Ing. Lenka Jahelková is a naturopath and information medicine therapist, guiding the client on the path to a full sense of health and joy of life. She gradually and together reveals the causes of problems. Lenka focuses on chronic diseases, especially in the area of hormonal and immune imbalances, such as infertility, menstrual problems, menopause, insomnia, chronic infections, allergies, digestive problems and others.
Lenka and I talked about the symptoms and course of menopause. Lenka shared tips on how to prepare for menopause and how to keep your body healthy and mentally well during this period.
Did you know that one in five women experiences physical and emotional symptoms during menopause that affect their quality of life?
What is menopause and when does it most often occur in women?
Menopause usually occurs in women between the ages of 45 and 55 and is the last menstrual period in a woman's life. It is the stage where menstruation does not occur for 12 months.
What happens in a woman's body during menopause?
During menopause, a woman's ovaries gradually stop producing female hormones. This means that she is no longer fertile and can no longer get pregnant. First, there are changes in the menstrual cycle, which becomes irregular and eventually stops completely. These are hormone levels that are so low that they no longer affect the uterine lining and menstruation stops. Due to the gradual decrease in hormones, a woman's body begins to experience various changes and problems, both physical and psychological.
What are the most common symptoms of menopause?
Symptoms manifest themselves on both a physical and emotional level.
As for emotional changes, nervousness, irritability, sadness, internal tension for no reason, and excessive sensitivity may occur. At the body level, hot flashes, sweating, weight gain, joint pain, insomnia, drying of mucous membranes, fatigue, and changes in the cardiovascular system may occur. One of the many functions of estrogen is to protect our blood vessels. But everything can be influenced. That is the most important news that we can do something about it . Therefore, nothing dramatic may happen at all if a woman takes care of herself. Some nations, such as Japanese women, do not have such problems as women in other Western countries and this is attributed to their diet and attitude towards themselves.
Each of the above-mentioned aspects, both physical and emotional, can be influenced by specific herbs, the inclusion of functional foods and nutritional supplements, extracts, antioxidants, and especially two habits.
What do women most often experience during menopause?
Certainly, what I would probably mention first and foremost and what worries women the most is weight gain . Unfortunately, women are prehistorically programmed to accumulate and store reserves. Everything is influenced by hormones, where not only the already mentioned female hormones play a role, but also insulin, ghrelin, leptin, cortisol, i.e. hormones related to glucose distribution, hunger hormones, satiety and stress hormones. As the value of female hormones decreases, the level of cortisol and adrenaline increases slightly . At the same time, DHEA decreases, which is a precursor to the male sex hormone, androgen, which also acts as an antagonist of cortisol. Therefore, the stress response increases and contributes to the increase in fat, especially in the abdominal area. Increased cortisol increases appetite . If this is already accompanied by higher insulin levels, weight gain occurs.
Fat in the waist area, so-called visceral fat, is not just an aesthetic issue, but is dangerous because it “envelops” our internal organs, preventing them from functioning properly. It is a fact that a few extra pounds will come, but it is advisable to prepare for it so that it really remains just “a few pounds”. According to studies, five kilograms is expected.
At the same time, we must say that during this period, it is not appropriate to lose weight drastically and try to maintain the weight we had before menopause at all costs. The important thing is to find a balance in everything, simply accept this phase of life and take care of yourself at the same time.
In my opinion, the most important thing is our overall health, sense of vitality, the energy we spread and how we feel :).
What can women do to maintain their health and mental well-being?
We should maintain regular exercise , it doesn't have to be a gym or running, but every movement counts, I always say – every step, every step. Matter that doesn't move dies. You don't have to count the number of kilometers and buy all sorts of technical gadgets that measure everything for you, I prefer natural movement during housework, regular home stretching, exercise as a daily ritual.
So when it comes to diet, you need to cut down on quantity and focus on nutrients, quality, freshness, and home-made food. Meals can be very simple but nutritious. Don't forget about proteins, combine healthy fats, and ideally supplement with gluten-free carbohydrates and occasionally add legumes. Of course, there is a variety and abundance of vegetables and fruits, every day according to the season and locality. I can highly recommend time-limited eating , where we set a time "window" for eating and a "window" for fasting. This works very well especially for those who are constantly snacking, never eat properly, and in fact, their digestive organs never have a chance to rest properly. We really need to stop snacking between meals to leave room for the correct insulin response and nutrient processing . Therefore, try eating at regular times and only during certain hours, for example, the 14:10 regime is good, we don't eat for 14 hours and only eat in a 10-hour window. You may be surprised how good you will feel and how your weight will change.
Specific tips for a specific problem - just a very brief list, I prefer herbal tinctures or teas, but I also combine them with medicinal mushrooms, essential oils, Bach essences, and I also use informational preparations:
- Hot flashes, sweating – definitely in the first place is Sage, we can drink it in tea, in a mixture, or even include it in baths
- Insomnia – a combination of Melatonin in capsules with herbal extracts of Valerian, Lemon Balm, Hops, Oats and Ashwagandha – or Whitánia dream
- Reduced libido – Anchor, Shatawari, Cordyceps, Maca, Ginseng
- Mood swings – again Hops, Heartwort, Oats, Ergot, Lemon Balm, Lavender, but also adaptogens such as Rhodiola, Bach essences, information preparations such as Depren, Streson, Anxinex, Relaxon
However, I recommend that you seek professional advice and not buy all sorts of supplements or herbs. You need to check the quality and use only those that your body needs.
From your own experience, what would you say to women who are approaching or currently going through menopause?
So that they don't get discouraged by information about how difficult, demanding, complicated this period is. It's just a phase and it depends on how we approach it ourselves. It's a period when we reap the fruits. Yes, just as at the end of summer we enter autumn and reap the harvest, so it is in life. Fruits in the sense of our children who leave our nest and go their own way, fruits in the sense of our work, what we have created and created, what we have known, understood and learned.
Nothing has ended for me, on the contrary, a wonderful stage in life has begun, where I finally have time for myself and can do what I want. I am very grateful for that, because I know that this is a big step forward, because my mother did not experience it so easily at all.
We can shine at any age, it's all about us, how we perceive ourselves, how we value ourselves, how we are connected to each other. Beauty for me is not only on the outside, but mostly on the inside. I have amazing women in my life, beautiful in their entirety, they are my inspiration and we are connected to each other. We share our energies, we constantly meet, we create and it's simply beautiful and joyful :).
It is also important that our daughters strongly perceive us and that we pass on healthy patterns to them . A woman should have her own world above all and not focus only on her children and husband. We let our children go about their lives, we give them maximum freedom with the feeling that we are always there for them and that they are always our children who can come to us for advice and help at any time. Even if it hurts for a while when they "leave" us, that's just the way it is.
From my own experience, I can say that I managed the transition beautifully and easily. I had unpleasant feelings for about 4 months, when I helped myself with progesterone herbs, I was in communication with our herbalist, who prepares effective mixtures for us. That was enough and today I feel great.
What I did:
- I changed my diet, I reduced the amount, I hardly eat pastries and sweets, I watch my protein. Typical Czech food is taboo for me, because those combinations and the energy boost are simply not suitable for us.
- I include more fiber, vegetables and fruits, sometimes my body asks for fermented foods. I eat basically everything, but in moderation, I maintain my weight and I exercise daily.
- I regularly take high-quality vitamin D3 with K2, except in the summer, and I recommend everyone to have their levels checked once a year.
- I also take a high-quality vitamin complex, especially during times when respiratory diseases are more common, or when I feel like I have a lot of it, to strengthen myself.
- I also have liposomal vitamin C available, which I take when I don't have the opportunity to eat enough fruits and vegetables or when I'm more tired.
