One day I was sauntering along the main shopping street in Bantry, enjoying the sunny day and the agreeable buzz of the shoppers, when a car drew up sharply on the opposite side of the road and a harassed faced woman, yelled out across the noise of the traffic “are you the menopause woman?” well that took me by surprise to say the least! I crossed the road to enter into conversation and the poor woman held up the traffic to pour out her distress. This was one of many women looking for support and information around the time of hormonal transition, not wanting to go down the road of HRT, or maybe wanting to come off HRT and looking for an approach, that considers the whole person rather than simply treating or masking symptoms. The important thing to remember is that the menopause is not an illness but a time of transition just like the start of our periods was a transition from childhood to being a young woman. I love to recommend that women take note of the pause in the word menopause, so that it’s not just a time of stopped periods but it’s a great opportunity to pause and consider how you’re life is going and what changes you might like to make to enhance and enjoy it more. At the menopause the ovaries decline in their production of oestrogen, however post menopause we are still able to produce a form of oestrogen called oestrone from our adrenal gland’s we may also experience fluctuations in levels of progesterone and testosterone. For this transition to go smoothly we need to be in optimum health; and nutrition, emotional well-being , stress management, exercise and environment all play crucial part in this. Menopause can be a time of inner reflection and great happiness but it is also a time when life catches up with you and presents all your unfinished business regarding all aspects of your health and demands that you sort them out in order to continue happily on life’s journey. So this is an ideal time to go on retreat, have counselling, visit a health practitioner and get you physical health in better shape particularly if you’ve been living life on the fast track. The most frequent symptoms of menopause that women experience are hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, urinary symptoms and mood swings. It can be helpful to make sure your diet contains enough Omega 3 fatty Acids (from oily fish, seeds, or supplements like Udo’s Oil or a Fish Oil supplement like Krill Oil), and that you are getting a good supply or vitamins and minerals (if you are in doubt perhaps consider a good multivitamin such as Solgar’s VM Prime or Higher Nature’s True Food Supernutrition Plus). The most frequent herbs used to support the body at this time are Black Cohosh, Agnus Castus, Shatavari, Dong Quai, Uva Ursi and Sage; for example Menosan (a sage extract) from A.Vogel can be very helpful for hot flushes. For information on these and other supportive products call to Organico. If you want to read more Christine Northrup M.D’s.book The Wisdom of the Menopause it gives in depth medical information and combines with a holistic approach is excellent. Gabrielle McCauley will give free consultations on hormonal and urinary health for women on Friday 6th May in Organico; call to book your place. Tel 027 51391. Organico Shop Café and Bakery is open in Bantry from 9.30 till 6pm Monday to Saturday.