Let's Get to the Root of Menopause

Menopause gets brushed under the rug way too often. Specifically, early onset and those intensely exaggerated symptoms that make you feel like you are losing your mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGEKfmS12MM

I know many women are told that they just have to deal with it because it's a normal part of aging. I don't agree. If our body is doing the right thing, we should not have exaggerated symptoms or an early onset of symptoms of menopause. These are loud signals that our body needs balance.

What is Actually Happening?

Early menopause can certainly be triggered by things like eating disorders, a hysterectomy, extreme exercise routines, or ovarian disease. But one of the biggest and most overlooked culprits is exhausted adrenal glands.

Our adrenal glands are responsible for regulating the stress response and cardiometabolic health. However, when you are living in a state of chronic stress, your body is constantly pumping out cortisol. To do this, it literally steals the building blocks needed to make your sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone). Over time, your adrenals burn out, your hormone production drops, and early menopause comes.

For Black women and those in marginalized communities, we have a special instance that happens in our bodies that is considered weathering. This is the premature biological aging caused by chronic, systemic stress and adversity. It is a very real phenomenon, and it directly burns out our adrenal pathways.

Why Are My Symptoms So Bad?

If your hot flashes and mood swings are more intense than they should be, take a look at your daily triggers. Spicy foods, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, and refined sugars pour gas right on the fire. Add in smoking, vaping, a lack of movement, thyroid issues, increased BMI, chronic anxiety and depression, or even certain blood pressure medications (propranolol & diuretics) and antidepressant medications (some SSRIs), and your body becomes a pressure cooker.

The RIVYM Protocol for Reclaiming Your Body

So what typically happens when you go to your provider, and you tell them about your menopause symptoms, the first thing you want to do is put you on more estrogen. I personally don't think that estrogen is the fix (unless you don't have ovaries, but even then, lifestyle can certainly improve things).

Even if you go to a functional medicine provider, they're going to just put you on estrogen. I'm not a fan of exogenous estrogen because I want to get to the real reason behind why your symptoms are actually happening in the first place. You don't just need to pile on estrogen unless you're solely worried about the symptom; we really need to focus on the five foundations of lifestyle medicine to heal from the inside out.

• Nutrition: Incorporate sunflower seeds and ground flax seeds to support natural hormone balance. It is equally important to strictly avoid alcohol and hormone-treated animal products to keep your endocrine system clear.

• Motion: Focus on bodyweight squats and glute bridges. These specific movements build essential lower body and pelvic floor strength without aggressively spiking cortisol the way high-intensity cardio often does.

• Restoration: Prioritize strict sleep hygiene and daily diaphragmatic breathing. These practices actively shift your nervous system out of "fight or flight" and into a state of deep repair.

• Connection: Cultivate a vertical connection through spiritual grounding and a horizontal connection with a supportive community. Both are clinical necessities for maintaining lower cortisol levels.

• Supplementation: Botanical support can be incredibly effective. Consider Black Cohosh as an herbal tea or supplement to decrease overall symptoms. Vitex can be utilized to specifically target and reduce hot flashes. Finally, Ginseng may support adrenal function, boost energy, relax the nervous system, and create a cooling effect on the body.

You absolutely have the power to take control of this transition. You just have to address the root, which is lifestyle.

Give Thanks,

Mary