Menopause is an area that I quietly receive a lot of questions about as there are a lot of veils and unknowns. But there shouldn’t be as it is a natural phase in every woman’s life.

To unveil some of the information that women are embarrassed to ask about for fear of being disregarded, I spoke to Dr. Dina Eino, a registered Naturopathic Doctor who operates bNatural Health & Wellness Centre in Oakville.
Dr. Eino draws on her experience in traditional Chinese medicine by describing menopause as a loss or decrease in yin. In Chinese Medicine the goal is to balance yin and yang - the cooling energy and the hot energy. 

“Menopause is not a disease or a disorder, which unfortunately in our society is commonly viewed that way. It’s a nature process where the body stops ovulating, and the body stops making estrogen.”

She explains the intricate role of estrogen in maintaining the reproductive system, and being responsible for more than 400 functions in the body.

“Once estrogen starts dropping, symptoms like hot flashes, irritability, decreased collagen production, bone loss, increased cardiovascular risk and a huge number of other symptoms begin,” said Dr. Eino.

The Most Common Menopause Symptoms

You may have experienced firsthand or noticed women wearing sleeveless tops and portable fan in the office on the coldest day of the year. Hot flashes, explains Dr. Eino are the most common symptom followed closely by agitation. 

Common symptoms include:
Hot flashes
Night sweats
Agitation/Anxiety
Bone loss - The silent symptom causing women to lose about five per cent of bone loss per year
Weight gain
Cardiovascular Disease – Risk dramatically increases

Counteract Bone Loss Through Exercise

Bone loss can’t be ignored and should be considered early in a woman’s life during her 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s to prepare the body for bone loss.

“If you are starting with low bone mass and you don’t support that, usually by about your 70s or 80s that becomes a really big challenge,” she says. “One of the biggest recommendations I have for anyone entering or in menopause or is to stay physically active and definitely incorporate weight bearing exercise.”

Weight bearing is key to counteracting bone loss. It needs to be an activity that loads the joints and this can be challenging if people have joint pain. 

Weight Bearing Exercises Good for Bone Health
 Weight training
 High-intensity interval training
 Walking 

Non-weight Bearing Exercises (they don’t support bone-building but have other benefits)
Cycling
Elliptical
Swimming
Yoga (supports building yin)

Menopause and Naturopathic Medicine 

Some treatments in western society include hormone-based medicine. In many cases, women can treat their symptoms naturally but, it depends on many factors including the complexity and severity of their symptoms and family history. 

“The experience of menopause is so different across the board for women,” said Dr. Eino. “For women with an average experience of menopause such as hot flashes, irritability and weight gain there are lots of naturopathic remedies to try.”

She goes on to say that acupuncture can support yin and can assist in other areas of the body. Dietary measures can also assist with many symptoms. She often recommends phyto-estrogens which are plant molecules that resemble estrogen and can support estrogen in the body. A few examples of foods that include phyto-estrogens are flax seeds, beans, chickpeas and pistachios.

Herbs can also play an important role in managing symptoms. Here are some of Dr. Eino’s favourites:

White peony – Chinese Medicine reveres its benefits to tonify yin
Chaste tree – Amazing for peri-menopause or early menopause
Adaptogens – Rhodiola, ginseng, ashwaganda – these can play an important role in supporting pathways in a woman’s body to help make or regulate hormones
Lavender, hibiscus, passionflower, peppermint – These herbs play a role in boosting yin by cooling the system and preventing hot flashes and night sweats

Naturopathic medicine can also assist women in menopause through the use of bio-identical hormones, explains Dr. Eino. These are plant-based products that resemble hormones in the body.  

“Estrogen is sourced from soy and progesterone from yams,” Dr. Eino says. “They tend to be a safer approach to hormone replacement. In some cases, hormone replacement can be a life-saver for some women. However, it is not a good choice for women who have a family history of estrogen or hormone related cancers such as breast, ovarian and cervical. Bio-identical products can instead be a safer option for these women.”

Good nutrition and exercise need to become habits early

Women in their 20s, 30s or 40s should prepare their bodies for menopause with good nutrition that includes a balance between protein and carbohydrates to help stabilize hormones. The other piece of the puzzle is regular weight bearing exercise to build bone mass.

“Naturopathic doctors focus on prevention and the symptoms of menopause. You can’t prevent menopause. Bone health is especially important for petite women because they have to work harder to build bone mass, and regular exercise is the golden key to that. If you enter the peri-menopause stage with your hormones more balanced, the probability of having a lot of hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and agitation decrease,” she adds.

Dr. Eino is very clear on one thing. Menopause shouldn’t be shunned upon but instead women should embrace the changes in their bodies.

“Women’s bodies are amazing, they are absolutely incredible. It is unfortunate that women are very frustrated with their bodies. For me it’s more about body function. If your body is happy and functioning well, the weight gain isn’t where the emphasis should be. Women’s bodies during this time are softening and rounding a bit. If I could share one message it would be to tell women to embrace what is happening and understand that there is a lot of genius to it.”

About Kimberly Hicks-Ruttan

I’m the founder of Fit2Move - virtual fitness in your home, on your own time. I am a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer. Connect with me on Facebook where I run a FREE group called Fit Tips with Kimberly or try out a class on my onpodio website.