Journal
Beyond the Oestrogen Deficiency Myth
When we look at menopause from a viewpoint that assumes our bodies are intelligent, that nature hasn’t given us a long life and then left us stranded and suffering, and that menopause cannot be reduced to one failing hormone, then we have a context within which symptoms can begin to make sense.
Symptoms are no longer separate problems to manage, but multiple expressions of a system struggling in transition.
Once that transition becomes visible, the question itself changes. It is no longer simply what is wrong, but what is changing, and what that change requires.
Here I aim to shine a light on the shifts our bodies go through in menopause and what happens when these shifts are blocked.
Seeing what is happening in our bodies more clearly means we can work with our natural biology to support the multiple metabolic shifts, rather than simply trying to suppress symptoms.
Cultural Wake-up Calls
Menopause is biological, but the stories around it are cultural. Here I explore the bigger forces shaping our bodies, biology, and power, from medical trends and menopause narratives to politics, evolution, marketing, and the culture that tells us who we are supposed to be. This is where we question the script, follow the money, and reclaim menopause as complex, adaptive, and ours.
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Menosplaining: when your symptoms are yours, but the story isn’t
Energy Shift
The menopausal energy shift is triggered by declining oestrogen which turns down our ability to use sugar and starch as energy sources and instead we are obliged to rely on using fat for energy. If fat burning is blocked – by eating too much sugar and starch – then the fight-or-flight stress response is triggered and results in symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, brain fog, low moods, anxiety, fatigue, heart palpitations and weight gain.
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You’re in a meeting. Or the supermarket. Or lying in bed at 2am. And suddenly, without warning, heat floods your body from the inside out. Your face burns. Sweat pricks your hairline, your chest, the…
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You’re in a meeting. Or the supermarket. Or lying in bed at 2am. And suddenly, without warning, heat floods your body from the inside out. Your face burns. Sweat pricks your hairline, your chest, the…
Oestrogen Shift
Emotional Shift
Clinical notes
The menopausal energy shift is triggered by declining oestrogen which turns down our ability to use sugar and starch as energy sources and instead we are obliged to rely on using fat for energy. If fat burning is blocked – by eating too much sugar and starch – then the fight-or-flight stress response is triggered and results in symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, brain fog, low moods, anxiety, fatigue, heart palpitations and weight gain.
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Do you feel gassy and bloated after eating meals? While overeating can easily cause bloating, there’s another culprit that often goes unconsidered – low stomach acid production. Your stomach relies on hydrochloric acid (HCl) to…
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If you constantly battle dark circles under your eyes no matter how much sleep you get or concealer you use, excess histamine could be the culprit. Histamine is a chemical involved in immune responses, stomach…
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Pain under your right ribs that creeps round to your back or shoulder is one of those symptoms women often dismiss as “just indigestion” or “I must have eaten too fast.” In my clinic, it’s…
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If you look in the mirror and see new wrinkles forming, you likely blame aging skin. But emerging wrinkles may actually be signalling diminishing bone density. It turns out osteoporosis and skin crepiness share some…
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When your breasts hurt and your scans and blood tests are “normal”, it’s easy to blame hormones or HRT alone – but an iodine deficit may be what’s turning the volume up.
