In January of this year I turned 49. And one of my birthday presents was the onset of hot flashes. They landed in my life with a vengeance. Nearly every hour during the day, several times at night the soon familiar sensation of general discomfort and an increased heart rate was followed by a heat wave that would slowly rise up my body, colour my face beetroot red and made me sweat like I was standing in a sauna.
NOT FUN.
And what worse was the realisation that hot flashes could last a long time. Sometimes years.
NOT IN MY BOOK.
I did what I have always done: I read, researched, got my hormone levels tested, brought in some supplements, experimented with my diet and got things under control.
I am telling you this because in discussing my woes with other women, listening to podcasts and reading articles I realized that hot flashes along with many other (peri)menopausal symptoms are not only incredibly common, they are often not openly talked about and sadly accepted as a normal part of getting older.
These symptoms are not normal. Yes, your body may go through an adjustment period as your hormone levels change but this does not mean that you have to spend the rest of your life moody, wrinkly, dry, sex-less, flabby, hot and sweaty, unable to sleep, low on energy or depressed.
So why do we accept these symptoms and resign to feeling less than optimal?
- We are made to believe that there is no other way.
- We haven’t reached our pain point. Dealing with low-level discomfort is easier than making certain changes. We just suck it up. Until the time that things get worse or “enough is enough.”
- We tried everything possible and it didn’t work. If this is you, please know that there always is a way. You may just need to experiment a bit more.
My focus as a nutritionist is on helping people build a strong foundation for a symptom-free, optimal life with the help of diet and lifestyle changes. Much of my work is focused on the gut, where most of health (or disease) originates. You may be surprised to hear that even hot flashes have been linked to the health and diversity of our gut microbiome. There are of course other factors at play but the trick is to cast a wide net and try to catch all of your underlying imbalances so that you stand a much better chance of achieving that symptom free, optimal life that you deserve.
No more hot flashes, mood swings, bloating, acid reflux, brain fog, weight gain. Not in my book!
Be Well.
