What is an Integrative Menopause?

Approaching menopause with integrative medicine is life changing!

Integrative Menopause is my term for combining integrative or holistic approaches with conventional medicine  to provide a comprehensive approach to the menopause journey.

Going through the menopause transition, many women will find that their wellbeing is not just impacted by a sudden loss of estrogen  but also by the metabolic changes that occur at this time.  Women are more complicated than just their “hormones”. Hormonal changes do cause a variety of physical and emotional symptoms, but strictly addressing hormones will not be the only answer for most women.  Integrative approaches can help balance hormones but at its core, Integrative approaches to menopause will address each woman as a “whole person”-mind, body and spirit.

By accessing more “tools in the tool box” women will experience a reduction in hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog and the all too long list of other physical symptoms of menopause. But also, help reduce the emotional symptoms of menopause, such as mood swings and depression.  In other words, integrative medicine can also help women maintain or improve overall health and wellbeing in the immediate present.

In the long term, the integrative techniques learned and modalities used are imperative in living  a vibrant, active and healthy life in the years beyond “the change”.

What are the “tools” of integrative medicine?

This is where it gets interesting. Integrative techniques are informed by evidence.  The scale of these options increases almost weekly!  Maintaining a heavy foundation in conventional medicine, other therapies come from:

Biologically -based therapies

Optimizing nutrient deficiencies and utilizing food as medicine while learning to  avoid over or under nourishment.  At times, Functional Medicine approaches are used. The use of botanicals (herbs), vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, prebiotics and probiotics are all included here.

Body based/Manipulative methods

Consider exercise, massage, physical therapy, osteopathic manipulations and chiropractic care.

Mind-body therapies

Included here are things like meditation, prayer, mindfulness, breath work, guided imagery, hypnosis and expressive therapies (the arts). Psychology techniques like Cognitive behavioral therapies and group therapies fall here.

Energy Therapies

This is the use of energy fields.  Biofield therapies of qi gong, Reiki and Therapeutic touch. Or perhaps you are familiar with “earthing” or “grounding” (walking barefoot).

Whole Medical Systems

Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, homeopathy, indigenous and folk medicine. These all differ from conventional medicine in that they share a perspective that the root of an inherited or acquired problem lies in an overall imbalance and not an isolated disease in a specific organ. Approaches are more patient-centered rather than disease-centered.

Menopause is a natural transition in a woman's life, but it can be a difficult time for many women. It is important to manage menopause in an integrative way to insure that you are able to cope with not just the physical and emotional changes that come with this transition but also to slow if not prevent the development of chronic diseases of aging— cardiovascular disease (heart attacks/strokes), neurodegenerative disease (Alzhiemer’s), cancer and metabolic disease (diabetes).  Menopause seems to act as an accelerant on the the development of chronic health issues.  We have the potential to reduce this effect!

Traditional medical treatments, such as hormone replacement therapy and non hormonal pharmaceuticals, can provide relief from some of the more severe symptoms of menopause. However, these treatments may not be suitable for all women, and they may fall short in addressing the underlying causes of many menopausal symptoms. An integrative approach to menopause management takes into account the whole person, not just the physical symptoms that respond to a drug acting on receptor model. It's an approach whose practitioners remain humble, in awe of  what it means to be a woman transitioning through life, while respecting the biological, cultural and spiritual differences of all women.

You deserve to be seen as a whole person. Your menopause experience will be unique to you. Your approach and management plan should be targeted to your unique personal needs.  View menopause as a transformative window of opportunity.  An integrative approach in your present will support you now so that you may thrive in your future. My wish for you is a joyful life of self discovery, where your health span and life span are one and the same.

Wellness always,

Integrative Menopause MD