Menopausal health tips

The core logic of menopausal health care has never been "anti-aging" or "replenishing estrogen", but adjusting the rhythm according to the changes in the body, not forcing symptoms or over-intervention, and just finding a comfortable state that suits you.

I have been doing gynecological health education for almost ten years, and I have met no less than 200 menopausal women. There really is no one-size-fits-all solution that can be applied. What others use that works well may be a trap for you. An example is Aunt Zhang who I met at a community free clinic. She was 52 years old and had just gone through menopause for a year. She had seven or eight hot flashes a day. She had to carry a small fan when going out in the winter. She heard a live broadcast saying that "estrogen supplementation can reverse growth". She secretly bought imported estrogen ointment and applied it for three months. The physical examination revealed that the thickness of the endometrium was 12mm. She was so frightened that she came to the clinic overnight to register.

There is a lot of controversy over menopausal intervention on the Internet right now. Two schools of thought are quarreling: One school says that hormones are a scourge that can lead to breast cancer and endometrial cancer. You just have to endure it.； Another school of thought says that hormone supplements are the "miracle drug of youthfulness" and should be started at the age of 40 to preserve youth. In fact, both statements are too extreme. Regular menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is originally a first-line solution for moderate to severe menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats that make you unable to sleep, a mood so bad that you can't control your quarrels with your family, and osteoporosis and body aches. The doctor will first conduct a full set of tests on your breasts, uterus, and blood coagulation function. After eliminating contraindications, you will be prescribed the lowest effective dose of medicine. If you review it regularly, the risk is very low. There is really no need to talk about hormone discoloration. But if you blindly buy so-called "natural estrogen" health products, take a heavy supplement of snow clams and bird's nests, or even apply hormone ointments of unknown origin, you may really have problems with your diet.

The thinking of traditional Chinese medicine is actually more flexible, and not everyone is suitable for taking Xiaoyao Pills and Zhibai Dihuang Pills. There used to be an aunt who was afraid of the cold and had cold hands and feet. She would suffer from diarrhea after eating something cold. I heard from a friend that taking Zhibai Dihuang Pills during menopause can stop sweating. After taking it for half a month, the sweating did not stop, but she had diarrhea for half a month. She came to the clinic to feel her pulse. It was a typical case of spleen and kidney yang deficiency. How can I use cool yin-nourishing medicine? Instead, I gave her some warming prescriptions and drank a cup of warm jujube and ginger tea every day. Within two weeks, she was much better. If you are usually short-tempered, have hot palms and soles, and are sweating when you wake up at night, then it is most likely due to liver and kidney yin deficiency. Taking some Zhibai Dihuang Pills and drinking more warm soy milk is indeed helpful, but if you have a weak spleen and stomach, don’t follow other people’s example of drinking iced soy milk every day. Drinking it will not supplement estrogen, and will destroy the spleen and stomach first.

In fact, many people have mild symptoms and do not need to take medicine at all. Half of them can be eliminated by adjusting their living habits. The most interesting aunt I have ever met. She used to stay at home every day. Her children went to college and had nothing to do. She suffered from hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and anxiety. Later, she was dragged by her old sisters to dance ballroom dancing. She danced for an hour and a half every afternoon for three months. She stopped sweating and slept soundly. She even reduced her antihypertensive medication by half. You really don’t need to force yourself to run a marathon or lift irons. Just find a light exercise you like, such as brisk walking, Tai Chi, or square dancing. Movement is more effective than taking any supplements.

There is also a 48-year-old high school teacher who left a deep impression on me. She was just about to go through menopause when her child was taking the college entrance examination. She had insomnia every day until three in the morning. She took sleeping pills to no avail. After her child took the college entrance examination, she immediately signed up for a Chinese painting class. She painted at home and visited the flower and bird market every day. Within two weeks, her sleep returned to normal. Many people always blame menopause's emotional problems entirely on hormones. In fact, most of them are caused by current worries. They have spent the first half of their lives living for their families. At this stage, you can really take care of yourself, put off things you don't want to do, and don't see people you don't want to see. This is better than any medicine that soothes the liver and relieves depression.

Oh, by the way, many people ask whether soy isoflavones can be eaten. There is no unified answer to this: Western medicine believes that if you have mild symptoms, drink 300ml of warm soy milk and eat some soy products such as tofu every day. Supplementing with phytoestrogens can indeed relieve discomfort, but it is not recommended to buy high-dose soy isoflavone supplements, especially those with breast nodules and endometrial lesions. You must ask your doctor before taking them.； Traditional Chinese medicine does not recommend drinking large amounts of soy milk every day, especially iced soy milk. Many menopausal women have a weak spleen and stomach. Drinking too much is prone to bloating and diarrhea, which is not worth the gain.

After all, menopause is a signal from your body, telling you that you worked too hard in the first half of your life and should slow down in the second half of your life. You really don’t need to pursue “reverse growth” or “ten years younger than your peers”, nor do you need to insist on symptoms and say, “Everyone is like this and I’ll just tolerate it.” Comfort is more important than anything else. You feel comfortable, which is more effective than any number of physical examination indicators.