Wonderfully Made

Menopause

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Amy Wellard, Cherie Lon Fernandez

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Series Code: WM

Program Code: WM000441


00:36 I'm Amy Wellard with the Wildwood Lifestyle Center
00:39 in Georgia and with me today is Dr. Cherie Lou Fernandez
00:41 Welcome Dr. Cherie Lou. Thank you
00:43 Our topic today is being a vibrant woman
00:46 during those golden years... the menopause.
00:49 Now this can actually be one of the most beautiful
00:52 times in your life.
00:53 It doesn't have to be a stressful, long,
00:57 protracted period where we just can't wait to get through it.
01:01 Dr. Cherie Lou, today is going to share with us
01:02 how we can make that one of the most special times in our lives,
01:06 the menopause season.
01:07 Dr. Cherie Lou, you are actually originally from the Philippines
01:10 Yes, I am a Filipino, a... -blooded Filipino.
01:15 And that is what we call a developing country,
01:16 and you have made a very interesting
01:19 observation that you shared with me...
01:21 That in the developing countries what we call the menopause
01:23 in the West, is not nearly as prevalent;
01:26 the symptoms are not as prevalent as they are with us.
01:29 Could you tell us why is that.
01:30 Oh, there is a big difference in the lifestyles here
01:34 in the United States, and the lifestyle
01:38 where I grew up and where I used to live in the Philippines.
01:43 And, there is also a way of looking at things, you know...
01:51 For example, there is a tribe down south in the Philippines
01:55 that women are just wanting to go into menopause! Really?
02:02 It's the opposite; here, we'd rather stay
02:05 plush and pretty and yes - young FOREVER,
02:11 but this tribe it is interesting.
02:13 They want to get into menopause FAST!
02:17 And they couldn't care less whether they have
02:20 no more menses, but the thing is
02:23 they want to be in menopause
02:26 because they become the MATRIARCHS. Really?
02:30 So to say they are now sitting at the gates!
02:34 They are the ones who... they have passed through life...
02:37 They have learned enough and so now they are the ones
02:40 who call the shots!
02:43 They are the ones who give the orders.
02:45 Wouldn't I want that? Oh yeah - I would!
02:48 So it's a nice way of looking
02:51 forward to getting into menopause.
02:53 They would rather have menopause.
02:55 It's a beautiful way of looking at our maturity
02:59 instead of seeing it as a negative
03:00 which we so typically do in the West.
03:02 Now, what are some of the symptoms that we do experience
03:06 that's causing us to look upon it in a negative way?
03:10 Oh menopause is really not a disease - yeah?
03:14 We go into menses, we have menses, we give birth,
03:19 and when our ovaries finish all their stock of eggs,
03:23 we don't menstruate anymore and we go into menopause.
03:27 It's just part of the female phases of life, you know?
03:31 It's not a disease; however, when you come to that area
03:37 when your hormones start to wax and wane;
03:41 your ovaries start to slowly lose the number of eggs
03:47 that it is supposed to be giving out for every menstrual cycle.
03:52 Then we start to have problems; that is the perimenopause.
03:58 That's the hard time and perimenopause usually
04:02 starts about 1 to 3 years before menopause;
04:06 however, the problem with this menopause and waxing and waning
04:10 of hormones could go as long as 7 years... unfortunately.
04:17 That's the longest - 7 years,
04:19 but it could be earlier than 7 years.
04:22 And some women actually enter perimenopause
04:25 in their mid 30s even. Yes they do
04:28 And can that be reversed by lifestyle changes so that
04:31 they can enter perimenopause in their 40s instead?
04:33 It depends on the cause because there are some women,
04:36 really, who unfortunately because of their lifestyle
04:39 have unknowingly suffered their ovaries to lose the eggs.
04:48 The eggs just die - the eggs that they would have ovulated
04:52 they die earlier than they should have.
04:56 Too bad and that would cause an early onset.
04:59 It's premature menopause or you call it -
05:01 "premature ovarian failure" that happens.
05:06 And there are other ways, for example, surgical menopause
05:10 can bring the onset earlier.
05:12 Yes, can bring the onset earlier.
05:14 That would be from removal... of the uterus and/or both.
05:20 Uterus and ovaries.
05:22 Okay, so this 8-year-period or shorter, called perimenopause
05:28 what exactly is it that's causing it?
05:32 You know, as I said, the ovaries towards the end of the
05:37 reproductive cycle start to lose the eggs.
05:41 I mean, the eggs are consumed!
05:43 You give it every month, every month, every month...
05:47 you will have no more stock!
05:50 You'd say - I don't have any more stock left.
05:53 I can't sell you anymore eggs.
05:55 I have consumed my stock.
05:57 So then your ovaries will just decline,
06:00 and your menses going far apart, your ovulations going far apart.
06:05 It's because you because you don't have enough eggs anymore.
06:07 Okay, so what you're saying is
06:09 there's nothing we can do about it.
06:10 The eggs are naturally going to come to their natural end
06:13 so there's nothing we can do, this is a normal process.
06:16 So, we're talking about the phase prior to
06:19 menopause technically which is when
06:21 the menses has completely ceased... Yes
06:23 and that phase is called "perimenopause" Yes
06:25 And so, what kind of symptoms
06:27 can we typically expect during this phase?
06:30 First again, we should know the physiology of
06:33 what happens behind everything.
06:36 Estrogen again is in every cell of our body,
06:40 and if it's in your brain and this estrogen effect
06:44 in your brain is starting to wane,
06:46 your brain is going to have problems...
06:49 like you become forgetful, you become irritable,
06:53 you have a lot of headache, you cannot sleep,
06:56 and if it were affecting your cardiovascular system,
07:00 your heart, your blood vessels,
07:01 your blood pressure will start to go up.
07:03 You'll have palpitations, you'll have night sweats...
07:07 And if it were your skin, your skin will start to wrinkle;
07:12 you'd start to have spots on your...
07:14 You know, I didn't have so many spots before
07:17 but now they're coming out.
07:19 I just promise that I'm going to AGE GRACEFULLY! YES!
07:26 These things are coming out but I ACCEPT them, you know?
07:30 And so practically every system in your body is going to
07:33 start to slowly... I don't want to say "deteriorate"
07:37 because it's a very strong word,
07:39 but they start to come down a little bit;
07:42 they are not working as well as they used to.
07:45 So that's the perimenopause - headaches, night sweats,
07:49 hot flashes, irritability, depression, wrinkling,
07:55 some back pain, joint pain - Oh - you can name a lot!
08:01 And this will continue for possibly even 8 years. Yes
08:04 Even if you're menopaused already,
08:06 because menopause, technically means "one year - no menses"
08:14 So if you have every 6 months, you're not menopaused;
08:17 you are still in the perimenopause.
08:19 When you've hit one year of NO menopause...
08:23 CONGRATULATIONS! Welcome to the club, you've menopaused!
08:28 Now I can sit with the elders in the gate.
08:30 Yes you could!
08:32 Okay, so... Actually you know,
08:33 on a word on that...
08:35 When we enter menopause, it's the ripening years of life.
08:38 It's the years when we've got children, maybe grandchildren.
08:42 It's the years when we can counsel our children;
08:44 we can counsel people because life experiences have
08:47 given us a breath of character and of knowledge
08:49 and wisdom - hopefully...
08:51 And so it's a time we can really look forward to and enjoy,
08:54 and really put the symptoms on a backburner,
08:56 and treat them as best we can
08:58 with the natural remedies, of course...
08:59 And for perimenopause, one of the herbs
09:02 that I've actually used is Vitex chasteberry
09:04 that you've been recommending for many of the
09:06 female conditions on the program.
09:08 Is there any other herb that you would recommend
09:10 that would be exclusive to the perimenopausal period...
09:13 Well, you could... proven, you know,
09:18 what they use is wild yam.
09:21 Wild yam has been, in the laboratory,
09:24 been made into the estrogen that you use for
09:28 hormonal replacement therapy.
09:31 Or you can use the wild yam done naturally,
09:34 you know, not drug, not synthetic...
09:36 you can use it.
09:38 You know, it helps with your estrogen.
09:40 You could also use dong quai
09:42 because it helps balance your hormones.
09:46 Even if your uterus is not working,
09:48 your ovaries are not working,
09:49 your pituitary and your hypothalamus - all these organs
09:52 that work together to give you your normal hormones,
09:55 still the dong quai helps you go together at an even pace
10:00 until you menopause.
10:01 So Vitex, yes - is very good.
10:04 Don quai is very good.
10:05 Wild yams very good and all the
10:08 other natural remedies... but these are the herbs.
10:11 These are all very readily available
10:12 so they're easy for us to obtain in a natural form.
10:15 Oh yes, red clover besides.
10:17 Red clover, yes high in estrogen... Wonderful!
10:21 So, just thinking about the perimenopause phase
10:24 as it comes more into menopause,
10:26 you say that's the cessation of menses for a whole year...
10:29 Are we going to be experiencing other perhaps long-term symptoms
10:34 For example, osteoporosis is becoming more prevalent.
10:37 Yes, unfortunately, even if you would say
10:40 this is your golden years, because we are on this earth,
10:43 and there is the result of sin,
10:45 we will deteriorate because this hormone is not present anymore.
10:50 That's why many would rather take the hormones
10:53 because they want to keep their vitality still.
10:58 You mean the hormone replacement therapy?
11:00 Hormonal replacement therapy...
11:02 Because hormonal replacement therapy has been proven
11:05 really to help with...
11:07 First - your bones being strong until you really grow older.
11:12 Because when you have estrogen not being there,
11:17 not the first thing that happens but first discussed is...
11:20 our bones start to become brittle because we don't
11:24 have estrogen that helps bring calcium into the bone
11:27 and so your bones' calcium is not replaced.
11:31 So as you do your calcium metabolism in your body
11:35 calcium is taken out of the bone,
11:36 but you're supposed to replace it...
11:38 But since estrogen is not there anymore,
11:41 this replacement of calcium by estrogen is not there anymore
11:46 ...So your bone will really start to become osteoporotic
11:51 as time goes on.
11:53 So really, we want to be replacing the loss of the
11:57 natural estrogens with using herbal agents. Yes
11:59 ...Like red clover can help minimize as well as
12:02 weightbearing exercise, vitamin D supplements and so on.
12:06 Now cardiovascular incidents also increase after menopause.
12:09 Actually the female risk for heart attacks can actually
12:14 be the same as men, is that right? Even MORE!
12:16 Even more? Even more, because the
12:17 withdrawal of the female hormone...
12:22 it's like suddenly you become prone to more problems.
12:26 It's like when you throw a baby in the water,
12:29 and you're not there...
12:30 Of course the baby can't swim, you know the story,
12:32 but let's say a child.
12:34 So when the baby... nothing, no support anymore,
12:37 it's going to struggle.
12:39 So then when you do that, your cardiovascular system
12:42 is going to struggle and you get MORE risk of developing
12:46 cardiovascular diseases.
12:47 No more protection of estrogen on your cholesterol,
12:51 on your lipids, on your bad cholesterol.
12:54 No more protection of estrogen.
12:56 Your cardiovascular system is pliant with estrogen,
13:00 but when estrogen is gone,
13:02 it becomes stiff, relatively stiff
13:05 so that you are more prone to...
13:07 When you have osteoporosis you're more prone to
13:10 obstruction or hypertension, you know.
13:14 Are there studies out there that indicate that
13:17 ladies on a complete plant-based diet with NO animal products
13:20 and obviously no cholesterol... they can actually minimize their
13:25 risk of these cardiovascular events.
13:27 Yes, it true because of all the - let's say first...
13:31 When you're eating a plant-based diet and you know
13:34 what you're eating, you're really doing a
13:36 balanced diet, thinking what you are eating is really healthy
13:41 So that means you don't have a lot of fat,
13:44 you don't have a lot of salt,
13:45 you don't have a lot of sugar...
13:47 You're healthy - you're eating healthy.
13:49 You have more fiber so that your cholesterol
13:52 is kept in control because whatever fat you eat
13:56 ...what is not absorbed, it goes down.
13:59 And your vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals
14:03 for your body's working - all your metabolic processes.
14:11 You have enough firewood to help the fire of your body
14:16 keep going...
14:18 And all these are there in a complete diet.
14:22 You become vegetarian - be wise!
14:25 That's why a lot don't want to become vegetarians,
14:27 and look at vegetarians because they don't really know -
14:30 You just stop without learning how to do it.
14:33 Okay, so do it properly, do it gradually,
14:35 do it so that your taste buds can adjust,
14:37 so you can enjoy it.
14:39 That's really good news for menopausal
14:40 and postmenopausal ladies.
14:42 We don't need to succumb to the conventional diseases
14:45 of the Egyptians after we go through menopause.
14:48 Now, something else is the urinary incontinence...
14:50 This is rather sensitive subject that can beset some of us
14:53 as we get older, especially those who
14:55 have had children.
14:57 What can be done about that
14:58 as well as the vaginal dryness and so on...
15:02 First, let's do the urinary incontinence...
15:05 You cough and it goes - You laugh and it goes -
15:09 It's funny but it's not funny - it's serious!
15:13 But you see, you can do exercises...
15:17 what you do is you exercise the pelvic floor,
15:22 the muscles of your pelvic floor.
15:24 When you go into menopause, they sag like this...
15:28 and/or if you've given birth, it is stretched,
15:31 and so it's easily prone to sag.
15:33 So then it's sagging like this and you don't exercise it...
15:36 you think you exercise your muscles of your body;
15:38 you also have to exercise the muscles of your pelvic floor!
15:43 ...Special exercises - you call them "Kegel exercises"
15:48 Do you want me to explain Kegel exercises?
15:50 I think that would be beneficial Okay!
15:52 Well... It is a very prevalent problem. It is important!
15:54 Okay, the muscle of your pelvic floor...
15:56 Just imagine you're going to the bathroom,
15:59 and you're peeing... okay?
16:01 You make a conscious effort to release your urine, right?
16:05 It's... Can you imagine with me ladies?
16:09 You're going to the bathroom and you're doing it...
16:12 and then the Kegel exercise is CUT YOUR URINE LIKE THIS!
16:16 Can you feel your muscles... okay that's contracting
16:20 your pelvic floor and then maybe it is exhausting
16:25 Amy, believe me because I've been doing it
16:27 and until you're really used to doing it, it's exhausting!
16:30 It's like walking up a hill too.
16:32 You would huff and puff as well!
16:34 And you see, so you do it slowly and gradually...
16:37 You would hold it like this
16:39 and count 1-2-3-4-5 and then release,
16:42 then 1-2-3-4-5 for about 5- 10 times
16:46 every time you think about it.
16:48 For a week, you hold it for 5, and then next week
16:52 you say 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 and then release;
16:55 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 about 5-10 times.
16:59 Next week, you make it 15 and then 30,
17:01 and then until before you know it,
17:03 you're just taut like this!
17:06 But when you're taut like this, you're pushing your bladder up
17:12 ...you fixing the bladder, urethral angle,
17:15 and you won't have incontinence,
17:17 besides your muscles are closing your urethra.
17:20 So then that would be helpful for your incontinence.
17:24 Okay wonderful, and that's something you can do
17:26 while you're standing in the checkout
17:27 at the supermarket... No one needs to know!
17:29 What helps me is to associate it with something else,
17:33 so every time I'm standing in the line,
17:35 at the store, just remember to do it.
17:37 So if you program yourself,
17:38 it becomes easier to make it a habit.
17:40 Especially for women who have had traumatic vaginal deliveries
17:45 Ladies that have been torn. Yes
17:48 Big babies, heads coming through...
17:50 They have to make effort on Kegel exercises.
17:54 Thank you, I need that reminder myself.
17:57 Now I want to move on to the very sensitive issue of
18:00 vaginal dryness...
18:01 Now because this is pertaining to the man as well, of course,
18:04 sometimes intercourse can become very painful,
18:07 and it's natural that the vagina gets drier as we get older
18:12 because of the changes in the estrogen...
18:14 I do believe you have a very good solution for us.
18:17 Oh yes... and I have proven this with several other women.
18:22 I had a lady come to me some 3 years ago
18:29 when we were out on a health emphasis weekend down South,
18:32 and she came to me because her
18:35 husband prompted her to come to me,
18:37 and she said my husband told me that if I don't do
18:40 ANYTHING about this problem of hers - she said,
18:44 he would leave her!
18:47 He had the audacity to tell her...
18:49 if you don't fix your problem, I'm going to leave her...
18:52 And she was crying when she told me...
18:54 And I told her - "I'm giving you my email...
18:57 Just email me as soon as you have a chance,
19:01 and I will study this thing,
19:04 and I will come back to you on email. "
19:06 So I studied and I found a remedy!
19:12 We would LOVE to hear this remedy!
19:14 I'm just going to give you a
19:16 second at home to get a pen and paper...
19:18 I hope you've got it ready.
19:19 And Dr. Cherie Lou is going to give us this very simple
19:22 home remedy for you to deal with this intimate issue
19:25 that can be SO important in your relationship.
19:29 So Dr. Cherie Lou... What is it?
19:30 It is an oil mixture... it's sort of an oil-lotion
19:36 composed of vitamin E
19:38 If you can get the capsules of 1,000 IU,
19:42 or if you can't get 1,000, then you can get 500,
19:45 and then you get 2 capsules,
19:46 but as long as it's 1,000 international units
19:50 You poke your capsule and make the oil come out...
19:54 into a little container and then
19:56 you have 2 drops of geranium essential oil.
20:00 Geranium essential oil and an ounce of almond oil.
20:07 Almond oil, geranium essential oil, vitamin E
20:12 You mix them in this little container,
20:14 so it's an oil mixture and you apply it to the vulva,
20:18 and the lining of your vagina, especially over the area
20:22 where it's sore most of the time when you have intercourse.
20:27 You do it every day for 2 weeks the least,
20:31 and it's going to help because she called me after 2 weeks
20:35 ...The husband again had prompted her to say,
20:38 "Please call her and say how THANKFUL I AM
20:41 for what we have learned"
20:44 What a blessing! And it does work
20:46 because it worked with other women as well. Wonderful!
20:49 So, we've talked a lot about the physical symptoms.
20:51 Now let's get on to the emotional...
20:53 Some women become extremely sensitive
20:56 to their husband's comments or even we may become
20:59 negligent in taking care of ourselves or of the home
21:02 or the children;
21:04 we don't want responsibilities;
21:05 we've become introverted and unsociable...
21:08 Depression and insomnia is very common as well.
21:10 Let's talk a little bit about these
21:12 emotional manifestations... What can we do?
21:15 It's almost like PMS - "premenstrual syndrome"
21:18 The hormonal changes affect the brain,
21:21 the serotonin and the beta endorphins as well.
21:25 And so, if it becomes so bad, I think professional help
21:29 has to be sought because you don't want to
21:32 see your wife end up in a mental institution...
21:35 Because sometimes menopause
21:37 can PUSH your wife OVER the brink,
21:40 and I've seen a lot of this.
21:41 They have already a problematic marriage with the husband
21:45 around the perimenopause and on top of it
21:48 you add this thing and the husband not being there for her
21:52 And so, if depression is too bad, it's really bad,
21:56 I think that you should seek counsel.
22:00 And just a word for the ladies that perhaps are not married,
22:03 or they're going through menopause on their own...
22:05 It can be very helpful to have female friends to share
22:10 what you're going through with because actually talking to a
22:13 woman can produce a hormone called "oxytocin"... right?
22:16 We need each other!
22:18 We need each other and actually some studies show that
22:20 women that are happily married but don't have girlfriends
22:23 don't live as long as the women that don't have a happy marriage
22:26 but have girlfriends!
22:28 So girlfriends are THAT necessary.
22:29 They are very necessary and I think the oxytocin levels
22:32 makes us feel good and it's part of the reason...
22:34 And, of course, serotonin which is a happy hormone,
22:37 that's secreted when we feel supported,
22:38 and that we have empathetic friend.
22:41 So if somebody is not severely affected, like you say...
22:44 "menopause is not a disease"
22:46 and they're not having severe symptoms,
22:49 what would you suggest just to
22:51 keep things really in par and in balance
22:54 in terms of diet?
22:58 Again, a very, very balanced diet would help anybody
23:04 in any phase of life... even more so -
23:09 a woman in menopause should take her body more seriously
23:15 You take care of a body that's brimming and bubbling
23:21 with health during the reproductive years.
23:24 Why don't you take care of one that's struggling - you know
23:29 More so - yes, and a husband being there
23:33 supportive because she, again, can only be as usual
23:38 as he is supportive of her.
23:40 So really, it is important that you have close support
23:45 from friends and family... and husband especially.
23:49 Now, we talked earlier about the herbs that are indicated
23:53 for the perimenopause phase to help us
23:56 during the wax and waning,
23:57 but once menstruation has really stopped,
24:01 and we're in menopause proper, if you like,
24:04 is there any point in continuing with the herbs
24:06 that we had been using before?
24:08 Actually, in Wildwood, we talk about women taking these herbs
24:15 during the waxing and waning...
24:18 to be able to help with the perimenopause problem.
24:23 However, when you have finally settled and your hormones
24:26 have come down both evenly and you have now
24:31 come down to a balance that is relatively low
24:33 but still already balanced...
24:35 No more of this storm season, it's already down and balanced.
24:39 You may NOT already need the hormones for support.
24:45 That's what we do at Wildwood.
24:47 You don't take Vitex forever.
24:50 It's only around the time when you really are in perimenopause.
24:54 But of course, exercise, REGULAR exercise is the key...
24:59 Your musculoskeletal system should be...
25:01 you know - you can still walk up the mountain,
25:05 you can still swim 12 laps -
25:08 you know - all these relaxing things,
25:11 eating the right food, NO alcohol.
25:15 No caffeine, no tea, no spicy food,
25:21 no high caloric food.
25:23 Healthy! Healthy living!
25:27 Temperate. Absolutely - absolutely!
25:30 I'm just thinking about the hot flashes
25:31 because that's such a debilitating symptom.
25:34 If we can just go back to that because SO many of us
25:36 in the night, we'll wake up with hot sweats.
25:40 When we're at work, at very inconvenient moments,
25:42 we can suddenly find ourselves hot and drenched.
25:46 Is there anything we can do immediately when that happens?
25:49 Go to the refrigerator!
25:56 It will pass. It will pass.
26:00 So really, it's not something we need to be afraid of
26:03 or have a very fearful attitude about.
26:04 We can just.. just let it go
26:06 and in a few seconds, it will be over.
26:07 Oh, you take deep breaths!
26:09 Take 6 deep breaths in a minute.
26:12 It helps control the hot flash.
26:16 Apparently you're giving more oxygen and blood supply
26:19 to your brain so that your nervous system,
26:22 and your heart will work to par.
26:27 Because it starts in the face and it comes down
26:29 to your body and you feel really hot, you know
26:32 When it even starts, then you start...
26:35 hold your breath and slowly 6 times, it helps control.
26:44 I actually heard of some other measure.
26:46 I don't know if you are familiar with the "Chillow"
26:47 It's a pillow that's cold and you lie on it at night...
26:50 And so when the heat comes from the head,
26:53 it usually starts there that the Chillow pillow
26:55 comes into action and can calm you down.
26:57 I just kick off the blanket.
26:59 Kick it off - of course!
27:02 Well thank you so much, Dr. Cherie Lou
27:04 I'd like you to leave a word with our viewers today
27:07 about the emotional aspect of menopause
27:09 and the spiritual component.
27:11 What encouragement can you leave with us to be
27:13 vibrant and happy as we go through these years?
27:17 Oh... aging always is a normal process.
27:21 We don't have to worry about the future because
27:24 our lives are in God's hand.
27:27 He knows the future of each one of us.
27:30 He knows what's good for us.
27:32 He KNOWS everything.
27:36 No hair can drop from our head without His knowing.
27:40 That's beautiful. Thank you
27:41 And I was also reading today in Proverbs 31...
27:44 the famous godly virtuous woman chapter...
27:47 Who can find a virtuous woman?
27:48 And there's actually a text there for people going through
27:50 menopause... I like to share that with our viewers.
27:53 If you turn to Proverbs 31:25
27:55 It talks about the virtuous woman...
27:58 "Strength and honor are her clothing and she shall
28:00 rejoice in time to come. "
28:02 That's us during our menopausal years.


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Revised 2014-12-17