Menopause Support Live | HRT Withdrawal, Brain Fog, Hair Changes & the Truth About Hormone Therapy

Hi everyone, welcome to Menopause Support Live with Eliza and Jennifer. As you can see, Jennifer is not here with us tonight, it's just me. Hope you guys don't mind, uh, Jennifer's off on a dream vacation with her family and I'm— and having an amazing time, by the way. So I'm Eliza Riley, a holistic health coach who supports women through the ups, downs, and unexpected turns of peri- to post-menopause, and I'm so glad that you're here with me tonight, whether you're joining me live Welcome, or catching the replay, also welcome. This space is all about honest conversations, supportive community, and real strategies to help you feel like yourself again. Give me one moment. I'm just going to make sure that the chat is open in case anyone has a question. There we go. Now I can see it. I didn't have it open first at first. Okay, but now that I do, go ahead and get started, and I'm going to start with just a Quick, what do they call these? Disclaimer, I think. While both Jennifer and I have experience supporting women through, and I'm, I apologize, but I'm reading this off of my notes over here because I want to read it word for word. While both Jennifer and I have experience supporting women through perimenopause and beyond, we're not your personal practitioners. What we share tonight when we're together, or me just tonight, is for educational purposes only and not meant to replace medical advice. Please always consult your own health healthcare provider before making changes to your routine. Cool. All right, let's get into it. So I have gone through the menopause support group today and picked out a few questions that I'm going to jump into to share with you guys. And the first one. Oh, and please know, just so you know, sometimes women, you know, put a lot of information in their question, and and that's great. But because I want to keep these calls. short. I'm, I'm just, I'm just grabbing the, the question and the information that I, that I feel is, is truly pertinent to, to what they're asking. So I apologize if I've cut off anything that you, that you felt was, was important. But so here we go. So the first question is from Lisa, and she asks, has anyone come off hormone replacement therapy and gone the natural route? She says, I feel better off HRT, no more dizziness or headaches. But I'm still struggling with hot sweats and a little anxiety. It's been 2 weeks with no hormone replacement therapy. What could I take to help, please? So this is such a truly important question. And I just want to start off by saying, Lisa, you're not alone. So I hear the same type of question from so many women who feel truly conflicted about hormone therapy. I don't even like to call it replacement therapy, hormone therapy. And notice that some of their symptoms get better when they come off of it, while others hang around or even get worse when they stop taking it. Excuse me, my nose is itchy. So coming off of hormone therapy can definitely create a whole new wave of symptoms, especially things like hot sweats and anxiety, because your body is now trying to recalibrate hormone levels on its own. And that dip or shift can trigger both Physical and emotional symptoms, especially for those, especially in those first few weeks after coming after stopping it. Well, I can't give personal advice to you, Lisa. Here's a few natural supports that many women find helpful during this transition. Some things that you can do at home. My goodness, I've been struggling with a stomach bug, and for some reason, like all every like my ears and my nose and my my scalp and everything just got really really itchy. I don't know if they had. They're connected or not. But anyway, I apologize. Oh, it's kind of— Anyway, so some, some natural things that you can do at home. First off, magnesium, whether glycinate or threonate, those are the ones that you want to look for. This type of magnesium helps to calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety, and it supports temperature regulation, especially at night. So that can help with those, with those night sweats. The second thing is blood sugar support. Low blood sugar can make hot flashes and anxiety worse. In fact, low blood sugar or blood sugar imbalances can make almost all of our menopausal symptoms worse. So try eating within an hour of waking up, and you want to make sure that you're including protein, fat, and fiber. We tend to eat carb-heavy breakfasts, you know, cereals, oatmeal, which, you know, we're like, oh, we're We're eating healthy by by eating this this cereal or by eating this oatmeal, or or even like protein pancakes and something. Well, protein pancakes would be a bit better a better choice. But when we when we're having these carb-heavy breakfasts without the protein, without the the the good healthy fat and fiber in the in every in in in that starting meal, we are setting up our whole day for blood sugar dysregulation. So it's really important to to have good protein. Good fats and fiber, especially at breakfast, in every meal, but especially at breakfast. And also, a small snack before bed can help with night sweats. I know that there's so much talk right now, especially— well, I think at all ages, but I think that there's so much talk about fasting. I think that when you're struggling with blood sugar, when your blood sugar is already out of balance, or if you're struggling with adrenal issues, fasting is not your friend. So once you get those things put in place, fasting can be super helpful. But for now, if you're struggling with these, with these issues, put them, put them on the back burner. Put that on the back burner, fasting. Also nervous system regulation. Short, like daily breathwork, journaling, even 10 minutes of gentle movement, like just stretching or yoga, can make a huge difference when your hormones are shifting. Anxiety often isn't Just in your head. It's your whole system asking for calm and safety. So if you can take just a few minutes each day to just step away and, and do some, and do some conscious breathing— we, I know we breathe all day long, hopefully. But, but to do some, some conscious breathing so that you're really putting your intention and your thoughts into the breath, it's so important. And it really helps to calm our nervous system. And And finally, some herbal support. And I— what I mean by that is ashwagandha, maca, things like that. But they're not right. Even herbal support is not right for everyone. So make sure you try it, see how it makes— how it feels in your body, and go from there. And before we move on to the next question, I just have— and I know this is not a direct question from Lisa, but I just want to— I'm going to hop on my soapbox for just a moment because I want to say something really clearly. That, and again, this comes up all the time, there's nothing unnatural about using hormone therapy. Nothing. If that's what helps you to feel like yourself again. Nobody shames someone for wearing glasses. You know, I started wearing these about a year ago. Or for taking thyroid medication or for getting a hip replacement. Like, no one shames you for doing these things that you, that you have to do so that you can live your best life. But when, when women consider taking hormone support. Suddenly we're told to just tough it out or let nature take its course. And that's, that's nonsense, to be polite. Hormone shifts during menopause affect everything. I mean, from our hair, as we've noticed, to our toes. Like, there's nothing in our body that is not impacted by hormonal shifts. Your brain, your bones, your sleep, Your mood, your metabolism—all of these things are affected by the the ebb and flow of our hormones. And if your body isn't making what it used to, for most of us it isn't at this at this stage. Supporting it with bioidentical hormones is not giving up; it's not giving in; it's actually being wise. But here's what I think is often missed in the in the conversation. Whether your body is making adequate hormones for you to feel good, or you're supplementing them with hormone therapy, your body still has to be able to properly utilize the hormones that you have. And that's where your gut, your adrenals, and your liver come in. Just letting someone in. That's where that's where your gut, adrenals, and liver these. These are the root pieces that determine whether or not the hormones you have or add are going to work properly. If if these systems, your gut, your adrenals, your liver, are sluggish or overwhelmed, it does not matter whether you're making hormones or you're adding them. Your body will not respond the way you want it to. So no, I just want to. I just want to. Lay it out there. Hormone therapy isn't cheating. It's not, and it's not unnatural. Supporting your root health isn't some crunchy alternative. It's the foundation that makes any approach work better. There's no one right way to claim to reclaim your health. You don't need to justify what you're doing if it works for you. Period. Anyway, and I apologize between letting someone into the room, my ear itching so bad. I I think I may have may have lost track of what I was. Trying to share, but I hope that I conveyed the point, which was simply that there's nothing unnatural about hormone therapy. So moving on, we have a question from Misty. Misty asks about her hair. She says, how are we keeping fine, brittle hair moisturized without using oil? And I'll tell you, that's my hair. You're describing me, girl. I've got fine, very fine, very brittle hair, and it is Truly, I actually just recently, I don't know if you guys noticed, I had about 6 inches cut off of my hair recently because honestly it was just getting too long. But it was, it is even still, my hair is the longest it has ever been in my life. I've never been able to have my hair get this long before. I think a big part of that is I, you know, quit coloring it like 4 years ago now. So 4 or 5 years ago I quit coloring it. I think that that goes a long way to helping your hair to be healthy. But I do think this is such a great question. I don't think we talk enough about what we can do to keep our hair looking healthy and good as we, as we go through this menopausal transition. And I think that so many of us do struggle with, with thinner, drier hair. And, and it's not all in your head. Again, this is a, this is a symptom of the menopausal transition because declining estrogen, progesterone, again, it affects everything, including our hair. hair. It also includes— it also affects our scalp, the circulation in the scalp, the oil production, and even how well your follicles, your hair follicles, stay in the growth phase. So, and, and I know, like, I mean, I literally will, to try and help sometimes when my hair is really frizzy, I will use 2 drops, 2 drops, no more, of castor oil. And I'll warm it in my hands really good. And it doesn't seem like there's much of anything, but I put it just in the ends just to get rid of some of that, some of that frizz. But even that can be too oily, like, and it's 2 drops, like, how, how is it too much? But even that can be too much when you have hair like mine that's fine and brittle. So, some of the things that you can do that will help without weighing your hair down or making it look oily, you, you wanna use, of course, lightweight hydrating products. So, you wanna look for, like, leave-in conditioners or sprays with ingredients like aloe, vitamin B5, which is also known as panthenol, or silk proteins. They hydrate without coating the hair shaft the way the oils do. But another thing that you can do is you can support hydration from the inside. So how you do that, you have to— we have to remember that dryness affects everything. You know, our eyes get dry, our skin gets dry, our Our vagina gets dry, like like we don't we're not even producing moisture down there. Our hair is also affected. So if you are properly hydrating your body, you're going to notice that all of the things you know your skin, your hair, your nails, your vagina, all of the things are going to stay better lubricated, and so you won't have to worry so much about what you're putting on your hair because you you you're hydrating it from the inside out. You also can use things like um. Not just water. Like, water alone is actually not super hydrating. I know it's something that we're told all the time to drink our water. But if you add a little bit of lemon and a little bit of salt, just a touch, like just a pinch of salt— this is the water bottle I carry around with me all day. And I put a pinch of salt in here. And you shouldn't taste salt. It shouldn't taste salty. It's just— you're just kicking up the hydration factor. But if you taste salt, you put a little too much. You want to dilute that. But you can also drink bone broths, add trace minerals to your water. That's another really good one. You can add like hydrolyzed collagen in teas, smoothies, or soups. Any of those things are going to support hydration from the inside out. And also, you want to— you actually want to— and again, I know this sounds counterproductive, but you want to wash your hair less often because overwashing your hair strips the natural moisture. So I actually wash my hair about twice a week, and I'll give you guys one last bonus tip about, about hair care. Like I said, I wash my hair about twice a week. The night before I know that I'm going to wash my hair, and this is how I do it. You can do it. You can find your own way. But I do a castor oil. I actually use 2 different products. There's a castor oil and a product from Dr. Kebekah that is a hair mask. And so I combine them in my hand. I started the roots. I worked them through the, through the lengths of the hair, and then I I will leave them in my hair overnight. I just put my hair in a couple of braids and tie it up onto the top of my head, and then I sleep with a towel on my pillow because castor oil does stain. So you want to make sure that you're protecting your sheets. But I will leave that in overnight. You don't have to leave it in overnight. Like, you can leave it in for half an hour, an hour, 2 hours if you have time. You put it in a towel and leave it up like that. But castor oil, the next morning I get up and I wash, wash and condition my hair like I normally do, and it's so good for making sure that my hair looks moisturized and not frizzy. And, and, you know, it's still very clean. So that's a, that's a great way to— something to try if you're, if you're struggling with that. Okay. So the next question, I don't know if I'm saying this person's name correctly. I want to say it's Free. It's F-R-I-E. She asked, she says, I'm starting to get scared. I've had brain fog since perimenopause, but now I'm postmenopausal and caring for my dad with dementia. I worry I'm heading in that direction. Today I actually forgot my own last name. It was like I just blanked out completely. My husband had to answer for me. I laughed it off, but inside I'm terrified it's more than just menopause. And I want to just start by saying, you know, thank you so much, uh, Free, um, for sharing that so honestly. Um, and I, I think that again, this is another topic that we don't talk about enough. I think that, I mean, myself, Included. I had a similar situation just about a month ago. I was at an event with my, with my guy, and I, I lead the event, I host the event. And so I, there was a new person, and I was introducing, going around introducing him to everyone. And when I got to my guy, I couldn't remember his name. I got everyone else, but his was gone. It was just gone. And it took, it was, it's quite embarrassing, but it's, it's also a bit scary. But The thing to remember, and this is what I had to tell myself, you know, because dementia runs in my family as well. My mom actually is in her last days right now, and she has Alzheimer's. But when our brain has this sort of glitch where your mind just goes completely blank and something that you've known, like that, you know, In your bones, you know, it's just, it's just gone. It's such a frustrating symptom. But it is a symptom of menopause. Estrogen and progesterone both play a role in brain function, memory, and, and even verbal recall. Our ability to, like, grasp the thing that we're trying to name is, is associated with our hormones. And One of the things that I don't— again, I don't think we talk about it enough, but progesterone has a protective effect on the brain and the nervous system. And so when progesterone drops, we get that scattered, foggy— you can even feel disassociated. You ever just feel like you're not connected to your own body, like that disassociated feeling? Like, that's again a sign of progesterone. Progesterone being low. And I know it's not fun, but it, it's not necessarily a sign of early dementia or of Alzheimer's or anything like that. And I don't know, even though Free shared this, this moment with us, there wasn't a whole lot of other, other information about what's going on in her life. But I would guess that she is under Chronic stress, and and one of the the biggest flags of that for me were she mentioned that she is caregiving her her um I think it was her father, and caregiving is one of the biggest emotional and physical stressors there are. And we at this stage of our life, we're often caregivers for our aging parents. And so not only are that's not only are you struggling with this chronic stress of of being the caregiver, you're also going through a major hormonal transition that directly impacts neurotransmitters. And chances are, again, I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing that you're not getting enough restorative sleep, which is crucial. I mean, it's so essential for memory consolidation. We simply will not have the brainpower that we would have had if we'd had a good night's sleep or for having regular good nights, nights of good sleep. So So know that this is not about your intelligence, and it's not about your future. It's about your body needing more support right now, especially— and again, we come back to these over and over and over again— your adrenals, your nervous system, your blood sugar, and your gut. I mean, there, there is— the gut-brain connection is real. Like, they're— Like, let's not, let's not overlook that. So, so again, some things that you can do right away to try and prevent those moments from happening. Um, uh, and, and it, it— there's, there's no way that I can tell you like, this will do these things and you'll never— it'll never happen again. Like, I do these things and it still happens to me on occasion, just thankfully not very often. But support your adrenals. Again, starting the day with breakfast that includes protein and fat, no fasting. Add sea salt to your water. Rest when you can. Breathe on purpose every day, at least for a few minutes. Get as much as you can. I know most of us are very, very busy, especially if you're caregiving and taking care of others. But if you can take even just a couple of minutes, 2 to 3 minutes, to step aside and breathe on purpose, it's so important for your brain health. Make sure that you're getting your minerals in— magnesium, potassium, trace minerals like zinc and selenium. These support brain health and hormone function. Again, even just a pinch of sea salt and lemon in your water is, is huge. If you can also purchase like trace minerals, that's a great— you put a couple of drops of that in your water and also very helpful, helpful. And you, but you, you absolutely need to protect your sleep like gold. You know, like we, you need to make sure that Even if you can't get a good 8 hours straight, prioritize the evening. Wind down with purpose. Turn off screens. You can't— we can no longer just stare at the TVs waiting until we're tired enough to crawl into bed. Turn off the TVs. Dim your lights because light pollution even in our houses can keep us from sleeping well. Create a routine that signals to your brain it's time for sleep. And, and like I said, even if you're not getting a full 8 hours, it's just creating that routine that says— that allows you to go to, to go to bed and fall asleep easily is going to be so much better than, than, than the way that most of us have been sleeping for so long. Also, you want to make sure that you feed your brain healthy fats like avocado, Olive oil, pasture-raised eggs are so important and so good for you. Wild-caught fish is another really good one. These are building blocks not only for your, for your brain, but for your hormones. And be kind to yourself. I mean, I know that when, especially when things, moments like these come up where we're just like, what the heck was happening there? Why couldn't I think of my own name or my, my partner's name? Shame and fear can actually make it worse. And laughter really does make a huge difference. It really does help. And I know that this sounds silly, but, but try it sometime. This is actually something new that I started doing, and I try to do it every day, even if I don't feel like laughing. I sit down, I actually sit in front of a mirror because it makes me laugh, but I sit in front of a mirror and I just start laughing. And it's— I will tell you, it starts off very, very, Very fake. I am faking it. Like, I don't— like, I mean, it's— what do you just walk in the room, you start laughing at yourself in the mirror? No. And like, people don't do that. But you start, you start with a fake laugh, and then, and then it becomes a real laugh because it's actually funny to watch yourself laugh. Um, sometimes I will make faces at myself or whatever, whatever I can do to get to that real laugh. But, but laughter really does Change your brain. It actually is healing for your brain, and your brain doesn't know the difference between you fake laughing and when you really laugh. Just, just keep laughing, and honestly, like, do it for a full minute, 2 minutes if you can, but, but keep going. And, and it really does make a huge difference. But no, but know that this is just a phase. It is not a decline in your mental health. So, and one last thing I'm gonna share with you guys about that, about, about that, about this, and I, and then I'll go ahead and sign off because, because we are coming up on time. But this season of life, you know, this menopause transition, it is not a decline. It is meant to be. And this is this, and I apologize, let me just preface this a little bit with, this is my opinion. This is my opinion on it. I truly believe that this Season is meant to be a rebirth for each of us, an awakening, a return to ourselves. Most of us— I won't try to speak for everyone, but most of us have spent our entire lives up to this point caring for someone else or living for someone else's priorities. You know, whether that's our spouse or our children or our teachers or our parents or our jobs, our careers, our friends, our family outside of, you know, spouse and kids. Like, there's— there, for most of us, something else has been the driving force, has been the thing that says, this is why we get up in the morning, this is why we keep going, this is what we strive for, this is what's important to us. And, and menopause is when we are supposed to step back from that and go, okay, now what's important to me? And I know that not all of us have the luxury of even asking ourselves that question, especially if you're caregiving for a parent, or navigating major responsibilities. But find a way to make it possible for you and for your situation. Our brains need us to prioritize ourselves, even in small ways, even if that's all you have is that moment, that 1 minute every day of laughing in the mirror. So let me ask you, and please know I ask you, I ask you this very gently. How much time are you taking for yourself each day right now? I hope that you're able to say at least 10 minutes, but, or even more would be, would be even better. But take some time each day to tune in, to breathe, to laugh, to remember who you are. Because it matters so very much, and it goes such a long way for keeping our brains functioning the way that we want them to day in and day out, and year in and year out as we continue through this journey. Thank you guys so much for spending this time with me tonight. If you're watching the replay, or if you have, or if you're here with me live and you have a question, or you, or you have thoughts, please feel free to drop them into the comments. I always love hearing what resonated most with you. And if you want more support between now and the next live next week, same time, same place, I will be right here. And again, without Jennifer, who is still going to be on her vacation. Yay! Good for Jennifer. Please know that that we I apologize. I lost my train of thought. So if you want more support between now and and next week. You can follow me on, on my socials. You can join my email list, or you can explore my website, whatever feels most helpful for where you are right now. I would love to stay connected and support you however I can. So take care of yourselves, and I will see you next time on Menopause Support Live. Thank you so much.