“And one day she discovered that she was fierce and strong, and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears" - Mark Anthony

Introduction:

How many times have you gone to the doctor and listed out your symptoms of poor sleep, joint and muscle aches, fatigue, dry itchy skin, low mood … plus more, and you walk out of there being told your labs are ‘normal’ and it’s just part of ‘aging’.

NOT HELPFUL RIGHT!!

But what if you don’t feel normal, that’s why you keep trying to find out what’s wrong with you!

My list was endless in my 20’s. I had already had multiple surgeries for endometriosis, but I had a list of autoimmune conditions appearing. 

The doctors had NO answer (except prescribe medication that I never took, I knew a band-aid to mask the symptoms was not the answer). 

I went on to have a hysterectomy at age 29, I’m now 56. Life is very different, and I want this for you too.

The stormy hormone transition

If you were saying “YES” out loud to this ‘medical mystery’, you are not alone. 

In my previous blog Why Menopause is your Second Spring, i explained that our energy is shifting, and if we have not quite taken care of our body in our 20’s 30’s and 40’s like we should have, then our ‘internal energy system’ can be totally in chaos, that manifests in many common symptoms… irregular bowls, mood swings, anxiety, hot flashes, sleeplessness, everything DRY (even our girlie bits) … there is a huge list!

The amount and severity of your peri / menopause symptoms reflect your internal and external environment. There is major change with estrogen decline, but not to the debilitating level of the western world.

Normal labs but you feel like SH%T??

This is a common story for women in perimenopause and menopause — and one that Eastern medicine helps fill in.

What 'Western' testing gets right...

Western lab testing is valuable. It gives us data — numbers that reflect your blood levels of hormones like estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, thyroid, and more.

My previous life was a Medical Scientist… so I was the ‘white lab coat’ chick testing your blood, so I REALLY understand this.

Here's the catch... Blood tests often reflect a snapshot in time — and your body, especially during menopause, is in constant transition. Hormone levels can fluctuate daily (even hourly), and many symptoms don’t always show up in black-and-white lab ranges.

What Eastern Philosophy & Holistic Medicine Adds

Holistic Health, Eastern philosophy and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) takes a completely different — and complementary — approach. It doesn’t just measure; it observes. TCM looks at the body like a garden:

• Is the soil dry or moist?
  

• Is the system overheated or sluggish?
  

• Are the cycles of rest and activity in balance?

Eastern / Holistic Integrative Practitioners assess your patterns using physical signs (tongue, pulse, complexion, digestion), emotional state, and symptom patterns to understand what’s going on energetically — often before it shows up on a test.

Learning to practice body awareness can help you be more intuitive to these changes and needs of your body. This mindful way of living is how you reunite the mind-body connection and can start to take control of your health.

East-West differences

So which is better?

Neither system is better — they’re simply different.

Western medicine gives us precision.

Eastern medicine gives pattern recognition.

Together, they offer a powerful framework to treat the root, not just the result.

Your 'takeaway' from this ....

If you’ve been told “everything looks fine” but your body says otherwise — don’t ignore your intuition. Your symptoms are a form of communication. When we combine East and West, we can truly listen.

Stress and inflammation are the enemy in the menopausal woman.

Our declining estrogen removes the protective ‘anti-inflammatory’ armor from your body, so we can be running in ‘burn-out’ mode, low androgens and cortisol, and/or high stress mode that spikes cortisol. Both are damaging and inflammatory. 

For a simple checklist to help reduce cortisol spikes, download this free guide >> 25 Ways to Calm Cortisol Spikes

I got you!

ALWAYS IN YOUR CORNER

BIG LOVE & GRATITUDE

Lisa X

Disclaimer: This information is not medical advice and is for education purposes only. For all medical concerns, consult your physician.

Watch this short video as Lisa discusses what blood tests don't show ...a different 'holistic' viewpoint of the menopause transition and hormonal changes.