Welcome to Mood Swings and Hot Flashes

This is my little contribution to women and men of the world who undergo, experience, endure...the wonderful and terrifying world that menopause can sometimes be. I'm hoping it will be a helpful and perhaps at times, humorous addition to your (our) voyage through this bumpy road that life gives us.

About Me

My name is Buddy and I live in Massachusetts with my lovely (perimenopausal) wife and three cats: Jalepeno, Thai, and Cricket; or as we call them Wenyo, Bo, and Crackhead. I'm an internet marketer, tai chi teacher and alternative health professional. I am co-owner of Harmony Healthworks, LLC with my student Keith. We practice oriental bodywork, energy healing, qigong, and structural alignment. We teach people how to be more comfortable in their own bodies and to develop a deeper sense of self and well-being.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Get Menopause Relief

I want to take a little time and talk about how to get menopause relief. The symptoms of menopause can really unsettle your life. One of the two main symptoms of menopause are mood swings and hot flashes. So why is it that they happen for middle-aged women, and what can be done? And of course the answer is menopause. I hope that this little primer will be useful to woman AND men.

My wife and I have been happily married for fourteen years. Like many women her age (she’d kill me if I gave it out so I’ll just say she’s maturing nicely) she started feeling the signs of menopause. Actually, perimenopause what they call it. It’s the period leading up to menopause. Apparently menopause is actually only one day-that day when a woman has gone an entire year without her period. Perimenopause generally occurs in women between 45-55 years of age, but even women in their 30s have reported signs.

It’s certainly isn’t the case that every woman has the same symptoms, but some of the things that might happen to you at the onset of menopause are: night sweats, the feeling that you are just not yourself, feeling like you can’t keep your train of thought, hair loss, mood swings and hot flashes. And please don’t think that menopause just affects women, either. Indirectly, the entire family is affected. It’s not easy for a woman to have to put up with these feelings. My wife and I have had many difficult conversations about what she’s going through. Truthfully, I think if more men learned about menopause and could understand that it is a natural life occurrence they’d be better equipped to deal with their wife’s symptoms.

Obviously if menopause is a natural function of aging, there is no cure for it. And why would there be? But there are things woman can do to get menopause relief.. For instance, make certain that you stick to a well-balanced diet. Also, try a program of mildly vigorous exercise. Some women find that Traditional Chinese Medicine gives them relief as well. Herbs such as St. John’s Wort, Black Cohash, Ginseng, and Valerian Root seem to be effective in treating mood swings and hot flashes. Stress-reducing techniques such as tai chi, qigong, and yoga are all very popular. I have taught my wife a simple standing exercise from tai chi (I used to teach this professionally) that really lets her just chill out nicely.

I hope this little piece has been useful to you, dear reader. I know that my research has been very helpful for me in understanding that my wife’s mood swings and hot flashes are not meant to be directed at me. They just happen and it helps when I understand this. They are just apart of what is happening to her body right now. I love her and support her in this transition in her life. I am fortunate in that she has always supported me in my life changes as well.


Menopause and Relief from Stress

Many women have a difficult time getting menopause relief. And it’s no surprise. It’s easy to get frustrated and stressed. Treating menopausal stress is no different than treating any other type of stress. As a woman moves through perimenopause, she can undergo very heavy hormonal changes. And, of course, these changes affect different women in very different ways. Among the symptoms you might feel are:

  • Mood Swings
  • Hot Flashes
  • Insomnia
  • Vaginal Dryness

Obviously any sort of change, be it major or minor, that you might go through can be stressful. Change or loss of a job, the birth of a child or grandchild, relocation, and certainly the painful trauma of divorce can all be stressful situations. By the way, it isn’t really the stress that gets to us so much, it’s our reaction to it. Before we get into treating menopausal stress, let’s ask the question-what is stress? And how can dealing with it give you menopause relief?

Stress is your body’s natural reaction to any challenges or threats. When you encounter this sort of situation, your body just wholesale dumps “stress hormones” into your system. Hormones like adrenaline and epinephrine can really get your heart racing. You might feel hot flashes which in turn causes profuse sweating-just what you need. All of this coming on you like a freight train will make you tense.

Well then, what are some things you can do in treating menopausal stress? Again, let’s go our list:

· It’s a good idea to avoid alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods when you’re stressed out.

· Quitting smoking is always a good idea. Certainly it’s no easy task but very beneficial in the long run.

· Keeping a positive attitude is key. Mood swings can really cause stress so maintaining a positive attitude can really help.

· Starting a gentle exercise routine, such as yoga or tai chi will help. My wife uses a simple standing qigong exercise I taught her (I used to be a professional tai chi instructor)

· Watching your diet by choosing those foods that really nourish you is another good idea for getting menopause relief..

· Be active. Start a hobby, volunteer, plant a garden. Activities such as these will keep your mind off your symptoms.

So, you see, it’s really not all that difficult to manage your symptoms. Does it sometimes take a little work? Sure, anything worthwhile does. But you have many more years of life ahead of you, and you can live them stress-free if you just take the time to learn how.



. If this article, Menopause and Relief From Stress, has been helpful to you and if you’d like a free e-course (yes, that means no charge!) in the tai chi exercise that I taught my wife, then just add your name and email address above on the side bar.
And don't worry, I'll NEVER sell, or give away your personal information.
I hate spam as much as you do.

Copyright 2007


Saturday, April 14, 2007

The first one!

Welcome to my blog, Mood Swings and Hot Flashes. This blog is for everyone who endures the sometimes bothersome symptoms of perimenopause. Menopause is the day that you've gone a full twelve months without having your period. Peri- is all the time leading up to that.
I suppose you might find it odd that a man would write about what can be a tender subject. But when my wife started exhibiting symptoms of perimenopause we both decided to do a bit of online research. I'm concerned about her well-being, and frankly about both of our sanitys! It's not easy going through perimenopause and it's not always a picnic living with someone who is. But I love my wife dearly and it is well worth the effort.
She asked me if I would chronicle our efforts so that it might help other men and women. So- here we are. Hang on to your hats, it may be a bumpy ride!

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Mood Swing and Hot Flashes