Sarah, 42
Pre-perimenopause, low energy, bloating, headaches, anxiety
When Sarah first came to see me, her goals were to lose weight alongside being as healthy as she could be. She had been bloated her whole life, had very low energy levels that meant she sometimes needed an afternoon nap, she had anxiety, and was gaining weight around her middle section. Headaches were a regular occurrence, as well as increased joint pain which led me to question whether we had the beginnings of some oestrogen fluctuations going on, given her age.
Bloating
Very low energy
Anxiety
Headaches
Joint pain
Weight gain
Lifestyle constraints such as her job and family life had meant she had picked up some unfavourable habits over the years which may have been exacerbating these symptoms. By delving deep and finding the root cause of her symptoms we were able to connect the dots and come up with a personalised nutrition and lifestyle plan that took her job and her family life into account, so that she could make lasting differences without feeling overwhelmed with changes.
I decided to focus the plan on correcting hormone imbalance, particularly insulin which may have been negatively impacting her blood sugar levels and causing fatigue and weight gain – this is rather common in women approaching menopause. We then worked on diversifying her gut microbiome to support serotonin synthesis for anxiety reduction, increase metabolism and weight loss, and to reduce inflammation. Finally, it was important to support her liver to ensure proper detoxification and clearance of excess hormones, toxins and drugs. This was essential due to almost daily paracetamol use for her headaches.
Throughout our course of appointments I saw that her adrenal health and stress response needed support as well. Without supporting this, it would be difficult for the nutritional changes to give their best results. When you feel stressed, your adrenal glands rapidly respond by producing hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline which can induce more feelings of stress, anxiety and worry. When this occurs on a regular basis you can get adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue includes tiredness, trouble falling asleep at night or waking up in the morning, salt and sugar cravings, and needing stimulants like caffeine to get through the day. All of my packages include regular two weekly meetings and constant accountability, so this meant I could easily and gently adapt the plan to support Sarah’s adrenals health as well.
On first starting the package Sarah raised some concerns about being worried that she would feel overwhelmed and that she wouldn’t be able to follow the plan I gave her. Taking this into account I addressed her symptoms and goals at her pace and she was able to follow everything almost perfectly. After four weeks she could really notice the benefits of all her hard work and found the step by step guidance enjoyable and simple to follow.
Now for the most important part – did her symptoms decrease? After three months she felt much less bloated, her energy levels were stable throughout the day, headaches are a very rare occurrence, and I’m so pleased to say that she feels just much happier all round.
If you are approaching menopause and have noticed some new and unwanted symptoms, or you have longer lasting issues or a health condition, I’d love to help you get to optimum health in body and mind. Click here to book your free 20 minute consultation.
