Manage Menopause Naturally

In traditional Chinese medicine there are three ways to lose weight.  Not all are wise nor recommended, but I feel that it is right to point them out. I’ve spoken at lengths about the relationship between the waning energy of the spleen and menopause. One of the ways to lose weight quickly is to take cold purgatives. This will have the effect of chilling the stomach-spleen so much, that the food literally goes right through you, potentially giving you IBS and malnutrition. Obviously this isn’t very good as you won’t be able to use the nutrients you need. Body temperature food and even warmer food nourishes the stomach-spleen, aiding digestion.

Another way, which is just as detrimental to your health is to use pungent, warm and dry foods that increase sweating such as chilli. These will cause the essence to be transformed into qi, and this is then dispersed upwards and outwards from the body. The lungs become hyperactive and discharge fluids and dampness, increasing those hot sweats and frequent peeing. This will eventually weaken the kidneys, which will lead to insomnia through lack of kidney yin, hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.

The third way to lose weight, which is the safest way, is to use those Chinese herbs that benefit the digestion and gently remove dampness through increased peeing but not in an exaggerated or harmful way. This will enhance the stomach-spleen function and send nutrition to the kidneys.

Without knowing your particular case, I would recommend green tea in moderate amounts, say 3-4 cups a day. Green tea is unfermented, whereas black tea is cured and fermented. Green tea will strengthen the spleen and disinhibit dampness as well as transform phlegm. Remember that in traditional Chinese medicine fat (obesity) is produced from stagnant phlegm. To lose weight TCM favours eating a diet high in lightly cooked vegetables, some carbs such as rice or millet along with proteins in the form of animal or vegetable, according to your individual needs or diagnosis. Avoid foods that produce phlegm, such as cold foods or those foods that are difficult to digest. Again, we are all individual. Some people find avocado hard to digest, others find the potato family difficult to digest. It’s a question of getting a diagnosis and listening to your body’s responses to the foods you ingest.