In the clinic I’m often shocked to discover how little we understand about menopause as a society. Most perimenopausal women have never had the purpose of menopause explained to them and don’t understand what is happening in their bodies and why. We make the assumptions as a society that it’s going to be a terrible time, that there won’t be much we can do about it and that we’ll be relieved when it’s over. We certainly rarely discuss the opportunities that menopause presents a woman or how she can use this amazing transitional time to her advantage. And we certainly rarely celebrate the beauty, grace and wisdom of the older woman. I’m going to discuss all of this here, and my wish is that you feel empowered by this information as you move onwards with your perimenopause journey.
Menopause explained from a Chinese medicine perspective
During menopause, we move from the childbearing years, which are regulated by the wood element, to the post-menopausal years which are supported by the water element.
The wood phase – the reproductive years
The wood phase is a very active and productive phase of life, just like springtime in the garden when all the plants are awake, vibrant and growing rapidly. The wood phase is the time when we are usually naturally healthy, a time to work hard, create financial stability, establish our own home and family and bear children. During our reproductive years, sex hormones are produced by the ovaries and are geared towards achieving pregnancies. It’s a very dynamic panel of hormones designed to get you pregnant as quickly and as frequently is possible – it’s a biological imperative! Every month the body has a crack at it, whether a pregnancy is what we want in our lives or not. Then, if we don’t conceive, we shed our uterine lining ready to try again.
Maintaining a cycle takes a lot of energy, and when we start to get a little older, it starts to feel unsustainable; we start to feel tired or get sick, it gets harder to cope, especially when life is hectic. We need to consolidate our resources in order to continue to live a healthy life.
Perimenopause – a transitional phase
Perimenopause is a transitional phase during which your body slowly learns a new normal. It is the period of time prior to the last menstrual period of a woman’s life. It is usually between 6 months and two years long and is the time when most of the challenging menopausal symptoms begin. This transition takes time, and it’s not always a smooth road. There’s a reorganisation process going on in the body, and this is often reflected in our day-to-day life and emotional world.
The water phase – menopause
At menopause, when we have menstruated for the last time, the water phase of life begins. The water phase focuses on stillness and peace. Think of gazing into the reflection on a perfectly still lake or the quiet majesty of an enormous iceberg. It is characterised by wisdom, reflection, consolidating our resources and rediscovering ourselves. A teacher of mine described this process of refinement as becoming more like a perfect crystal as you become an uncompromised version of yourself. It’s a process of distillation and clarification and the results can be beautiful and glorious! In the body, the ovaries become dormant and the kidneys take over hormone production. The kidneys produce a different mix of hormones that is geared towards consolidating your energy and using it in the most efficient way possible so that you can live a vibrant and healthy life as you mature.
That all sounds great, but why am I experiencing so many difficult symptoms?
When a woman is well nourished, healthy and content, it’s possible to have a much easier ride through perimenopause. When symptoms become overwhelming, this is a sign that the body is not coping well with the transition. There are two main reasons why this might be the case; firstly, that we were already feeling exhausted, unsupported or undernourished before perimenopause begins, and secondly that the body is storing a load of physical and/or emotional baggage that it can no longer manage or contain. Most commonly it is mixture of the two, and both need to be addressed in order to ease the transition to menopause.
Exhaustion
After 30 years or more of regular menstruation, the blood and fluids of the body are less plentiful than they were in our youth. In Chinese medicine, blood and fluids represent our ability to manage emotion and memory, and store things that might be too difficult for later. They keep our temperature well regulated, lubricate the sex organs and joints, nourish the bones and regulate our sleep patterns. When there are less fluids available, the body heats up, causing hot flushes, sleep disturbance and difficulty coping.
Emotional and physical baggage
As the fluid level drops, anything that has been submerged can become apparent. This is the case in both the body and in our emotional world and represents the challenge of perimenopause – to reassess the way we’ve been living life and to move on from anything that isn’t serving us anymore.
Physically, mild or intermittent symptoms we have had throughout life can become chronic or new symptoms can appear. Autoimmune, inflammatory or dormant conditions commonly flare at this time. It becomes increasingly important to deal with any health issues we have harboured over our lives and prevent them from escalating as we age.
Perimenopause is an opportunity, menopause is a gift.
The gift of menopause is renewed energy and a fresh outlook on the next phase of life. The challenge of perimenopause is to work out how to get there. Here’s what Chinese medicine can do to help you use this window of time to your best advantage.
Supported reorganisation, and detoxification
Chinese medicine is unique, because it offers what I like to call ‘supported detox’. This means that we work with you as an individual, making sure that you have the physical resources you need in order to let go of any physical or emotional baggage. At times when exhaustion is present, we focus more strongly on nourishing blood and fluids, and make sure you are well grounded so that you can rest deeply. When the body is hot and inflamed, we begin the detoxification process and provide the body with exit routes for things we no longer need or cannot efficiently store.
Clearing the womb
Perimenopause is a fantastic time to clear any accumulated stagnation from the womb, while menstruation is still open as an exit route. Any pregnancy products that weren’t properly passed, stuck blood or tissue left over from difficult menstruation or products from uterine surgeries such as D&Cs and c-sections can be encouraged to pass during your monthly bleed. It’s also a great opportunity to clear fibroids or endometriosis.
Consolidating the essence
The essence (jing in Chinese) is your life force. It is the densely compacted and potent energy passed down to you from your parents at conception and contains the DNA – the blueprint for your life. Our essence resides in the kidneys, so when we move into menopause and the kidneys take on a greater responsibility for hormone production it becomes even more important to consolidate this precious resource. When we consolidate the essence in Chinese medicine, we draw energy back to its source in the lower belly. As we consolidate inwards, we come to know ourselves better – it’s a time to embrace who we truly are and find the confidence to share it with others in new ways.
What you can do to support your perimenopause journey
Here is a list of suggestions to help you manage your journey through perimenopause. They focus on calming, grounding and rehydrating the body as well as slowing down a little in order to reconnect with who you are and to reimagine what life could look like going forwards.
Body:
Eat good fats like butter, olive oil, avocado and choose grass fed dairy and meat products. Goods fats are vital for hormone production
Eat lots of veggies
Include foods cooked in lots of water or broth, or steamed dishes
Drink mineral-replaced water. Minerals are vital for re-hydration
Reduce dehydrating foods and drinks; this includes, alcohol, caffeine, very hot and spicy food.
Reduce sugars in your diet. This includes alcohol and refined carbohydrates – pasta and white bread for example. Sugars contribute to inflammatory processes in the body
Kick any addictions you might have
Consider modifying the way you exercise, especially if you’re feeling exhausted. You may like to move away from intensive gym workouts and opt for gentle, stretch and balance base exercise like yoga, pilates or qi gong. Focus on strengthening the legs and lower body – it’s more consolidating and calming than working the upper body muscles and reduces the risk of injuries.
Mind and soul:
Encourage your kids to be independent, if even if it makes you feel a bit lost for a while
In any realm of life, if it doesn’t serve you, let it go Slow down, do less
Work smarter, not harder
Make time for reflection. Not everyone loves to meditate, so do what makes you relaxed and peaceful – walking in the bush or having an afternoon cup of tea with a book for example
Do what you love, peruse what you value most
Have a go at things you’ve always wanted to try
Reconnect with parts of you that may have been forgotten or put on hold while you managed a busy career and/or raised a family
Acupuncture, herbal medicine and dietary therapy can all be very useful allies on the road to menopause, so if you need support on your perimenopause/menopause journey we would be very happy to help. We look forward to meeting you and helping you turn your menopause journey into a life-changing transition into the next phase.