E8 Herbs and Supplements During Perimenopause and Menopause with Naturopath & Herbalist Dr. Vera Martins

Learn about the best ways to support menopause naturally!
Dr Vera Martins is a naturopath and herbalist with a PhD in Cancer Biology. Having worked as a scientist for several years, Vera’s passion for natural medicine led her to study Naturopathy. She specialises in women’s health, providing a body-mind and highly personalised patient-centered approach. Her main area of expertise is hormone balance, particularly peri-menopause and menopause, however, Vera also works with younger women supporting them with conditions such as PMS, PCOS, and infertility. In her practice, Vera uses a combination of nutrition, supplements/herbal medicine, and lifestyle advice, to help women feeling their best. 

3:00 What is a Naturopath? A health practitioner who takes a 360-degree view of health. Vera believes in natural healing, individual uniqueness, and understanding the root cause of the symptoms. 

6:00 What is a herbalist? Vera is specialised in herbalism - using the healing powers of plants. Modern conventional medicine has its roots in herbal medicine

8:05 Why did you choose to go down the holistic herbalistic route?  

11:30 What made you specialize in Women's health? Vera used to work in a clinic in London who was pioneering in the treatment of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (B-HRT).

16:40 How do you treat perimenopause and menopause from a naturopathic perspective? 

Symptoms of perimenopause are often anxiety, mood swings, sleep problems, fatigue, changes in blood sugar leading to sugar cravings, weight gain. 

Menopause: fatigue, hot-flashes, bone-loss increase cardiovascular 

Treatment focuses on the 4 pillars: Stress management, gut-health, liver-function, and blood-sugar balance. 

22:00 Stress Management the foundation pillar - When stressed, your body will upregulate the stress response and downregulate the production of sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, and testosterone. 

Supplements for stress reduction: ashwagandha (adaptogens) (improve libido, memory, and mood), Magnesium.  

Other stress reduction tips: Self-care, yoga, breathing, mindfulness meditation. 

28:40 Which supplements can help support women in menopause and perimenopause?

Dr. Martins makes homemade herbal tinctures and powders made based on the client's need. These could be Vitex Agnes Castus, black cohosh, sage, and adaptogens. 

 34:15 Top 3 overall supplements for perimenopause and menopause: Ashwagandha, Magnesium, Slippery Elm for gut-health (reduce acid reflux, anti-inflammatory, and increase gut-motility). As well as vitamin-D3 and K2 + Omega-3 for bone health and brain and heart health. 

35:25 Gut Health Support: When hormones decline you get a reduction in stomach acid and this can lead to partly digested food and problems with an unbalanced microbiome. This can contribute to further hormone imbalance.  

39:00 MPowder and the development of powders for perimenopause and menopause. Creating a community for Women around menopause, working with experts to support their clients. 

51:00 Dr. Martins owns favorite menopause tips: 

1. Stick to a balanced inclusive diet including proteins at every meal, including healthy fats, and reduce refined carbs. Do not completely cut out carbs. Breakfast with PFF (protein, fiber fats). 
2. Do not drink coffee early in the morning (hard for adrenal glands and your gut - substitute with a warm of hot water with lemon. 
3. Slow down and incorporate self-care into your life. 10 minutes of me-time in the morning with meditation, yoga, or any other self-care practice.   

In ancient times it was believed that menopause was a time where women transformed their accumulated knowledge into absolute wisdom.
Resources: 
www.veramartinsnaturopath.com  
www.mpowder.store