@Khovergirl

menopause talk by greta namboutin:

"it's a challenge but also carries potential for improvements

hypothalamus controls many things in the body via feedback loops

in the beginning of our life hypothalamus starts ovary growth via hypophyse

ovaries produce estrogen

progesterone comes from corpus luteum (that the egg dropped)

shortly before ovulation there is a testosterone peak

fsh is raised at the end of 30/beginning of 40, eggs react a little slower -> estrogen deficit, progesterone deficit -> the whole body breaks down (very diverse symptoms, even the gut biome can suffer, heart, blood pressure, brain)

progesterone deficit causes sleep disorders

not all wom*n suffer
1/3 of us barely notices
1/3 of us do notice
1/3 of us suffers catastrophe

most obgyn's have little to no info about menopause, there is only a 1-day-seminar about it in training, most doctors are not a reliable source yet

greta namboutin put a list of good doctors online

perimenopause starts in 40s

hormones drop suddenly

start of menopause is the last day of bleeding (can only be determined about a year later)

postmenopause is irregular at first,
someday a new balance and stability manifest

chinese medicine regards it so:
women go through metal phase at 42-56
that's the time to shed off much of the unnecessary
only keep the essentials
adjust your life to your own values and your changed needs
stop all excessive demands towards yourself
set the boundaries and take the time to rearrange yourself.
you'll end up more productive than before!

hypothalamus talks to amygdala
the hormonal chaos leads to shock reactions in banal situations -> pregnenolone -> cortisol (is in competition with progesterone because it is also built from pregnenolone)

hypocampus documents association of stimuli and draws emotional responses from older, fundamental experiences (e.g. core memories)

around menopause the hypocampus is talking much louder to amygdala -> amygdala constantly feels like something fundamental is happening (often bad)

progesterone would regulate the amygdala but alas, it is missing.

hyperactive amygdala now offers opportunity to revisit old issues and process them (seek a professional therapist for support!)

never punish yourself for your symptoms or you'll end up in catch 22. try to kindly reality check your insides instead.

self help:
nutrition!!
rich in plants, lots of protein and watersoluble fibres (important for digesting proteins)
nuts, mushrooms, legumes
good fat and oils (omega 3, olive oil, avocado)

important for permeability of cell membranes:
cincino algae oil
pseudograins
less gluten
exercise and sport, otherwise you'll lose 3% of muscles per year, do cardio and weightlifting!
several times a day only a couple of minutes.

sleep is essential.
first thing in the morning should be going outside to see daylight
screens off at night
stretch and yoga
talk to people who have a calming effect on you
your fascia is tense in hormonal deficit

phyto estrogens can help
lavandula, hop, valerian, passion flower for sleep

light is very important, also for your blood vessels which influences heat flashes

choose one of these coping branches and focus on that first.

at work and in relationship:
take a break every couple of hours (take a walk or a nap or so)
ask other women and maybe find a self help group
under no circumstance try to camouflage your menopause symptoms! it is a waste of strength and prevents you from coping and getting help.

hrt (hormone replacement therapy):
- only for severe symptoms that don't respond to anything else
- used to be very scary because of one pessimistic study with hormones derived from horse urine a long time ago
- nowadays there are bio-identical hormones that raise breast cancer risk only by 0.4%
- the hormone products paid by insurance are usually too unspecific to work well
- rather, get everything checked via rimkus method and find individual hormone substitution, sadly not covered by insurance

do your züni qigong exercises every day!
(she then showed the exercises. i can show you.)"

my personal recommendations:
podcasts:
find episodes anywhere from
dr. lisa mosconi
dr. stacy sims
Mary Claire Haver

nutrition:
maybe check out inositol, i'm currently looking that up for better hormonal communication in the body

melissentee
maybe weed in the evening (also as a tea)