The World Health Organisation and the International Menopause Society have designated Saturday 18th October as World Menopause Day. The purpose of the day is highlight the health of menopausal women and encourage education and awareness of the subject. In my experience it is still a subject that women find it difficult to talk about.
The facts about menopause that I would like to highlight are:
- Menopause is a natural stage in life like puberty. It is not an illness
- Seek help. If you are experiencing symptoms you there are lots of options for treatment. You can approach your medical practitioner to discuss hormone replacement therapy. If you do not want that or you are not suitable for it, there are complementary therapies that can help. Research has shown that visualisation coupled with hypnotherapy is effective in reducing the experience of hot flushes
- Changes to your diet can have a significant impact on your symptoms. The first step is to become aware of any foods that trigger symptoms such as red wine, caffeine and spicy foods and reduce or eliminate them. The next step is to include supportive foods in your diet.
- Regular exercise can improve your physical, mental and emotional health. Include resistance exercise as well as cardiovascular exercise.
- Talking helps. Having a supportive partner and friends helps to improve your experience of menopause. Suffering in silence does not help. This is not just about moaning. It is about sharing experiences and building understanding.
- Be positive. Look at all the good things that are going on in your life. These can be your best years.
I will be celebrating World Menopause Day by posting up more delicious recipes on the Cool Recipes for Hot Women YouTube channel. If you are interested go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYX7rjmzluVt-BlMyjtPIQw
Happy World Menopause Day. Stay cool!
