MENOPAUSE, MORE THAN JUST HOT FLASHES

Women approaching their forties and fifties are at increased risk for the Wired, Tired and Fat syndrome. The combination of a hectic lifestyle coupled with the approach of menopause and its hormonal disruption often times create a woman who is over stressed, over anxious and over taxed. Yet this same woman is so fatigued that she feels as if all her activities of daily living is being done while threading through a thick viscous haze. She is not able to think clearly, she has difficulty sleeping and cravings she cannot control. When her weight, cholesterol and/or blood pressure starts climbing, she is told to go on a “sensible” low fat diet, and exercise. However, her body is so imbalanced at this point that she is not able to accommodate any of these request, so she ends up feeling worse about herself.

How does this happen? According to Dr.Eudene Harry, MD, Director of Oasis for Optimal Health, LLC, as we get older the demands of a high stress lifestyle and the nutritional deficiencies that often times accompanies this lifestyle takes an extreme toll on our bodies. In menopause, our female hormonal levels change and stress tends to accelerate these changes. Dr. Harry states that stress, age and nutritional deficiencies also adversely affect our neurotransmitters (these help us to feel good, control our cravings and also improve our libido); our thyroid function (stress slows the thyroid leading to fatigue and weight gain); our adrenal function (stress suppresses the adrenal leading to fatigue) and depletes our nutritional status. Dr. Harry further states, “If you just replaced for example estrogen, this would not create balance and would most likely not give satisfactory results” Let’s put it another way, if you were making a cake, which ingredient is most important- the flour, the egg, the sugar, etc. The truth is, if you left out any of the ingredients you would not have an edible cake, therefore all of the ingredients are of equal value. According to Dr. Harry, “The body does not isolate, it behaves as a complete, integrated system and to address it otherwise is suboptimal.”

So if you are feeling wired, tired and fat, get tested. Find an integrative physician who is aware that the “whole” body needs to be balanced, and knows how to interpret your results for optimal health.

Dr. Harry, who was recently published in the Orlando Medical News, is board certified in Emergency Medicine and Holistic Medicine and is currently the Director of Oasis for Optimal Health, goes on to state “I became an integrative wellness physician because I felt the gap between traditional medicine and alternative care needed to be addressed. Now I feel fortunate to be able to get a more comprehensive look at my patients, not only with an in depth history but also using cutting edge laboratory evaluations such as neurotransmitter and nutritional testing. There is nothing more gratifying than helping someone to feel better.”