Natural Relief For Perimenopause & Menopause
Finding Balance and Relief During Perimenopause & Menopause
"I'm still hot; it's just coming in flashes."
Perimenopause and menopause can bring on many symptoms that can be challenging to manage. Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and insomnia are just a few of the symptoms women can experience during this time. For example, one day, you are constantly freezing and find yourself super warm and turning on the air conditioning.
While hormone replacement therapy is an option for some women, many seek natural and holistic solutions for symptom relief. Let's explore the benefits of natural approaches to perimenopause and menopause, including lifestyle changes, herbs and supplements, and mind-body therapies. Our goal is to help women find balance and relief during this transformative time and empower all women to be in control of their health and well-being.
Understanding Perimenopause & Menopause
Perimenopause
Perimenopause is the phase of the journey before menopause when a woman's body transitions from regularly ovulating to ceasing ovulation permanently. This transition usually starts in a woman's 40s and can last several years. During perimenopause, a woman's hormonal levels can become more unstable and erratic, leading to physical and emotional symptoms.
Some common symptoms of perimenopause include hot flashes, night sweats, irregular periods, mood swings, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Women may also experience vaginal dryness, decreased libido, and reduced bone density. While these symptoms can be challenging, effective treatments and lifestyle changes can help women manage them and maintain good health during perimenopause.
Menopause
Menopause is a natural process that signals the end of a woman's reproductive years. Generally, women go through menopause between 45 and 55, but it can occur earlier or later. Menopause is the end of menstrual periods and the end of a woman's ability to become pregnant naturally after you've gone 12 months without a menstrual period.
During menopause, a woman's ovaries stop producing eggs, and estrogen and progesterone hormone levels decrease. This hormonal shift can lead to various physical and emotional symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, mood swings, and sleep disturbances.
The North American Menopause Society article (with a fun, silly twist) about "The Journey of Menopause." It's a journey we do not know when it will start or end.
Although menopause is a natural and normal part of a woman's life, the symptoms can be challenging to manage and significantly impact a woman's quality of life. However, effective treatments and lifestyle changes can help women manage their symptoms and maintain good health during menopause, including hormone replacement therapy, lifestyle changes, and complementary therapies such as chiropractic, acupuncture and counselling.
The Benefits of Natural Approaches to Menopausal Symptoms
The journey of perimenopause and menopause can bring a variety of physical and emotional symptoms that can significantly impact a woman's quality of life. While traditional treatments such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are available, many women seek alternative and natural approaches to manage their symptoms.
At Latitude Wellness, we collaborate as a team to support the patients' whole body - physical and mental health. Menopause, with physical and emotional symptoms, can be very challenging for a woman.
Chiropractic care, acupuncture, pelvic floor physiotherapy and counselling treatments offer natural approaches that can help alleviate the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause while supporting women during this life transition.
Chiropractic Care
Our Vancouver chiropractors can play a crucial role in helping women manage the symptoms of menopause. Chiropractors can help women maintain good physical and emotional health during this transitional stage of life by using a holistic approach to health and wellness.
Alleviate physical discomfort: During menopause, women may experience physical symptoms such as headaches, back pain, joint pain, and other types of discomfort. Chiropractors can use various techniques, such as spinal adjustments and soft tissue therapy, to help alleviate pain and discomfort and improve overall physical health.
Improve posture and alignment: As women age, their posture and alignment can change, leading to pain and discomfort. Chiropractors can assess and correct these changes, helping women maintain good posture and alignment, which can also help reduce pain and discomfort during menopause.
Boost the immune system: The immune system can weaken during menopause, making women more susceptible to illness and infection. Chiropractic care can help boost the immune system, which can help women stay healthy during this transitional stage of life.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical practice of putting sterile, thin needles into specific points on the body to stimulate the flow of energy or Qi. This holistic approach to health and wellness can be particularly effective in managing the symptoms of menopause. Our Vancouver acupuncturists can help alleviate symptoms of menopause, including:
Reduce hot flashes and night sweats: Hot flashes and night sweats are often the most common symptoms that women experience during menopause and can be particularly disruptive to women's quality of life.
Ease mood swings and depression: The hormonal changes during menopause can also lead to emotional symptoms such as mood swings and depression. Acupuncture helps balance hormones and improve emotional well-being, reducing these symptoms and promoting overall mental health.
Improve sleep quality: Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, are common during menopause. Acupuncture treatments can help improve sleep quality by promoting relaxation and reducing stress and anxiety, which can contribute to sleep disturbances.
Alleviate physical discomfort: Menopause can also cause symptoms such as headaches, joint pain, and muscle tension. Acupuncture can help improve circulation, reducing pain and discomfort.
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
Pelvic floor physiotherapy can be very beneficial for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause, as this is a time when hormone levels can affect the pelvic floor muscles, leading to a range of symptoms. Here are some ways that pelvic floor physiotherapy can help:
Addressing pelvic pain: Many women experience pelvic pain during menopause, which a range of factors, including vaginal dryness, atrophy, and muscle tension, can cause. Pelvic floor physiotherapy can help to address these issues and reduce pain.
Managing urinary incontinence: Menopause can increase the risk of urinary incontinence due to changes in hormone levels and weakened pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor physiotherapy can help to strengthen these muscles, reducing the likelihood of incontinence and improving bladder control.
Improving sexual function: Menopause can also affect sexual function due to vaginal dryness, atrophy, and pain. Pelvic floor physiotherapy can help to improve blood flow to the vaginal area and reduce muscle tension, making sex more comfortable and enjoyable.
Enhancing overall pelvic health: Pelvic floor physiotherapy can also help to prevent and address other pelvic floor problems that may arise during menopause, such as prolapse and bowel dysfunction. Women can maintain better overall pelvic health and avoid these issues by strengthening the pelvic floor muscles.
Clinical Counselling
Counselling is a form of therapy to help women manage the emotional and psychological symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Latitude Wellness has a team of experienced and compassionate registered clinical counsellors available to support women to feel their best as they navigate the menopause journey. Some examples of how our Vancouver counsellors can help are:
Provide emotional support: Perimenopause and menopause can be challenging and confusing as women experience significant changes in their bodies and lives. Counselling offers a safe and supportive space for women to discuss their feelings and emotions and to receive empathy and understanding from a trained professional.
Address anxiety and depression: The hormonal changes that occur during perimenopause and menopause can also lead to increased levels of anxiety and depression. Counselling can help women manage these symptoms by teaching them coping strategies, improving their self-esteem and self-worth, and increasing their resilience.
Manage stress: Perimenopause and menopause can also be highly stressful, mainly if women are dealing with other life challenges, such as work or family pressures. Counselling can help women manage stress by teaching them relaxation techniques, mindfulness practices, and strategies.
Improving communication and relationships: During perimenopause and menopause, women may also experience changes in their relationships, including with their partners, family, and friends. Counselling can help women improve communication and strengthen relationships by teaching them healthy communication skills and conflict-resolution strategies.
Promote self-awareness and growth: Counselling can help women develop self-awareness and personal growth. By exploring their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, women can gain insight into themselves and their lives and make positive changes to improve their well-being.
Latitude Wellness Vancouver
Latitude Wellness provides a safe, supportive and inclusive space for women to discuss their experiences and feelings and find relief for physical symptoms while dealing with the transitional time in their life with perimenopause and menopause.
We are here to help women maintain reasonable physical, mental and emotional health during this transitional (and sometimes challenging) journey of menopause.
Latitude Wellness is an integrated multidisciplinary wellness clinic in Vancouver, British Columbia. The clinic offers services designed to help individuals support their physical and mental health, including chiropractic care, acupuncture, physiotherapy, pelvic floor physiotherapy and counselling (online and in-person).
Our team at Latitude Wellness provides high-quality, personalized care to help patients achieve their health and wellness goals.
Latitude Wellness is located at #401 - 815 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2E6
If you are interested in exploring the benefits of an integrated wellness center, contact our office to book an appointment or answer any questions. To book an appointment, visit our online booking site. We look forward to welcoming you to Latitude Wellness.