Let’s talk menopause

The menopause will happen to every woman, and each will experience this journey in a completely different way. It is one of the most personal and individual periods of a woman’s life. Symptoms vary between individuals, and range from being barely noticeable to life changing.

Interestingly, research shows that women will live longer than men, but with more unhealthy years.

Whilst HRT represented a major breakthrough in helping deal with symptoms, it isn’t the only answer and it doesn’t always suit everyone. The British Menopause Society (BMS) states that a recent survey showed that 95% of women would try alternative therapies before HRT. The main reason given were that these therapies are more natural, and they were worried about possible health risks of HRT¹.

In non-industrialised agrarian cultures, the menopause is generally an uneventful time. In western highly industrialised cultures, symptoms are much more prevalent². Many women experience significant symptoms including fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, mood swings, hot flushes, brain fog etc. This stark contrast shows that our lifestyle has an effect on menopausal symptoms.

There are however, a number of things that you can do to help work through the changes the menopause brings;

Look after your whole self. Mind, body and spirit all work together to make us who we are. Take care of all three elements, rather than focussing solely on the immediate challenges.

Lifestyle factors have a profound impact on symptoms, so consider;

Are you eating a balanced diet?
Are you drinking enough water or too much caffeine?
Are you taking enough of the right type of exercise?
Are you getting a good night’s sleep?
Are you stressed, worried or anxious?

Many of the common symptoms impact our lifestyle factors and set up a cycle between cause and symptom that can be difficult to break out of. To help with this, why not try using an alternative therapy such as Reflexology as well?

Reflexology aims to support women through this transition. Reflexology has been shown in clinical studies to be beneficial in alleviating some of the common symptoms.

Reflexology is an effective therapy for sleep disorders and hot flushes³
Reflexology can be effective in decreasing vasomotor problems and increasing quality of life⁴
Reflexology can be effective at reducing depression during the menopause⁵

Like many things, the best results happen with women who also take on board lifestyle changes as well. Why not see if you can incorporate a few of these changes into your daily routine.

Silver Daisy Reflexology