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Home » Health Articles » Is Menopause A 4 Letter Word

Is Menopause a 4 Letter Word?

First of all, let's define Menopause. Then we'll take a look at some natural ways to make this one of the best times in your life!

Defined, Menopause means "the cessation of menses", or in common terms, when a woman stops having her menstrual cycles. Most women enter this stage of their life between the ages of 40 and 58.

Perimenopause is the period directly preceding premenopause and is the transitional time between normal menstrual periods, and no periods at all. The time range of perimenopause can be anywhere from 5 to 15 years, during which estrogen and progesterone production by the ovaries starts to fluctuate, causing many menopausal symptoms.

Premenopause is the period directly preceding menopause, and some women begin to experience menopausal symptoms such as PMS, but most women still have regular menstrual cycles during this time.

As the progesterone production of the ovaries fluctuates and eventually bottoms out as ovulation stops completely, your body can easily slip into a state known as "estrogen dominance", which causes many unpleasant side effects. These include, but are not limited to:

• Fibroid tumors
• Tender breasts
• PMS
• Sudden weight gain
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Depression
• Foggy thinking
• Memory loss
• Migraine headaches
• Irregular timing and flow of menstrual cycles
• Bleeding in between periods
• Cold hands and feet
• Hot flashes

In addition to your body's natural tendency to slip into "estrogen dominance", men and women alike can be exposed to excessive amounts of estrogen as a result of toxins in our environment such as pesticides, plastics, industrial waste products, car exhaust, meat, soaps, and many other things that we encounter in our day to day life.

Females can slip further into an estrogen dominated state as the result of being overweight. Fat cells produce estrogen, so the more overweight you are, the more excess estrogen there will be in your body.

In addition, even if your estrogen levels are normal, if your progesterone levels are below normal, you are still subject to the many acute and chronic conditions that are a result of estrogen dominance, including: breast and uterine cancer, acceleration of the aging process, increased risk of stroke and heart disease, allergy symptoms, depression, anxiety, weight gain (particularly in the abdominal region, hips, and thighs), fatigue, hair loss, osteoporosis, uterine fibroids, and more.

Also, as a woman travels through the menopausal time in her life, her body's ability to absorb nutrients diminishes, although her need for those nutrients increases.

Fortunately, it is possible to utilize a progesterone supplement to alleviate or eliminate many of the acute and chronic conditions associated with the menopausal years. Remember, it is the balance of estrogen and progesterone that your body needs in order to ensure a quality of life free from the many unpleasant and even fatal side effects of estrogen dominance.

As you now know, menopause can be a particularly unpleasant and even dangerous time for a woman. However, through a quality nutrition program, the use of an all-natural progesterone product, and a high quality vitamin and mineral supplementation program, a woman can take control of her menopausal years and look forward to the next healthy and fulfilling stage of her life!

Copyright 2005 Aaron Potts

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Resolve Conflict In 6 Easy Steps - The BEDROL Method

The principles of Negotiation can work for you in any situation, but often people ask me, "Well, its often a fact that conflict happens unexpectedly. What if I don't have time to prepare? Can negotiation skills be used on the spur of the moment?" The answer is YES. The principles of Street Negotiation were created and battle-tested on the streets and it's power lies in its ability to be used to resolve any conflict anytime. Conflict can be resolved in six easy to learn steps, acronymed as BEDROL(TM). That is: Back-up plan, Emotional control, Defusing their anger, Reframing, Options, and Letting them choose their fate.

Step 1--Back Up Plan.

Having a back-up plan before you step into a conflict is absolutely crucial. Police officers sometimes are so accustom to having people do as they say, they become complacent and fail to have a plan B ready in case the person doesn't want to comply. An unfortuanate number of police officers have been killed in the line of duty because they didn't know what to do once the subject refused to comply with their demands. Their lack of a back-up plan made them freeze up, giving the suspect enough time to overpower them. By having a plan B in your pocket prior to dealing with any conflict, you can remain confident that you can still move forward even if your negotiation fails. Remember that your plan B is your best solution that you can come up with on your own without having to talk with your counterpart. For the hostage negotiator, this could mean using the tactical team to take control by force. For two angry neighbors, this could mean going to court. Your plan B gives you the confidence to deal with your counterpart and the ability to move forward, whether you reach an agreement with them or not.

Step 2--Emotional Control

Your anger is the biggest challege towards resolving the conflict peacefully. You need to control your anger by separating the person from the problem. Have pity on the person for attacking you because their real anger lies in the problem, not with you. View the situation rationally without allowing anger into the equation. You always have to remember that if you react with angerâ€"then you've lost the battle.

Step 3--Defusing their anger

The other obstacle to overcome is your counterpart's anger and frustration. These emotions are blinding them from seeing things rationally. Their primary focus is that they were wronged and now they want retributionâ€"often from you. Think of their emotions like a pressure cooker on a stovetop. There are two ways of releasing the pressure: (1) you can pop the lid and the have the contents explode out of the pot from the sudden change in pressure, or (2) you can engage the pressure-release valve and slowly let that steam pressure out of the cooker which will enable you to open the lid without injury. The same is true for an angry person. You want to hit their pressure release switch by using active listening skills. Listen and acknowledge this concerns. Engage them in empathetic responses by trying to walk around in their shoes. Paraphrase back to them what they told you in your own words. You will see a dramatic difference in their level of hostility as they get to vent their anger.

Step 4--Reframing

Now comes the time when you must reframe their position into interests. Do this by first reframing them from an enemy into a partner. Then reframe all their personal attacks on you back on the problem. Then finally, uncover their interests behind their demands with nonconfrontational questions.

Step 5--Options

Discuss options with them and get them involved in the process of thinking about possibilities for a solution. You might have to present some various options that they have available to them. Strive for a cooperative effort to find mutually-satisfying options that will benefit both parties.

Step 6--Letting them choose their fate

Empower your counterpart with the choice to make their own fate. Don't back them into a corner by telling them what to do. Human beings need control over their own life, otherwise they feel threatened. Let them pick the option that you both have discussed. If they still fail to comply at this point then ask them what the possible consequences are if no agreement can be made. As a last resort, use your back-up plan as an alternative to the negotiation.