorporate in our lives and most of them are pleasant.
Our bacteria wants the best for us, by doing the best for our bacteria we are also affecting in a positive way our hormones and with that our energy levels, sleep, capacity to concentrate and mood. It is a win-win situation.
In conclusion
Our microbiome plays a crucial role in our health and it is affected by the hormonal changes that occurred during menopause and perimenopause. During this time we have to be more consistent in helping our bacteria so we can be healthier and even happier. Just a few changes can have enormous benefits.
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