Learn what Asian Medicine knows about how to prepare for an easier menopause, and short circuit the hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings before they even start.
Watch this video for all the details - share this post - and ask questions - I'm here to help.
Links mentioned in the video
These are great tools that will help you prepare for menopause symptoms
Learn more about herbal formulas that help to prepare for menopause naturally:
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Three Steps to Easing Menopause Symptoms with Natural Remedies
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Ready to get started with daily stress management? Click Here to check out this video
How To Do Acupressure Ear Massage - a quick, powerful stress management technique
Adjusting your diet and lifestyle is one of the best ways to prepare for menopause:
Foods that help prepare for an easier menopause
Yams, pears, cucumbers, sesame seeds, longan fruit, grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish, dark leafy greens.
Fruit & veg are cooling and moistening in general, so try to make them 50% of your total diet.
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Here's the transcript of the video How To Prepare For an Easier Menopause - Enjoy!
Do you wish you could short circuit the hot flashes, mood swings, & insomnia of menopause before they even start?
In Asian Medicine this is exactly what women do - and it works - and in today’s video I’m going to show you exactly how you can do it too, so stick around.
Hi I’m Dana LaVoie, Acupuncturist, Herbalist, and founder of Menopause Basics. And in today’s video you’re going to learn something that Asian women know - how to prepare for an easier menopause.
There are three things you want to do to prepare for an easier menopause.Here's the backstory - every woman has water energy and fire energy in her body - also known as yin and yang.
When you have equal amounts of fire and water.. you feel great. During menopause, your water energy level and certain hormone levels drop suddenly. All of a sudden, there’s not enough water-not enough water to control your fire - means you get hot-not enough water to cushion your nerve endings - means you get stressed & irritable-and not enough water energy to cushion your heart at night means you can’t sleep deeply for enough hours at a time
To avoid these symptoms - here are the 3 things you want to do
1. in the years before menopause, make sure your water energy levels are full - and that the reserve tank is full as well - Because you go into it with just half a tank.. and then the level drops - you totally bottom out and get severe symptoms. If you go into it with a full tank and the reserve tank full.. when the level drops your body can adjust pretty well and keep symptoms minimal.
#2. The mechanism in your body that knows how to adapt to sudden changes in hormone and energy levels needs to be working well. if this mechanism is able to work well - your body will keep hormones and energies mostly in balance - even during the change - and your symptoms will be minimal - so you need to eliminate things that directly interfere with this balancing mechanism - the things that are like throwing a wrench right into the gears.
#3. You body needs to have ample building blocks on hand - so that when the body needs to adjust - it can answer that call
So for #1 Here’s how to fill up and top off your watery energy.Eat foods that feed your water energyYams, pears, cucumbers, sesame seeds, longan fruit, grass-fed meat, fish, dark leafy greens,Take herbs that feed your watery energy Dendrobium, Rehmannia, He Shou Wu, - I’ve put links in the notes where you can learn more about these formulas - if you have health issues or are on medications - check with an herbalist before starting anything new.
For part #2 - get rid of things that are like throwing a wrench into your bodys ability to respond to sudden change so that When your watery energy drops suddenly during menopause..Avoid hormone disrupting chemicals - To do thisavoid water & food packed & microwaved in plastic to avoid BPAUse non-toxic, chemical-free makeup, skin care, body care including toothpaste & deodorant & cleaning productsUse only natural fragrances to avoid triclosan, parabens, pthalates and moreEat clean - avoid gmo foods, processed foods, artificial flavors, refined sugar & refined flour.avoid teflon coated nonstick pansGet enough sleep - fatigue and sleep deprivation will interfere with yoru balanceing mechanism.Manage stress because high levels of stress hormones will also interfere with your balancing mechanism - if you have no idea how to do this.. 3 minutes of deep breathing or meditation and regular gentle exercise will work - or check out my acupressure ear massage video and go for a walk 5 days/weekFOR
PART 3 we're going to give your body the building blocks it needs to respond to changethese might sound simple.. but they make a huge difference - and if you get into these healthy habits NOW - i can guarantee it will make things easier during menopause.Drink enough water (1/2 your body weight in oz/day)Eat enough fruit & vegetables (50% of your total diet if possible & at least 8 servings/day 12-15 is better)Include healthy fats in your diet every day - olive, coconut, grass-fed butter, nuts, seeds, oily fish like salmonInclude healthy protein at least 3 times per day (you need slightly more protein as you get older - grass fed animal protein, wild caught fish, legumes)
So, to review, here’s how to prepare for an easier menopause
Consume foods & herbs that feed your watery energy (there’s a list if you check out this video on my blog)
Get rid of things that actively interfere with your body’s ability to manage menopausal symptoms… like hormone disrupting chemicals in makeup, skincare, and cleaning products, teflon coated pans, and food and drink packaged in plasticavoid processed foods, gmo foods, artificial flavors, and refined sugar & flour, get enough sleep and manage stress daily
then give your body building blocks by Drinking enough water Eating enough fruit & vegetablesIncluding healthy fats in your diet regularly and getting enough protein As you get older you will need slightly more protein - so make sure you’re getting a little high quality protein at least 3 times each day.
I know that’s a lot, but hopefully you’re already doing about half of it.. what i recommend is that you take this list, cross off the things you’re already doing, then choose one thing from each part and make those happen over the next month. Then, when those have become part of your routine.. choose one more thing from each part
This is Dana LaVoie, and thanks for watching.