In Conversation with Dr. Ghazala Aziz-Scott on Modern Women and the Menopause Part 1
Are you a woman in your late 30s or in your 40s and noticing that your health feels like it’s falling apart?
Are your moods fluctuating more than normal, do you feel more irritable?
Are your energy levels falling?
Are you menstrual cycles changing?
Do you notice a “foggy brain” feeling?Maybe you suddenly have tinnitus?
Or just generally feel depressed or anxious?
Worried about HRT? Curious about BHRT?
Not sure what questions to ask your GP?
Embarrassed to discuss what’s happening with those around you?
Ever wondered why a male-dominated health care system is delivering solutions to women’s health?
Are you “Taking a pill for every ill?”
Do you feel a sense of shame for having a menstrual cycle?
How have you perceived your menstrual cycle from a religious (particualry those who are Muslim) perspective?
If any of these questions resonate, read on…
“You need anti-depressants and a brain scan” were the words resounding from my well-meaning GP, around 3 years ago… after investigations and tests which thankfully were all negative, it wasn’t until I connected with Dr. Ghazala Aziz-Scott that my sanity was restored and the penny dropped that I had started perimenopause. The shock was how early it had started for me as myth number one for me was that I don’t need to worry about this until I’m in my mid-40s or early 50s!
Speaking to her and other women such as the Natural Menopause Expert Sarah Davison, Nutritionist and Functional Medicine specialist Debbie Lewis and active Menstrual & Menopause Educator and Healer Leora Leboff a whole new world of understanding and healing opened up to me regarding menopause and perimenopause.
In a two-part series on “The Modern Woman and the Menopause”, I share with you their collective scientific and holistic wisdom to perhaps dispel some of the myths, beliefs, and understandings around this incredibly spiritual and powerful time for the modern woman. We will look at nutrition, lifestyle, and guide you to information around effective and natural hormonal balancing that is available on the NHS or privately.
In Part 1 Woman's health expert, Dr. Ghazala Aziz-Scott guides me through the medical process of the menopause and enlightens me about the chemical changes that women’s bodies are going through at this time.
She draws upon her Oxbridge scientific knowledge and over 2 decades of NHS medical experience and combines it with her functional approach to women’s hormonal balancing. She is currently a practitioner at the Marion Gluck Clinic- the home and leader of Hormone Balancing Therapy in the UK. The clinic provides patients with the highest quality care and helps them achieve hormonal balance through personalised medicine.
Dr. Ghazala Aziz-Scott made me aware that there is a holistic well-being way of healing and it was reassuring to learn that women needn’t suffer for years or decades at a time when life expectancy has risen and the pressures on the modern lifestyle can potentially cause us to disconnect from our bodies.
Dr. Ghazala Aziz-Scott blends cutting edge western medicine with eastern healing systems. Through this , she empowers women and allows them to realise that “they don’t need a pill for every ill”. She educates women to simply prioritise their self-care and learn about natural solutions, so that they can heal and lead their best lives.
She brings to light the lack of research on women’s health with most of it still conducted by men. She also shares about how the modern woman’s busy life and the struggle for wonen’s rights and equality affect our cortisol (stress) and hormonal levels.
Timeline:
00.00- 6.01 Introduction to Dr. Ghazala Aziz-Scott & The Modern Woman and the Menopause
What age does the menopause start?
Signs and symptoms of perimenopause
The biochemistry of the menopause/perimenopause
Know what to ask your GP
6.01 -8.53 Racial Differences for meopause/perimenopause symptoms based on the SWAN study analysis
Black women and the menopause
Asian women and menopause
Japanese and Chinese women and the menopause
9.53- 9.11 Do women need to be immortally young forever?
9.11- 9.42 Patriarchy and the Menopause
9.42-12.45 In-depth of the Biochemistry
Recap of the Menstrual Cycle
Understanding the Perimenopause: Irregular periods begin, creates imbalances in estrogen and progesterone
Progesterone the “Happy Hormone”
Estrogen important for cardiovascular health, immunity, bone health and brain health.”
12.01- 18.01 Perimenopause Diagnosis
Testing to detect perimenopause: The Dutch Test & Blood Test
Holistic, integrated, life experience approach
Menopause and the NHS
18.01- 29.45 Differences between HRT and BRHT
HRT
Body-Identical HRT
Bio-identical HRT
29.42-35.42 Debunking HRT and cancer myth
Women’s Health Initiative Report - Misrepresented and Misreported
More trials required
Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer amongst women. Breast cancer is 6th largest killer for women..
More monitoring required on the NHS
35.42-40.35 Licensing and Regulatory Issues around BRHT, Testosterone & DHEA
40.35-42.00 Massive gap in women’s health issues
42.00-54.42 Cultural and religious beliefs around women’s menstrual’s cycles
Islam and a woman’s period
Society’s projections on the role of a women
Repression on women impacting their perception of menopausal symptoms
Society’s attitude towards women ageing
Menopause= Middle Life Pause
Increased life expectancy and today’s lifestyles brings different needs for the modern women
Denying women hormone replacement has long term health consequences
54.42-1.08.42. Functional Medicine: Importance of lifestyle and diet
Mark Hyman: The Food Fix
Women’s Diet on Menopause: Low GI Diet NOT a Low Fat Diet.
More Omega 3 compared to Omega 6
Dr Ghazala Aziz-Scott’s top recommended supplements
The Liver
Gut Health
Ayurvedic principles
Ancient wisdom shines through
Individual tailored approach
1.08.42- 1.10.35 Nutrigenomics, the menopause and cancer risks
1.10.35-1.11.33 Reconnect with our intuition