Greetings!

I just met Dotsie last night and had to get onto this site. Thanks so much for making this forum possible. Keep up the great work!

I am 55 (look and feel 35), a holistic health educator and certified yoga teacher. I started having sleep problems at 50. Before that I slept like a baby. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC)--traditional herbs-- solved the sleep problem.

I have night sweats when I eat chocolate or spicy foods. The only other time is just before my period, when estrogen is at it's lowest. I'm working to balance that naturally and will keep you posted on my success.

I teach women that we have choices and what these choices are. It is not just a choice between an uncomfortable menopause transition or taking drugs.

Thank goodness we are all laughing about it, though.

You have questions--we have answers.

First for Dotsie,

When do the symptoms end? The menopause transition comes in three stages, perimenopaue, menopausal climax and post-menopause. Symptoms begin during perimenopause, a time much like puberty, where the hormonal balance is changing. Menopausal climax includes the actual date of menopause--one year after the last period. It also includes a year or two on either side of menopause. During the menopausal climax the symptoms are the most severe. Post-menopause is the rest of your life, when the changes are established and healthy women experience new ZEST!

Will the symptoms go away? That depends on many things. But the most important factors are healthy diet, regular exercise, stress reduction and positive attitude. Study after study shows these four factors to be much more powerful than HRT in promoting a smooth transition and a healthy life.

As this is my first post, I am may be repeating the closing, and it is worth repeating.
Remember: "It's not a hot flash, it's a power surge!"

Regards,
Joanna