141 – Let’s Talk Menopause, with Teresa Isabel Dias

Announcer 0:00

Welcome to Elaine's Kitchen Table. This is where we share tips about business and parenting. Being a mom of three CEO of the award winning company, Easy Daysies speaker and educator, you're going to learn the tips and secrets of successful and incredible people. Elaine wants you to be inspired, challenged and motivated. And that person you want your kids to grow up to be, this is real talk for real life.

Elaine Tan Comeau 0:25

Welcome to Elaine's Kitchen Table where we talk about how to create better how to create better family health, business and self. And that is not in any particular order. Because people are always saying Why do you put self last? I do that because it rhymes with but no, definitely, definitely putting yourself first is not a selfish act, in fact, is very important. Because if you take care of you, then you can take care of others and make that impact in your family and your business in your community in the world. So I just wanted to say that. But I wanted to say right now that if you are a woman between 40 and 65 are approaching that age, you do not want to miss this episode, we are going to talk about issues like weight gain, thinning hair, night sweats, bladder control, brain fog, so much more. Pardon my cough. And most of all, we are going to talk about how to take control of your own health, your body, your hormones, your mental health. Also important because according to Forbes 73% of women do not treat menopause symptoms. What are the symptoms? Who knows but we're going to figure this out today with my amazing guests. You see menopause can happen in your 40s and your 50s. And the average age is about 51. And it is said that it can last about seven to 14 years. What that is insane. Now by 2025 it is said that Worldwide there's gonna be an estimated number of 1.1 billion women with menopause. So it is a no doubt and no wonder and no surprise that the menopause market is estimated to be $600 billion. Wow. Now my guest today is chatting with us all the way from Portugal. Theresa is well, Dash. I'm hoping I'm saying that right. Is a pharmacist, a certified menopause practitioner and the founder of menopause. Edie? That's right menopause Ed. And I will have all her links in our show notes because you will definitely want to connect with Theresa. Now she is also an advocate for women's health because you know what many women experienced physical, emotional and mental challenges in in midlife due to the those hormonal changes. And Theresa provides education and support on symptom management for women at work and at home so that they can feel themselves again and enjoy that vibrant and productive life. Teresa says it's so very well I'm going to quote her she says menopause seems to be that last health taboo that we need to normalize just like we do with pregnancy and now with mental health issues. Menopause is that glass ceiling that no one wants to talk about. So Hello, we are going to talk about it today. Welcome. Welcome, Teresa.

Teresa Isabel Dias 3:38

Thank you. Thank you a pleasure, an honor to be here with you.

Elaine Tan Comeau 3:42

You are amazing. Like when I reached out to you. I had no idea you were in Portugal.

Teresa Isabel Dias 3:48

So we got eight hours difference here. So you're having breakfast and I just had my dinner.

Elaine Tan Comeau 3:55

Yes. And not only did you have dinner this woman went surfing today. And then she hit the I

Teresa Isabel Dias 4:01

tried to surf I took a surf lesson which is a whole different thing. But it's sunny and 16 degrees here. And I just have to take advantage of this wintering in Portugal thing because I left 34 years ago and I hadn't been back in a winter and here I am trying to work and do the best I can with the weather I have.

Elaine Tan Comeau 4:25

Well if we could all have a surfing lesson break that would be today really awesome. That you are incredible. That is as you she is also a mom, I fail to say that you have two grown up kids. And you're too young to have two grown up kids. By the way if for those who can't see you, I'm just saying you are absolutely stunning surfer lady. Now, tell us a little bit more about Theresa.

Teresa Isabel Dias 4:53

So I was born in Portugal and I graduated from pharmacy here and I'm high school Will I only learn French and I had cousins living in Canada. So I wanted to learn English. After I graduated from pharmacy, I asked my parents to help me get to Canada and spend a year with my mother's cousins and I would learn English, when it was like, love at first landing. As awful as the drive from the airport to the 401 is to Toronto, this moment fell in love with the open space in that place. And that's just oh my gosh. So I was there for a while. And then I realized I didn't want to come home. So I had to do my export equivalency. I spent two years in the middle of that I got made, I had a baby, I delayed things. And I arrived there in 88. My son was born in 91. My second son was born in 94. And I got my Canadian citizenship, and my pharmacy degree in 94, as well, so it was like three huge things. It was a it was I haven't regretted anything. I've loved it. I love Canada. I love Portugal, but I love Canada too.

Elaine Tan Comeau 6:13

Wow. Do you miss the food? When I mean, obviously,

Teresa Isabel Dias 6:18

I have a lot more food intolerances in Canada than I do in Portugal. I realize now it's it's different things grow differently. That's not really better. Or worse. It's just

Elaine Tan Comeau 6:31

Yeah, so I'm hoping I'm thinking you might be bringing home a suitcase full of food. Yeah, she's dirty socks. There you go. Dogs stinky socks, for sure. Now it's there. You have quite a story. You are an incredible supporter of women and women's health. Now, is there anything that happened in your formative years, your university life, maybe at one point that helped shape who you are today?

Teresa Isabel Dias 7:09

Oh, my mother at a furniture is a furniture store from my grandfather. So she always wanted me to continue with a family business. And I I like numbers. So accounting was not a big deal for me. But I in grade nine, I had to decide if I would go into science or if I would go into the the languages or whatever. So I decided to go with my mother says Sure. I'll get into economics, accounting, whatever stream it was, I did very well because I'm very good at balancing my sheets. I know how much I can spend if I make so much or whatever. But it was in my heart. It's like, okay, I can do this the best I want I want to body works. I want to know why is it that we have a bellyache? Why is it that we have acne? Why is it that we have I have tons of acne, I want to know how the body functions. But I didn't want to be a doctor. Because to be a doctor here, I would have to spend three months in emergency and I don't like blood that much. And I don't like people coming out of car accidents. So I figured the best way for me to not have to touch anyone and still learn about physiology and all that is to be a pharmacist. So I did so I went to pharmacy and I graduated 1987. And then I went to Canada in 1988. And the rest is history. The

Elaine Tan Comeau 8:38

rest is history. That is incredible. I I also wanted to be in healthcare when I was younger, and I thought I was gonna be a children's doctor. But I am such an emotional fluffed cake that I would just like probably cry all over the kids if they were sick. And then the parents be like, what's wrong? And I'd be decide. And then I went into teaching because I wanted to work with children. And then and then also the rest is history. And crazy.

Teresa Isabel Dias 9:07

That was a very good option. Yeah, gratulations you did so well.

Elaine Tan Comeau 9:13

Mary, very kind, you're very kind. Now let's let's talk about the main issue here of menopause. And I love I love the name of your business menopause. Edie? And because you bring to the forefront, something that you know, people don't really talk about. Even women, right? We were shy to talk about we're embarrassed. It's like as though it's like a horrible, ugly thing. But it is. It is a natural thing that happens. And we need to learn more about it because if there's education about it, then it's not so taboo and and then I'm hoping that people who are listening are also people who are men who I know I have male listeners because when you I can understand what your other women are going through or women are going through, then you can come alongside and be supportive. And you also as a woman, right. So what first of all, what is menopause? Theresa? Good

Teresa Isabel Dias 10:15

question, because there's still such a big confusion about that. Thank you for asking that. Menopause is just the end of ovulation. Our ovaries slow down and stop working mostly before we do because as you said, average age of menopause is 51. Some of us most of us now I can expect to live till after AD, which means we'll be 1/3 of our lives into menopause or even more if you have an early menopause in your 40s. So there's nothing magical about menopause, your ovaries stop working, no more ovulation, no more periods, no more for fertility. It's probably a nice way to put it is it's the reverse of puberty. But there's one thing missing in this all we know that when a girl has a first period, we talked about it, we explain everything. We encourage her to go with the flow one exactly. And to understand what's going on, but nobody's teaching us what the heck is menopause and we're going through. I don't like to call it symptoms because it's not a disease, but for simplicity of medical terms, symptoms everyone everyone understands. But things like car flashes, night sweats, difficulty concentrating, feeling anxious, angry, wanting to kill everyone around you.

Elaine Tan Comeau 11:47

I'm thinking everyone listening going. Wait, am I I'm in menopause right now, as I'm like 26 and have three kids and they're all screaming like,

Teresa Isabel Dias 11:58

exactly. Now on top of everything on top of all the women who are going through the perimenopause, which is the years leading up to menopause when your ovaries start not working as regularly and hormones are up and down and not in the usual ebb and flow of your regular periods. COVID Mental Health hormone changes, it's all adding to this feeling awful. And as a whole. And I call my business menopause ad because even I was not sure what was going on until my son came to the kitchen one day and said, Are you bipolar? Oh, I it's not in the family. Why do you ask that because we. And he was being the spokesperson for himself, his brother and his father. We are walking on eggshells around you because we never know when you are up, or you are down. Wow. So what is wrong with you? Well, I found out later that doctors, pharmacists, nurses, we don't know why those changes happen until we learn that it is the hormonal changes of MetLife. And so I call the menopause ad for education because I believe that the first thing to make women's lives easier in med life is to be educated because once you know what's going on, then you can make choices for treatments, you should not say yes or no to a treatment until someone has taken the time to explain to you the benefits, the risks, the advantages, disadvantages, and we know that unfortunately, a doctor's visit is 10 minutes and you cannot explain menopause and, and treatments in that amount of time. So

Elaine Tan Comeau 13:44

wow, I love Theresa how you said you know when when you're pregnant, or when you have your first period. We know we try to talk about it to our our daughters and even before it happens, right so that they're not scared when that first time of bleeding happens. But we don't talk about menopause or pre menopausal. As you said symptoms is probably not the best word but for easy explanation right now to say symptoms, what it might look like. So I really appreciate that that is so true, right? We should be talking about it. So that there is no fear approaching it, there is a better understanding. And I love that your son was a spokesperson for the men and your family. I love that. So what what are some of the common symptoms? Like what would you say their top five?

Teresa Isabel Dias 14:42

The top five challenges of changes that other people women are usually first usually the first change that you notice that your hormones your ovaries are now working the way they used to these changes to mess up periods. So your periods make closer together, you may believe longer or less, you may have spotting or not. Anything is possible pretty much and I know that many, many women are now working from home. That's an advantage to many of us. Many women have such heavy bleeding that I knew people who could not go to work on a subway because they would soak right through a pad, and it was a nasty business to get on the subway to go to work. Now I can work from home and that makes life easier, but changes the menstrual periods are usually the first one. mood changes is my bipolar, not really diagnosis, mood swings, irritability, anger, lack of patience, and even anxiety and it palpitations, some women experienced palpitations before or during the hot flashes and night sweats. Night sweats are hot flashes that have happened during the sleep. Those are very common as well. They tend to get better after menopause. But the for some women that can start before menopause. And for those who start earlier, and for black women, they seem to suffer more with hot flashes more intense and longer. And there's also sleep changes. Because there are two main hormones estrogen is the female predominant hormone and that goes down as well. But there's also a very nice hormone alongside it, which is a progesterone, which is the calming hormone, it makes us mellow and steep and it makes us reasonable. And when that goes we go all over the place and then we can sleep because that calming effect isn't there any longer. So changes the menstrual periods mood changes, hot flashes, sleep changes, and then there's the urinary and sexual changes. And if menopause is a taboo sex for them, urinary changes are even a bigger taboo. Well, but some women get vaginal dryness, they get lack of sexual desire. And most of that is all related to the amount of estrogen in the body.

Elaine Tan Comeau 17:19

Wow. Now, can you have hot flashes in the daytime? Or is it just nighttime? Yes, it

Teresa Isabel Dias 17:24

can have hot flashes in the daytime. I was lucky because I had about 20 Hot flashes during the daytime but only one at night. So I was able to sleep. But some women so great through their pajamas. I know women. Some of my clients come to me and say I've been soaking through my pajamas. I'm changing every night for the last two years. I can't function anymore. Of course not could you you go to bed and two hours later, you app all soaked wet with sweats and then you go change and then you go back to sleep and such broken sleep for a long time is not sustainable

Elaine Tan Comeau 18:00

to dinner. What causes hot flashes?

Teresa Isabel Dias 18:04

We don't know very well, what causes hot flashes. But one of the theories seems to be that our thermostat is actually broken really. This there's a there's a buffer zone, a thermal regulatory zone where you're neither hot nor cold. So it's like a Goldilocks little half, half degree Celsius, you're just fine. Wow. But why am I not have hot flashes seem to have lost that buffer zone. So we either hot or cold? Well, and there seems to be more stuff influenced by hormones and other receptors in the brain that is still being studied. And there's a lot of studying going on research about menopause and how it affects the brain and all that. So I'm hoping to last another 20 years and see more information coming up.

Elaine Tan Comeau 18:57

Now, well, it's great information. Now you said that your urinary tract is affected. What is What do you mean by that?

Teresa Isabel Dias 19:05

Well, some women if you have if you had babies, you you're you may feel some leakage when you laugh run coughs on. And that's in part due to a more relaxed pelvic floor which is a muscle that holds all your organs in and he gets lacks because of the act of giving birth. And that's why I highly recommend that all women go and look at the pelvic floor with a pelvic floor therapist and and make it strong. There are Kegel exercises and all those things that done properly are very effective. And somehow the estrogen fluctuations in perimenopause seem to make that leakage worse. And for some women it gets better after menopause. i You i To cross the street from Hyde Park, because I live north of Hyde Park and I would hijack, I would, I would, I would just cross the street and run from the cars and so on. And I will get to the other side and I had to go home and change my pants. So I had to, I had to start crossing on the sidewalk on the, on the stripes because I had I needed to go on my slow pace. And I had a client saying, I just parked my car. And before I was able to get out of the car, I had wet my pants, there was no physical exertion, nothing. So estrogen seems to have an effect on our bladder tissues on all on urethra and all that and so we may have some more leakage problems. But as I said, it tends to get worse once estrogen is level, even though it's slow in after menopause, but it's level. And the other thing is vaginal dryness. We have nice, supple thick walls in the vagina, which is the birth canal next to the uterus to the outside. And when estrogen is readily available, it's nice and thick, produces a lot of lubrication when we are sexually aroused, but with lack of estrogen, those layers become thinner and thinner. And there's not enough cells to make the vagina stretchy. So it's like it pre menopause, your vagina is like a pleated skirt. And afterwards, it's like a tight a pencil skirt. There's not much good picture. intercourse with a without pain because there's a lot of attrition, there's less lubrication, there's less and less diversity. And this country to hot flashes, which tend to get better with time. vaginal dryness tends to get worse with time. And there's this cluster of symptoms, urinary symptoms and vaginal symptoms altogether because vagina is not very media friendly. Now they are called the genital urinary syndrome of menopause. For an emigrant like me, it's a lot easier to say G SMS M,

Elaine Tan Comeau 22:22

now I have that visual of a pleated skirt and a pencil skirt that will last

Elaine Tan Comeau 22:27

forever. I'm visual. So that is a great visual for sure. Now, I have no reason

Teresa Isabel Dias 22:36

to suffer because that is a very easy thing to treat. But again, when I don't talk to the doctors about doctors don't ask women about their sexual health. And if women don't complain, the doctors might think, Oh, she's not complaining, everything is fine. We don't complain, because it's not comfortable to talk about these things, because there's still so much taboo. And that's why one of my consultations is all about sexual health. Because let's talk women to women and the slide what how are you doing? How bad does it hurt? And how can we how can we fix it? Because one of the problems I find in women with a partner is they start avoiding sex because it hurts, which is understandable. Nobody wants to have sex if that hurts, but then they also start losing their intimacy. Because they don't want to cuddle on the sofa, they don't want the kisses on the neck. They don't want that intimacy because they're afraid is gonna end up in bed. And that lack of intimacy is ruined, many, many partnerships, and I don't want your vagina to ruin your marriage. There you go. There's a quote.

Elaine Tan Comeau 23:51

No, no one wants my skirt. Ladies are pencil skirt. So that's something that our choice. Yeah. And you said there's a simple remedy. And what do you mean by that? Yes.

Teresa Isabel Dias 24:03

So the first things you do when you start having pain and notice lack of lubrication, you can try over the counter things like the lubricant during sex, sexual activity, or moisturizer. Ask your pharmacist about it. Remember that your Google Search? This is not as thorough as my pharmacy degree. So Google is your friend sometimes, but there's a lot of old information that is no longer accurate. That's why it's not a good thing to find your information on Google.

Elaine Tan Comeau 24:37

That you didn't get to show your mug that you have to actually

Teresa Isabel Dias 24:43

use your Google search with my pharmacy degree. Here, I'll put it on a picture.

Elaine Tan Comeau 24:50

You can send me a picture for sure. I would love that.

Teresa Isabel Dias 24:53

But triangle briquettes during sex, try moisturizers on a regular basis to add moisture to the because it's not Don't only women who are sexually active who have who have discomfort, it may be hard to sit for a long time, it may be hard to wear jeans or other titles, it may be hard to ride a bicycle. So it's not just a problem for those who are sexually active, it can be very uncomfortable for all women's trials. And if those things don't work, or if they stop working, then there is low dose vaginal estrogen that you apply there. And that actually increases that cell thickness back to normal. And the pain goes away because there's more elasticity, there's more cushioning, and there's more lubrication. So there's tons of options. Now there are other medications in the market. In Canada now as well. There's a pill there's an overview this time, so don't suffer.

Elaine Tan Comeau 25:54

Any would just would you have to make a doctor appointment? Or can you talk to your pharmacist?

Teresa Isabel Dias 26:00

For the over the counter products, you can talk to your pharmacist if you want to prescription medication, then you need to talk to meet your doctor get description on ticket to the front.

Elaine Tan Comeau 26:11

Okay, well, we are so lucky to have you because I know you do lunch and learns. And quickly tell us a little bit about your lunch and learns.

Teresa Isabel Dias 26:20

Yes. So Canada and the United States is behind and bringing menopause to the workplace like you said in the in the introduction. I believe and many of us in this field believe that menopause is the last topic because we have addressed pregnancy. And we owe it to our sisters before us to fight for that privilege, or whatever you want to call it. Nobody even thinks about maternity leave, you have a baby you go home, you come back a year, whatever time it is that you have whatever you want. Now we work with addressing mental health, but nobody's talking about menopause. And menopause is not like a broken foot touch. You put a cast on for six weeks and then you start running again. It's a holistic thing. It's it's the mind. It's the reproductive system. It's your pelvic floor. It's your your nervous system. Some women even have, as I said, anxiety and depression need to address this.

Elaine Tan Comeau 27:25

Right? It's also psychological health and

Teresa Isabel Dias 27:29

exactly so in the UK, they've done they're doing a lot of stuff to break the menopause taboo and 111 company did a survey of women in a workplace. Now I asked you what do you think the five top symptoms of menopause in the workplace were?

Elaine Tan Comeau 27:50

You're asking me right now. I'm asking you five top symptoms of menopause in the workplace hot flashes going to the bathroom more than you would want to know not that one. Okay. Lack of patience.

Teresa Isabel Dias 28:08

anxiety and worry. Yes.

Elaine Tan Comeau 28:10

Okay. That's only two Okay, five Oh, gosh. Would tiredness exhausted

Teresa Isabel Dias 28:19

fatigue was actually the number one 40% of respondents said that fatigue was one of the most important symptoms they were going

Elaine Tan Comeau 28:30

wow okay.

Teresa Isabel Dias 28:32

432 more,

Elaine Tan Comeau 28:36

two more. Oh my okay, I don't know. Let's see. Okay, so I have said hot flashes, anxiety,

Teresa Isabel Dias 28:44

anxiety and worry and fatigue

Elaine Tan Comeau 28:48

food cravings pregnancy are the top five let's see. Okay, not sure. Oh, my. At work, where would it be

Teresa Isabel Dias 29:09

forgetfulness? Exactly. focus and concentration problems which we usually call brain fog. That was 34% of women Wow reported that 40 40% said fatigue 35% complained about hot flashes 34% of focus and concentration problems 32% anxiety and worry analysis represent insomnia. Oh, those were the five top symptoms in the workplace. So we need to address this. We need to normalize menopause. It's something that happens to all women. Wherever is listening. If you're not there yet, don't let the scary because 20% of women breeze right through menopause and they don't feel anything but a net to the periods. That's it. Lucky ladies are not rubber At 10% of women, on the other hand, have a ton of these challenges, especially these challenges at work. And that contributes to the fact that one in four women contemplate quitting work or career. Wow, weekend. Wow, wow, that happened. And then the 60% of us are right in the middle between the 20%, to feel nothing to the 20% to have extreme challenges. And we chug along and hope that it goes away. But if you're having good quality of life, your quality of water quality of relationships negatively affected by menopause. Take care of it. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Elaine Tan Comeau 30:45

Absolutely. Like that statistic that I started with it 73% of women do not get any at all. And so let's continue talking about it. Now, Teresa, what would you say are your top five tips that every menopausal Woman Should Know? Or needs to know?

Teresa Isabel Dias 31:03

So it's not a surprise that I would say be aware of what your body goes through. That's the education part. Because of this secrecy around menopause. And this negative connotation Oh, we all we dry it up with forever with the old ladies with no menopause can happen in your 40s you are not all in your 40s I don't think given all of in your 50s all these now, all there's nothing to do with menopause. So be aware of what your body's going through. Especially if you're not there yet understand what can happen. We don't know what's going to happen to you. But if you're aware of it, just like you said, Really, there's less fear. And if there's less fear, it's much easier to cope with something that you know what's going what, what is if you don't know what it is, I have women calling me and say oh, my breasts hurt so much. Do I have breast cancer? No, you just had a surge in estrogen probably but you know, and Don't skip your medical appointments because we need to continue with all our screening for breast cancer for cervical cancer, colon cancer, all that. When if something is off, you know your body better than anyone else. And then you go take care of it and find out why am I feeling this way. So be aware of what your body is going through is my top tip for every woman after 38? Yep.

Elaine Tan Comeau 32:30

Okay, so number one

Teresa Isabel Dias 32:33

to my other four tips. I would just tell women in perimenopause, we can miss periods. We can miss ovulation but doesn't mean you cannot get pregnant still because you can still awfully unpredictably. So menopause is the end of fertility and the end of periods. But it's only confirmed. But after 12 months or no period, so you have to go through 12 months or no periods to tell that that was your last one. Because you can still get primary pre menopause and in fact, statistics in the US say that there are more pregnancies in payment are caused by teenagers in the US. The pregnancies, unwanted pregnancy. So if you don't want to get pregnant and you perimenopause, birth control is still important. Okay, the second the second top tip is most of the challenges you're experiencing in perimenopause will get better in post menopause. So, I know some women say I am going crazy. When is this gonna end? That's not to open a door to say just suffer through it and you'll get better to the other side. Now, it's just to give people hope that the worst time is perimenopause. Because the hormones are going up and down. And is this going from high to low? That is so disturbing. Once everything is stable, or be low, life is easier. There's no more No more mood swings. It most women get less hot flashes. I know. GSM can get worse, but everything tends to stabilize. So there's light at the end of the tunnel and it looks good on the other side of menopause. What else? As I said before, seek help if you are having a hard time if it's impacting your quality of life, if you cannot work properly, if your relationship is in on the rocks, because sex hurts too much, and you're just pushing your partner away because you don't want to go there. There are lots of ways to get things better. And then don't exclude hormone therapy from your toolbox because of all the women I work with. They all say I want hormone therapy. Why not because it says on the internet is dangerous for me. because my daughter said is gonna give me breast cancer. Okay, so let's do a few screenings, let's use a few tools to understand your risk for cardiovascular disease. Let's understand what your risk for breast cancer is your risk averse to processes that assess your symptoms, and then lets me tell you about the benefits and risks of, of hormone therapy. And if you're a good candidate, now, when you have all this information, you can make an education an educated option of treatment, until you have all the facts, you should not say, No, I don't want that. So get him don't exclude hormone therapy from your toolbox, because it's still the most effective treatment. And in fact, if it is initiated under the age of 60, within 10 years of the last menstrual period, the benefits outweigh the risks. And not only does it take care of your hot flashes, night sweats helps you sleep better, but it also prevents postprocess. It also prevents colon cancer may increase the risk of breast cancer a little bit. But drinking more than one alcoholic drink a day increases even more. And nobody's talking about that. And if you if there's still debate about this, but it could help to decrease your cardiovascular risk as well if you started in your 50s. So there's a lot of good things to hormone therapy a lot more. And of course, there are some women who are not good candidates, women who have breast cancer are not a good candidate for hormone therapy. Women who have cardiovascular disease, also our map, but that's why treatment is individualized. So those are my five tips.

Elaine Tan Comeau 36:55

So with hormone therapy, where would you go for that? Is that something through a medical doctor? Or through a path? What do you

Teresa Isabel Dias 37:06

see a prescription in Canada to get hormone therapy, you need a prescription in United States get hormone therapy, so you can consult with me first and then go to your doctor to get a prescription I can ask the doctor you can go to the doctor. The problem with doctors is and it's not doctors fault, but they don't learn in medical school enough about menopause. So unless the doctor is very interested in women's health, and it does become an NC MP like me and North certified menopause practitioner, or has an interest in women's health and takes more care to educate himself or herself, then you have a good doctor to go to. They know what you're talking about. They know about the most up to date, accurate information about hormone therapy networks they have 20 years ago, which doesn't apply anymore because we know knowledge increases science changes. And we're always getting updates. So if you have if you're lucky to have a good doctor who knows about menopause, who knows about hormone therapy, that's where you go to get your hormone therapy.

Elaine Tan Comeau 38:14

Good to know good to know. Thank you so much. Great, great information. Now I want to respect your time and I see that our time is ticking away quickly. I want to ask Theresa if you could leave us with Teresa's top tip or tips on how to stay healthy and perhaps you know I know that one question that people have asked because they neuros speaking with you was weight gain and, and menopause. Is that a thing? So do you have any tips or strategies that you can leave us with on how to stay healthy and fit as a woman in menopause or approaching menopause?

Teresa Isabel Dias 39:01

Next the basics Elaine there's no magic potion in my box. It's the basics basics for good health, for our strong immune system. And for an easy menopause. It's eating nutritious, healthy food don't eat processed food, eat things that grow and move in fields your your greens your your raw vegetables if you can your fruits your you're not red meat we want to stay away from bad fats but we want to eat healthy fats like avocado and not an olive oil fish. Iranian diet is been steady and it does help with the with menopause. So if you can get to learn about Mediterranean style diet, it's the best for you because it has good healthy fats and very little red meat. As one glass of wine a day no more than that because it increases your risk of breast cancer and it also ruins your sleep. Alcohol is a woman's sleep worst sleep enemy. I did not live daily because sitting is the new smoking. So move daily and if possible to even if you don't put on weight during menopause, their body shape is going to change we tend to get wider around the middle. That's successfully angiogenic. We look more like men and less like women, right. And that in itself is a risk for cardiovascular disease. When you have wider belly than hips, your risk for cardiovascular disease increases. So move and if possible, do weight bearing exercises resistance exercises, especially targeting the core so you can squeeze that waist of yours. I did it worked for me post menopause. It's harder in perimenopause. But as I said, there's a light at the end of the year, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Go do your core exercises and in postmenopausal be able to shrink I did the living proof that I could. So exercise, weight bearing exercises balance because we want to avoid false false and avoid fractures, stretching so do learn to do gentle yoga that is good for you. And also do cardio if you can prioritize your sleep over Netflix and your Facebook feed. Manage your stress. If you can reduce stress, learn to manage manage your stress, meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing, whatever works for you, I called it brain timeouts. When I do stress I leave whatever I'm doing, I'm gonna stand somewhere look outside and just think about the in and out of my lungs. And it just lowers my heart rate, it lowers my stress levels, and I feel so much better and so much more productive. And then positive thinking and also think not only positive thinking is good for your health, it helps you to cope with hard times. And there's no hard times for us in these last two years for most of us anyway. But positive thinkers in P au S II positive thinking, don't go with the idea that menopause is a bad negative thing. Menopause is part of life. It could be bumpy, you take care of the bumps, you'll go with the flow is think of it as another rite of passage. And remember that it could be an opportunity to become a much better person to love it or at least different it doesn't have is not going to be the same as you were 2030 or 40. But it doesn't have to be worse. It's just different and just not worse.

Elaine Tan Comeau 43:05

I love it. I love it very much. You are awesome. You have shared so much wisdom with us, Teresa. And if anybody wanted to find you where's the best place for them to go right now?

Teresa Isabel Dias 43:17

My website menopause and so menopause with a Dr. tn.org Or they can find me also on LinkedIn, Tracy Isabel Diaz. I have a Facebook group but check my website send me and download my please yourself tips for missing menopause. Excellent. Thank

Elaine Tan Comeau 43:37

you for that gift. I will have all of this information also in our show notes. I have one last question. Tree said Do women need to take supplements like calcium and like estrogen. Estrogen is

Teresa Isabel Dias 43:51

a prescription not a supplement. Yes, calcium is important for bone health we need to prevent osteoporosis. We should take magnesium because men and women alike in North America are low in magnesium if you take magnesium at bedtime it may help to sleep. So calcium magnesium, maybe a multivitamin two or three times that week because we don't need it everyday just to top up those minerals that we may not be getting from the vegetables we should eat and sometimes don't. Yeah, that's pretty much it. Vitamin C, Vitamin D sorry, vitamin D very important for anyone in calcium 1000 units a day because the sun is so weak doesn't produce much. So how does all magnesium all good for your bones.

Elaine Tan Comeau 44:39

Now I love it all and I love that you are soaking up the sunshine

Teresa Isabel Dias 44:43

pharmacist about the amounts.

Elaine Tan Comeau 44:47

Great information. Teresa, thank you. Thank you so much. I'm just so excited that I was speaking with you today. I had all those were real questions for me at Well, so I I'm so grateful for you, you are incredible.

Teresa Isabel Dias 45:04

Thank you for the opportunity. pleasure talking to you again.

Elaine Tan Comeau 45:10

I know it's been too long. We'll have to chat before years go by. And to our listeners, thank you so much for listening in. And I hope that you feel more educated now on menopause, because you may be approaching it going through it and know somebody who is in it. And I think that, Theresa, you have just really enlightened all of us. So thank you again, Teresa.

Teresa Isabel Dias 45:39

Thank you. Let's talk about menopause. So we stopped the taboo. Yes, keep talking

Elaine Tan Comeau 45:43

about it. I'm talking to our listeners. Now. Don't be shy to talk about it. It's all good. Please do keep talking. And we will talk to women. Thank you so much, everyone. Bye for now.