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What is Periomenopause? A part of a woman’s life cycle that happens before menopause. Since every woman is unique and an individual, perimenopause can be drastically different for each woman. It can start as early as 35 years old for some women. It can last between 4 to 10 years on average before menopause. Usually occurs when progesterone levels start to decrease and eventually estrogen and even testosterone can decrease. For some women it can be very subtle, but for most women it can be a time filled with chaos, unpredictability and frustration. If you have other underlying medical issues that have not been addressed find the root cause(s) of your issue(s), these medical issues can get exasperated by perimenopause. Some women have not even heard of the term perimenopause and other women have, but have no idea about it. Were you lucky enough to hear about this from other women in your life? After so many women have been so quiet & silently suffering, more studies are finally being done on perimenopause. More physicians are talking about it and more women are vocalizing that their bodies are changing and they need answers and help! Yay! What are some common symptoms? As women, we are all different and unique; you may very well have symptoms that are entirely different than the symptoms experienced by your friends, mom, sister or grandmother. Here are some of the most common symptoms: Sleep changes (not for the better!): Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Feeling hot, hot flashes, night sweats Tired Changes in menstrual cycle Migraines Weight gain with no change in lifestyle (lots of women experience more weight gain in the mid-section) Vaginal/vulvar dryness Mood changes/mood swings/depression/anxiety (Do you or does your family feel like you are going crazy?) Hair loss Acne Brain fog (Do you feel like you are losing your mind?) Difficulty concentrating The list goes on and on… Should you just wait it out and suffer? Absolutely NOT! Is sex hormone replacement the answer? Sex hormone replacement (commonly referred to as HRT or bHRT) can be very helpful for some women. It is not going to completely fix everything, especially if you have underlying medical issues that have never been addressed at the root cause level. Your body’s basics need to be working well and getting the TLC they deserve for your sex hormones to be working optimally. Why do the basics need to be working well to address your sex hormones? Your body works together as a whole, not as separate systems, so you need your whole body in balance to have your sex hormones in balance. Why working on the basics matters: Gut health : includes your liver, which is super important to process or metabolize your sex hormones! If your gut health is off, your sex hormones are going to be messed up! Adrenal health : If your body is stuck in survival mode (fight or flight) it is not going to focus on making and using sex hormones. If you are stressed more than relaxed, then your adrenals will be pushing out a lot of stress hormones, which causes inflammation. Thyroid health : Thyroid issues can cause menstrual irregularities, decreases in estrogen and progesterone. Your thyroid can pretty much control your whole body, so having an optimally working thyroid is imperative! Inflammation status : If your body is constantly inflamed, your body is in survival mode and is not going to have the capacity to work on sex hormones much! Most of your immune system is located in your gut, so if you have inflammation, working on your gut health is key! Sleep : Are you burning the candle at both ends? You are not going to be able to get away with less sleep like you did in your 20s. Did you know that women need more sleep than men? Sleep is the foundation for your health. Sleep is where your body gets rest, restoration happens and lots of detoxing happens. Sleep is also important for optimal metabolism. Every part of your body functions better with optimal sleep. Stress : I don’t have to tell you this: Life is stressful! How your body deals with stress matters! If your body feels the affect of all the stress, this is not helpful and is quite hurtful to you. Finding out ways to destress is so important. Are you taking enough time for self care? Are you taking time to get in enough rest and sleep? Nutrition : What you are putting in your body can either be your best medicine or worst nightmare! Are you staying hydrated with enough water daily? Are you eating God made foods and staying away from processed foods? Your goal is to fuel your body with the nutrients it needs for optimal health. During this stage in your life and for the rest of your life, protein will be your friend and needed more than the early stages in your life. Research has shown that after the age of 30 years old, you begin to lose muscle mass at a rate of 3-8% per decade and this rate accelerates after you are 60 years old. If you really focus on your protein intake and supporting your skeletal muscles, you can fight this statistic! Protein is the building block for your skeletal muscle. Your skeletal muscle is referred to as the longevity organ and here are the reasons why: key to a peak-performing metabolism, burning fat, hormone balance, keeping your bones strong, balancing your blood sugars and so much more... Exposure to toxins : What are you using and putting on your body? Is it filled with chemicals that can cause inflammation and chemicals that disrupt your endocrine system causing an even bigger disaster to your sex hormone health? Perimenopause can be very overwhelming. You are not alone! If you are not sure where to start—take a stand to work on one step at a time. If you are not taking time for sleep—work on adding in more sleep. If you are not staying well hydrated with water, work on getting in more water daily. The goal is not to cause you more stress by changing too many things at once. If you are highly motivated to get to the root causes of your medical issues and perimenopause, schedule a call with either Stephanie or Sara, so New Beginnings can learn more about you, your goals and you can learn how our clinic partners with you! References: https://www.ifm.org/articles/sex-hormones-and-the-gut-microbiome https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240565452030144X https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4600502/ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23005-adrenal-gland https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4743370/ https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/04/benefits-slumber

I am sure you know that diabetics pay close attention to their blood sugar or blood glucose levels. In my opinion, I think everyone should know if their blood sugar is balanced or not! First off, let’s talk about what your blood sugar level is: A blood sugar level or otherwise known as blood glucose is the amount of sugar or glucose in your blood. Sugar comes from carbohydrates in food and drinks you put into your body. Sugar or glucose is your body’s main source of energy. Your blood can carry sugar all over your body. Your liver can also release stored glucose, if your body needs some energy. How does your liver get glucose? Your liver can get the glucose you ate from your gut, specifically your intestines and then stores it. Your liver does so many important things and this is just one of many! What are the benefits to having a continuously balanced blood sugar level? •Great way to help with optimizing your health and healing your body! •Steady energy throughout the day. •Better focus and memory •Stable mood •Better sleep •Hormone balance including adrenals, thyroid and sex hormones •Stress resilience •Nervous system more balanced and less likely to be stuck in fight or flight mode •Organs functioning optimally •Optimal metabolism •Less inflammation •Improved immune function •Better resilience Testing to find out about your blood sugar level: 1- Finger stick test . You get a drop of blood from your finger, put the drop of blood on a test strip, then put the test strip in the glucose meter and within seconds you find out what your blood glucose is at that current point in time. 2- Lab draw taken from your vein . This also tells you at the current time what your blood sugar level is. This is more accurate than a finger stick test. 3- Hemoglobin A1c test . This can be obtained with a lab draw or finger stick test. This tells you what your average sugar level is for a 3 month period. What we are looking for with this test is how much sugar is hanging off of your red blood cells and this will give you a clue about your average sugar level for a 3 month period. For the typical person, your red blood cells last a total of 3 months in your body. 4- Continuous glucose monitor . You wear a sensor this is usually placed on the back of your arm for ~10-14 days to continuously measure your sugar level 24/7 using an app on your phone or a reader. What are the drawbacks to each test: 1-Finger stick test is not always accurate and is only giving you a one time snap shot of what your sugar level is doing currently. 2-Lab draw is pretty accurate but is also only giving you a one time snap shot of what your sugar level is doing currently. 3-Hemoglobin A1c test. It sounds like a great test because you are getting info about a three month period. But the problem is, you are getting the average, you are not seeing if there are highs or lows. 4-CGM (continuous glucose monitor). Not always accurate. Sensors sometimes malfunction. Certain things can throw off the readings such as going thru a metal detector, laying on your arm that has the sensor or being in a hot environment like a sauna, hot tub or bath. What is the best way to see if your blood sugar level is balanced? With the technology that is currently available, I am a big fan of continuous glucose monitors . This is a way we can get the most thorough data about what your sugar level is doing 24/7 for 10-14 days. You will be able to see if your blood sugar is actually balanced 24/7. This means you don’t want to see ups and downs. You want your blood sugar to be balanced—as close to a straight line as possible 24/7. You will also be able to see if certain foods raise your blood sugar. Guess what? In conventional medicine there is a list of foods that are suppose to increase your sugar level. What I have found partnering with patients and looking at their data from their CGMs is that every one is unique and an individual and responds differently to different foods. You will find out what foods increase your blood sugar levels. You will also be able to see how your body responds to simple and complex carbohydrates. For a lot of people, if you don’t have protein and some fat before eating carbs, this can also raise your blood sugar level and put your sugar level out of balance. The amount of carbs also matter. Some people can get away with eating more carbs than others. You will also get the answer about how much your body likes in terms of carbs. You will also get to see if you have any symptoms or your body feels a certain way, if you have low blood sugars or high blood sugars. In conventional medicine, there is a list of symptoms for low and a certain list of symptoms for high blood sugars—but guess what? You are an individual and unique, so your symptoms maybe different than what the “typical symptoms” are. If your body feels stressed, this also affects your blood sugar level. So if you get stressed or angry at someone, you will likely see your blood sugar level increase. If you are exercising too hard and it is too stressful on your body, you can also see an elevation in your sugar level. You may also not feel when you are high or low. What does having a balanced blood sugar look like based on the numbers? Conventional Medicine has outlined what the criteria is for blood sugar numbers that are in prediabetic range or diabetic range, which is helpful. My goal for you is to work towards optimal range for blood sugar levels and have a balanced blood sugar level 24/7, so your body can work optimal! Here is what I have found to be the best ranges for an optimal blood sugar level after working with patients over the years: Fasting blood sugar: 80’s to mid 90’s mg/dL. For some individuals, mid 70’s is optimal. After eating blood sugar or post prandial blood sugar level: I have found that the most optimized patients with a balanced blood sugar level increase their blood sugar no more than 10 mg/dL from their pre-meal blood sugar level. It is okay to have blood sugar level highest before bed even up to 100, since you will not be eating all night and don’t want your blood sugar level plummeting while sleeping. Studies are currently being conducted to figure out what the optimal levels of blood glucose levels should be. It has only been in the last few years that continuous glucose monitors have been available for non-diabetic patients, so as we learn more and continue to conduct more studies, eventually we will have better evidence and wisdom. What the current studies are showing is that optimal levels for fasting blood glucose should be less than 110 mg/dL and after eating the blood sugar should not increase more than 30 mg/dL from pre-meal blood sugar level. Just like everything in life, you don’t want too little or too much when it comes to your blood sugar level—you want it in balance! Are you concerned about your health or a loved one's health and not sure where to begin? Schedule a FREE 15 minute strategy call with New Beginnings. Schedule online or call 970-305-0101. References: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/12363-blood-glucose-test https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5293555/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555976/ https://www.levels.com/blog/what-should-my-glucose-levels-be-ultimate-guide

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