Marcelle Pick, a women's health expert, addresses three major menopause symptoms: anxiety from hormonal shifts and stress, hot flashes treatable with black cohosh and motherwort, and weight gain preventable through hormonal support and limiting refined carbs to 17 grams per meal.
Hi there. I'm Marcel Pick, women's health expert and co founder of womentowomen.com so let's talk about menopause and the top three symptoms that most women have. You know, in my experience, hot flashes are the number one menopause symptom on a woman's list. However, the menopause symptom that I actually hear about in the practice these days is really about anxiety. I know when I went into early menopause, the thing that I experienced the most was huge amounts of anxiety that skyrocketed as I went through menopause. So what's the reason for this change in women? Honestly, I believe the answer lies in response to the way we've developed as a society. We've steadily increased the amount of stress in our daily lives as we've reintroduced more external stimuli for our bodies to respond to. These include more and more food sensitivities to the foods we love, as well as cell phone and wireless technology that follows us everywhere we go. Not surprisingly, the changes over the past 10 years have given our bodies a run for their money. As it now stands, these changes will only increase over time. It's unbelievable the amount of stress people are subjected to on a daily basis. Imagine that now, full time for some companies is 80 hours per week and part time is 40. No wonder we're anxious. I feel anxious just telling you about that. So what are the symptoms of anxiety? Well, anxiety can arrive in the form of heart palpitations for some, shallow breathing, feeling scattered and distracted, having a nervous stomach, compulsive worrying, and so much more. Women become more prone to experience anxiety when high stress is combined with fluctuation in those hormones, estrogen and progesterone, during that perimenopausal time. Progesterone itself has a soothing effect on the nervous system. But as the ratio of progesterone and estrogen lowers, anxiety becomes more common. So what can you do about the anxiety? You know what I found? Over the long term, the best approach is to discover ways to reduce stress. Ha. Easier said than done, huh? That means scheduling regular relaxation time. And by regular, I mean really every day. Looking into food sensitivities that may inhibit your body's natural state of Zen, or supplementing with herbs to equalize your hormones. Most women can find something to ease the burden on their body. So in the short term, find an escape for your daily routine and from any electronic stimuli by just going outside, putting your feet on the ground. Being in nature can quickly calm the system and help us to reset our nervous system. Remember to place your feet on the earth. As I said, next on the list is a symptom Every woman is familiar with hot flashes. I was just recently at a dance workshop and I remember sitting next to a woman who carried around a portable fan with her. Oh my God. Seeing this, I wanted to help her by handing her some of her herbs, but I didn't want to impose or embarrass her in any way. Not surprisingly, women with moderate anxiety are thin three to five times more likely to experience hot flashes too. So I wonder what was her stress level in her life at that time? So hot flashes are not only embarrassing, but they can seriously disrupt your life. They occur when the part of your body regulating temperature called the hypothalamus sends the message that your body needs to get rid of extra heat. Your blood vessels dilate, your heart, speech and your sweat glands open up, resulting in a rush of heat and perspiration. Symptoms of hot flashes can range from feeling weak, nauseous, or having a sensation that something's crawling all over your skin. Yuck. Several herbs are proven helpful for hot flashes, and my choices are black cohosh, motherwort and lemon balm. A combination herbal formula like the one we offer have worked to help many women who suffer from hot flash symptoms. Certain foods can assist in relief too. Some of my favorite hot flash snacks include roasted soy nuts with sea salt or a bowl of old Fashioned oatmeal topped with freshly ground flax, walnuts and soy milk or broccoli sprouts on a salad or omelette. The third top menopause symptom is weight gain and more and more of my patients come in with this horrible, horrible worry. And this one comes with one of my flavors least favorite myths. You gain five pounds every year after menopause and it will never come off. Well, I'm here to tell you that it's absolutely not true. I know hormonal weight gain is a tough foe for many women that regular weight gain and often doesn't bulge with the usual tricks like working out more or eating less. The weight hangs around the woman's midsection because the fat around the abdomen can make more estrogen check just when normal production is dropping. This is an easy way for your body to balance your shifting hormones. However, once you give your body some hormonal support, your body won't need this mechanism anymore and you can finally shed that hormonal weight. So how can you give your body the hormonal support it needs during the menopause transition so weight doesn't accumulate around your belly. The answer may lie in an herbal menopause product like ours. The herbal mix can help equalize your body's natural hormones. The response from many women is that it's all they need to support hormonal balance during periods of imbalance. Also, eating fewer carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates at every meal and snack, can have positive results as well. So I recommend about 17 grams of carbs per meal and 9 grams per snack, give or take. And some women will find that relaxing. The stress response, how important is that? Can also help menopause, weight gain and others need to do all three of these to get the best results. Because remember, every woman is different. Menopause will be different for all of us. And the good news is that menopause does not have to be something we dread. It's a developmental milestone and an opportunity to take better care of our bodies. So for more information about menopause and our products and programs, please come Visit us at WomenToWomen.com, our wonderful online program. Thanks for being with me today.
