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Anyone going through menopause and raw?

TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

Everyone here seems so young. I feel old and nasty. I had to have a complete hysterectomy at age 38(seven years ago; I’m 45 now). When I weaned myself off the long-term medications I was taking for other illness(just a few months ago), I started to have hot-flashes again. This happened before I went raw, so I know it is not my new eating habits. Does anyone have experience or knowledge on whether the raw diet can help someone in my position? Not just in menopause but in menopause because of a complete hysterectomy. I”m really scared of having bone problems. I know my surgery resulted in being completely abnormal but I can’t do anything about it. I just can’t go back to a doctor and be stuffed with drugs and hormones. (The medications I went off of were not for menopause, by the way)

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  • RawVoiceRawVoice Raw Newbie

    Hi Alix, We’re the same age, and I am going through menopause. I have not had a hysterectomy. For some reason, I’m going through menopause fairly young. When I first went raw again after a slip up, I had very intense hot flashes for three month, almost unbearable, suffocating, drenching hot flashes along with miserable night sweats. But after three months, they abruptly subsided and almost totally went away. This was a huge relief! Over the holidays, I’ve had some cooked food and some unhealthy food, and the hot flashes have come back to a degree although not as bad as they were. So my conclusion is that raw got rid of my hot flashes, and that as I persist on raw again, they will go away again.
    If it’s not too personal, what health conditions were you taking medications for. I’m have Lupus and Fibromyalgia, and I used to take meds for those.

  • Alix, I am sorry your uterus was removed, it is a valuable organ. Yes, the raw diet and cleaning out the organs of elimination (colon, kidneys, liver, etc) as well as the blood stream will do wonders to your health. Red raspberry tea, cool, is God’s gift to women. A person can drink a quart to a gallon a day, start small and work up. Helps regulate female organs. Carrot juice builds great bones and lots of greens. Dairy, smoking, drugs, cooked food, sugar, soda…are bone robbers. You are on the right track. Lots of distilled water a day, every day is fabulous.

  • Hi, Alix! I am 46 and had a hysterectomy at age 35. Since I got to keep my ovaries, I have not yet gone through menopause (hormonally anyway). I do wish I had information to share with you regarding menopause and related symptoms; however, I did want you to know that we’re not all “so young” here…except at heart. :-) I, too, felt a little out of place here with all of the young ones, so it’s nice to know I’m not alone. Nice to meet you, and RawVoice! I have read that weight-bearing exercise (like walking) can help to prevent bone loss as we age, as can avoiding dairy and other animal products. Best wishes on your journey, and I hope you are able to find all of the answers you seek.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    I’m so glad you ladies wrote back to me! I’m blubbering right now from relief(really), but I’ll write a better response later. Hugs, hugs , HUGS!!

  • Hi Alix. You are not alone! I’m 46, and although I haven’t gone through menopause yet, I know it’s around the corner. I don’t have any raw advice, but highly recommend Christiane Northrup’s book “The Wisdom of Menopause”. Although she doesn’t talk about a raw diet specifically, it is a treasure trove of information and is actually very uplifting. I also recommend that you find a doctor who supports a wholistic approach, even if it may take a little research and/or travel. It’s worth it!

  • MeditatingMeditating Raw Newbie

    Sisters, I hear you. I am almost 48 and I too feel old and nasty. Is this a cultural thing? I am always pissed off at how men become distinguished and we become disposable. Today I looked down at my hand and saw that crepe-like skin, you know that old chick skin. I was thinking where the hell did that stuff come from and how do I get it off of me. I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry. I called my mom. She is 70. She told me about her body and then I felt better, until I saw my hands again. I slathered a bunch of coconut oil on them. Bottom line – it just aint fair.

    I am not sure if I am premenopausal, crazy, pitiful, or just detoxing (I am on day 2 of a master cleanse). If I wasn’t committed to this cleanse, I feel like I would have sucked down a bottle of wine by now.

    However, on the up side, when I can eat again (which I have thought about constantly today), I will eat raw and that makes me feel so much better than ever. :)

  • Menopause girls. If it is meno “pause” where is the stop button. I don’t even know where I am in the game at 48+. But, no hysterectomy, not many hot flashes, no night sweats, regular/ but shorter and diffeerent cycles,when I do have a hot flash, I’m not sure if it’s a fever, but we can’t have it all. I have had creping skin for along time; so long I can’t remember,now it’s even on my legs, along with all the spider veins, flappy upper arms, my spine is 75; and chronic pain, injuries, and sleep issues, now auto-immune issues have taken the toll on my health, confidence and appearance. I don’t like the old lady I see in the mirror, and I have lived a pretty clean life, and been very nutrition conscious, save for stress and co-dependancy. Though my mother, who smoked,always drank pots of coffee, and did not eat very well; had thyroid issues, a rough menopause, asthma, congestive heart failure, looked 90 at 75, still had no creping, and lovely legs, no cellulite. Same genes, looks, auto -immune and some other stuff, but some times none of it makes sense.

  • MopokeMopoke Raw Newbie

    I’m over 50. (And look heaps older from stress, the Australian climate and a life long liver/digestion issues)
    BUT! I went through menopause flushes and mood stuff a few years back and stopped it all in its tracks with acupuncture. Moreover my acupuncturist says women in China traditionally don’t get menopause symptoms.
    Even better, in Chinese medicine it’s considered that what causes the upheaval is a reversal of energy flows in the body, which previously has been “laying eggs”. Now all that energy doesn’t have to go into the potential creation (and growing) of someone else. It gets liberated, but in lots of Western people justs ends up running into confusing cul de sacs. Acupuncture works by helping the body move towards the new alignments. And the great thing about the new alignments is that now all that energy goes into supporting YOU!
    It’s a genuine chance to remake yourself and move forward into new levels of wisdom, health and wellness.
    So you don’t look like a men’s magazine pin up star any more – it’s a chance for the beauty that’s on the inside to truly flower and to just get into being you ( like you used to do when you were a little kid before you started comparing yourself to others and decided age spots and elephant skin were bad!).
    And since I have been raw (started 2007) great things have happened – the dry skin has more elasticity, the joy factor has been revved up enormously, inner strength also amazingly increased and chronic spine problems are even getting better than ever before. Oh and I’ve even had a few menstrual cycles out of the blue!
    Even those lower than low depressions are a chance to grow.
    And if none of this helps, remember that, like everything else, this too will pass :)

  • WOW!!! This is just were I’m at. I feel old this week. 45 this year and I need to pull myself together. Thanks for all the Info I feel my body changeing and it’s good to know I’m not alone. I’m going for a new hair cut next week, maybe something fun. I have long curly hair,now begining to get some grey. I just pull it back in a ponytail but that’s got to go. Last night I said to myself it’s time to give alitte love to me. I have 4 children and hardly have time to look in the mirror. Last week someone asked if my 2 year old was my grandaughter. I told my hasband and he said “well your no spring chicken”. I’m with the other ladies this is not fair. I want to be my age but not look so tried and old. I’ve been walking everyday for a month now and it is helping. I just got to stay raw! With this day to begin I find comfort in the women whom have shared today, Love yourselves today, KJ :)

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    Lord am I grateful to hear all these voices.
    I’m 40 and fairly positive that I am in menopause. I have not had a period since feb. of last year and at 34 shortly after I had my third child I started with the heinous mood swings aka RAGE and soaking night sweats. Of course no doctor believed me and they prescibed prozac. So I spent from 34 to 38 asleep. I like to call that time the lost years.
    I started raw foods in March of 07 and since last April I have not had one episode of night seats. No mood swings either.
    I have noticed in the past month or so that I am not metabolizing sugars well including fruit sugars. My digestive system is ridiculously slow and my skin looks like s—t. I’m feeling really down about all of it and wondering if some other new fun hormonal drop is in the works.
    I’m pretty sure candida overgrowth plays a role in all this but I’m wondering how much wacky hormones contribute too.
    Anyonone here looked into natural/bio-identical hormones?

  • Alix1962 – You are not alone – Trust me – I’ve been a hard core vegan for years and recently (July 2007) went 100% raw – I had some trouble in the beginning with detox symptoms even though I thought I ate “clean” for years – the detox symptoms appeared to magnify the menopause issues – but I must say after the first 60 days passed so did my menopause symptoms – I don’t get the night sweats or the hot flashes any more – every once in awhile around what should be my “period” I get a mild flash but again nothing like the feeling I had in the past…

    Raw is/was a factor in easing the symptoms, but I think I (personally) attribute it more to the super foods that I consume – the green smoothies with goji berries, maca etc.

    Hope this helps…

    Peace

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Marichiesa~ The bio-identical hormones have worked for some so whatever works, use it.

    There are a few concepts of that option that I see as possibly not optimal. One of the “challenges” I see with this type of option is that one “takes a picture” of where the body is at at that moment and then builds hormones to balance based on that picture. However, the body’s chemistry is fluid and is always changing as you have experienced. Another challenge is that when one puts something like a prebuilt hormone (or other substance) into the body, the body can use it for the function it was made for. This can in itself cause an imbalance. If there is an imbalance, the body then has to break down that hormone which requires energy and other resources to make what is needed. The symptoms of metapause are a cry from the body it is not getting what it needs to repair, maintain, or defend itself.

    I suggest providing the body with “building blocks” so the body can build what it needs to create balance. The two ways to get the building blocks are by consuming nutrition packed food and well formulated, good quality, bioavailable supplements.

    BTW, I’m 49.

  • omshantiomshanti Raw Newbie

    ok so maybe i have no right to post as im 40 and have no experience in “the change” but gotta chime in on the feeling old and narsty….i think its something in the air ladys as im looking at my saggy skin and crepey skin all week and feeling down right pitaful about it, so this AM i oil pulled and got back on my green smoothie track, heading to yoga after work and im gonna be good to me all day everyday from this day foward( new mantra). my granny lived to be only 73 but she had beautiful skin and hair and all her own teeth. She was a “big” woman her whole life, but i can honestly say i never saw her moping around about her weight or her looks. I think if we believe in our beauty gals then the workd sees our beauty if we dont we become “disposable”.

    you are loved, and worth while, and BEAUTIOUS! blessings babes!
  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    omshanti (and others)~ You are always welcome to join the party. :)

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    Hey Bluedolfin,

    Thanks for your input. I hear you about the ever fluctuating hormone levels and the effectinveness/value of adding even so called ‘safe’ hormones into my body. I know I’m not ready to go that route yet but I have felt so crummy of late that I’m grasping for solutions. I have felt so great on raw up to this point that I am frustrated to say the least.
    I have eliminated ALL sugars from my diet for 1 whole week now( God I want a banana..or a date.etc…) because I suspect I have a serious candida problem. So it is possible some of the blues i feel at the moment is a result of die off.I am doing a bentonite,flax, caprylic acid cleanse. Anyone else out there had candida thing?

  • MopokeMopoke Raw Newbie

    I had candida Marchiesa, and think it’s mostly gone. As well as acupuncture I found an excellent herbalist and took all the supplements she prescribed….....and also went and had a hair analysis which was very edifying. How can you feel good if you have toxic chemicals inside you blocking the proper assimilation of other nutrients.
    And by this stage of life how lucky would you be to not carry any build up of toxicity?
    If you think of menopause as a huge detox then you can help it along in various ways:
    For the bones – do weight bearing exercise.
    Hot flush…..if possible be somewhere quiet and think of the heat as cleansing power sweeping through you.
    Spend lots of time being quiet and praying for positive guidance towards the new self you are becoming.
    Meditate every day – either by being in nature or more time spent focusing on something beautiful, meaningful or worthy.
    Another trick is cold water ‘sitz’ baths – can’t say enough in favour of these. Basically it’s putting the genitals into cold water for up to ten minutes a day – flowing water is best (if you have a shower you can direct onto that area or bidet ia great).
    Heat and swelling go together. The cold contracts the whole area and revitalises it and the flowing water helps to remove toxic energy….ditto salt water bathing.
    Stretching.
    Healthy raw food…. and I am with vegan punk on the smoothies and maca (which is supposed to regulate hormones!!)
    Peace and truth to all you lovely ladies :)

  • It is possible to go through menopause with no hot flashes and mood swings. I know I did. I am 52 now, out went through meopause at 46. I had already become mostly raw at that time. The China Study documented that vegetarian women have easier menopause. Clean up the diet and clean up the organs, colon, etc, regularly fast one day a week. I also fast 3 days a month as a tune-up. It works. And red raspberry tea, made hot and let cool or cold drunk by the quart or gallon daily is God’s gift to women for female organs and hormones. Also sarsasaparillo tea, 1 tsp to 8 oz distilled hot water, steep 15 only. Drink warm. Fabulous taste, tastes like a creamy root beer float. Traditionally, it is a blood purifier, and has natural hormones in it. It removes toxic gas out too. Sarsasparillo is potent so 1-2 cups a day is sufficient. But tons of red raspberry is okay. Hope this helps.

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    If you are interested in reading more about replacing HRT naturally and healthyfully (dealing with hormone issues in general), email me and I’ll send you an article.

  • MopokeMopoke Raw Newbie

    Red raspberry was great in my pregnancy days Birdseed…. I am going to get some now! and try sarsparilla!
    I am with you on the fasting too! (Though not as diligent !!)
    Yoga…. I have been in beginner’s classes for more than 20 years and, despite the fact I can’t wrap my feet around my neck whilst balancing on my hands, and despite missing classes most of last year, I know the long term benefits are worth gold!
    Something else that’s easy and good for menopause is getting a rebounder (mine came from an op shop!) and bouncing, if not daily, then when you feel the need to cleanse…it really stimulates the lymphatic system.
    Dry skin brushing – natural bristle brush before showering does the same thing (instructions on line I guess..)
    Another brilliant and easy thing to do is lie down with your back straight and wiggle your bottom in to rest on a hard bolster placed next to a wall then rest with the legs up the wall. (use a low cushion for head if necessary) – the aim is to get the bottom as close to the wall as you can and the legs as straight. Stay for a while. This alignment lets lots of healing energy collect in the abdominal, genital area…

  • Legs-up-the-wall is my favorite! So restorative and healing! Also, attitude is so important. I have followed the lead of my big sister (she is 9 years older than I) in approaching aging with wonder and gratitude. She has taught me to look at myself and say “So this is what 40 (or 45 or 50 or whatever) looks like” instead of the negative talk that I used to do.

  • OneOne

    I know i have no place in this forum topic, but i came across it and would like to say that you can be beautiful no matter what age you are. It only matters how you feel. My mum’s ageing more from her cancer treatments and she worries about it (needlessly) all the time. It doesn’t change who she is. I think you’re all an inspiration because of your commitment to health and i hope that every year you grow, not only older. Hey remember, you’re lucky you don’t get your periods anymore
    !!

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    Mopoke and bluedolfin,

    Thanks for all the info! I’ve decided to hold off on any natural hormones. I’ve worked incredibly hard these past two years to get off all meds. I feel better and beleive my body will figure it out if I support it in more wholistic ways. So I’m sticking to my raw diet and just sucking up this worst of the candida die off phase.( I’m afraid to jinx myself here but I’ve been ‘gasp” regular for three whole days!!! whoo whoo which I attribute to the herbals and anti fungals (pau darco/grape seed extract) I am slugging back. The regularity thang is really the last frontier for me. Since a raw clean properly combined food diet has not done the trick for a year I know its candida.
    I was on antibiotics constantly as a kid. And while my life was probably saved many times over my GI tract was wrecked. Not to mention prozax/celexa for 4 years and steroid injections into my spine. Ugh. If only I knew then…..??

    Mopoke funny you should mention the skin brushing. I used to do it religiously but fell out of the habit and I just started again yesterday AND I just bought a rebounder on ebay last night Whoo Whoo!!!! I luv a deal. :o) ( sorry if I beat any one here at that the last minute. ( lol)

    Think I’ll go get some raspberry tea now !!

    Muchas Gracias Chicas

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    Hi One,

    I forgot to say to you that you are right! I don’t miss my period at all! I thought I would feel sadness and loss but… Nope. I’m just fine without. It hasn’t changed a thing about my soul. ;O)

  • MopokeMopoke Raw Newbie

    Hey little One :) You have an elegant picture and an elegant point of view… And it sounds as if you are the right medicine for your mum! Have you come across a great (not entirely raw) eating plan devised by a German lady, Joanna Budwig, (who got nominated for 7 Nobel prizes for her work!) (the drug companies in Germany tried to sue her for knocking drugs and apparently the judge saw her results and laughed them out of court) – it beats cancer using omega 3s bound up with dairy so huge doses can be assimilated. It’s very easy and somewhere online under her name…
    Marchiesa I don’t miss them either…...For a while I thought that, with menstruation over and done with, then all the sex drive would be gone forever too (and it was for a while) but I discovered it’s come back better than ever :) it’s just moved to more subtle tantric levels!

  • OneOne

    Hey Mopoke, thankyou so much what a lovely person you are! I’m grateful for your information and i’ll definitely look into it. Thankyou :)

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Marichiesa~ Glad to hear you are putting off going the hormone route. When you say you have been “regular”, do you mean pooping, moods, or something else? Regardless, being “regular” is a good thang. :)

    I might have giving you the wrong idea about the article I can email you… The article talks about different Phytoestrogens and other natural substances in plants that supports the body’s natural adrenal processes.

  • MopokeMopoke Raw Newbie

    Marchiesa, I just realised u started raw about the same time I did. All of a sudden I lost the ‘glow’ as well. (I thought it was because I had been away on holiday and out of my normal routine…plus being raw had primed me and helped me cope with some tragic family issues last year …but still that kind of stuff takes it out of you).
    I felt pretty bad – the skin had gone dull, my gut was swollen, I lost my appetite, and I even put on weight after losing 12 kilos like magic. But the worst part was feeling that I had “lost” something really good. I talked on some forums and got some beautiful reassurance that – if it was about travel – (or indeed anything else) then there was no need to punish myself but just to let the system find it’s natural balance again.
    So I did. (And speaking of Johanna Budwig (not Joanna) I also increased my intake of coconut oil and cold pressed linseed oil. It’s taken about five weeks to work through but I am beginning to “zing” again :)).
    I know too much oil is not supposed to be good for you but maybe women “of a certain age” need more of it??

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Mopoke~ You wrote:

    I know too much oil is not supposed to be good for you but maybe women

  • MopokeMopoke Raw Newbie

    Bluedolfin :) Thanks for the feedback. I’ve been wondering about this too.
    Possibly all those Omega 3s (in the flaxseed oil)? Plus I read a lot of vitamins and minerals in food are more available if ingested with oil. Thirdly, maybe it is even the ‘oiliness’ factor lubricating internal organs?
    Also I guess everyone is different – I suffered extreme dryness as well as hypersensitivity and non-digestion through a toxic gall bladder, so maybe my system is just trying to catch up on lost oil? At any rate one of the most exciting things about raw food for me (apart from the energy and zing) is that -unbelievably almost – my previous lifelong ‘jelly belly ‘is beginning to settle down, and somehow, when I increase the uptake of fats it seems to lift my metabolism as well, and keep things furnacing along (for now at any rate).

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Mopoke~ Yes, (as of right now it is generally accepted that) there are fat soluble vitamins and minerals and there are water soluble vitamins and minerals. One needs fat for the fat soluble nutrients. The body

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