All women should know that turning 50 can usher in the best years of your life. I really mean that. So stop moaning and groaning about getting older and start embracing menopause as a natural part of aging. Take a meditative moment and think about that. Menopause marks the perfect time to take charge of both your physical and emotional health. So ladies, put on your Take Charge Hats, and let’s get started!The best place to begin is at the beginning. Get out your shovel and dig deep into your own lifestyle choices. Where is there is room for improvement? By the way, don’t make this too complicated. Start off with a healthier diet, which really does include more delicious fruits and vegetables and less meat. Put those chips back. That directive was for me. I love potato chips. Next, and even more importantly, for heart, bone and and brain health, create a daily exercise schedule that you can really maintain most of the time. No longer can we get away with our 3 measly days a week of Exercise Class. The new goal includes physical activity of some sort every single day, but let’s compromise at 5 days a week for now. The final pieces of this healthy lifestyle puzzle include maintenance of a normal weight and good sleep habits. I think we can all agree that there’s nothing better than a good night’s sleep. But that’s not so easy to achieve if we’re hot flashing and night sweating all over the place.
Menopause symptoms are my favorite topic to talk and teach about. Hot flashes are the most common symptom of menopause, and 80% of women will experience them at one time or another. The good news is that hot flash remedies abound. While there are many prescription medications available, I suggest that you start out nice and easy with an option that is non-hormonal and does not require a prescription called EQUELLE. It’s a supplement clinically shown to reduce the frequency of hot flashes associated with menopause. The active ingredient in EQUELLE is S-equol, which is naturally derived from a plant compound in soy. S-equol is well-studied with many years of research safety and efficacy data. In clinical trials women saw results in as few as four weeks, with optimal results in 8 to 12 weeks. If this over the counter option does not work for you, talk with your healthcare professional about other appropriate choices. There’s no “one size fits all” solution, so don’t throw in the towel too soon. You’re going to need it to mop up sweat, while you sort this out.
Menopause is inevitable if you live long enough. And once you’re in it, menopause will last as long as you live. So let’s organize a parade and start marching to the beat of our own healthy drummer. All that marching around counts as exercise. So ladies, put on your Menopause Marching Hats and march on!
About the author: Tara Allmen, MD, is a Board Certified Gynecologist, National Certified Menopause Practitioner and Author of Menopause Confidential. For more information go to http://drallmen.com.
Dr. Allmen is a paid spokesperson for EQUELLE, a non-hormonal, non-prescription supplement clinically shown to alleviate the frequency of hot flashes associated with menopause.† For more information go to Equelle.com.