At this point, you all know that I am in either peri-menopause or menopause <g> I am not going to waste my money on blood work right now, because in any case it really doesn't matter. My ob-gyn wanted to put me on drugs. Not going to happen.

I have learned a great deal in the past few months that I really wanted to share with you, so that you may possibly find relief. With the help of a nutritionist, my holistic doctor and my own sensibility, this is what I have come up with that works for the typical symptoms. Hot surges, restless leg syndrome, sleeplessness, panic attacks, etc.

Change your diet: Stay away from dairy, wheat, white or brown sugar, caffeine. I also stay away from yeast. There are plenty of things you can eat instead so you don't feel deprived. Even I don't feel deprived and I am/was a bagel and ice cream addict. Goat or sheep cheeses are great and I do well with spelt flour products. I also do okay with sweeteners such as agave, maple syrup and honey. There is an amazing ice cream (non-dairy, no sugar or chemicals) that actually, for real, tastes like ice cream. It is called So Delicious (or maybe Purely Decadent - I can't remember which) and the coconut milk is the flavor you want. I am a very picky ice cream eater and when I say it really tastes like ice cream, you can believe it!

Eat all different kinds of vegetables and get out of your rut (I was in one...) Now I eat asparagus, dandelion greens, swiss chard, cabbage, squashes and tons of spinach (great for those leg cramps!!! Popeye was right.) I try to do as much organic as I can afford to buy. I don't eat too much red meat, but more chicken and fish.

I am now cooking with all sorts of healthy oils - ghee, walnut, coconut, olive and avocado oils. I have added soy (tofu), yams and 1/2 a banana before bedtime. All of my peri-menopausal symptoms have DISAPPEARED.

HOWEVER, I found I was gaining too much weight (5 pounds on me is an entire size) because I was obsessed with getting all of those foods in each day. I asked my nutritionist if I could, like I do with my dogs (see, I had to get the dogs in here somehow) and feed them for weekly nutrition, rather than a daily one (I feed a raw diet). She said "no." I kept gaining weight and was watching my waist get bigger and bigger and I was not a happy camper. So, since I really think I was a dog in a previous life, I decided to start feeding myself on a weekly basis and voila! Still no symptoms and I am losing the weight! Slowly of course, but it is coming off. 

I have also started to do 10-15 minutes of very gentle yoga right before bedtime and now I pass out within one minute and more importantly - sleep the whole night through. I am also taking a product called MenoSense and take anywhere from 2-6 per day as I need it. It has black cohosh, dong quai, chasteberry and a few other things - all with the approval of my holistic doctor.

So ladies, you don't need to just put up with the symptoms; you CAN make your life more comfortable by utilizing some very easy changes. Of course, I am not an MD, nor do I play one on TV, so ask your doctor, find a nutritionist or a holistic doctor and do research on the net (I searched for "foods for menopause" and came up with some great sites.)

For those of you that are local (NJ, eastern PA, parts of NY), go to Delia Quigley's website - because I pushed her, she is now offering a cooking class specifically for menopause. www.brcleanse.com

Enjoy feeling better!