Menopause Health and Wellness Guide

If there is no obvious discomfort, adjust your lifestyle and stay stable. If you have mild to moderate symptoms, give priority to non-drug treatments. If symptoms have affected your normal life, see a regular doctor for evaluation and medication. There is no "universal health prescription" that suits everyone. What suits you is the best.

A while ago, I treated a 52-year-old Aunt Zhang. She was just half a year into menopause and had hot flashes and night sweats seven or eight times a day. I heard from sisters in the community that soy isoflavone supplements can "return to youthfulness." I bought imported products online and took them for two months. The hot flashes did not go away, but the pain was so painful that I couldn't lift my arms. She went for a breast ultrasound and found that the nodules had increased from category 1 to category 3. I was so scared that I quickly stopped taking the medicine. Later, the plan I gave her was very simple: 20 minutes a day to dance Baduanjin, add a spoonful of chickpeas to breakfast, and reduce coffee and milk tea from two cups a day to a maximum of two cups a week. She didn't even prescribe any medicine. Two months later, she came back for a follow-up examination and found that the nodules had not progressed, she only had one or two hot flashes a week, and her sleep was much better.

Speaking of estrogen supplementation, this should be the most controversial topic in menopausal health care. Hormone replacement therapy (MHT) in the Western medicine system does have a clear scope of application: if you have symptoms of moderate to severe hot flashes, sleep disorders, and urogenital atrophy, and have no contraindications such as a history of breast cancer, active liver disease, or high risk factors for thrombosis, if you start treatment within 10 years of menopause or before the age of 60, there is a high probability that the benefits will outweigh the risks. It can effectively relieve discomfort and reduce the risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. However, the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine is more towards syndrome differentiation and treatment, and it is not recommended that everyone take hormone supplements uniformly: if you have kidney yin deficiency syndrome such as hot flashes, night sweats, and dry mouth and tongue, taking some Zhibai Dihuang Pills combined with conditioning can relieve the symptoms. ； If you are usually afraid of the cold, have edema in your lower limbs, and feel tired at all times due to kidney yang deficiency, taking Guifu Dihuang Pills will be more symptomatic. ； There are also many people whose main symptoms are irritability and swelling and pain in their flanks. Taking Xiaoyao Pills is much more effective than taking hormone supplements. There is no difference between the two options. The key is not to try blindly on your own, do a comprehensive examination first, and follow the doctor's advice to choose the path that suits you best.

Rather than worrying about whether to take hormone supplements, many people actually ignore the invisible problem that needs to be prevented in advance during menopause - bone loss. I met a 50-year-old Aunt Li before. After menopause, she always felt pain in her back. She thought it was from the fatigue of taking care of her grandson. After carrying her for three years, she fell downstairs and fractured her femoral neck. After a bone density test, she found that she had severe osteoporosis. Now she doesn't even dare to carry heavy objects. Don’t wait until the pain is unbearable before you think about supplementing calcium. After menopause, it is best to check your bone density once a year, drink 300ml of pure milk every day, and bask in the sun for 15 minutes. It is much more effective than taking calcium supplements worth hundreds of dollars.

In addition to physical pain, what more people are holding back and not talking about is the emotional "wrongness". Last week, a 48-year-old teacher came to see me. He usually has a very gentle personality. He has never blushed with anyone in his 20 years of teaching students. Recently, he can't help but get angry with his husband and children. After an argument, he hides in his room and cries. He feels like a "monster". It’s not that she has become “too busy”, it’s that estrogen fluctuations will directly affect mood-related neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Just like adolescent children are prone to emotional instability, there is no need to insist on being “sensible”. If you really feel uncomfortable, you can complain to your friends. It’s not shameful to go for a walk in the park or even talk to a psychological counselor. Your family should be more tolerant and don’t bully others by always saying, “Are you going through menopause?”

Oh, by the way, there is another pitfall that many people step on, which is buying so-called "ovary maintenance" items randomly, such as essential oil massage and moxibustion on the stomach, which are said to delay menopause. They are all IQ taxes. The ovaries are located deep in the pelvic cavity and cannot be touched by ordinary massage. If you have an ovarian cyst, random pressing may break the cyst, which is not worth the loss.

You don’t have to be ascetic in your daily diet, and you don’t have to give up milk tea and cakes completely. It’s okay to eat it once or twice a week to satisfy your cravings. Suppressing your emotions all the time is more harmful than that little sugar. Usually add more dark green vegetables and soy products. You don’t have to eat every meal. Just have one or two of them on the table every day. Avoid alcohol. I have seen several aunts who have retired and have nothing to do. They have two drinks with their sisters every day. In less than half a year, their blood pressure and blood lipids have increased a lot, which is not worth the gain.

There is no need to force yourself to walk 10,000 steps a day when exercising. If you have bad knees, walking too much will wear down your joints. You can do square dancing, Tai Chi, swimming, or even do aerobics for 15 minutes at home. As long as you can move and sweat a little, it will be better than sitting and scrolling through your phone every day. I have a patient who takes his wife to the park to play badminton for half an hour every day after dinner. Not only does his hot flashes go away, he sleeps better, and the two of them quarrel less.

In fact, menopause is not as scary as everyone thinks. It is a normal stage in a woman's life, no different from menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth. There is no need to regard it as a "sign of aging" and worry about it every day, and there is no need to bear all the discomfort. Observe your body more and find what makes you comfortable. This is more effective than any thick health guide.