Healthy tips for menopause

There is no universal "magic formula". The most effective way to maintain good health is always to "evaluate one's own hormone levels and underlying diseases first, and then adjust hormone status in a targeted manner, stabilize mood swings, and prevent metabolic decline. All health-preserving advice that is divorced from personal circumstances is in vain." 」

I have been attending the gynecological health clinic for many years, and last week I met two aunts who were two years apart and had just gone through menopause. I happened to fall into two extreme pitfalls: One heard from a sister in the community that soy isoflavones are "phytoestrogens" and have no side effects. She took them for half a year. Last month, her physical examination showed that she had type 3 breast nodules. She was so scared that her hands were shaking as she sat outside the clinic and clutched the report.； The other one dared not take any supplements, saying "hormone supplements will cause cancer". He woke up three or four times every night with night sweats, and his pillow towel was so wet that he could squeeze out water. His blood pressure fluctuated for three months. The first thing he said when he came in was "Doctor, I think I'm going to have a mental illness."

In fact, everyone is most confused about "whether to supplement hormones". There is still no unified standard answer in the industry. The two mainstream views are supported by a large amount of clinical data: Western medicine and gynecological endocrinology generally believe that as long as there is no history of hormone-dependent tumors and no high-risk factors for thrombosis, women within 10 years of menopause or before the age of 60 can Starting low-dose hormone replacement therapy during the "window period" is the most cost-effective solution to relieve menopausal symptoms and prevent osteoporosis and cardiovascular problems. A head nurse in the obstetrics and gynecology department I know started standard supplementation at the age of 48. Now at the age of 55, his condition is similar to that of his early forties. Symptoms such as hot flashes and irritability have almost never appeared.； However, the field of traditional Chinese medicine prefers not to directly supplement exogenous hormones. It is believed that the essence of menopausal discomfort is liver and kidney deficiency and yin and yang imbalance. Adjustments through gentle exercises such as medicine and food, moxibustion or Baduanjin can allow the body to make an autonomous and smooth transition, which is more secure and can also avoid the metabolic burden that exogenous hormones may bring. There is no right or wrong between the two options. The key depends on your own underlying conditions and acceptance. There is no need to follow the trend and choose the one that others are using.

Let me tell you a few of the "universal tips" I have followed up on dozens of menopausal women. They may not work for everyone, but most people have improved after trying them: When you are really irritable and can't sit still, and you don't like what you see, don't hold on and don't focus on it. When a family member gets angry, they cook some Ganmai and Jujube tea, which consists of 30 grams of Huai wheat, 6 grams of licorice, and 5 jujubes. Boil the water and drink it as tea. You don’t have to drink it every day. If you drink it for two days in a row when you are irritated, about 60% of people will feel that the unknown fire in their chest can be suppressed.； Don't always stay at home and watch "10 diseases of menopause". The more you watch, the more anxious you will become. Walk around the community for 40 minutes every evening after dinner. When you walk, don't think about troubles such as your wife not washing the dishes or your children not getting married. Just look at the trees on the roadside and play with the puppies that others are walking. After a week of walking, you will find that you can fall asleep much faster, which is more reliable than taking hundreds of yuan of sleep-aid health products.

There are two more details that most people ignore, which are summarized from the cases I have experienced in the past two years: Many people have toothaches and swollen gums during menopause. They always think it is because of internal heat, and taking a bunch of anti-inflammatory drugs is useless. In fact, after the estrogen level drops, the periodontal tissue’s resistance to bacteria becomes weaker. At this time, don’t take medicine blindly. Clean your teeth once every six months and floss after meals. It is more effective than any anti-inflammatory drug.； To supplement calcium, don’t make bone soup every day. 90% of the soup is fat and the calcium content is not as high as half a carton of milk. Drink a carton of full-fat pure milk every day and bask in the sun for 15 minutes in the morning. If you drink milk and have diarrhea, switch to sugar-free yogurt. It will be better absorbed than imported calcium tablets costing hundreds of dollars.

Don’t think of menopause as a “disease” too much. I have seen many aunts who only have occasional hot flashes. Every day, they see people saying that “menopause will make you age faster and cause depression.” They scare themselves to the point of insomnia every day, which makes the symptoms worse.； But don’t take it for granted. If your menstrual period has been irregular for more than half a year, or your hot flashes and night sweats have affected your sleep at work, go to the hospital to check the six sex hormones and gynecological B-ultrasound to see what your hormone levels are and whether there are any other problems. Then decide how to adjust them. It will be much more useful than buying thousands of dollars of ovarian care products.

To be honest, after so many years in this industry, many people ask me for "universal health tips for menopause" as soon as they come in. But is there any one-stop method? Some people can relieve hot flashes by drinking a cup of soy milk every day, while some people have no reaction after drinking it for half a year. Some people take hormone supplements and have no problem. Some people develop nodules after taking some soy isoflavones. To put it bluntly, menopause is just a normal stage of life. It is no different from menstruation in adolescence or pregnancy and childbirth. Just follow your own body and don't mess around. No matter what the secret is, it will work.