For me personally it was a nightmare so I speak from experience :) I actually thought I was going crazy. The mood swings, sleepless nights, the hot flashes, the night sweats and grumpiness were awful. Having always been a petite slender woman I found the weight gain to be quite depressing. At the time there was a commercial on TV by actress Cheryl Ladd who urged women to talk with their Dr. to see what treatment was best for them. I tried that and do you know what she told me? Live with it! I was in such shock walking out of her office. When I got in the car I wss furious, then I just broke down and cried. Needless to say she is no longer my Dr. Thank God I have the most loving, patient, understanding husband a woman could ever dream of. In the middle of winter when I was opening doors and windows he said nothing, in fact we laugh about it now :) he was so patient during my moods and held me when I was in tears. The man deserves Sainthood :) Being left to "live with it" I started doing research on menopause. Losing estrogen throws you whole system into a tail spin. Your body loses the ability to know when it is full, hence the weight gain. I was constantly hungry. You also lose muscle mass and we all know muscle burns fat. Diet plays an important part and I found I was much better off if I stayed away from sugar and cola then reminded myself that I didn't need to eat as much and drank lots of water. Your skin also loses it vibrance so it is important to pamper yourself. Excerise is also important. Reiki played an important in helping me get through this period of my life. Again it was my husband who was right by my side. He would reiki me whenever I asked as it always calmed me down and kept me grounded. Love reiki :) It is powerful medicine. I read somewhere where you should face menopause head on, embrase it as if you were the great volcano Pele. I liked that :) As women we are indeed mysterious creatures :) Encourage your clients to hang in there. There will be a calm after the storm :) I am surprised that there aren't any support groups for women going through menopause.
One more thing, it is also a great time to take up a new hobbie. I started making and designing jewlery. Having gone to Mardi Gras you can never have enough beads :)
And a little note here. In my research I discovered men also go through a form of male menapause. Interesting.
By sharing my experiences I hope it will help your clients.
LLL ~ Cachet
