How To Manage Inflammation During Menopause

In today's  epic-mine episode your host Mary, will explore the complex relationship between menopause and inflammation - a hot topic talked about plenty yet not addressed effectivley, in my opionion.

Mary dives into how menopause affects the body's inflammatory response and briefly shares four insights on managing symptoms:

• Nutrition
• Movement
• Sleep optimization
• Stress reduction

These four areas of health optimization are discussed in greater detail in my Substack article, Four Holistic Approaches to Manage Inflammation in Menopause

Experts in the field of women's health featured in previous episodes worth listening to nclude:

• Alicia Jones
• Michaela Morrell
• Audrianna Gurr (airing June 17)

Resources:

• The Menopause Brain
• Replication of cortisol circadian rhythm: new advances in hydrocortisone replacement therapy
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Menopause
• Integrative Therapies for Menopause

Dowload my FREE Guide, Understanding Adaptogens: Nature's Stress Relievers

Transcript

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Mary Lee 0:00

Welcome to another awesome mini episode with me, your host, Mary, And today we're tackling a crucial topic. One that I've discussed often before with colleagues, friends, family, and that is inflammation during menopause. And so on This little mini episode. I'm going to explore what causes it and discuss holistic approaches, four of them, to manage it effectively for a better quality of life. Before we begin, I'm sitting at my kitchen table on one beautiful sunny evening. I'm Snacking on some snap peas and carrots. I'm And hummus made with chickpeas, my favorite recipe. And I thought, mmm, these delicious phytonutrients and they're so full of phytoestrogens. And I thought, wow, I should do a podcast about that because it helps fight inflammation. That's just a little scoop on why I came up with today's topic. So here we go. Menopause, of course, we know is a significant phase in our lives and it's marked by the end of our menstrual cycle, 12 months without amensies, and with it comes a decline in estrogen. Drastic like jumping off a cliff. So while hot flashes and mood swings and sleep disturbances are more the well-known symptoms, one lesser known yet critical aspect of menopause is the increase in inflammation. And this inflammation can worsen symptoms and lead to long-term health issues. So what causes this inflammation? Menopause. Well, with its significant hormonal changes, with especially with that decline in estrogen levels, which plays a crucial role in regulating the immune system. And also helps maintain anti inflammatory processes in the body. So when it drops, the production of Pro inflammatory cytokines increases leading to systemic inflammation. Additionally, oxidative stress and metabolic changes further promote inflammation. Studies indicate that menopause increases the risk of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Moreover, systemic inflammation can impact neurological health, contributing to cognitive decline and an increased risk of depression. Neurodegenerative diseases. Now let's talk about what you can do about managing inflammation from a holistic approach. First up, nutrition. What you eat will affect everything in your body, including inflammation. So you want to aim for a balanced diet rich in anti inflammatory foods and this will significantly reduce inflammation levels in the body. what are anti inflammatory foods? Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish and flaxseed and this can effectively counteract inflammation. Also, a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins support overall health and reduces oxidative stress. to quote another study in 2019, this study highlighted how foods rich in phytoestrogens, such as soy products and pistachios and almonds, things I like to snack on, chickpeas, they can help alleviate menstrual symptoms by mimicking the effects of estrogen in the body. That's why they're called phytoestrogens, but phytoestrogens in a simple term is a plant based estrogen. Supplements are another vital component. Several supplements have anti inflammatory properties such as vitamin D and calcium, which are both essential for bone health and can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis. and omega 3 supplements. Which is talked about in my very second episode of all things menopausal with Michaela Morrell. Go check it out. So informative She is a body biohacker and she will really unpack the power of omega 3 supplements So they these supplements can help reduce the systemic inflammation and support cardiovascular health and then there's also other herbal supplements supplements like I've heard of black cohosh and red clover that have been found to reduce the severity and the frequency with inflammation as well as with hot flashes. And this has been supported in some research but I will say though that if you haven't taken herbs like this it's a really smart idea to talk to an herbalist or a naturopath when you want to start introducing herbs into your diet because many herbs have contraindications with certain medications. So you want to be very careful about that.

Speaker 2 4:46

And while we're still on the topic of nutrition, let's talk about spices. One in particular, turmeric, which is an active compound from the ginger flowering family and from curcumin. Which is a potent anti inflammatory agent and studies have shown that curcumin can block the action of certain enzymes and cytokines that cause inflammation in the body. I've mentioned cytokines before and you ask, what are they? Well, they're pretty much a protein, a signaling protein to be exact. And their role is to

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Speaker 2 5:20

inflammation, allowing the immune system to defend off germs and other substances that pretty much can make us sick. Turmeric also has an antioxidant property that helps neutralize the free radicals, a very harmful compound that causes oxidative stress and damage to our cells. So by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, tumour can support our overall health and can even aid in managing chronic inflammation diseases such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and even certain cardiovascular health diseases. You know one thing that I like to do, and I mentioned this at the beginning of the podcast about my hummus? I sprinkle some turmeric in there, and I'll also put a dash or two in my smoothies. A little bit here and there, it doesn't taste awful, might give your food a beautiful golden yellow colour. We should be eating all the colours of the rainbow, right? For good health, yes.

Mary Lee 6:15

Now we're going to talk about exercise, exercise, exercise, exercise. The body is designed to move. We must get up and move. Let's just say when you can get to the synovial fluid moving in the body, you can help. Um, it's an incredible method that has been used to really help alleviate some of the inflammation and the joint pain. And if you want to learn more about that, go and listen to my episode. It's a recent episode with Alicia Jones of Alicia Jones, Healthy Living, we really unpack many things and get into the value of exercise and different exercise techniques for optimizing your health. But all that to say, regular physical activity is one of the most effective ways to reduce inflammation and improve overall heath. You can go on a great length of it, um, from the cardiovascular to maintaining bone health, uh, counteracting bone density loss as we age, as well as maintaining muscle mass. Exercise also helps regulate our hormone levels and improve mood and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. And, you know, if you're stiff and you're sore, swimming, gentle swimming, or, or gentle activities such as yoga and tai chi can be particularly beneficial. Because they also, are physical movements that help stress reduction in the body, Chronic stress is a significant contributor to inflammation. Yes, Stress management. So crucial. Techniques such as mindfulness meditation and deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation can help reduce stress levels and lower inflammatory markers in the body. But here's the deal, chronic stress, first and foremost, is caused mainly by high cortisol levels the number one stress hormone in the body, it's at a heightened state and it stays there for much longer. And menopause in itself is a stressor on the body, and I talk about that in my blog that you can go check out. But, overall, cortisol reaps so much havoc on the body, and stress management techniques that can bring that cortisol level down, will spill over into so many benefits, as well as, um, help support the circadian rhythm of the body, because cortisol actually sets the circadian rhythm. And so that's what we're going to talk about next. On top of getting adequate rest and engaging activities that promote relaxation, um, such as doing something really gentle like yin yoga before bed, or Um, even doing some meditation can help reduce that stress at the end of the day so that you can optimize your sleep. Another essential quality for maintaining a healthy immune system and reducing inflammation. So menopausal women often experience sleep disturbances and this can be due to their night sweats, hot flashes, you know, ongoing anxiety, or just because we can't get rid of that stress that's in your body. So we really need to create a sleep friendly environment. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule is so important. Not eating before bed, you know, two to three hours before bed. And get off your device. Like, honestly, I say this to my husband, I say this to myself, even when I'm going to bed and I'm scrolling through Spotify to find that perfect, sleep environment. I have a lot of sleep apps I'd like to listen to, but the sleep for meditation for women just love it. But then again, I'm exposed to blue light. If you can get away from the TV, your device for an hour, even half an hour, but a couple hours before bed is ideal. That will also help because that, that light is impacting the melatonin production in the body. So when it gets screwed up, well, so does your sleep. And then I've mentioned this before, and it'll be coming up in a later episode with Adriana Gerr. She's a cognitive behavioral therapist, among many other therapies that she offers And it's mentioned in one of my, in a couple of my blog posts, but cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia or CBT I has been shown to be effective in managing sleep disturbances during menopause. Um, really interesting study, uh, done and Tony Tan that talks about that, which is a reference linked in the show notes. So all that to say, inflammation during menopause happens, but it's a complex issue and it's influenced by hormonal changes and oxidative stress and a number of lifestyle factors. So if you heard me list off those. Nutrition and exercise things and you're going, uh, no vegetables. Eh, fruits. No. Work out, forget it. Well, then you can anticipate that getting that inflammation down is going to be a little bit more difficult. So all that to say is lifestyle factors huge contributor to the inflammation in your body, as well as the hormone changes. So if you think something's wrong with you and you need to take care of it. Some additional tests, chronic inflammation tests, but you know, you decide for yourself and you're absolutely 100 percent should be working with your doctor to address inflammation concerns. But overall, you can bet menopause equals inflammation. And with that comes joint pain for many. So I just giving you some holistic ideas and by adopting a holistic approach and you can effectively manage inflammation and then overall improve your quality of life during this transition there. There was a lot. There will be some links in the show notes. Um, please do check out those other podcast episodes that I've mentioned and the one that will be coming up on CBT. Very informative from the experts in the field. I couldn't bring on the experts, to talk about this one. So I'm referring to their reference papers. And let me just tell you one other thing. A lot of the information I used to write the blog post to support this topic as well. I got from the amazing book, The Menopause Brain. One of my favorites by Dr. Lisa Moscone. It'll be linked in the show notes. Check it out. It's one of those books that you should have on your bookshelf. And I've mentioned several over the course of the last 30 some odd podcasts. This is one of them.

Speaker 2 12:23

I do want to talk about adaptogens and their amazing anti inflammatory benefits. Adaptogens deserve their own podcast topic alone. And I have a cheat sheet that you can. Download. It's in the show notes. So adaptogens, they are a unique group of herbs and mushrooms that help our bodies adapt to stress, whether it's, and again, physical, chemical or biological stress, they work by regulating the adrenal system, which manages the body's hormonal responses to stress. They also have very significant anti inflammatory properties. So. I'm just going to list off just a few of the top adaptogens without getting too much into it. And again, you can find all the details in my cheat sheet. Okay. First of all, adaptogens are divided into the calming adaptogens and they're also the pick me up, stimulating adaptogens. And then you have your mushrooms. So just to list off a few key ones off the top, and this is not all exhaustive list. You can check out the cheat sheet for more. The ones at the top for anti inflammatory benefits are number one, ashwagandha. I love saying that word, ashwagandha. Ashwagandha. This adaptogen is well known for reducing, reducing stress and anxiety, but with its powerful anti inflammatory effects can help address cortisol levels, and Which, as I mentioned earlier, cause the chronic stress. And then you have your rhodiola rosea. This adaptogen is great for combating fatigue and enhancing mental performance. And of course, it possesses anti inflammatory properties that can help alleviate symptoms of stress related inflammation. Then, let's talk holy basil. Often referred to as the queen of herbs, holy basil is renowned for its calming effects and its ability to lower inflammation. caused by stress and support the overall immune function. And then you have your cordyceps. This is a medicinal mushroom. It's not only a powerful adaptogen, but also an excellent anti inflammatory agent. It can help improve energy levels in combat inflammation, making it a great addition to your wellness routine. Let's talk about other mushrooms. That would be the Reishi mushroom. Often referred to as the mushroom of immortality, Reishi is revered for its numerous health benefits. It helps modulate the immune system and reduces stress. So incorporating a little Reishi into your routine can help combat chronic inflammation and support overall well being. So now you're thinking, how do I integrate these adaptogens into my daily routine? Well, you can take them in powder form, mix them up in a shake, replace them for coffee, such as reishi mushroom Again, all those details and how much to take and when to take is in my little cheat sheet. But please, if you are on any medication for thyroid, check with your doctor because there is some contraindications that need to be identified. So in summary, integrating adaptogens into your diet can be a game changer for managing your inflammation and improving overall health. Whether you choose to take them as a supplement, a tea, or incorporate them into your meals, these natural remedies have a Holistic approach to wellness that just cannot be beat.

Mary Lee 15:45

One final thing to stress about inflammation in the body, and that is it is not your fault. You're not to blame. It's nothing that you've done. This is simply a reaction that your body is going through as a result of declining estrogen in the body. But my job is to empower you with information and knowledge because knowledge is power. Power is the difference between being told what to do and you deciding for yourself. And I've offered So many holistic approaches to put you back in the driver's seat so that you can take control of your body, address that inflammation with some great resources, some great spices, adapted gins, nutrition, supplements, exercise techniques, stress management, meditation, it all addresses inflammation in the body. And the meditation part is one thing that I really lean into the most because when I feel those cortisol levels rise due to a stress, a thought in my head that just triggers an emotion that gets me all riled up, sitting back and taking a moment to be present in a meditative state is so effective. That alone to address cortisol. is so effective and which is why I'm doing a lot more meditations as so as my some of my epic mini episodes. So stay tuned for more. I've already put a couple up already. So I hope this leaves you feeling a sense of empowerment. Keep telling yourself, I've got this. I've got this. I've got a coach in my corner. She's here to provide me with information. If I ever need her, I can just reach out, connect with me. My link is in the show notes. thank you again for joining me on all things menopausal. Don't forget to consult with the health care professionals though before making any significant lifestyle changes or starting on new Supplements to ensure that they're safe and appropriate for your individual health needs. There's no contra indications and Well, that's it my friends stay tuned for our Next episode coming up. We will be diving into the topic of cognitive behavior therapy. And so until next time the love and light love and light.