What does holistic menopause care look like?

Have you been to the doctor over and over knowing something wasn't right? Maybe you feel like you have early dementia, can't find your words, have heart palpitations, new anxiety, new *name that symptom.* I have seen many women get referred to neurology for a million dollar workup, referred to rheumatology to work up the new fatigue and joint pain, or even psychiatry for depression, anxiety and insomnia. The link between all of these symptoms could be perimenopause or menopause. 

Menopause has been linked to at least 35 common symptoms. Conventional medicine often recommends antidepressants, antianxiety meds, sleep meds, pain meds, etc to help with the symptoms. Often the medications keep piling up and symptoms don't always improve. This is where an integrative  approach can be beneficial along with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (bHRT) for the right patients. 

Integrative medicine looks at the whole picture to find a root cause. Of course we know that the root cause of menopause is declining hormones, but sometimes there are nuances. Inflammation, gut health and blood sugar dysregulation, to name a few, can also play a role in symptoms. This comprehensive approach is often necessary to alleviate symptoms beyond only utilizing bHRT medications.