In the West we view hot flushes, sleep issues, anxiety, joint pain and an existential crisis as a normal part of menopause. 

But when we look at women’s experience of menopause in other cultures there is a vast difference.

How do women in other cultures go through menopause?

In some cultures there is actually no word for menopause. It is a relatively modern term and may not even be recognised as a concept.  It is certainly not seen as a difficult time.

A study done with almost 500 women in India showed they had no symptoms except that their periods slowed and stopped. 

Japanese women reported “mild” symptoms and very few with hot flushes. These women also had fewer incidences of heart disease , breast cancer and osteoporosis. Findings suggest this is linked to a healthier diet , high in plant based foods and soy products and other lifestyle factors.

Menopause seen as a time of new found freedom

Women in India who were veiled before menopause , could now be unveiled and included in mens conversations. They felt happy and free.

Mayan women although they do experience some mild symptoms look forward to menopause as a time of new found freedom.

 

A western problem

I do think there are a number of reasons why we western women seem to struggle so much more with our menopause. Some of it is related to our cultural and societal norms.

Ageing is to be avoided at all cost. We are continually encouraged by the media to stay young. Images of women in film, television and advertising are young and wrinkle free.

Older women are not valued in our society. There is no place for us.

In indigenous and non western cultures,  older women are revered as wise women. They hold a valuable place in the community.

Toxicity and hormones

Hormones are everywhere. From a young age western women are able to access the pill relatively easily. We are now into our third generation of hormonal interference and it gets passed on in the genes.

Hormones are in the plastics we use for just about everything our food comes in. Hormones are in our water supply.

Stress

Our lifestyles are highly stressful and over stimulating. We are so focussed on productivity and being constantly busy we don’t even know how to rest and be still. Our systems are constantly in overdrive. More on the affect of stress in this blogpost.

I could go on !

What you can do now

With homeopathy we can remove toxicity, decrease stress hormones and bring all the other hormones back into balance.

Homeopathy cant change our entire culture ! But we can start by looking after ourselves first and brining ourselves back to our healthiest state by cleansing, nourishing and supporting our systems.

If this sounds interest to you, get in touch and book a FREE 15 minute consultation with me.

Please share this article with your women friends going through menopause.