Menopause covers all aspects of our being: physical, energetic, emotional, mental and even spiritual, so it seems good to help a women at as many of these levels as possible, at least if they are open to it. This is the approach I like to take with all of my clients.

Even though menopause is a "natural" process, over 85% of women in this country have "problems" with it. Specific areas of concern are the risks and symptoms associated with a decrease in estrogen levels. Risks include osteoporosis, heart disease, and Alzheimer's, while the symptoms can include hot flashes, moodiness, depression, vaginal dryness, loss of sexual drive, lack of mental clarity, and thinning hair. A really good book on this is "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" by Christine Northrup. She cites lots of cultural and emotional reasons why menopause is a big issue in this country (obsession with youth being one of them). However, at a physical level, she claims that the key factors in a woman moving easily through menopause are the state of her adrenals and the quality of her nutritional intake.

The nutritional aspect is a whole topic unto itself, and Northrup does a good job of outlining recommendations. Specifically, however, during menopause it is best if one avoids soft drinks, caffeine, way too much protein (as all three can leach calcium from teeth and bones) and sugar (stimulates TW). Also it is good to increase the intake of Vitamin C and magnesium.

The real issue is that as the levels of estrogen produced by the ovaries drop (to signal a stop to childbearing years), the level of adrenal hormones (which includes weak estrogen and progesterone, as well as estrogen and progesterone precursors, among others,) is supposed to double. In our culture, given the general level of stress and the state of everyone's Triple Warmer, most women have compromised adrenals by middle age and thus no adrenal support for menopause.

Another whole issue around adrenal hormones are the DHEA and cortisol balances. After years of stress, our adrenals are usually producing much more cortisol than necessary, which acts in the body to increase fat storage and suppress the immune system. This happens regardless of menopause, so we won't address it specifically here, but the adrenal support recommended for menopause will certainly help.

For my clients, I have been recommending ways to help the body move gracefully through menopause with energy work, nutrition and herbal therapies. I also suggest that they look at what is going on in their lives and whether they are celebrating menopause as the entrance into the second half of life (a time that really can be one of wisdom and service) or dreading it as a signal that their life is all but over.

Here are some of the suggestions I offer:

In addition to nutritional assistance, which is really important, I rely on energy work and herbal therapies to prevent or help address the symptoms and risks. The two herbal formulas I use regularly that seem to work really well for most menopausal symptoms are made by Dr. Christopher's Products and are called Hormonal Changease and Adrenal Formula. Both formulas combine hormonal precursors, allowing the body to decide how much of each hormone is needed at any given time. The Adrenal Formula not only provides adrenal hormone precursors, but also contains herbs that help cleanse and heal the adrenals so they can start adding their own adrenal hormones to support the body. I am happy to supply a list of the herbs in each formula to anyone who is interested. Of course, I always energy test these on clients before they use them.

Cover eyes with fingers, holding elbows level with your shoulders. Inhale once. Exhale once.

1. Inhale a second time with eyes still covered, then exhale and drag fingers across eyes and out to temples while you are exhaling.
2. Inhale while dragging fingers up over ears and exhale while dragging fingers down behind ears to shoulders. Hang fingers on shoulders at base of neck.
3. Inhaling, cross arms and place fingers on outside upper arms. Exhale.
4. Inhaling, place hands flat across ribs under bust area.
5. Exhale while sweeping hands down legs and off feet at toes.
6. Inhale while sweeping fingers back up legs to under arms.
7. Exhale while sweeping fingers down and off body at side of waist.

Note: Steps 7 & 8 are simply tracing the Spleen meridian forward.

Adrenal massage also is great, as are some specific acupressure points which help menopausal symptoms. Ones I use include:

• K 1: At the base of the ball of the feet, between the two pads
• K 27: In the hollow below the collarbone next to the breast bone
• GB 20: Below the base of the skull, in the hollows 2 to 3 inches apart
• LI 4: In the webbing between the thumb and index finger at the highest spot of the muscle when the thumb and index finger are brought close together. This is a forbidden point during pregnancy.
• CV 17: On the center of the breast bone, three thumb widths up from the base of the bone.
• GV 24.5: Directly between the eyebrows, on the indentation where the bridge of the nose meets the forehead.
• GV 20: On the crown of the head in an indentation or "soft spot" between the cranial bones. To find, follow the line from the back of the ears to the top of the head.

To use these points, press with firm pressure and hold each point for 1 minute. You can use all of these points, or only some of them, but hold each for a full minute, and many of the menopause symptoms will lessen over time. I have also tried holding these points for clients, and then energy testing them. If they test weak, it usually means it is a good point for them to work.

The combination of herbal support and energy work just mentioned can help address many of the symptoms and risks associated with menopause. But there are a few other specific suggestions. For example, for bladder infections, try Cranactin by Solray, as it really helps naturally, as does bladder meridian work. For vaginal dryness and thinning, try douching with a combination of raw apple cider vinegar and water, as this helps heal and strengthen the vaginal wall. For osteoporosis, make sure the diet is rich in natural calcium and minerals, and that you use a calcium supplement that can actually be assimilated by the body. I like the Dr. Christopher product called Herbal Calcium, as it not only provides calcium, but also aids in calcium assimilation. Also, some form of weight-bearing exercise for 30 minutes twice a week is good for bone density. For thinning hair, diet can be important, as well as crown pulls, but I have also heard (but never personally tried) good things about the Chinese herb Shou Wu Pian, although it takes 2-3 months to make a difference. And let's not forget the south face of a magnet on the hair brush.

Important: Do this exercise sitting in a chair. Do not do it standing up.

1. Place left hand flat over center of the chest, place right hand on the right side of the head. Take 5 slow, deep breaths.
2. Leave left hand over center of chest, move right hand to forehead. Take 5 slow, deep breaths.
3. Place right hand flat over center of the chest, place left hand on the left side of the head. Take 5 slow, deep breaths.
4. Leave right hand over center of chest, move left handto back of head. Take 5 slow, deep breaths. Stand up only when you are ready.

And finally, important considerations for the risk or presence of heart disease, in addition to the above, are improving diet, reducing stress/increasing rest, increasing connection with others, meditation, using either fish oil or flax seed oil and the herbs Hawthorne Berry (rebuilds heart tissue) and Cayenne (feeds heart tissue).