For many women, Menopause can be a time when we just don’t feel great. It is important to see a health care provider and obtain the most appropriate options to manage symptoms like hot flashes with evidence based care, but it is also important to focus on general wellness.
Wellness and Meno Medico :
Wellness is an overall state of well being. In essence, wellness is a holistic approach to living well and can be different for each person. It’s an ongoing journey rather than a fixed destination.
Wellness is about feeling good, managing stress, focusing on diet and nutrition, and making deliberate steps to have your social and emotional needs met. It is multidimensional and in parallel to active efforts of medical teams. As health care teams aim to to attain the absence of illness and provide evident based treatments for symptoms, Meno Medico supports you in aiming to offer empowerment, balance, calm and wholeness.
When reaching for feeling well, it must be acknowledged that each women’s health needs are unique and may vary depending on factors like age, lifestyle, reproductive health, and life circumstances.
Wellness is a critical accompaniment to your health care that is focused on thriving and living a balanced, fulfilling life alongside your general medical care.
Meno Medico and Wellness:
This site is meant to be an opportunity to gain empowering information to take care of YOU, to prioritize yourself and to work towards holistic health.
Examples of Wellness (Wellbeing) MenoMedico focuses on are :
- Physical Wellbeing (outside of medical conditions)
- Exercise: Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining good health. It helps with weight management, boosts energy levels, can improve heart health, may improve stability and flexibility, and supports overall vitality.
- Nutrition: A well-balanced diet is necessary. A diet that has proven to be beneficial to heart health is the Mediterranean Diet. The importance of Protein intake has also been shown https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/building-blocks Diet in general and further important aspects of a balanced diet will be discussed in a future blog.
- Sleep: Getting enough quality sleep is vital for recovery and maintaining energy levels. Your sleep can be negatively impacted by both age and menopause.
- Note: as a reminder: Preventive Care: Regular check-ups and check ins that includes sharing concerns and changes with your provider are important. Also screenings (like mammograms, Pap smears, and bone density tests), and vaccinations are required for early detection of health issues.
- Mental and Emotional Well-being
- Mental Health: Mental health is often under discussed and under addressed. The strain of a life transition, while potentially working or caring for others can be challenging. Speaking to a health care provider about anxiety or depression or other feelings that are new, ongoing or resurgent is important. Finding methods to manage stress is integral to women’s wellness. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Talking therapy, mindfulness, and meditation are potentially helpful additions to any care plan created together with yourself and your provider.
- Emotional Health: This can be a challenging part of overall wellness because it can involve other people! Developing healthy emotional regulation, understanding personal boundaries, and nurturing positive relationships are all essential to emotional well-being. If you live with others, having open conversations about your transition and is important to allow for understanding and mutual care. Sharing with friends and family can at times also lead to support and consideration.
- Self-Care: This is a topic that we will be taking a deep dive into in this site. You are so important and it is critical to prioritize the large and small ways you fill your bucket. Taking time for yourself—whether through hobbies, relaxation, or social connections—is a key part of maintaining emotional balance.
- Empowerment and Confidence : Knowledge is power. The more you know about menopause the more empowered you are to make the decisions that you feel best about. Knowing the most accurate information about menopause allows for confidence as you navigate this change. Sites to refer to include the Menopause Society, Menopause and U, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the Canadian Menopause Society.
Meno Medico is able to offer insights, reminders, trusted evidence based information and direction. No medical advice will be provided on Meno Medico.
- Social Well-being
- Relationships: This can be a relationship with yourself, friends, family, a pet or other. It is just important to feel that you have someone to share with, spend time with and let yourself relax around.
- Community: Being involved in community activities or finding supportive social networks can enhance a woman’s sense of purpose and well-being. The hope is that communities will be supportive of women going through menopause as awareness grows.
- Work-Life Balance: Balancing career demands with personal life is crucial for stress reduction and maintaining healthy relationships and personal happiness. Working during menopause transitions can prove to be challenging for some and this can be heightened by raising young children, caring for elderly family members, and other responsibilities. The more awareness that exists the more workplace policies will reflect the support of women who can be in their prime working years but working through changes out of their control. More on menopause and the workplace can be found here https://whri.org/our-initiatives/her-bc/
MenoMedico offers information, advocacy, and aims to empower menopausal women through evidence based information and social emotional support.
- Spiritual Well-being
- Gratitude and Mindfulness : Expressing and journalling gratitude can be of great benefit to many by focusing on growth mindset, self reflection, and mentally connecting to a sense of purpose. Mindfulness can allow one to stay present and focus on calming through breathing and body awareness. Journalling is important to both and offers the opportunity to reflect, clarify thoughts, and take time for oneself. There will be a lot of discussion on journaling and focusing on staying grounded and calm in your daily life.
Nurturing Spirit is one of the most important features of self care. Meno Medico offers you opportunities like the Menopause Journal to create structure to grow daily habits that calm and ground you in life.
- Environmental Wellness
- Grounding Environment: Living in a space that feels safe, peaceful, and nurturing is part of overall wellness. This can mean small adjustments or larger changes that enable a feeling of calm within any chaos that may arise.
Meno Medico offers you the opportunity to challenge your physical space with support!
- Personal Growth and Empowerment
- Self-Advocacy: Taking control of one’s health and well-being involves becoming informed and advocating for oneself, this can range from seeking medical care to ensuring one’s voice is heard in social, work, or family settings.
- Education and Learning: Lifelong learning and the pursuit of personal interests and skills are important for growth and fulfillment. Learning about your own health and the changes you are experiencing is vital to your empowerment.
The Meno Medico Journal allows you to take control of your health care. You have the opportunity to learn, document, and track your menopausal journey.
- Reproductive Health and Wellness:
- Reproductive Health Balance: Women experience hormonal changes throughout their lives, particularly during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Managing symptoms associated with hormonal fluctuations, such as PMS, pregnancy, or menopause, is crucial to overall wellness. Any concern including changes in your period should be discussed with your health care team.
Meno Medico offers the opportunity to learn about hormonal changes in perimenopause and menopause. The Menopause Journal provides the opportunity to organize your symptoms to work collaboratively with your health care provider and to create a wellness plan.
- Prevention and Early Intervention
- Women’s wellness emphasizes proactive health measures, such as regular screening, early diagnosis, and a focus on prevention, to catch potential issues early.
Meno Medico offers you the support to track your ongoing health in the menopausal transition.
Wellness as an lifelong process
Meno Medico is NOT:
– A replacement for advice or care from a Health Care provider
– An all encompassing complete view of all symptoms and people’s experiences