Menopausal health tips

Menopause is by no means a "physiological stage that can be passed with patience". It is a golden window period for women to adjust their health in the second half of their lives. More than 90% of uncomfortable symptoms can be significantly relieved through scientific intervention, and there is no need to bear it hard.

Last week, I met a 52-year-old Aunt Zhang in the outpatient clinic. She has been suffering from hot flashes and sweating for almost half a year. She wakes up three or four times a night, and her pillow towel is all wet. She suddenly gets hot when she goes out for a walk. She has to find a place to take off her coat quickly. Her husband also laughs at her: "How come you are getting worse as you get older?" "I am more afraid of heat." She herself thought it was a normal phenomenon of aging, and she carried on with it for more than half a year. It wasn't until last month that she felt dizzy and her blood pressure fluctuated, so she came to check. After asking, she found out that blood pressure fluctuations, insomnia, and inexplicable irritability are all caused by hormone fluctuations during menopause.

Speaking of this, many people may ask, does intervention require taking hormones? In fact, this is also the most controversial aspect of menopausal conditioning. The mainstream view in the field of gynecological endocrinology in Western medicine is that as long as there are no contraindications such as breast cancer, active thrombosis, and severe liver and kidney dysfunction, low-dose hormone supplementation therapy should be initiated within 10 years of menopause, that is, during the "window period" before the age of 60. It can not only quickly relieve superficial discomforts such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness, but also help prevent osteoporosis and premature cardiovascular disease, with high long-term benefits. However, many studies have pointed out that long-term (more than 5 years) use of hormone supplements may slightly increase the risk of breast lesions. Therefore, you must not buy health care products or apply estrogen ointments on your own. You must first undergo a full set of gynecological, breast, and coagulation function tests, and let the doctor evaluate the benefits and risks before making a decision.

There are also many people who have concerns about hormone intervention and prefer the conditioning ideas of traditional Chinese medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, menopause is classified as the stage of kidney qi deficiency in the "year of seven or seven". Some people have kidney yin deficiency. Typical symptoms are hot flashes and night sweats, hot palms and soles, red tongue and less coating. Drinking Liuwei Dihuang Pills and Ligustrum lucidum soaked in water will help. ； There are also people who have kidney yang deficiency, but are afraid of cold, have cold hands and feet, and have irregular stools all year round. If they drink Liuwei Dihuang Pills, they will only become more deficient, so they must use yang-warming medicines such as Eucommia ulmoides and epimedium. I met a 49-year-old aunt before. She had breast nodules and was afraid to take hormones. She went to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor for acupuncture twice a week. She insisted on soaking her feet in boiled water with dodder and locust seeds when she got home. She followed the video and did Baduanjin for 20 minutes every day. In 3 months, the frequency of hot flashes dropped from seven or eight times a day to once every two or three days, and her sleep was mostly improved. There is no difference between the two conditioning methods. Just choose the one that suits you.

Oh, by the way, there are actually many more pitfalls that people step into in daily life than on the medical side. Some people always say that drinking more soy milk and eating royal jelly during menopause can supplement estrogen. To be honest, the soy isoflavones in soy milk are phytoestrogens. The content is so low that even three or four cups a day cannot reach the therapeutic dose. I also came across a "menopausal health pill" purchased overseas by my aunt, and she started bleeding after half a month of taking it. When I took it, I saw that it contained estrogen in the ingredients, and the dosage was not even labeled. It was just a fool's errand.

Compared with supplementing this and that, what many people tend to overlook is the role of emotion and family support. Many menopausal women themselves feel that "I have been losing my temper so often recently, maybe my personality has deteriorated." Their family members also think that she is "looking for trouble." This is not an injustice to you - estrogen fluctuations will directly affect the secretion of "happy hormones" such as 5-hydroxytryptamine and endorphins in the brain. Emotional sensitivity, depression, and irritability are all caused by physiological changes and are not your problem. There used to be an aunt who loved square dancing. During that time, she didn’t even want to go downstairs. She always felt that life was boring. She was diagnosed with mild menopausal anxiety. She didn’t take any medicine. Her daughter accompanied her to the suburbs to climb mountains once a week.

By the way, don’t think that menopause is exclusive to women. After the age of 50, men’s androgen levels gradually decline, and they may also experience hot flashes, irritability, insomnia, and fatigue. However, many people classify it as “tired from work” or “older” and don’t take it seriously. If the symptoms are serious, you can also go to the men’s department to check the androgen levels and provide symptomatic treatment.

I have met too many people in the clinic who regard menopause as a "sign of aging" and are too embarrassed to say it and carry it for several years. In fact, it is really unnecessary. It is just like acne in adolescence and edema during pregnancy and childbirth. It is just a necessary stage in life. There is no need to demonize it, and there is no need to force yourself to suffer. If you are willing to seek Western medicine evaluation, go to the gynecological endocrinology department to register. If you believe in traditional Chinese medicine, go to the gynecology department of a regular traditional Chinese medicine hospital. Even if you don’t want to take any medicine, adjust your work and rest, stay up less late, and do more things you like. Most people’s discomfort can be gradually relieved in a year or two. Just do whatever makes you feel comfortable.