MISERY
I am, hoping, the menopause symptoms that have arrested me and made me absolutely miserable for the past ten years are on the way OUT! The prodromal symptoms, like that of an aura before a migraine or a seizure, are a sense of unease, uncomfortableness, anxiety and doom. Once I feel these, I wait for the ‘hot flash’ to occur. Suddenly, my whole body becomes engulfed in a case of heat, sweat, stickiness and ugggh! In my haste to turn on my fan, which rests beside me in my bed (some women have a man in their bed. I have a fan), the ‘hot flash’ is slowly moving into its cave, only to emerge again in roughly a half hour or so. Sometimes the ‘before’ symptoms can include itching all over, seeing things and anxiety. It is the time between the hot flash and not, which I call the gap, is when I have to be creative. It is in this space, I text, write a letter, speak with people, eat, sleep, watch television, read. Once the hot flash surrounds me, I can’t or won’t do any of that. The hot flash has me for the seconds it is alive. It is absolute misery. Unless you have undergone the hot flash, you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about. But if you have, you are in the circle. A circle no woman wants to be in. But, unfortunately, mothernature or whomever you deem responsible for it, says otherwise.
WHAT IS A HOT FLASH?
I was so miserable one day, I decided to do the BING thing and research what is a hot flash and why in the heck do some women experience them. According to a January 2024 WEB MD article written by Lori M King and reviewed by Dr. Zilpah Sheikh, hot flashes, aka, vasomotor symptoms (VMS) are the most common symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. This is the natural time when our ovaries stop releasing eggs and our periods stop. Usually, one has to be period free for one solid year before doctors will deem one in menopause. If one vaginally bleeds AFTER that one year of no bleeding, one should see the gynecologist as another issue could be waiting. According to the article, a hot flash brings with it INTENSE heat in your face, neck and chest. I can attest to this. It can bring on much sweat (I have had sweat pouring down my back, butt, face and head, so badly, I had to get towels to wipe it away. There have been times while in the barber’s chair, as I wear my head shaved, a hot flash has started with the sweat. EMBARRASSING to say the least). And let’s not talk about the ‘night hot flashes.’ Good lord. I have been drenched in sweat to the point of changing my night clothes and the sheets and the pillow cases. MISERY. Covers on. Covers off. Fan on. Fan off. MISERY. According to Dr Sheikh, some women who have undergone chemotherapy or have had their ovaries removed during a hysterectomy can experience hot flashes as not enough estrogen is being released. Therefore, while menopause can occur in women in their 50s, like myself, women in their 30s and 40s can be in the circle as well. Dr Sheikh says hot flashes can be attributable to other conditions like viral and bacterial infections, hormonal disorders, substance abuse, neurological disorders (like syringomyelia, a cyst in your spinal cord), mood, sleep disorders, gerd, some cancers like leukemia and lymphoma and their subsequent treatments. Medications like steroids, acetaminophen, aspirin, antidepressants and blood pressure pills can be causes as well.
ENTER THE BRAIN
Nearly all the symptoms associated with menopause, according to deborah maragopoulos, an intuitive integrative family nurse practitioner, are related to hypothalamic dysfunction. The hypothalamus, a gland that sits in our brains, regulates our body temperature. If it’s in chaos, one can be cold all the time. hot all the time. or like us in the circle, a combination of the two. She says in perimenopause the first hormone to become out of balance is progesterone. In menopause, both estrogen and progesterone have declined, leading some women to opt for hormone replacement therapies and holistic approaches like black cohash and primrose oil. I tried both. Not successful for me. I found these particular approaches had too many aftereffects and were costly. The gynecologist I was seeing at the time offered compounding therapies for me in the form of testosterone pellets implanted in the glutes. They were not covered by insurance. Once again, not helpful. Another gynecologist told me that, while some women can have hot flashes for, maybe, four to ten years, others can have them FOR LIFE. FOR LIFE!!!!!! I pray DAILY that this is NOT the case for me. As mentioned earlier, I am hoping the symptoms are on the way out as they are not as intense.
CONSIDER THE PISTACHIO
As an adult health nurse practitioner, I take an holistic, complementary approach to treatment. I consider one’s diet and health management before prescribing a medication. Therefore, I took this route for myself in attempting to minimize the duration and intensity of the hot flashes. I know the triggers: caffeine, carb-loaded diet, smoking and alcohol. I do not drink nor smoke. I strength train during the week, and drink water. But I’m human. That being said I love all things sweet, baked, fried and dipped in heart-clogging gravies and such. Moderation is the key! I also search for ways to enhance my diet with foods that help promote sleep and ESTROGEN. Enter the pistachio. Besides,
*improving heart health
*enhancing gut health
*combatting inflammation
*improving vision health
*boosting cognitive function
this lovely kernel INCREASES ESTROGEN LEVELS, AIDS IN WEIGHT LOSS and PROMOTES SLEEP (as it, besides almonds, are high in melatonin) And they taste mahvalous. When eating them, I try and eat them in the shell, because when I shell them I am more cognizant of what I’m putting in my mouth. I choose to purchase them in easytocarry packets. Each packet is 120 calories. While they are NOT a prescribed medication and therefore I won’t know if they are actually boosting my estrogen stores until I take a blood test, I feel good about eating them and putting good in my body. I do not want to go through the merrygoround of HRT, compounding medications, paying out of pocket, and hoping the medications prescribed aren’t on backorder. Eating a packet or two a day of pistachios, along with a good vitamin E supplement, is a lot easier and less stressful.
GO SHOPPING
Of course you can find these lovely kernels in any pharmacy or grocery store. They can be a tad expensive and come in different varieties like sea salt, garlic, and cayenne pepper. But I eat the plain variety. Once again, gotta keep the weight in check. Amazon sells them as well. Check them out here. Also, don’t forget to visit my YouTube and TikTok platforms for a short video titled Consider the Pistachio.”
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consider the PISTACHIO for its estrogen properties