Going through perimenopause and wondering how to best nurture your body? Well, it’s a natural and brilliant question to be asking. From a TCM perceive, there are many positive and beneficial changes or additions you can make. We hand it to TCM Dr. Lauren Curtain to explain further.

“Lifestyle changes during this phase of life can be hugely supportive. Our hormonal health is a reflection of how we are living our lives, from our diet choices, sleep, relationships, exercise, past experiences, careers, environmental exposures, everything! Much can be done to support this phase of perimenopause from a lifestyle perspective.

● Avoid processed foods, including processed sugars! Our livers have enough to deal with processing all the hormonal changes happening during this time, let alone having to also process artificial ingredients/chemicals. And we all know processed sugars only worsen hormone balance. Now is the time to back away from the sugar.

● Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is very ‘hot’ energetically and can worsen perimenopausal symptoms such as mood swings, hot flushes, night sweats, and menstrual symptoms.

● Exercise! With oestrogen on its decline in perimenopause to menopause as ovulation ceases, now is the time to ensure you are getting in regular movement, especially weight-bearing exercises and movement for strong bone health. Oestrogen is one of our Yin hormones that helps to strengthen our bones, as that declines, we want to ensure the protection of our bones for decades to come. Weight-bearing exercises can help wonderfully. The health of our bones in Chinese medicine also relate to the Kidney organ system, which also greatly influences growth, development, reproduction and aging.

● Remove unnecessary stressors in your life. Whether it’s a one-sided relationship (friend, family or romantic) where you are giving more than you are receiving, or a job that doesn’t fulfill you that is causing more stress than it’s worth. Now is the time to be protective of your energy and how much energy you are giving out. Practise setting boundaries that nurture you. Ongoing stress depletes the Kidney energy and can also create more heat in the body by stagnating the Liver. There is enough going on internally during this phase of life that you don’t need to be dealing with external chaos also. Consider it a period of refinement, getting clear on what you do and don’t want in your life and how you do and don’t want to live. Set those boundaries!

● If you are experiencing the classic ‘heat’ symptoms such as insomnia, night sweats, hot flushes, mood changes etc, utilise some cooling foods therapeutically in your diet. Think mint, cucumber, watermelon, spinach & lemon to help cool down some heat from the inside out.”

Yours in knowledge,

Your Tea
Traditional Chinese Restoratives

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