#17: Hidden Remedies for Menopausal Women

In this episode, we explore a gentle and empowering conversation around natural wellness and menopause. Many women walk through this season feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, and unsure of where to turn. This conversation offers a different perspective. One that invites curiosity, grace, and small intentional steps toward healing.

Our guest shares her personal journey, which began with over 15 years of experiencing hot flashes. That long season led her to seek answers beyond conventional approaches and opened the door to a more holistic path rooted in natural wellness.

One of the most powerful shifts she highlights is the importance of diet. Before adding anything new, what we put into our bodies daily creates the foundation for how we feel. Nourishment becomes a form of support rather than restriction.

We also explore the role of essential oils. There is often confusion around what they can do. Essential oils do not replace hormones like estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone. However, they can support the glands and systems responsible for producing and distributing these hormones, offering a complementary layer of care.

Many women come seeking support for hot flashes, sleep challenges, and emotional ups and downs. Oils such as clary sage, ylang ylang, and geranium are often used, along with carefully selected blends, to help bring a sense of balance and calm.

Stress and emotional overwhelm are common during this season. Essential oils can support the nervous system and help regulate the body’s response to stress, allowing women to feel more grounded in their daily lives.

Sleep is another area that often suffers. Simple practices like using oils throughout the day, applying them before bed, and diffusing them overnight can create a more restful environment and support deeper sleep.

Beyond products, we are reminded that lifestyle matters deeply. Daily practices such as nourishing meals, proper hydration, prayer, meditation, time in nature, and moments of joy all contribute to overall well being.

For women who feel disconnected from their bodies, this season can feel unfamiliar. Intentional self care, combined with the mindful use of oils, can help rebuild that connection. Addressing gut health, prioritizing restorative sleep, and creating space for joy are essential steps in that process.

For those who feel hesitant or unsure about natural approaches, the invitation is simple. Start with education. Take one small step. When we understand what our bodies need, we can move forward with greater clarity and confidence.

As we close, this message stands at the center of the conversation. You are not alone. There are tools, assessments, and natural options available to support your body. With the right support, balance is possible and your quality of life can improve.

Key Takeaways:

• Your journey is valid, even if it has been long and frustrating 
• Diet is a foundational first step in holistic wellness 
• Essential oils support the body but do not replace hormones 
• Stress, sleep, and emotional health requ

To learn more about our program visit our website at

https://www.happinessinyoucoach.com/menopause-elite-program/

Also, if you are a woman going through peri-menopause, menopause, or post menopause and would like to be a part of our mailing list to stay updated about programs, resources, and more, send a message to ksmith@happinessinyoucoach.com and type in the subject line, e-mail list.

Don’t forget to download and share this podcast with other woman. This allows woman that need support to find this podcast more easily.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to menopause Breakthrough, the podcast for professional women who want to reclaim their clarity, energy, and balance while navigating perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause. I'm your host, Katina Smith, your menopause and wellness coach, and I also am a certified functional nutrition practitioner where I use nutrition and lifestyle to support women in this stage of life. I know firsthand how challenging this season can be physically, mentally, and emotionally, and what it's like to feel stressed and maybe even a little burnt out. Here you'll find education, strategies, and encouragement to help you thrive at work, at home, and in life. So let's dive in. Hello, my friends, and welcome back to the show. Today's conversation is centered on holistic ways to support the body during menopause. Menopause can feel confusing and overwhelming, especially when the message is often to just accept the symptoms and move on. Well, in this episode, we slow things down just a little bit and we look at menopause through a whole body lens and explore ways to support the body and honor the changes happening within. This is not about fixing yourself, it's really about understanding your body, supporting it, caring for it, and moving through this season with great ease and confidence. So today I am so excited to have a guest here. Her name is Angie Siroli. She has spent over 15 years helping people improve their health and overall well-being. She believes true wellness supports the whole person physically, emotionally, and mentally, and with a background in environmental engineering, pharmaceuticals, and chemistry. Angie brings a strong science-based perspective to her work. Her passion for high-quality natural products, including two cups green tea Hawaii, and DOTERRA essential oils, comes from her appreciation for research backed by solutions that support real lasting change. Angie is deeply committed to helping people make informed, empowered choices for their health and their lives. So, Angie, welcome to the show today. I'm so excited you decided to join us.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Yes, thank you, Katina. I am excited to be here. I really appreciate the invitation. Uh, this is something dear and near to my heart uh to help folks, especially women, uh, but men also uh understand uh what simple things they can do intentionally uh to help improve their quality of life as they are going through these stages of uh menopause.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Right. Yes. So yes, thank you again for sharing that. So we have some things we want to discuss today. So I'll go ahead and get started with the questions that I have for you. And I just wanted to start out by asking you if you can share a little bit about your own personal journey and what led you to focus on natural wellness and supporting people holistically.

SPEAKER_00 3:37

Uh yes, thank you. Uh, and I know I uh hadn't mentioned it and neither have you, but my business name is Green Health First. And that all came about and is is is expressed and shared um uh in a video that I have on my YouTube channel. But uh I uh basically on this journey, I as Katina mentioned, I worked in environmental engineering for uh about 10 years and then moved to pharmaceutical sales for about 10 years, got some great uh training on how things work in our body. Uh, and uh also I was just really, really um intrigued by what we can do to help our our bodies live better. And um I moved towards the holistic approach uh when I was in a field of um pain management and I was not happy with that. And so I just uh I just prayed to God that you know he he gives me a change and he did. And I was introduced to um the green tea Hawaii products and I loved them and started learning about them because I love the science of everything. And uh when I decided uh to bring to start my own business with that, which I thought was going to be a hobby, that wasn't God's intention. So um I ended up uh over like the last 15 years developing uh my uh my clientele, my uh green health first um culture. And uh I really started focusing on the holistic approach uh when I was introduced to the essential oils because I had been been uh enduring hot flashes for about 10 years or so. And I was just I was at a health fair and I was uh given a couple drops of peppermint and orange to breathe in and put on the back of my neck where my hot flashes mostly occur. And literally in less than 20 seconds, I had coolness and I was flabbergasted. And I was like, I mean, I was I was like, I've never heard of this. I of course I called on Western medicine doctors, I didn't call on holistic doctors. So I was never aware of what we have in our medical literature on all the things natural. And of course, it only makes sense because that's where we started, you know, centuries ago, right? To to identify the chemistry of everything. And uh so I was like, okay, this is my journey. This is where God wants me to be. I'm gonna start help learning and delving into this to find out why this helps us and you know, other things that we can do in our everyday life uh routine to um improve our quality of life again, especially through um the perimenopause to menopause.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

Right, right. Wow, that is such an amazing story. And I really like how you have the science background, you know, the the the pharmaceutical, the environmental engineering, like you you have the background, you have the experience, and you know, we both have that same holistic mindset. But I I like how you said um, you know, with what you were going through, you were looking for solutions and something like essential oils, you know, was an answer to a symptom that you were having, something natural. And I think a lot of times that's missed in our current structure, in our current uh healthcare system. So um that's such an amazing story. So thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. So I I have another question. Uh, when a woman is exploring a more holistic approach doing perimenopause or they're actually in menopause, um, what do you believe is the most important first shift that that person can make?

SPEAKER_00 7:41

I believe absolutely it's diet. Uh so one of the things that I uh discovered uh as I was looking for other uh more uh direct tools to not just uh address the symptoms, but address the root cause. Uh I, you know, I learned a lot about what is causing the triggers. And so, you know, what I discovered is there are many, many things in our diet that can cause triggers. Uh, there are endocrine disruptors, which are hormonal disruptors that we have in foods and cleaners and all kinds of things. Uh but the big the biggest thing is understanding that the key major ones that most people deal with uh as triggers for like hot flashes. So uh caffeine, sugar uh, and alcohol are all three key triggers for for hot flashes for many, many people. Uh, not everybody, but for many people. The other core one that is a trigger for hot flashes is stress. So, but diet uh really can make a huge difference. So I was very intentional to really lower my sugar intake, especially sugars that are processed or artificial, and also to keep my caffeine at a minimum. So I drink green tea and I love green tea versus coffee because to generally per serving, it has half the caffeine as you're serving a coffee. And uh so that keeps my that part lower for me. Uh and I make sure that I don't have those things at night so that I'm not so I can minimize the amount of hot flashes I have or awakenings uh due to hot flashes.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Right, right. Wow, yeah. I I like how you uh started with diet because it's true. A lot of people don't realize, you know, it's not just about the symptoms and it's not just one thing. You know, diet is a major part of it, what we're putting in our bodies, but a lot of times we don't see that the food that we're eating. And I'm glad that you mentioned, you know, the caffeine, the sugar, the alcohol, because these are a lot of the foods that women are consuming on a daily basis. And, you know, when they eat the food, they begin to have the hot flashes. And then they're like, oh, what pill can I take, you know, for these hot flashes? But, you know, we're not often thinking about, oh, was it something that I ate? And I will definitely agree from a personal standpoint, and I'm glad you talked about stress, because for me, when I hit perimenopause, I didn't have hot flashes initially. Hot flashes actually came later for me, but I believe um stress is the point where it started. I was just so overloaded with life. And not so much um I'm worrying about things on a daily basis, but sometimes when so many things hit you at once, the physical, the mental, the emotional side of things, the things that happen to your body when you go through things like that can also throw things out of balance. In addition, like you mentioned, the caffeine, the sugar, you know, my my struggle was with the sugar as well. But again, when my hot flashes came, um, they were later. But I know a lot of what had happened before was a big major part of what was happening later. So that's something that is important, you know, to definitely keep in mind. But yeah, I really like how you also um talked about how you were able to get relief from the essential oils that you use. You mentioned um peppermint and orange um gave you that relief versus just immediately taking a pill, you know. So that's awesome. So my next question is uh related to uh essential oils, uh, the doTERRAS essential oils. Um, for someone who is new, how do you explain like what essential oils can can do and what can they cannot do for hormonal transitions? Because, you know, there's one, a lot of different essential oils out there, but also you and I both know it's not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach. So if you could share a little more, you know, your view on that, um, that would be great.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Yes, thank you. That's a great question. Uh, and I um I've done a lot of research and there is a huge market of essential oils now. When I first started over 15 years ago, there wasn't. Uh, but uh the the essential oils that I use at OTERA are um very well backed by science and um the medical team. And we actually are the only company now as of 21 that has clinical trials published in medical journals. So um, you know, what's really important to understand is that essential oils uh have properties, therapeutic properties that can really help at the cellular level, uh, but they cannot, they cannot replace estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone. So those are the main players for us with respect to menopause, because when we get to about 30 years old, that's when our bodies start to reduce the production of those hormones. Uh, and so um, you know, they can help support the glands and the organs uh which produce and distribute these and other hormones. That's what essential oils can do. And knowing that you have something that is 100% plant derived is going to give you the most efficient positive response because it's in the form that God gave us that is meant for us to help us thrive. And so the body and the brain is going to recognize that within four seconds when you breathe it in, that aromatherapy. Uh, and and it's and the brain's gonna be able to instruct the body what to do with it to help bring balance and help bring improvement.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Right, right. Yeah, I I like how you said that it can support, but it doesn't, you know, replace your hormones. Because some women think that, oh, if I take this, this will help, you know, me have more estrogen or help with my estrogen or progesterone. Um, but in fact, it's to support, right? Like you said, and the fact that it is a hundred percent um plant derived. And I always say that God knew that women would go through these things. I think the big struggle is we didn't really know, or we really didn't focus on the fact that women, you know, were going to be going through this transition. You know, some women as early as in their 30s and you know, early 40s might start to have symptoms. And just the way the the um system is structured today, and the fact that there's not a lot of menopause training, you know, for medical professionals, um, there's great opportunity here for us to really explore what some of those other alternatives are and give women the support that they need um during this season of life because there are, again, so many um things that you can do, especially in terms of making those lifestyle changes. So yeah, thank you. Um, so my next question is what are some of the most common symptoms women come to you with, and which oils or practices do you find they are most drawn to for support? I know you shared what helped you, um, but what are some of the other um essential oils out there that can be supportive?

SPEAKER_00 16:03

Thank you. That's a great question. I we have done in our team uh many workshops on hormonal balance and helping people understand some of the plants uh from which essential oils are derived, which can be very supportive of um, you know, that whole endocrine system. And uh, you know, as as mentioned before, you know, we we can't replace these hormones, but we can help support the glands and the organs that produce them. And if we can get those or those working better, then our quality of life is gonna be better and we're gonna we're gonna see um improvements in a lot of the symptoms that we deal with. So the main things that I hear from people are hot flashes, uh, sleep disruptions, emotional roller coasters. Those are the main things. Sometimes weight gain, um, weight gain it can be a lot of different things, but definitely hormones have a lot to do with weight gain. Um, some of the essential oils that that we can use in addition to peppermint to really help, because peppermint helps with so many things. The therapeutic properties are documented in our medical literature for helping with the respiratory, the gut, the um uh uh pain relief, uh, inflammation, uh, and and then of course just the aromatherapy and lifting the mood and the emotions. Uh, but clary sage is one that's really key. Uh yalang yalang, geranium, these are all three that are very well documented for their um hormonal balance support. Uh and I actually have a neat story. Um, when I was starting to do uh farmers markets with my products and creating my own products, one of the uh honey vendors there uh was a local honey vendor, and he uh was telling me about the different honeys that he had. And he had one that was uh from Claire, you know, with Clary Sage. He said he had one field that was just you know Clary Sage plants, and that that was his best seller. And I was like, well, why do you think that is? You know, and he couldn't tell me. And I said, Well, let me tell you, because I went and got my book and I opened it up and I was like, this is why, because it's helping uh helping people through the honey, which has great antibacterial properties and is wonderfully therapeutic, um, excuse me, wonderful therapeutically uh as a source of sweetness. Um, but it just it's because it helps to rebalance the hormones. And again, I want to emphasize not just for women, but for men too. Right. So lavender, geranium, clear sage, uh, those are key ones. Lavender also can help with um with hormonal balance as well.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

Okay, awesome. Thank you for sharing that. That's such a wonderful story. Um, I like how you said you were able to share with him, you know, how, you know, why it was a bestseller. But I'm also glad that you said for men as well, because like with men, they go through andropause, you know, so they they are having their own, you know, period in life where things are changing with their hormones. So um, yes, it can be for both men as well as women. Um one thing too, though, I I just want to point out, you know, a lot of times, like you've shared so many um different essential oils that are beneficial, but it's also important to really understand how to use those essential oils because a lot of times people will go out, oh, I'll I'll use this and I'll use that, but really understanding the amount, how to use it, where to put it, and so forth, I think is really important as well. So, yeah, thank you for sharing that, Angie. Um, so I have another question for you. Um, when we talk about stress and um emotional overwhelm, how often does that come up, in your opinion, during this season of life? And how do essential oils support the nervous system and help women feel more grounded? Um, you know, as they are going through um this change in their life.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

So, you know, the um stress and emotional overwhelm, I think has affected everybody in today's world. Uh, and uh we have to identify what we're gonna be willing uh to be compliant with, to bring into our everyday life. A really simple, easy solution are using essential oils. Uh, but there may be other uh things that we need to bring in, like meditation or uh prayer or what have you to help us with calming that stress and those feelings. But uh definitely essential oils uh have documentation for uh supporting the nervous system and uh and our nerves. And there are several calming oils, as people are probably already aware of, but don't really think of uh intentionally, like lavender and chamomile. These are things that we've uh used and known for many years that can help us with calming. Chamomile, of course, is something that we usually have more in a tea. Uh and um lavender now we're seeing available in tea and other food sources. Uh, but uh there are many um calming effects that we can have with citrus as well. And that's this citrus essential oil. The essential oil for uh the plant is the immune system of the plant. So it helps the plant thrive, it helps re rid toxins and impurities. And that's what it does for us that we've seen as well. And it's it's in the plant in many different areas. So a normal like juice is not going to be as effective as using the citrus essential oil because it comes from the rind. So, but those citrus, um, especially bergamot, because bergamot is in what earl gray tea, uh, can be very, very calming for people, but it's also uplifting. And the reason is because many times we are stressed, when we are stressed, we have really high cortisol levels. And those cortisol levels we need to bring down so that our body will make serotonin and melatonin. Then that helps prepare us, you know, for sleep, but it also helps calm us. And so uh we we can use the essential oils uh to help us uh again bring those levels down and and help a calming of our body systems, the nervous system, our brain, uh, so that we um we can uh what's the word? Um approach life in a more um calming fashion fashion. I can't think of another word, sorry.

SPEAKER_01 23:16

No worries. Yeah, that that's really good there. I like um how you talked about like lavender and chamomile because you know they're all around us, like it's easy to get access to lavender and chamomile. Actually, lavender is one of my go-to essential oils, and that was something I used because I was having feelings of anxiousness, and it didn't make sense to me because I'm not like really an anxious person. And that happens when you begin to lose progesterone. A lot of women are reporting feeling anxious and they don't understand it. I didn't understand it. So, you know, having things like the lavender was helping um me feel more calm, but also my nervous system was dysregulated because of the stress and it was overloaded. So my body would um switch back and forth um in that fight or flight state. Um, so you know, again, there's so many different things that you can do. And as you mentioned, the high cortisol, um, that's a big problem that I'm seeing um with women, like a symptom that they're or a challenge that they're having with their cortisol being so high. That was one of the challenges that I was having. Again, didn't know it at the time, later found a lot of this stuff out um after the fact when I went on my own personal journey to really figure out what was really going on in my body. For the longest, I attributed everything to stress. Oh, I it's just from being stressed over time. That's what's going on. But I was actually in perimenopause. And with the stress, it just sort of amplified my symptoms like 10 times, it seems like. But yeah, thank you so much um for bringing up the the cortisol thing, um, because a lot of times I think that is missed. Yes, and thank you.

SPEAKER_00 25:18

If I may, if I may say something real quick, uh just to um clarify uh and and emphasize what you said about progesterone, because I do a lot of uh participate in a lot of expert um video series, and and that's me just learning, not me being an expert in it. Uh, and one of the things that I learned is that uh with progesterone, um, or we we actually are supposed to have, let's just say our estrogen level is like a hundred. Um, we're supposed to have a progesterone level of over a thousand. And when we start getting into that phase of life where our bodies are not producing as much of those hormones, the uh progesterone, the testosterone, the estrogen, we um we will see actually progesterone fall faster than the estrogen fall. And that that ratio really, really affects so many things, like you said, emotions, stress, um, you know, sleep. It's really, really imperative for us to have good sleep to have those higher progesterone levels. And so I've really been working hard on um trying to and finding solutions for uh for rebuilding or for helping my body actually to produce, I should say, um, you know, progesterone as well. But but you're right, cortisol, uh, you know, we have higher cortisol levels because of all the blue light that we're exposed to. And um, you know, we need to get off our electronics at least two or three hours before we go to sleep in order to help our bodies start to re um reset so that it can do that um that normal uh circadian rhythm as as we know it can do to bring cortisol levels down and help produce uh serotonin and melatonin so we sleep.

SPEAKER_01 27:09

Right, right. Yeah. Um, and you're right, like with the progesterone, it does drop a lot faster. So it just hits a woman and to the point where she's like feeling anxious, and it's like, what's wrong with me? You know, but it's it's like again, there's so many different things that you can do. And uh actually, you started to talk about sleep, which is the next question that I have um about sleep. But as you said, I'm glad you mentioned the whole thing with the blue light, the electronics, um, all the different things that we're being exposed to is also um disrupting our our sleep, and people are feeling exhausted. So, my question to you how do you encourage women to use um essential oils alongside of just the simple lifestyle habits to support just having deeper sleep or deeper rest?

SPEAKER_00 28:14

So, essential oils, uh, if you have the pure uh natural plant-derived essential oils, can be used internally as well as topically, and then of course aromatically. So, absolutely, I always encourage that uh there's a diffuser in the room for sleep and that you use the oils that I mentioned, like chamomile, lavender. We have several blends that have other uh wonderfully calming oils uh in them, like the citrus and uh also um the copayba or copayaba is wonderful for helping calm anxiety and stress. So I definitely would recommend having the diffuser in the room and have it uh set for at least a five-hour time frame. So when you're going to sleep, you're breathing it, it's on while you're sleeping. If you are somebody like me that wakes up a lot, I have a lot of things that that will wake me up. I'm a light sleeper, trying to retrain my brain on that so that I'm not such a light sleeper, but uh it will help me get back to sleep if that's still going. Uh, but you can also use uh things like the Clary Sage that I mentioned. There's a blend that we have that has lavender and yellanguling and geranium and um other tools that are great for calming not only the hormonal system, uh, hot flashes, but uh to help you get back to sleep, have those like sedative properties. And I have uh on my night table uh a blend uh that we use called Serenity for the restful sleep. And I use the stick of that. So I'll put that on my skin, under my nose, on my hands. And then also that roller that has the combination with Clary Sage in it. I'll have that. And when I wake up, I normally now don't wake up with the hot flash, but sometimes a hot flash will come as I'm stressed because I woke up or something comes to mind that stresses me. And I'll use that uh roller on the back of my neck because again, that's where my my hot flashes will um emanate. So you could use it on the front, you know, the chest in in uh in that area. A lot of people will have night sweats and that will calm it very quickly. Uh so I um I recommend that as well.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

Okay, awesome. Yeah, I keep hearing the the clear, um, what is it, Clary Sage? Am I saying? Clary Sage, uh-huh. Yes, yeah. That seems to be um, you know, like a really, really good option, you know. But again, with essential oils, make sure that you understand how to use them properly. Um, and you know, having someone like Angie to guide you through that, um, I think is wonderful. Um, I would not recommend that people just go out and start buying essential oils and not really understanding the proper way to use them. So um that's and that's really with anything, whether it's supplements as well. Um, but just always keep that in mind. So, my next question to you uh many women say they feel disconnected from their bodies during menopause or even you know in that perimenopause state. Um, how can uh a person use essential oils and just practice intentional self-care? Like what would you recommend for a woman to help her rebuild and rebuild that connection with herself?

SPEAKER_00 31:36

I think one of the biggest things, again, goes back to diet. Uh, you know, a lot of people don't know, but uh and we don't know what we don't know, many of us. Uh so education is key. Uh, but the gut is the second brain. And we actually have more neurotransmitting activity from our gut to our brain than from our brain to our gut. And uh when we look at where we have emotional receptors, we have them in our brain, in our heart, and in our gut. And there are more emotional receptors in our gut. So it's really important uh that we are intentional to bring in herbs that are going to help balance the gut biome. And um, that will help also uh with our emotions and our connection as far as uh our mindfulness in um in our everyday activities. Uh and if we can get the seven to eight hours of restorative sleep per night, which I know is really hard for a lot of women, even if it's interrupted, if you can be intentional to try to get a total of seven to eight hours of sleep per night, um, that is going to help the brain be able to do what it needs to do during that um during that restful time to repair, to get rid of things, to restore. And uh we know that we're able to uh have a better connection when we're more restful, where we have more mental clear, better mental clarity. But also the other thing that I would say is is always try to bring laughter and joy into your everyday for that mindfulness connection as well. So when we're able to feel that really heartfelt um joy, uh it will help us manage, you know, through the day and through our emotions uh much better and um, you know, hopefully have a better quality of life.

SPEAKER_01 33:38

Right. Yeah, thank you for that. You said a lot of great things here. Um and I I like one how you mentioned, you know, the gut brain connection, the microbiome. Um, that is so critical. And there's so many people out there today talking about, you know, um the microbiome and you know, just take this magic pill, you know. But um it really is such a thing as the gut brain connection. And like you said, I'm glad you clarified how a lot of what's happening, the communication is in the in the gut, you know, and then there's the heart, you know, that's considered the third brain now. So there's that communication going on um throughout our bodies. But I also like how you brought up the fact of getting um adequate sleep. And I I stress this um with all my clients, making sure you get at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night. And it can be difficult, but when you are in that stage, you know, you're going through um perimenopause and menopause, our bodies need it. I mean, I keep saying to women, this is a season to slow down, not stop, but to slow down a bit because as you said, we are in a society where we are just so busy to the point we don't even have time to care for ourselves. So, yes, getting seven to eight hours of sleep is critical. And the other thing you said that really stood out was laughter. Um, learning to laugh. Um, I like that scripture that says um laughter is like medicine, um, because it really is. I mean, I can think of times where I just laugh at things, the silliest things, and my daughter's like looking at me and she's like, you know, why are you laughing? You know, I said, because I find it funny, you know, but just that feeling of laughter. I'm like, I would rather laugh than cry, you know, because you know, it does make you feel good, you know, laughing. And I just often find myself just laughing at things um that you know make a difficult situation more lighter. Um so yeah, I think those things are very, very important. So thank you for bringing that up. So yeah, so um another question I have for you, um, you know, for some listeners, they may be curious or even skeptical about taking a natural approach. Um, we often hear about things like, oh, just take hormone replacement therapy. And I don't tell people to take that or don't take it. That's a personal choice, but it's just important to understand what your options are. So, how do you invite women to explore essential oils and holistic living without the pressure or overwhelm? Because you've shared so many great things. There's just so many different essential oils that you can use. Um, how would you go about that?

SPEAKER_00 36:58

Great question again. I um I think it's really, really important. Number one, again, I mentioned in the last uh answer that education is key. We don't know what we don't know. We've got to figure out the right questions and to ask you know our doctors uh so that we get the answer that makes the most sense. And that is backed up by science. And as you said, many of our Western medicine doctors are not educated well uh to handle it. So finding a holistic practitioner uh to that deals like only with or mainly with hormonal balance or endocrine issues is is uh always very important. But for me, uh with essential oils, what I recommend is we have an assessment tool that really helps um you see where your body's out of balance. And it looks at four body systems, the endocrine system being one of them. It looks at the gut, um, the gastro and immune system, and then also the detox system. So as we've talked about through this discussion, you know, we really need to be intentional to bring the right things into our diet, into our everyday life, things that we are exposed to, not only for internal use, but um, you know, topical use or in our environment. And this assessment helps us see where we have out of out-of-balance markers and the things that are causing that stress. And many times it'll look at and assess that we have endocrine disruptors that we're being exposed to. Now, those aren't like called out as far as the individual things that are designated as endocrine disruptors, but it shows and when you see that repeatedly through the assessment endpoints, then you know that that is uh something that we've got to pay attention to and start to identify to um to minimize our exposure to. Uh so I I definitely that's what I would recommend in being uh in a step that I would take with people in using essential oils because essential oils are uh recommended in this assessment uh to um, you know, to help bring balance for the different things that are out of balance. And many times when we look at the different endpoints, uh, like I said, we will see the same things repeated. And that's when we're gonna go, okay, I think you need to start using this product or this this plant or this essential oil. Uh and you know, many times it's herbs. And I always tell people, you can bring this into your everyday, you know, be intentional about having that in your meals or having a tea with that uh to help support in a different way as well.

SPEAKER_01 39:38

Okay, awesome. And and there again, we have it. The whole body approach, I think, is key to really helping women as they are going through uh this phase or the phases of menopause. Um, one of the things that you mentioned too was the education piece, which um is very critical. And I stress this often is that it's so critical to educate yourself and really understand your body and what is happening in your body and this um conventional medicine, just the way the system is designed. And I like to always stress here that this is not putting down healthcare professionals. It's just a system that has been designed this way from many, many years ago. So we as the individual, um, as women, we have to begin to ask the right questions, educate ourselves so we understand and be the leaders of our health. Um, I feel like there's so much opportunity for us, you know, being in that holistic space to fill those gaps. You know, yes, we need doctors. We we need doctors, we need healthcare professionals, but there's things that we don't get. There's information out there that can also support people from a holistic standpoint. Um, but again, it's just the way the system is designed, where most people don't get the information and have what they need to just thrive through this season of life. Um, and a lot of women are just suffering. I am seeing it more and more since I began this journey of supporting women, but also starting this podcast. And I've had women reach out to me and they're suffering. And a lot of women are suffering mentally, like um dealing with anxiety and depression, and two having that feeling of hopelessness. But I just want to encourage you, um, as women, if you're listening to this, if you are in that place of not knowing what to do, you're having brain fog, fatigue, you don't sleep, you just don't feel like yourself. I want you to know that there are answers and solutions. There's people like Angie, there's people like myself, there are people that know what to do to support you in this season of life. So I just want you to be encouraged and seek out help, you know, maybe outside of the traditional um or conventional medicine, um, looking for more holistic ways to support yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. But as we close, um, what message or encouragement would you want women to know or to just really think about um as they are going through menopause um today? What would you want them to hear? What would you want to say to them?

SPEAKER_00 42:51

First of all, I definitely want to echo what you just said with respect to the fact that you know we we have a lot of uh new professionals that are getting good training in the endocrine system and uh why things are happening for uh for our bodies uh in the symptoms that we're we're having or enduring with respect to what's happening with our body. Uh, I want to just mention that, you know, the very first research that was done on hormonal activity, they only allowed men in the in the research. They did not allow women. And then they took that that information and tried to apply it to women, which is why we haven't gotten the uh we haven't, our moms, our grandmothers did not get good attention to help them understand how they can have a better quality of life with the fact that they're they're dealing with the um slower production or reduced production of the key hormones. So I would say, you know, that, but also you're not alone. We have a lot, a lot of people that are dealing with the same thing. And a lot of it's our lifestyle, a lot of it's our culture, unfortunately. And again, we we just need to be educated. There are tests that are available to assess your key hormone levels. And there are bioidentical or what we are what we know as plant-derived, natural plant-derived hormones that can bring your levels back into sync. And oils, again, to address emotional and physical symptoms, you know, that that can improve your quality of life. And I can definitely help you to understand where to start. And certainly maybe some questions to ask a holistic professional if you prefer to go that route and get some help in that way. Again, it's not like Katina had mentioned that we are saying that our healthcare professionals aren't that we don't need to go to them. We just need to go to the ones that have the education because that's not something that our primary system is focused on because they're focused on so many other aspects of our health. So that's what I would encourage is just to know that you're not alone and that we can have take some simple minimal steps that can have a huge impact on our everyday if we are willing to be compliant and make it routine.

SPEAKER_01 45:25

Wonderful. Oh, I I love how you summed that up and really also how you mentioned um the research, the initial research, because I've read about that before, which to me doesn't make sense. But you know, that that's what happened. Um so that's why you know today I feel like women, women's overall health period, um, we really have not gotten the support that we need. Um, so I really just think this is a season where we can change that, um, make a difference, healthcare, you know, holistic professionals um like myself and Angie, we can really make a difference in this space. And that's what our goal is to really help and support women, but men as well, as you mentioned. Um, there's things that men can do, especially with men having a change and shift in their hormones as well. We really don't talk about that um enough either. But um, you know, this has been great. Um, Angie, I really, really appreciate you being here. I've known you for several years now. I know you are very knowledgeable um and what you do. Um, you have the knowledge, the background, the skills, the education, you know, to support others um in this holistic space. So again, it's an honor to have you on this podcast today. So I wanted to just ask you how can viewers, viewers, anyone listening today get in touch with you?

SPEAKER_00 47:11

Thank you, Katina. And again, I just want to echo how I am just thrilled to be able to support you in your podcast and you know, also just to be another support tool that that uh we can put out there through your um your clientele uh to you know to to bring enlightenment for folks. Uh so I um you can reach me through my email, uh my phone number. If you look on my website under the about tab, the clean blee, excuse me, greenhealthfirst.com, you'll see those. And there's a short video that tells my journey. That video is also on my YouTube channel, which is just Angie Saroli. You can find me there. And there is a video about hormonal balances on my YouTube. It was recorded many years ago, but it's still uh very valid. Uh, and then also I am uh I do a lot of workshops uh for different organizations. Currently, I'm teaching some workshops for the the staff of the Durham, the city of Durham, and have one tomorrow on skincare, which definitely is going to be dealing with hormonal balance. Uh and I do health fairs uh for different businesses. They will bring people in to uh to bring expertise tools to their um their staff uh to help them hopefully be more productive and live better. And then I also participate in farmers markets. The local farmers market that I mostly participate in is the Midtown Farmers Market at North Hills Plaza in Raleigh. And it is um, you know, their season is April to November. So I'm there usually once or twice a month, maybe more. Uh, but uh this that's kind of how I get my one-to-one interaction, which I prefer versus uh online or otherwise, because obviously if you're gonna use essential oils, you want to be able to experience them. So uh so those are the main ways. Um my my phone number, 919-656-0963. You can text or call me. Uh, I'd be glad to um help us start exploring.

SPEAKER_01 49:18

Awesome. You hear that, everyone? There's so many different ways you can get in touch with Angie, um, so many different events, um, workshops that she does, um, especially if you are in the Raleigh area, but also you can give her a call so you have her contact information. So basically that concludes our show for today. Um, this has just been a great experience to talk to Angie just about holistic ways to support the body as women are going through menopause. So we look forward to seeing you on the next episode. That's all, my friends. Thank you for listening to menopause breakthrough. If this episode resonated with you, don't forget to hit the follow button so you never miss a new conversation. Share it with a friend, colleague, or anyone who could benefit from support during this season of life. You can connect with me, access more resources, great tips, and coaching support, and learn about our menopause program for women by visiting www.happiness in you coach.com dash menopause dash elite dash program forward slash. Remember, you don't have to just survive menopause. You can thrive through it. And you are not alone in this season of life.