A 5 Step holistic and integrative Approach to Midlife

Peri/menopause can present with up to 35 seemingly unrelated symptoms that affect our life physically, emotionally and cognitively. Shocker: we don’t know when exactly it occurs… But it is not a disease and as such, can’t be treated as a one-size-fits all with a prescription. There are great ways to manage life’s up and downs from 36 onwards with holistic and lifestyle methods. Which is why we are here.

In this blog post, we will give you an overview of the ways that you can positively affect your health now and in the future with evidence-based, simple tools that fit into your busy lives. Check out our 5 step cheat sheet below.

Fatigue as a Driver of Overall Quality of Life (in Cancer Patients)

There is a lot of chatter about rehabilitating the perception of hormone replacement therapy in the public image and allow women to reap the benefits from it. At Vitelle we want you to feel better when something is off and be able to react when things change. When coping with the natural process of peri/menopause, holistic intervention can serve as a good option for women, including those with symptoms that are already being addressed with hormone replacement therapy. The most important point to consider is that no woman comes out of this transition without making some lifestyle changes. These changes are relatively easy if one has the right tools to facilitate them. 

Big pharmaceutical companies persist in promoting drug regimens to treat symptoms (such as hot flashes) with antidepressants but often at the cost of potentially harmful side effects including agitation, nausea, and insomnia. However, despite what they are making women believe is the only option, natural therapies including dietary changes, nutritional supplements, and regular exercise can help support maintaining a balanced level of hormones and metabolic health overall, safely and effectively.

The image above, shows the correlation of factors on fatigue as a determinant of quality of life this one is focused on cancer patients but the effects wouldn’t be different, but less pronounced for anyone who has suffered from “unexplained” fatigue.

If you look at the correlation of different factors, you can see the intricate connection of your physiology, symptoms, how you are functioning, how you perceive you are functioning and your external and internal environment. It’s how we approach your health and how we structure our coaching to help you regulate the interplay.

Regarding dietary changes, simply eating more plant foods such as legumes, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds can offer some relief of peri/menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes because they contain hormone-balancing plant chemicals known as phytoestrogens. Ground flaxseeds, specifically, have been shown in research studies to reduce hot flashes as well as fermented soy foods such as tofu and miso.

Herbs can also contribute to alleviating menopausal symptoms.  Black cohosh is often cited to help relieve a multitude of menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, anxiety, insomnia, heart palpitations, and depression. Other herbs such as maca root, red clover, and chasteberry offer similar effective relief, according to research and we will take a more in-depth look at those on our Instagram. Another holistic option to consider is homeopathic remedies, the most common of which is Sepia (which relieves hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, irritability, low libido, and exhaustion). Also, foods high in vitamin C have been shown to help raise progesterone levels slightly.

And finally, meditation is believed to be an effective source of menopausal symptom relief.  Many women view menopause as not only a physical transformation, but also a spiritual and emotional one.  During this transition, chakra meditation may help menopausal women emerge wiser and more intuitive. It may further help them discover areas of their life that might need attention or healing before they experience changes to their physical body. Check out some of our breathwork and meditations on the app.

Remember that holistic interventions should make the transition easier.

So here is a cheat sheet on what to pay attention to:

1. Step One: Your physiology.

   • Know your physiology approximately. Have you traditionally gained or lost weight easy, are you generally fit and can maintain an exercise regimen that your body responds to, do you sleep well, do you manage stress without it affecting areas like your gut or skin health.

2. Step Two: Your symptoms.

   • By the time you are 36, you should know roughly, what constitutes an uneventful day. We love those. But they are rare. So track your symptoms and see patterns as they relate to your menstrual cycle or as they happen more often, so you can make changes and improve them.

3. Step Three: Your perception of how you function daily.

   • We are rebranding ‘lucky girl syndrom’ to ‘healthy girl syndrom’. Do you wake up thinking “I’m exhausted and overwhelmed"? That’s a red flag if it happens too frequently.

4. Step Four: Your characteristics and predisposition.

   • How is your mental and emotional health? Is it easy for you to summon gratitude, calm thoughts and coping mechanisms when life gets stressful?

5. Step Five: Your environment.

   • Who can you talk to when sh*t hits the fan and you feel like life is too much? Who is your support system, your community and generally in your corner without needing to be begged or summoned. It’s hard asking for help and if you don’t have that community, let us be that community for you!

Whether you choose to use HRT or not, the ultimate goal is to find the ideal combination of both that will yield the optimal degree of health in both mind and body.