Addressing Women’s Mid-Life Changes Naturally
Non-drug solutions to manage weight, mood swings, hot flashes and many other conditions.
The crazy pace of life in today’s society can take its toll on our health. Not only in the dramatic increase in stress related conditions including; headaches, fatigue, digestive disorders, chronic pain and insomnia but it can also have significant effects on our mood, sense of purpose and how happy we are. Many women find it hard to get going in the morning and run out of energy in the middle of the afternoon. We may find ourselves depending on caffeine or sweets just to get through the workday. After work we are often running full blast taking care of kids and families until we fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day only to find that our minds won’t stop thinking so we are unable to sleep. We wonder what happened to the vivacious, motivated and happy person that we used to be and we are only 38! Many women in their mid thirties to mid fifties feel like they are on this treadmill and can’t seem to find effective solutions. Add to this, lowered metabolism, hormonal symptoms, lack of sex drive, inability to think clearly and possibly mild to moderate depression and it can all seem a bit overwhelming! However, there is help.
Women should be advised that in recent years new research has given us a better understanding of how neurotransmitters and hormones have an interdependent relationship. Years ago, it was thought that pharmaceutical intervention was the only way to correct these imbalances. As our understanding of the roles of hormones, neurotransmitters and blood sugar increase we have been able to find the means to restore balance to these systems with natural, non-drug solutions.
Many women consider the cause of these symptoms to be hormonal in nature. Certainly imbalances in estrogen and progesterone are factors in symptoms like hot flashes, irritability, lowered metabolism, difficult menstruation and lack of sex drive. However, these hormones do not stand alone. They are closely related to the adrenal hormones, DHEA and cortisol. It is crucial that all of these hormones be evaluated before considering any type of hormone replacement therapy. A way to illustrate how these hormones are related in both pre and post menopausal women is to look at what the body does under any kind of stress, whether emotional, chemical or physical. In high stress situations the body will produce higher quantities of cortisol. High cortisol will slow down metabolism, cause fat storage and cause irritability as well as lower progesterone levels since cortisol is made from progesterone. This is often why progesterone supplementation alone is not effective. We now have the ability to test all of these hormones in their unbound state in one simple saliva test. This test is quite accurate, affordable and gives us a complete picture of the hormone pathways
We are also now able to test for levels of neurotransmitters in the body using a simple urine test. The key chemicals we look at are: Serotonin, Dopamine, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine and GABA. These brain chemicals play a crucial role in optimal metabolism, healthy emotion, restful sleep as well as a sense of vitality and well being. As an example, it is now understood that we need healthy levels of serotonin for estrogen to work properly. Low serotonin can cause depression, headaches and insomnia as well as hormonal symptoms. Most antidepressants target serotonin receptors but antidepressant medications do nothing to bring serotonin back to healthy levels. We now have the means to treat neurotransmitter imbalances utilizing natural amino acid therapy. This has been shown to balance levels of neurotransmitters allowing them to function fully and in conjunction with their hormonal partners.
A big piece of the puzzle for women dealing with mid-life changes is stable blood sugar. Blood sugar has a direct effect on hormone and neurotransmitter levels. This is often ignored in the treatment. Most busy women tend to put themselves last; they will get the kid’s breakfasts ready, but skip their own. People that are under stress tend to crave sweets and caffeine, which causes blood sugar to roller coaster. If you fail to eat small, frequent, protein-containing meals and snacks throughout the day the blood sugar will drop. When blood sugar drops the body releases epinephrine and cortisol to stabilize blood sugar which can cause hot flashes, headaches, mood swings and effect your ability to sleep. As you can see these conditions are multifaceted. All of these symptoms we have discussed can be caused by an imbalance in one or many of these chemicals in the body.
The great news for women today is that we have the ability to evaluate all of these areas. It is possible to test for hormone levels in saliva, for neurotransmitter levels in the urine and to evaluate blood sugar fluctuations. Once these imbalances are identified they can be remedied using safe, non- drug solutions. With sublingual bio-identical hormones, amino acid therapy and glandular support along with minor diet and lifestyle changes we can restore balance to the body. This process is safe, affordable and usually achievable in 12 to 16 weeks. People on this program have reported a significant improvement in the quality of their life; they often say that they feel like themselves again, at last!
Dr Karla Parkhurst, DC