Most women in the community are looking at menopause through the rear view mirror. Maybe you whizzed through menopause with almost no symptoms at all. Or, maybe you were one of those women who struggled with hot flashes and night sweats. Regardless, you are probably happy to have left menopause behind. Or have you?

In reality, the hormonal changes that start in our 40s and 50s continue well into our 60s and beyond. We may not talk about postmenopause as much as we talk about menopause, but, it still has a bit impact on our lives.

If you are still affected by the changes in your body (and who isn’t?) my conversation with Julie Dargan may help. Julie is a naturopath and the founder of the website Menopause Whisperer.

What is Menopause Really?

Julie starts by giving us the true definition of menopause. Technically, it is defined as the 365 days since the last day you had a period. Most of the dramatic hormonal symptoms that we hear about happen in perimenopause. After that, for most women, the symptoms calm down and things get easier. That said, symptoms like disrupted sleep, vaginal dryness and hormone influenced weight gain often continue into our 60s or 70s.

What Are the Options for Dealing with Your Postmenopausal Symptoms?

In the interview, Julie helps us to understand what we can do to deal with these ongoing symptoms. Many women go to a doctor to get hormone replacement medication. Others try to address the hormonal imbalances in their bodies with diet and lifestyle changes. But, even if you do decide to take medication, eating better and getting more exercise are also a good idea.

So, what is really going on inside our bodies? According to Julie, the real culprit is an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone. For starters, the feel good elements in progesterone are no longer provided to the body in the amounts that they used to be. The actual balance between these hormones is quite complicated and I encourage you to watch the interview to get the details. Julie’s website also includes much more information than I could put in this article.

In the video, we discuss many healthy and natural feel good foods. For example, eating natural raw nuts, with no added salt can be a great source of nutrients. I hope that you find Julie’s diet and lifestyle suggestions useful as you give your body the love it needs.

Have you tried any diet or lifestyle changes to address the needs of your aging body? Please join the conversation.