Perimenopause: Understanding Reserve Energy
Last week, in my first post in this series on perimenopause we discussed how in perimenopause we are moving through a kind of “second puberty” as our bodies adjust to a different level of hormones. This new hormonal state we are eventually getting to is normal, but it can be a bit of a rocky road to get there for some. It’s hard letting go of the magical super-glue reproductive hormones we have been bathed in, that allowed us to “hold it all together” to be everything to everyone during that very demanding reproductive phase of our lives.
Some women experience very few symptoms, other women go through a really challenging time. There are many factors that are contributing to how this expresses itself. We are living on the planet at a time when there are so many factors that can bog down our body’s natural resilience. Be it the effects of ongoing stress, nutrient deficiencies, our exposure to so many hormone mimicking chemicals and other toxins, a disrupted microbiome, issues with inflammation and blood sugar regulation etc.
Then of course there are the realities of body type, and our genetic inheritance. And the epigenetic influences that decide how these genetics will express themselves in our bodies.
How did women in our family line experience menopause? What’s our body type? Do we have a body type that tends to excess or deficiency? Do we tend to patterns of excess and congestion which may be related to excess estrogen states and/or the heavy periods of perimenopause? Do we tend to patterns of tension and contraction leading to dryness, malnourishment, atrophy and deficiency? Do we have a liver that has a difficult time metabolizing hormones? Do we have a body type that tends to be wound up, stressed, anxious and/or pressured into patterns of high achievement?
And then there is the concept of our reserve energy. We all come into this life with a certain amount of reserve energy. I like to think of it as our reserve energy bank account. In Traditional Chinese Medicine they might call it one’s kidney essence. We might relate to it as being stored in our adrenals, or housed in our ovaries. Our ovaries, which by the way continue to produce estrogen and other steroid hormones, albeit in much lower amounts after menopause. For everyone this amount of reserve energy is different.
As we move out of our reproductive function as women, our hormones are re-equilibrating and restoring us to a physiology not tethered to the monthly rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone. In this transition, we depend on our reserve energy to get us through. This reserve energy buffers our transition into menopause, making it gentler and easier. If we come into this life with less reserve energy, or find ways to burn through our reserve energy too quickly, we often ended up in depleted states that can make the transition to menopause more difficult.
The hormone pregnenolone is probably the closest metaphor through which we can better understand this reserve energy. Pregnenolone is manufactured from cholesterol in the brain, the adrenal glands and the ovaries. It is a backbone hormonal building block from which we create steroid hormones in our body. Our steroid hormones include among others - cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and other androgens. When we live our lives in states of heightened stress, the body shunts this backbone hormonal building block of pregnenalone to create stress hormones such as cortisol. This has an overall effect of reducing our levels of estrogen and progesterone and leaving us in a depleted state with less reserve energy to draw upon through our perimenopausal years. I have found the use of natural progesterone cream to be helpful in some cases of depletion to help shore up the levels of pregnenolone to allow the body the building blocks it may need to help support hormonal balance.
It can be seen as a depletion of our yin energy, an energy which as women is incredibly important to our overall health and wellbeing. Living in a world that favours outward yang doing, versus the types of activities that allow us to drink in and replenish our yin stores, we as women are particularly vulnerable to this kind of depletion.
We can burn through our reserve energy pretty easily by spending most of our lives in a continual driven or stressed state and not drinking from the well to replenish and nourish this yin essence. We can deplete this reserve energy through worry, anxiety, overwork, overexercise, overextending ourselves in general, lack of adequate nourishment or sleep to name just a few ways we might perpetuate stress in our physiology. And who is not privy to this kind of stress in the world that we live in? A world whose paradigm is based on lack-of-abundance mentality and an ongoing mantra of not-enoughness. A paradigm that drives continual doing, acquiring and achieving at the expense of being, connecting, loving and of living.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO?
There are a two parts to be acknowledged here in addressing this pattern. One is rewiring our nervous system out of patterns of stress in order to allow the orchestration of the symphony of our hormones to express itself in healthy ways. The second is addressing the issue of our depleted energy reserve.
REWIRING THE NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEM
As we know, getting out of stressed states and self-critical mind sets is not easy. These habitual patterns become so deeply entrenched and hard to break, as many of them are tied into our survival physiology. There are many practices geared to getting us out of these habitual patterns including meditation and prayer, body centred mindfulness practices such as yoga and embodied movement, nature connection, gratitude practices etc. I love the paradigm of Polyvagal Theory to better understand our survival physiology and how to break out of these habitual patterns. If you want to learn more check out the work of Irene Lyon, Deb Dana as well as local offerings with the beautiful work of Meredith Brown.
I have also found plant medicines to be extremely helpful in rewiring and healing old nervous system patterns. Each plant has a signature pattern, that has a unique effect on not only on our physical body but also on our body’s energetic patterns and our mental emotional state. I find that the subtle mental emotional effects of plant medicines come through most strongly when working with the plants themselves, through flower essences, or through handcrafted herbal tinctures. Especially when these medicines are made with care using fresh plant materials in a way that is honouring to nature and the plant.
There are so many plants that can help us fine tune the “symphony orchestra” of our neuroendocrine system by helping us get out of wound up and stressed states:
Last week we talked about the healing balm of Motherwort, a spectacular herb to help ease our nervous system through many hormonal transitions including that of perimenopause.
A few weeks ago we talked about Lemon Balm, another wonderful plant to ease patterns of nervous system distress in the body. Lemon Balm can be uplifting to those that tend to feelings of heaviness or depression. It is said to gladden the heart. It influences the neuroendocrine system and can be especially helpful to those with underlying thyroid issues. It can also have a very calming and soothing effect to those that feel too wound up and are having a hard time getting into a relaxed state.
Another herb that I find especially helpful in perimenopause is Blue Vervain. This plant is indicated for those people that are very driven and have very high standards for themselves. They find it hard to slow down and get out of overdrive. So much of the depletion of our reserve energy comes from this tendency of overdoing. If you are having a hard time switching gears into a more nurturing self care paradigm, you may find Vervain helpful for you. It is especially helpful for easing perimenopausal symptoms related to hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disturbances for women who tend to fit this kind of temperament profile.
There are many more plants that we will cover over the coming months that have a profound effect on our mental emotional as well as hormonal well being. Stay tuned.
Flower essences are another great way to help address mental emotional patterns underlying a nervous system that has a hard time feeling at ease. Bach Flower remedies are a nice introduction to the flower essences and are readily available.
In your own life, become curious as to which plants you encounter over the coming growing season. Is there a plant or flower that particularly speaks to you? That you just love? Or that is growing everywhere in your garden or yard? It’s quite possible that this plant has medicine for you.
REBUILDING OUR ENERGY RESERVES
When it comes to addressing depleted energy reserves we obviously need to start with the basics of eating nourishing food and optimizing digestion so we can absorb the nourishment from the food we eat. Especially important for those people that tend to depleted, dry and contracted tissue states is making sure they are getting enough healthy carbs in their diet. See this foodchart for a little refresher. Healthy carbs build yin, they are nourishing and moistening to the tissue.
Just as important when addressing depleted energy reserves is making sure we get adequate rest, not overextending ourselves and engaging in activities that allow us to fill ourselves up, to drink deeply from the well of life that leave us with a sense of replenishment and fulfillment.
When it comes to herbal allies for addressing depleted energy reserves, I share with you a few of my favourites. It’s interesting to note that they are all roots - having a grounding earthy energy and sweet flavour which is so important in depleted states.
Ashwagandha has a calming effect and improves sleep. It helps regulate the neuroendocrine system, while also helping to rebuild this reserve energy. It is a nourishing and rejuvenative herb. This plant is from the nightshade family. It is traditionally taken as a powdered root, mixed with honey, ghee or milk. It’s flavours are a bit bitter and astringent as well as sweet. It works well taken in the turmeric chai recipe I shared with you.
Maca originates in the Andes where it has been use medicinally for thousands of years. It is, botanically speaking, from the same family as cruceriferous vegetables. It is a supportive rejuvenative tonic that helps regulate the neuroendocrine system and is helpful to ease the transition through perimenopause. Being primarily sweet/starchy in flavour, it can easily be taken in powdered form and mixed into foods.
Shatavari is another important women’s rejuvenative tonic, helpful in cases of depleted reserve energy. A nourishing herb from the asparagus family, it is safe for most people to take on a longterm basis. Its primarily sweet and mild flavour can easily be added to foods such as smoothies or a turmeric chai golden milk .
Join me next week as we explore the topic of phytoestrogens as an important contributor to overall health, including our transition through perimenopause.