Page 30 - May 2024
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Understanding Menopause





                            through Ayurveda







        Just recently, I realized the glisten in my            Since estrogen receptors are located
        eyebrows was actually a grey hair that                 all over the body, the changes are

        had popped its way through the black                   manifold. They include accelerated
        mop of my eyebrow hairs! I was not in                  bone loss, decreased thyroid function,

        the least bit prepared for this milestone,             weight gain, increased risk of heart
        but knew it was one of the many “joyous”  disease, and arthritic pain. Other
        transformations I’ve had to come to terms  symptoms may include depression,

        with since starting menopause some                     difficulty concentrating, vaginal dryness,
        three years back. After the initial shock,             dyspareunia (painful intercourse), and

        I found myself reaching to Ayurveda to                 difficulty experiencing orgasm. Eating a
        gain an appreciation of this next phase of             healthy diet, staying active by walking,
        life through the wise perspective of the               doing yoga, or other forms of exercise,

        ancient ayurvedic acharyas.                            and making sure to get enough calcium
                                                               for optimal bone health are important

        First, the Western perspective of                      during this period of life.
        menopause…

        The average age of menopause is 51 and                 Conventional medicine offers many forms
        occurs for most women between 45                       of therapy for women suffering from

        and 55 years of age. It means the end of               menopausal symptoms. Since the 1960s,
        the female monthly menstrual cycle in                  the therapy of choice had been hormone
        which the body sloughs off the built-up                replacement therapy (HRT), which is the

        endometrial lining along with mucus and                use of estrogens alone or in combination
        blood, if fertilization of the ovum does               with progestins to replace the waning

        not take place. Starting around the mid-               hormone levels. But the results of two
        forties, during the perimenopausal years,              large studies on HRT [The Heart and
        estrogen levels gradually begin to wind                Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study

        down, which can cause temperamental                    (HERS) and the Women’s Health Initiative
        periods (as well as mood swings), hot                  (WHI) Study] showed important negative

        flashes. and trouble sleeping. Only a                  consequences on women’s health and
        small number of women experience more                  quality of life that have greatly lowered
        severe symptoms or long-term issues.                   the use of HRT in recent years. Instead

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