The Great Awakening--Menopause
Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CCN, HHP
1965 The Great Awakening--Menopause
By: Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN, HHP

Menopause is a natural transition all women experience, as natural as adolescence. For your grandmother and great-grandmother, life expectancy was shorter. Reaching menopause often meant that their life was nearing an end. But this is no longer true. Today women are living longer—on average, until age 78. How you experience menopause is determined by many factors: attitude, diet, overall health, genetics, and your cultural group. Medical science views menopause as the state of your body after you had completed one full year without having a period. It is most definitely not a disease! By making wise decisions about your menopause and healthy lifestyle, you can make the most of the 20, 30, or more years afterwards!

Attitude
Many women report that they are glad to no longer have their monthly periods and all of the hormonal or just physical issues that accompanied their periods. They feel a freedom from having to be concerned about pregnancy and birth control. There is a sense of more energy, and a sense of freedom that comes without the biological drive to be mother, helper, and nurturer. Many women turn their attention to those things in life they have put aside. Some start new careers or businesses. Others take up creative pursuits like photography or painting, while others travel to places they have wanted to see. These women have a positive attitude.

Those women who dread menopause, see it as unnatural, or a sign of old age (and we all get old don't we!), have more problems enjoying the transition during perimenopause. They report more symptom issues. Negative attitudes result in negative experiences.

Wake-up Call
Everything is magnified, starting in your perimenopause, then continuing on as you make the transition into menopause. Issues you have not reconciled as a woman will surface for you to deal with. Perhaps long overdue lifestyle changes need to be made. Your body is very smart and it will start to purge any “stuffed” emotions. This means the body does not want to carry these negative thought patterns or habits inside anymore. If you have experienced trauma or hurtful experiences—the ones unresolved--they will come up. You will remember incidents you ignored or just could not deal with at the time. Maybe you did not have a safe space to work on them. This is the opportunity to let them go. If you understand this purge and welcome it, you will experience an easier transition.

Health issues that have been neglected will also wake-up. Be sure you get thorough check-ups and tests during this time, including dental, vision, heart health, as well as hormones. Health issues are serious to me. I have walked the path of being unhealthy and the path of health. I very definitely choose being healthy. We can implement preventative health. Diet, exercise, clean water, stress management, healthy environment, and no synthetic drugs go a long way in creating and keeping a healthy body.

Spiritual Awakening
You may find that the changes you are making lead you to an awakening spiritually. This happens to many women who welcome this growth. Seek out your local church, take classes in meditation, discover new spiritual thought, or a renewed connection with God. You are a spirit with a body. Approaching your spiritual wellness includes making choices that take care of yourself physically and emotionally.

Proactive Steps
Although menopause is one of the important physical milestones in a woman's life, many women lack concrete information about what is taking place, and what are the options. It is your right to know your body and be informed. With a proper attitude, diet, nutritional supplements, exercise, and simple lifestyle changes, most of the unpleasant side effects of menopause can be minimized to a great extent. With this knowledge and preparation you can step forward with grace and embrace it!
To make menopause fun and pleasant:
ŸMake choices to eliminate/reduce stress.
ŸCreate a sanctuary space for yourself where you can meditate, write, draw, or anything that expresses your thoughts and emotions.
ŸFind an exercise you like and stick with it.
ŸEvaluate diet and reduce weight, if you have gained pounds over the years.
ŸBecome selfish with your time for yourself. Do more things for you and evaluate care-giving roles.
ŸGet enough rest and sleep.
ŸDevelop an outside interest or hobby.
ŸHave joy and fun in your life. If this means making new friends, go do it.
You can find out more about progesterone in my eBook, Balancing Your Hormones Without Drugs…You Can Feel Good Again and in the articles posted on this Web site. For a free subscription to the worldwide e-newlsetter, Advanced Health & Wellness visit us at www.oasisadvancedwellness.com and www.oasisserene.com

If you haven't gone through menopause yet, you'll want to have an easy adjustment to your body's changes. Begin to educate yourself about the symptoms and their causes before, or during, perimenopause--the time when you begin to experience symptoms. Be sure to check out all the articles at our Menopause-PMS-Progesterone Resource Center: www.menopause-pms-progesterone.org

About the Author

Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN, HHP is a Doctor of Naturopath, Clinical Nutritionist and Holistic Health Practitioner in the Houston, TX area and Founder / CEO of Oasis Advanced Wellness. Dr. Lanphier is Editor of the worldwide E-newsletter Advanced Health & Wellness. www.oasisadvancedwellness.com Be sure and visit our hormonal balancing site at www.menopause-pms-progesterone.org and www.oasisserene.com