Celebrate menopause with Ayurveda

By Dr. Khushboo Chaddha, Ayurvedic Consultant (B.A.M.S)

Menopause can be a great change in how you perceive life & how you begin to interact with it. Many women can do this naturally. But if not, trust me you’re not alone in this.

Living in a culture filled with random opinions & judgment, thinking about menopause and the changes that come along with it can be traumatizing. As for most women, menopause has conjured a vision of hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings & long awakening nights. Ayurveda termed menopause as “Rajonivrutti '' which means “the end of Artava Pravrutti” (stopping of Menstrual cycle).

Ayurveda doesn’t recognise menopause as a disease but has beautifully linked it as a period of letting go.

ACCEPT & GRACIOUSLY MOVE FORWARD

According to Ayurveda, the pre & post-menopausal period (a few years before & after commencement of menopause) is the best time when a woman can re-evaluate her life on all levels, especially on issues of identity. - If her identity is limited to looking young, she will have a difficult time as undoubtedly the body will mature & diverge from the socially desirable image. - If the identity is limited to nurturing family, it will also be challenging with a less active & lethargic life. - For professionally enthusiast women, menopause may become a source of questioning & dissatisfaction one way or another. The fundamentals of all these feelings & reflections are nothing but a basic identity of women. Ayurveda believes embracing it actually before hitting the doors, provides women a wholesome period of self-confrontation, and ensures comforting menopause.

AYURVEDIC DOSHAS & MENOPAUSE

Ayurveda recognised three major stages of life- childhood, adulthood & elderhood. Each stage is associated with one of the three fundamental dosha- Vata, Pitta & Kapha. In its harmonious state Vata dosha is responsible for all the body movement, Pitta dosha is associated with body fire & digestion and Kapha dosha is meant for body nourishment. Working together in harmony these three dosha cohesive resolves destructions & ensures balance in the body. Rajonivrutti or menopause classically associated with the predominance of Vata, the dosha of air & either, consecutively imbalanced the other two dosha- Pitta & Kapha.

As a result of it

● Elevated Vata disperses throughout the body resulting in blocking channels & diminishing the core digestive fire, leading to difficulty in digestion during menopause.

● The imbalanced Pitta, the fire element, continuous to heat up within the body due to blocked channels which gives rise to hot flashes, irritability, anxiety, excessive sweating & trouble sleeping

● The aggravated Vata dosha especially apana vayu (a subtype of Vata dosha) with its air & either constituent causes dryness throughout the body resulting in drying out of the vagina. ● The imbalance in kapha dosha causes congestion in strotas (nurturing channel) resulting in post-menopausal weight gain, low metabolism, feeling of depression & unmotivation.

MAKE AYURVEDA PART OF JOURNEY

Various recent ongoing studies, supporting the age-old view of Ayurveda, validate the fact that complete lifestyle modification starting right from pre-menopause, significantly helped women to embrace their journey of menopause. Ayurveda manages & treats menopause by supporting the body with nourishing & Vata pacifying herbs, emphasising a supportive lifestyle, guiding correct exercise & enlightens inner reflection. This unique approach of ayurvedic management encourages modern-day women to shift from synthetic pills to natural alternatives & make ayurveda part of their journey.

Dr.Khushboo is passionate about women's health and has deep interest in understanding the natural phenomenon of menopause and how leveraging ayurveda to overcome the discomforting changes can help women leading better lives.