OUT OF ORDER

What To Do When Your Hormones Are Conspiring Against You

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Hi Reader,

I remember the very first time I noticed something felt off.

I was taking the train uptown with my five-year old daughter to meet another mom and her daughter for a playdate.

Everything felt fine until suddenly my forearms became itchy, red and hot. At first, I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something. Was it something I ate? I wasn’t sure. I just knew something was wrong.

Then the same sensation traveled up to my face and neck.

The last place I wanted to be at that moment was on a subway car. I felt trapped because I couldn’t get off while the train was barreling through the tunnel. I immediately wanted ice water and did my best to remain calm for my daughter’s sake.

“Please, dear God, just let me get where I need to go and make all this heat disappear,” I said to myself.

A few deep breaths helped me regain some composure. I was also self-conscious, wondering if people were staring at me.

As the train pulled into the station, I felt relieved and noticed the heat beginning to dissipate. Once at my friend’s apartment, I ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My face appeared completely normal.

Then, about two hours later, it happened again.

What I just described was my introduction to hot flashes at the age of forty-eight.

And for every woman entering the menopause transition, the experience can be different. Some women sail through it. For others, it can be a living hell.

Fortunately, menopause has become so mainstream that it’s finally showing up at the dinner table.

Well, maybe that depends on what company you keep.

At my house, any topic is fair game.

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What Exactly Is a Hot Flash?

A hot flash is actually your brain trying to cool you down—even though your body isn't necessarily overheating.

Deep within the brain sits the hypothalamus, a small but powerful region that acts, among many other things, as your body's internal thermostat. Under normal circumstances, it keeps your body temperature within a comfortable range without needing to make dramatic adjustments.

As estrogen fluctuates and eventually declines during the menopause transition, that temperature-regulating system can become much more sensitive. Part of the reason appears to involve a group of hypothalamic brain cells called KNDy neurons, which are influenced by estrogen and help communicate with the areas of the brain responsible for temperature regulation.

With less estrogen around, these neurons can become more active and the body's comfortable temperature range—sometimes called the thermoneutral zone—may become narrower. Suddenly, a very small change in body temperature that normally wouldn't cause much of a reaction can set off the alarm.

The hypothalamus essentially gets the message: We're too hot. Get rid of the heat.

Blood vessels near the skin dilate to release heat, blood flow to the skin increases, and the sweat glands kick into action. That's the sudden wave of heat, flushing and sweating we recognize as a hot flash.

Then, because the body has rapidly dumped heat, you may find yourself cold or even shivering afterward.

So while it can certainly feel like your hormones are conspiring against you, what's happening is really a conversation between changing hormones, the brain and the body's temperature-control system—and during menopause, that conversation can get a little out of order.

The Holistic Approach That Helped Me

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​I’ve always lived my life taking a holistic approach to health. I saw an herbalist to help the hot flashes, changed my diet to more protein healthy fats and lowered the starches, plus made a point to order food from an Amish farm that practices regenerative farming. Then came acupuncture and herbs. These things worked for me and the hot flashes lessened. They decreased in frequency and in intensity. Having your face turn red as a beet, while at work is most inconvenient and embarrassing. Then one day, they just stopped. Thank God.

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For some women, taking bio-identical hormones or HRT is what works for them. I recommend to any of the women that do strength training with me, if they are thinking about that option, to make sure they speak to their health care provider and get genetic testing (for HRT) to find out if they are a good candidate. Not every woman can take HRT due to specific genes they may have. A drug is a drug and so testing is necessary for a well informed decision.

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Hot flashes are one aspect of menopause but they are not the only one.

Angry - Dazed- Forgetful - Moody - Anxious - Pessimistic - Fragile

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​If the seven dwarves were female and going through menopause their names would be:

• Angry
• Dazed
• Forgetful
• Moody
• Anxious
• Pessimistic
• Fragile

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In the Konenki Menopause Solutions provider network that I’m a part of, I met Russel Betts who is an author and teaches a program for men to help them learn how to be more supportive and compassionate partners during this major life change. Russell’s book is aptly titled “The Good Husband’s Guide to Menopause.” I wish I had this book to give to my spouse when I began the roller coaster journey of menopause. It would have explained so much. Fortunately, my marriage survived.

Other than hot flashes, I think one of the biggest rough patches can be nervous system dysregulation. Not that it is impossible to find one’s center and feel more grounded in midlife but there is also so much happening in women’s lives. It’s like moving into a new house. There’s 50 boxes to unpack and you don’t know where to begin. It’s one giant ball of overwhelm.

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And there are biological reasons why you may feel as though your nervous system suddenly has a much shorter fuse.

Estrogen isn't only involved in reproduction. The brain is filled with estrogen receptors, and changing levels of estrogen during the menopause transition can influence brain systems involved in mood, memory, sleep, temperature regulation and our response to stress.

One of the areas affected is the hypothalamus (I mentioned it earlier in relation to hot flashes and it also plays an important role in the nervous system), which helps coordinate the autonomic nervous system—the largely automatic system responsible for things like heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and digestion. It's also involved in the body's stress response through communication with the pituitary and adrenal glands, commonly referred to as the HPA axis.

Estrogen also interacts with chemical messengers in the brain including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and GABA, all of which play different roles in mood, attention, motivation, sleep and our ability to respond and adapt to stress.

During perimenopause, estrogen doesn't simply decline in a nice, predictable straight line. It can fluctuate considerably before eventually settling at much lower levels after menopause. For some women, that changing hormonal environment may contribute to feeling more emotionally reactive, anxious, irritable, overwhelmed or simply less resilient to stresses they once handled more easily.

Then add disrupted sleep, hot flashes, family responsibilities, aging parents, relationships, career demands and the enormous psychological transition that can accompany this stage of life.

Suddenly those 50 boxes aren't just sitting in the room.

They're - ALL - open - at the same time.

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Your Brain Is Not Broken & You’re Not A Hot Mess

Yes, it does feel that way and it really sucks when those around you are clueless. That’s why I mentioned my friend Russell Bett’s book, “The Good Husband’s Guide To Menopause” Instead of saying to a family member or your spouse, “Damn it! I wish you would just get it,” you can say, “Here, read this book, puh-leeez”

Let’s talk about the good news. I love good news, don’t you?

It comes down to one word: neuroplasticity.

The old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” is a load of B.S.

You hear it all the time—how important it is to learn something new. It can be a foreign language, signing up for ballroom dance lessons, learning to play an instrument or traveling to a new country you’ve always wanted to visit.

All of those experiences challenge the brain in different ways. But neuroplasticity goes much further than learning a new skill.

It is the brain’s lifelong ability to change and reorganize itself in response to what we repeatedly experience, practice and learn.

And that becomes particularly interesting when we look at what is happening to the brain during the menopause transition.

The Brain Is Adaptable

Here’s the part I find particularly fascinating.

The brain isn't a fixed structure that simply starts malfunctioning when estrogen declines. It has an extraordinary ability called neuroplasticity—the capacity to change, reorganize and create new patterns in response to what is happening both inside and outside the body.

During the menopause transition, the brain is adapting to a very different hormonal environment. Estrogen receptors are found throughout areas of the brain involved in memory, mood, sleep, temperature regulation and stress. When estrogen begins fluctuating and eventually settles at much lower levels, those systems have to adjust.

Researchers studying the menopausal brain have found evidence of changes in brain structure, connectivity and energy metabolism during this transition. Interestingly, some of these changes appear to stabilize or adapt after menopause. In other words, menopause isn't necessarily a story of the brain simply going downhill. It is also a story of adaptation.

And this is where neuroplasticity becomes especially relevant.

The nervous system continues responding to the signals we repeatedly give it. Physical activity and exercise, learning new things, adequate sleep, social connection, meditation, breathing practices and other forms of stress management can all influence the brain and nervous system.

Think of it almost like creating new pathways through a field. The more frequently you travel a particular path, the easier that path becomes to follow.

That doesn't mean we can breathe our way out of every menopause symptom or simply “think positively” and make hormonal changes disappear.

But it does mean that we aren't completely powerless passengers on this ride.

The menopausal brain is changing.

And it is also remarkably capable of adapting.

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​You’re Still In There

There were moments during my own menopause transition when I didn't feel like myself. My patience was shorter. My emotions could feel bigger like a toddler having a major meltdown. My sleep wasn't always reliable and there were days when my brain seemed to have its own agenda.

Maybe you've had moments like that too.

But here's what I want you to take away from all of this.

Your hormones may be changing the environment your brain and nervous system are operating in, but you still have influence over what happens next.

• You can engage in movement that makes you feel good; yoga, strength training, swimming, dance etc…
• Prioritize recovery such as sleep.
• Spend time outside in the sunshine which improves mitochondrial function, mood and your circadian rhythm (especially early morning light).
• Pick something new you always wanted to learn.
• Take a few minutes to slow down and breathe deeply and intentionally. Start with one minute a day when you first wake up and before bed.
• Spend time with people who make you laugh, bring out your best and help you feel connected.

Not because any one of these things is a magic fix for menopause.

They matter because your brain and nervous system are constantly responding and adapting to the signals they receive.

Some days you may feel strong, clear-headed and completely grounded. Other days you may walk into a room and have absolutely no idea why you're there. Yup! Been there.

Welcome to being human—with a little hormonal turbulence thrown in.

So if menopause occasionally makes you feel like you're Out of Order, remember:

You aren't out of order. Your body is adapting to change.

And you can support it along the way.

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​Many blessings to you for abundant health, happiness and wellbeing ~

Strong and Beautiful in Midlife!

Sharon

Kuhle Body is a project of Vidya Ministerium, a faith based, private membership association. Services are available to members only. Membership is free and we are always accepting new members. You can opt out at any time. For more information, please read our PMA Declaration.​