Yoga Therapy and Menopause

 

11.Weight gain

Medical view.

Menopausal years can lead to weightgain. The underlying reason for this weight gain is that midlife women experience a slowdown in metabolic rate of about 10-15 percent compared to earlier in life. Woman bodies also become more efficient at taking energy into our cells and storing it in the form of fat. In addition, as estrogen levels fall, our appetite increases. Nature designed this for two reasons: to allow us to survive on less food as we get older and, in some cases, less able to fend for ourselves; and to assist us in putting on a supply of body fat that can produce the estrogen and androgens our ovaries are no longer producing at the same rate. It is as if body is trying to “grow a little ovary made of fat”, since fat produces estrogen.

Midlife weight gain (within limits) is not necessarily a health risk. In fact, those extra pounds we gain at perimenopause often go away once we get past menopause and our metabolism restabilizes. Central obesity (excess belly fat) is a problem. Abdominal fat cells are more metabolically active - and potentially more dangerous - than the fat cells on your hips and thighs. They can contribute to insulin resistance and can pump out too much androgens and estrogen. The classic apple-shaped figure is associated with an increased risk for heart disease.

Ayurvedic view. Obesity is a kapha disorder. In obese individuals the gastric fire is strong, but the cellular fire in the tissue is relatively low. Whatever excess food or calories a person consumes are not burned and instead turn into adipose tissue, leading to overweight and obesity. Stress may induce repeated emotional eating, leading to significant weight gain.

The extra weight gain is a disturbance in medas dhatu. As stated by Dr. Lansdorf, “Since all your hormones interact on the level of medas dhatu, it is not surprising that as key hormones begin to fluctuate and then drop off sharply, your fat and carbohydrate metabolism may go a bit haywire also.”  At the same time, weak muscles do not “cook” well for fat tissue (since muscle (mamsa) is created before fat (medas), the production of medas is affected by the health of the mamsa). This results in an accumulation of ama in  fat tissue and a weakened ability to metabolize fat. In addition, ama blocks delivery of food to cells, causing them to send out hungry signals. This can lead to a viscous cycle of cravings, overeating, and more ama, and potentially can result in elevated cholesterol levels, diabetes, and thyroid problems, all of which are common during menopause.

1.  Dryness (skin, mucous tissues etc)

Medical view. Loss of estrogen is the main cause skin and vaginal dryness. The tissues become drier, thinner and less elastic. Drying can cause burning and itching and increase risk of infections of skin, vagina and the urinary tract.

 Women’s skin secretes less oil from the fat layer and more prone to the effects of aging. The flow of blood to skin decreases as age, bringing less nutrition to the skin. Decreased estrogen results in thinning and drying of the vaginal tissue.

Ayurvedic view. Dry skin can have several causes. It may be due to a lack of sebaceous (oily) secretions; insufficient sweating; an excess of hot, sharp pitta; or too much vata. External causes of dry skin include sun, wind, hot dry air, excess washing, and excess use of soap or dishwashing soap.

Although vata skin problems are most common during menopause, the other doshas can also play a part. Vata skin conditions include skin that is dry, thin, fine-pored, delicate, cool to the touch, rough, flaky. Pitta skin conditions include rashes, warmth, redness, rosacea, liver spots, or pigment disorders. Kapha skin conditions tend to be oily, soft, cool, enlarged pores, moist types of eczema, blackheads, pimples, water retention and fungal infections.

2. Incontinence

Medical view. Incontinence is a result from loss of hormonal support in the vagina and lower urinary tract and loss of muscle tone in the pelvic floor. There are two main types of urinary incontinence: stress and urge incontinence. Weak pelvic floor muscles and loss of estrogen cause stress incontinence. Sneezing, laughing, jumping, running dancing or just standing up quickly may provoke a leakage of urine, the intra-abdominal pressure is increased and thus overrides the ability of the urethral sphincter to stay closed.

In urge incontinence, the detrusor muscle around the bladder is overactive and tight, with involuntary contractions causing a sudden urge to urinate and often loosing a small or large amount of urine.  This creates stress. Often these two types of incontinence are mixed. 

Ayurvedic view. Urinary incontinence is primary a vata disorder, caused by weakness of the muscles of the bladder, especially the bladder sphincter. If that becomes weak and uncontrolled, a person may lose voluntary control of urination to a greater or lesser extent.

3. Joint problems

Medical view. Joint pain often occurs in joints of high impact, such as knees, hips and hands become stiffer and more painful with age. Joint pain can be extremely discomforting, with other symptoms like stiffness and swelling. As a menopausal syndrome joint pain is caused by hormonal imbalance. Inflammation is the leading cause for joint pain and estrogen affects joints by keeping inflammation down, as it drops during menopause, the joints get less and less estrogen. Overweight, lack of exercise, muscle loss, stress and metabolic disorders are other reasons for joint pain in menopause. May also include such problems as carpal canal syndrome.

Ayurvedic view. Depending on the person’s lifestyle, diet, and emotional pattern, either vata, pitta, or kapha goes out of balance. Then that particular dosha slows down agni (digestive fire), resulting in the toxic, sticky by-product of inadequate digestion known as ama. Vata, the main active dosha, brings the ama into the colon, and from there it travels through the system and lodges in the asthi dhatu (bone tissue) and in the joints, giving rise to the stiffness and pain characteristic of arthritis. Ayurveda distinguishes tree categories of arthritis, corresponding to vata, pitta, and kapha.

Some of the symptoms may also be signs of the following:

·         hypothyroidism

·         diabetes

·         depression with another etiology

·         allergy

·         asthma

·         myoms and cysts

·         kidney problems

·         constipation

·         back pain, hip pain, knee pain

·         brest and uteri cancer

·         high blood pressure

·         polyartrithes

·         cardiovascular diseases

·         some other medial conditions