Sisterhood
A friend recently commented that the type of resources available to women living in rural areas are very different than those available to women living in urban areas. Hence, the ability to access alternative medicine practitioners or even find trusted sources of information really depends on where you live.
This has been borne out by results of a study conducted earlier this year among 25 menopausal women living in rural areas of Nova Scotia. Participants described a need to understand the intensity of their symptoms but often found it difficult to sift through “excessive and conflicting” information on the web. This was further compounded by the lack of trusting relationships with healthcare providers due to their scarcity and also, the fact that local facilities failed to retain good people.
So, who should you turn to when available information is seemingly overwhelming and inconsistent, and medical expertise is unavailable?
The researchers explain that women who participated in this study drew heavily on shared experiences and the ability to communicate freely and openly with women who were going through similar things. More often than not, they continuously sought validation from their peers to avoid feeling confused and alone. And found that a great way to deal menopause was through humour.
Whether a woman resides in rural Nova Scotia or New York City, a sense of community, mixed with open communication and a little bit of humour, can go a long way.
Read MoreTransition
Menopause is called “the transition,” a time when the character and frequency of menstrual periods start to change and eventually cease. This transition is often accompanied by a larger life transition, a “crossroads” as you will, one that can make decisions difficult. I know several women around my age whose children are leaving (or have left) the nest, who are going through divorce, who are experiencing self-doubt and are feeling confused about what’s next and how to go about finding one’s way though the obstacles, be they their health, career, or family.
Social media guru Jeff Pulver has an interesting blogpost today about transitions and trusting oneself. I strongly encourage you to check it out.
One of the things that struck me during my conversation with Denise Polacek the other day was the fact that she left a successful, lucrative career as a technology transfer professional to pursue her own path. Using contacts, networking, experience, desire and commitment, Denise created a company, Life Quality Technologies, that is poised to revolutionize the way that women approach the transition and the symptoms that accompany it. Her goal? To provide women experiencing hot flashes with an alternative to drug therapy with one simple idea: cooling.
Denise told that she strongly believes, as I do, that a majority of women are open-minded and willing to explore alternative paths. Jeff Pulver says to trust ourselves. I think that both of these visionaries succeed because trying something new is viewed as a challenge that despite hardships, can yield growth and reveal unexpected surprises,
This transition that many of us are going through — in our bodies, in our lives, in our careers — is universal. Perhaps as we forge our paths, we should remember that it is only one of the many crossroads that we will face in our lives, that there will be good days and bad days and that stumbling (and even falling on our faces) is the rule, not the exception. As Queen wrote, “your every day is filled with sunshine. But into every life a little rain must fall…”
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