Menopause, or the hormone shift (as I like to call it), is a curious time. Women who have been apparently healthy all along start showing bizarre symptoms. There are the tell-tale hot flashes and night sweats, weight gain, memory loss, skin thinning, mood issues, blood-pressure elevations, joint problems, and osteoporosis that seem to hit all a the same time in one massive tropical storm.  What can you do to temper the elements and feel normal again? Here are some time-proven suggestions.

1.       Eliminate all caffeine in all forms – caffeine is an adrenal stimulant. The most prevalent symptoms that arise anew once a woman hits 50 are hotflashes, arthritis, and increased blood-pressure. These problems can all have their roots in tired adrenals. Stop beating up on the adrenals with coffee and you have laid the foundation for rebuilding strength and wellness in them, and have started on the road to reducing or eliminating these symptoms.

2.       Eat only organically raised meats – commercial meats (beef and poultry most notably) are fed hormones to mature them faster for market. Hormones end up deposited in meat we eat – and they can impact us just like swallowing hormones in a pill form, only they are milder and they accumulated more insidiously.

3.       Exercise at least 30 minutes every day – proven time and time again as a key for may women in controlling hot flashes, a brisk walk will do.

4.       Vitamin E complex with selenium, up to 1200 iu per day – the Latin name for this vitamin is tocopherol, which means ‘life giving’. This vitamin was first discovered as being important for fertility, and we now know that it plays important roles in balancing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

5.       Stress Formula (nutri-calm) – moderate potency B-complex with Vitamin C in a base of nervine and adrenal supporting herbs – supports the liver and adrenals. By building up the adrenals we often reduce our ‘of-the-wall’ reactions to stress.

6.       Pantothenic Acid – a specific member of the B vitamin family that is known to make B complex stronger in its adrenal supporting role.

7.       Support the adrenal glands – choose from adrenal support or AD-C (Chinese Mood Elevator) – herbs selected to balance the entire body, aid in the generation of vital energy, take stress off the adrenals to enable them to do their jobs properly. A formula specifically for mature women’s adrenal glands is F.E.Formula. The Dong Quai in this formula has long been called ‘female ginseng’.

8.       Support the liver – choose from Liv-gd (Milk Thistle Combination), LIV-C (Chinese Liver Balance), or BP-C (Chinese Blood Build) – the liver creates healthy cholesterol from food you eat. The cholesterol is sent to the endocrine tissues to make specific hormones. Once the hormones have done their jobs they go through the liver for denaturing and elimination. If the liver is cranky several wrenches get thrown into the works and hormones end up messed up.

9.       Get enough rest – the adrenal glands need sleep to recharge. Get enough sleep to let them recharge properly. This is also helpful for weight loss since cortisol levels fall during sleep and elevated cortisol leads to insulin resistance which encourages fat development.