Managing your own menopause/andropause

I have found that by researching my own specific health issues, I can find the kinds of solutions that work for me and my husband Mike. For example, when I first started into perimenopause, I read about how wonderful soy products were because of their phyto-estrogen properties. I started eating everything soy, learned all new recipes, and began to love it.

Then I developed the worst case of hives I could have ever imagined. I had weeping sores over half of my body, and they were spreading FAST! It took three different types of doctors to figure out how allergic I was to soy, so of course, I stopped eating it. Twenty days later my hives SLOWLY started going away.

We have also had to go through similar “experiments” to help Mike successfully manage his chronic fatigue symptoms, which included some andropause issues like a total lack of pregnenolone (the mother of all hormones in your body) Finding the right balance of supplements for your specific case is essential and takes time and experimentation.  We can highly recommend Dr. Myhill in the UK for practical solutions that work!

My advice to manage your own menopause or andropause problems? First of all, find a health care professional you respect and trust implicitly. Make sure that they keep up with the latest research in this area, and then go with your gut. But remember, you are the ultimate expert on your own body!

If they give you the creeps on any level, get out of their office. Get thorough blood tests to see the total picture of what’s happening in your body at menopause or andropause, including all the more complicated hormone levels like pregnenolone, cortisol, and the three testosterone levels (for men.)

And then use your own brain and gut to decide what will work for you, what you can live with, and what makes you feel better both emotionally and physically.

I admit it isn’t easy, because many doctors in the U.S. right now don’t seem to do their research, or know very much about these issues. Doctors and researchers in other countries like England seem far ahead of us in this area. But the internet offers you the unique opportunity to educate yourself and be healthy out there!

[Via http://agingresearch.wordpress.com]