Smooth transition to menopause

The doshas Vata, Pitta and Kapha are not only biological forces present in our bodies, but our life cycle can also be divided according to the 3 doshas:

Doshic phases of life:

🌱 Kapha phase: from birth to puberty: when our systems are like seeds: full of growth potential. We require a lot of sleep and nourishment during this stage. Between napping and raiding the fridge we prepare ourselves for the next stage.

🔥 Pitta phase: from puberty to menopause/andropause: our most productive years! Our hormones and metabolism is at full speed, ready to 👏🏾make 👏🏾shit 👏🏾happen!

🍂 Vata phase: from menopause/andropause on: at this stage we become more frail and dry. Our metabolism and stamina are diminished, all of our tissues and bones become weaker, and our memory start to fail. (You're reading a post about menopause, in case your forgot.)

Therefore, whatever your constitution is (Vata, Pitta or Kapha), when you enter the vata stage of life your vata dosha will inevitably be increased. What happens at menopause is that, with vata being increased, kapha the dosha that keeps it all together will be decreased, letting Vata and Pitta roam freely and cause troubles and ailments in the body. It's like pouring fuel (Vata) into a raging fire (Pitta), but with only a couple of sticks of wood to burn (Kapha). This scenario becomes worse when our frantic, exhausting lifestyles deplete our vitality and structure, or our kapha dosha, making this imbalance even harder to manage.

I'll prove it to you: most of the menopause symptoms are vata related! Look:

🍂Vata menopause symptoms: insomnia, heart palpitations, urinary incontinence, fatigue, osteoporosis, weak memory and cognition, vaginal (and overall) dryness, muscle and joint pain, loss of muscle and bone mass, gastrointestinal discomforts, changes in mood, irritability, depression, increased cardiovascular risk, diminished metabolism.

🔥Pitta menopause symptoms: hot flushes, night sweats, redness in face. Notice that these symptoms are not structural like vata symptoms, they are a bit more "superficial". Pitta here is not usually increased per se, it it's actually a false perception that it is increased because of the diminished kapha.

🌱Kapha menopause symptoms: fluid retention, weight gain, increase and blood sugar and cholesterol. This happens because of a decreased metabolism, which can also be understood as a Pitta being diminished and/or vata increased.

Read: Ayurvedic guide for menstrual relief

What a conundrum!!! What to do in this situation is quite simple (in theory, I said simple not easy):

🍂 Balance Vata: "per my last email", this is the dosha that is causing the most trouble and it needs to be contained and redirected.

Read: What is Vata dosha and how to balance it

🔥Ease Pitta symptoms: menopause brings pitta-like symptoms not always because pitta is too high, but because kapha gets too low. So the best approach is to soothe the symptoms with rose water sprays for hot flushes, for example, so splish splash until the situation is corrected at its root.

Read: What is Pitta dosha and how to keep it cool

🌱Increase Kapha: here is where the real secret lies! By increasing the structure, lubrication, strength, and ojas in the body, your kapha will be strong enough to contain rampant vata and pitta. If you correlate kapha only with fat/weight gain, *horn sound* you're incorrect.

Read: More about kapha dosha

If all this dosha talk is confusing to you, feel free to reach out to me.

Before we wrap up, I will leave you with some important dietary/lifestyle advice and supplements to consider*:

*after proper medical consultation and lab work:

🍳 Increase your protein intake and reduce your carbohydrate intake. Eliminate added sugars completely, and keep ultra-processed foods and fried foods to a minimum. Stimulants such as coffee and spicy foods may also worsen menopausal symptoms.

🧘‍♀️ Managing stress and getting enough quality sleep aren't luxuries—they're part of the treatment. Both play a key role in supporting hormonal balance, reducing menopausal symptoms, and significantly improving overall quality of life during menopause.

🧬 Consider checking your nutrient status. Calcium, magnesium, zinc, omega-3, creatine, vitamins C, B12, B9 (folate), coenzyme Q10, and hydrolyzed collagen can all play important roles in supporting a smoother menopause. Since deficiencies and individual needs vary, it's worth having your lab work checked and discussing the results with your healthcare provider before starting any supplements. More isn't always better, and excessive supplementation can also be harmful.

🏋🏽 Not exercising is not an option! Weight training is for muscle, joint and bone health and cardio for better metabolism. Exercise also contributes to preserving memory, cognition and reducing stress.

🌹Having a bottle of rose water handy will help easy the hot flushed and pitta related symptoms. Rose tea can also be beneficial.

🦶 Padabhyanga (a foot massage using warm sesame oil) before bed is traditionally used in Ayurveda to help calm the nervous system, promote better sleep, and support healthy body temperature regulation. Afterwards, put on a pair of socks to keep your feet warm overnight, and try to avoid walking barefoot on cold floors during the day.

🫛 Foods like soy, tofu, tempeh, flaxseed, sesame seeds, chickpeas, and peas contain phytoestrogens—plant compounds that can help relieve some menopause symptoms for some women. In addition to these, eggs, fish, and almonds are also great health allies during this phase

🌿 You can easily incorporate these herbs and foods into your daily routine, either in your meals or as herbal teas (infusions), to help support hormonal balance and overall well-being: Turmeric, fennel, fenugreek, mulberry leaves, rose, coriander seeds, and sage.

🌱 Certain herbal supplements may also be beneficial in some cases, including rhodiola, Bacopa monnieri, lemon balm (Melissa), Panax ginseng, shatavari, isoflavones, valerian, maca, ashoka, gokshura, ashwagandha, and chyavanprash, black cohosh, prime rose oil.

Each of these should be prescribed with individualized dosing and therapeutic applications based on your constitution, symptoms, medical history, and specific needs.

So ladies, if you are approaching this stage of life the time to care for yourself is now! If you are already feeling the changes, please don't wait any longer, you do not have to suffer.

Ayurveda suggests that the energy previously used for reproduction and the menstrual cycle can be redirected toward spiritual, intellectual, and self-development activities, making this a phase of great potential for personal growth (Jnana, or wisdom).

To a balanced life!

Namaste,

Grazie Prokopetz, Doctor of Ayurveda

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