Herbalism - A Talk with Stephaney Allinson (July)

Imprinted in the collective psyche of mid-life women is the picture of the ‘typical’ menopausal woman they might become. Anxious, nerves jangled through lack of sleep, she struggles through her day forgetting everything and being constantly overwhelmed by debilitating hot flushes. Well on her way to becoming incontinent, she neither looks for nor gains any sexual pleasure. Her life over, depressed and forgotten, she might just as well curl up in the corner with her aches and pains and dowager’s hump, and let the world pass her by. 

This so-called ‘typical’ menopausal woman rarely comes through my clinic door. The menopausal woman I usually see may have some problems with menopausal complaints but, by and large, they don’t stop her from getting on with her life.

Far from becoming an old crone overnight, the menopausal woman is often more financially secure, and is energetic and ready for the challenges this new phase can bring. Being fifty-something isn’t old, but for all sorts of complex reasons, women have somehow confused ageing and menopause. 

Many lump together the years between menopause and 80 with the tag ‘postmenopausal woman’; and it’s not the energetic 50-year-old, it’s the 80-year-old they visualise. Menopause is a time of change. And making it a time of positive change is not just pot-luck! 

There is now plenty of evidence to suggest that preparing sensibly for mid-life with a good diet, lifestyle and an exercise program will greatly influence the way a woman experiences her menopause—and beyond.