What Is Menopause?
Menopause can be something of a roller coaster ride, with many symptoms and side effects that will come and go. It is the natural process in life after women experience a decline in reproductive hormones, culminating at the end of fertility.
Most treatments for menopause are aimed at easing symptoms and helping women stay comfortable as their body goes through this natural process. These treatments may include diet, exercise, vitamins, lubricants, medication, or hormones.
Another treatment option that is often overlooked is chiropractic care. Here's what you need to know about menopause and how chiropractic care can help.
Signs and Symptoms of Menopause
In most cases, women do not begin perimenopause—the process that leads to menopause—until reaching their 40s or 50s. The first signs of the perimenopause stage may include irregular menstrual cycles (periods), hot flashes, chills, night sweats, vaginal dryness, slowed metabolism, weight gain, mood swings, thinning hair, dry skin, and trouble sleeping.
Periods will continue to be more and more sporadic and may shorten and become lighter as time goes on. Eventually, they will stop. When a woman goes 12 consecutive months without a period, she is diagnosed with menopause.
After that, women enter the postmenopausal phase. Symptoms may continue for several years.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help During Menopause
While some therapies (such as diet and exercise) can be very beneficial during the phases of menopause, other therapies (such as hormone replacement therapy) are not. They may increase your risk of breast cancer, dementia, osteoporosis, blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes.
Considering how disrupted menopause symptoms can be, it's no wonder many women consider risky treatments. Before taking those risks, it may be a good idea to try a natural therapy: chiropractic care.
The hypothalamus is the area of the brain that produces hormones that control things like body temperature, heart rate, mood, and hunger—many symptoms that affect women during menopause. Misalignments of the upper cervical spine can compress nerves, causing nerve signals to misfire.
When the spine is properly aligned, it helps nerve signals to flow properly and have better control over bodily functions. This can bring relief to women with some of these symptoms, reducing their intensity.
In addition to nerve function improvement, a properly aligned spine helps relieve many aches and pains of the musculoskeletal system that you just don't need during menopause. Chiropractic care can help improve core strength and flexibility, giving you more energy and helping you sleep better.
How We Can Help Ease You Through Menopause
At the Blair Chiropractic Clinic in Lubbock, Texas, we want to help women stay fit and healthy as their bodies go through natural changes. Dr. Gordon Elder is a specialist of the upper cervical spine, trained in the Blair Chiropractic Technique. The Blair technique is an elite chiropractic technique that combines high-end technology and hands-on corrections to restore the strength and health of the upper cervical spine.
Dr. Elder's three-step treatment plan begins with a consultation that includes an assessment of the patient's history and health, and 3D diagnostic imaging scans so that the doctor can better visualize your unique anatomy.
During step 2, the healing phase of the treatment plan, Dr. Elder will make adjustments to your spine with precise yet gentle techniques. These adjustments offer a natural, non-invasive, drug-free relief to many women as it jumpstarts the body's natural healing processes.
Finally, step 3 involves preventative care. Regular chiropractic visits as part of your healthcare routine will ensure Dr. Elder keeps your spine in a healthy, properly aligned state and nips any problem in the bud.
Whether you are experiencing perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause—or even if you haven't started the menopausal process at all yet and want to get ahead of the game—contact Dr. Elder to see how he can help you through it. The doctor's areas of coverage include Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, and El Paso in Texas, as well as Hobbs in New Mexico.
Published by Vic Belonogoff: A Blair Chiropractic doctor helped heal vertigo, among other conditions that Vic Belonogoff suffered from, and it gave him his life back. He continues to see an upper cervical chiropractor as a preventative measure. Vic Belonogoff is passionate about upper cervical chiropractic and how much it helps patients.