128. How Chinese Medicine Explains Your Unique Menopause Experience

Are you feeling irritable, anxious, weepy, or just plain exhausted—and wondering why no one else seems to be having your kind of menopause? You're not alone. The truth is, while hormones play a role, the deeper story might be found in your unique energetic makeup.

In this episode, we’re diving into one of Sara’s favorite topics—how the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine can help you better understand your menopause experience. Whether you’re hot-flashing through meetings, suddenly feeling deeply nostalgic, or craving carbs like it’s your job, there’s insight (and healing) waiting for you in this ancient framework.

You’ll walk away with a powerful new perspective on your body, your symptoms, and how to support yourself with more compassion and clarity.

In this episode:

• Why no two women experience menopause the same way
• The Five Elements explained: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water
• What each element looks like when it's out of balance during midlife
• Emotional + physical symptoms linked to each element (yes, those mood swings mean something!)
• How to rebalance each element with simple, practical tools
• The connection between stress, liver qi, and feeling like your jeans betray you
• How Chinese medicine helps you understand who you're becoming, not just what you're fixing

Connect with me, Dr. Sara Poldmae:

Website: https://risingwomanproject.com

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/drsarapoldmae

Transcript

Sara Poldmae: 0:01

Sarah, welcome to menopause. Rise and thrive. I am Dr Sarah pulled May, and this podcast is your go to guide for navigating perimenopause and menopause. If you are feeling a little overwhelmed, trust me, you are in great company each week, I'll bring you expert advice, raw, honest conversations and simple tips to help you stay grounded and maybe even find some humor in the process. Let's rise thrive and tackle this wild ride together. Hey ladies, welcome back to menopause. Rise and thrive. Last week's episode was definitely a little bit more emotional than I am used to, but it was definitely real. And after that kind of vulnerability, I thought today we'd bring in something a little bit more playful, more curious, and honestly like one of my favorite ways to break down and truly understands women's health through the lens of Chinese medicine. So a lot of you know that my initial training in the world of natural medicine was as an acupuncturist and a doctor of Chinese medicine, and I think that it brings a really unique lens to help my patients that are struggling in midlife and is a little different than your average functional medicine doctor and I want to just talk about the concept and the reason Why no two women really experience menopause the same way. So yes, there are definitely similarities, and there are definitely things that are common that I see in clinic. So one, you know, one woman is sweating through her sheets at night and snapping at her husband for breathing too loud. That's definitely common, but it's also common to feel like this bone deep fatigue and brain fog that can make you wonder if you're losing your edge. And while someone else may not have a single hot flash, they may be, you know, crying over silly commercials about, you know, lost dogs, but same hormones wildly different experiences. So what gives I think Chinese medicine could say it's not just hormones, but it's about your constitutional makeup, like what elements may be in and out of balance. And we talk about the five elements in Chinese medicine, which are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. And these five archetypes or constitutional types, shape not only our bodies, but also how we process emotion, stress and life transitions. And menopause is the ultimate life transition, man, does everything change? So in this episode, I'd like to dive into what each element looks like when it's out of balance during menopause, maybe the emotions that show up, the body messages and how to bring it all back into harmony. And you may be listening from somewhere close by and and can have a, you know, a visit with me at my clinic. But if not, this might just be like the fuel for the fire of finding yourself Chinese medicine doctor, because it can be just such an amazing part of going through midlife, a whole heck of a lot smoother. So let's start with the wood element. The wood element is the element of growth, of movement and of vision. Wood is like the part of us that loves to plan, to take action, to make progress, the go getter, the problem solver, the I'll figure it out, type of woman, but when would energy gets stuck or is in excess? And menopause can really kind of test that liver energy flow, frustration, irritability and control issues can really show up when I hear a woman say, why is my body betraying me with like a little edge and anger to her voice. Or why can't I just push through like I used to? Or my personal favorite is I've eaten literally like one almond and suddenly my jeans don't fit. That is like the wood energy feeling stuck. When someone feels really stuck, the wood energy can be at play. So in Chinese medicine, the wood connects to the liver and the gallbladder, which govern the smoother flow of Qi, hormones and emotions. And when wood is out of balance, everything feels pent up. Hot flashes can flare. PMS type moods can return. You can feel tense, resent. Full, impatient and often create. Creativity goes out the window like you're completely blocked. So doesn't sound so cool, right? How do we help a woman that's feeling that way? How can you help yourself so things that you can do to soothe your liver? Chi are walking in nature, stretching, dance, Qigong, or even a good cry, they all help. So if someone is really struggling with liver Qi stagnation, I always tell them to put on like a Hallmark movie and just cry for no reason, because that can really help to release your qi, supporting your liver, not with a cleanse that makes you absolutely miserable, but by eating dark leafy greens, staying hydrated and taking small pauses before you say yes to everything, because if your liver chi tends to be in excess, you tend to be that yes person. I can do it all. I can show up at every social event, blah, blah, blah. We don't want to do that and emotionally giving yourself permission to not hold it together, not to hold it all together. I should say anger is just energy that wants to move. So move it. Figure out ways that you can move your body, move through emotions, and you might just find that your mood and your metabolism, thank you for it. I won't go too far into the functional medicine aspect of it, but this has a loose overlap with how cortisol and your stress hormones can affect your weight and just your experience in general, going through menopause. All right, let's move on to the fire. So the fire element, the spark of connection, joy and expression. Women that have a lot of fire tend to light up rooms. They love people, they love laughter, they love passion, they feel deeply. But when the hormonal thermostat starts to fire up that that inner fire can burn like way too hot or start to flicker out. So it can be I can't sleep. It can be my heart races. I feel anxious for no reason. Or you could feel just emotionally raw. One minute you're super joyful, laughing, and then the next minute you're just super, super sad. In Chinese medicine, fire is ruled by the heart and small intestine, and also by the pericardium in San Jiao, which all together help regulate temperature, circulation and emotional protection. So when estrogen dips, serotonin drops and the heart feels less anchored, and we can experience insomnia, hot flashes, anxiety, that sense of emotional overheating, so to speak. So here's what helps you want to cool that inner fire, literally and figuratively. So choosing calming, nourishing practices like yin yoga, meditation, breath work, laughter with safe people, you definitely want to avoid things that heat you up, like caffeine and alcohol, which kind of pour fuel on the fire. And if you've been living in like, go, go, go mode, you got to slow down. The fire element reminds us that joy does not have to be performative. You don't always have to be on it can be more of a quiet joy, not a firework show. So you know, finding joy that isn't super like exciting can be helpful when balancing that fire element, the earth Okay, the earth meridian, the earth element. Think of the woman that's always the hair, the caregiver, the steady one, the woman who's always making sure that everyone else is fed, supported and loved. The Earth, woman tends to thrive on nurturing others, but when menopause hits, her energy can really start to sink, and she might be the one that says, I feel tired but can't rest, or I crave sweets or carbs all the time. My digestion feels off and I'm gaining weight no matter what I eat. So in Chinese medicine, the earth governs the spleen and the stomach, which are responsible for digestion and metabolism, but both physically and emotionally, so worry and overthinking. Overthinking can really weaken the earth energy. And menopause often brings that perfect perfect storm, hormone changes that slow digestion, blood sugar shifts, and caregiving, burnout, all of that. So what we need to know if we're resonating with the earth element being out of balance is that the earth element really needs rhythm, regular meals, grounding, rest, before exhaustion, warm, cooked foods, soup, stews, root vegetables, really, to help stabilize your digestion and get rid of the cold smoothies and cold salads. And Emotionally, I really want to get this one like thrown out there. Emotionally, really, you have to focus. Focus on stopping feeding everyone else. First, women that tend to have Earth imbalances often need to hear that it's okay to be supported. If you keep giving without replenishing, you'll deplete your center. So create rituals that fill you, like music, tea, gentle touch or saying no without guilt? I think saying no without guilt could use a little bit more attention this time, because we are so so focused on, you know, providing for others. And during menopause, it is natural to feel kind of like, I don't know, like you'll get around to it, and you don't always get around to it, right. So you're busy, busy, busy with everybody else. And then all of a sudden, if you have an earth element that's out of balance, you may find, frankly, that you're skipping meals or that you're snacking all day because you're not taking the time to really nourish yourself. So I want to say that this is a really common, common thing to show up in perimenopause and menopause, and not to get too far into the interconnectedness of the five elements. But there's saying in Chinese medicine that wood can attack Earth and wood, if you remember before, when I was talking about it's kind of that stressed out, go, go, go mode. So if you're in stress and fight or flight all the time, and you're just going, going, going, you're just really stressed out, that is going to weaken your earth energy. So it's kind of natural that you're going to feel some of what I just described. So again, creating those nourishing rhythmic routines will be really, really helpful, and sticking to them all right. So on to metal, the metal woman I like to think of as, like, the seeker of beauty, structure, truth. She loves order, integrity, and she often feels deeply that even like, even when she looks like she's got it all together, on the outside, she's like, very deep in her feelings. They might not beyond the surface, but they're there. So metal governs the large intestine and the lungs, the organs of release, or like letting go, menopause, for the metal element, can stir up a lot of grief, no, not, not necessarily, sadness about aging, but kind of a wistful morning for what what has passed, maybe it's your youth or your kids leaving home, or simply the rhythm of your old self. So for metal, think of grief or your inability to let go. Common symptoms of the metal element might be dryness of the skin, constipation, shallow breathing, tightness in your chest, a sense of nostalgia or melancholy that just catches you off guard. So things that you can do to really help to nourish your mental element are breath work, long, mindful exhales, journaling, letters of release, like thank you, letters goodbye, letters, crying when you need to tears are definitely medicine, not only for the liver, but also for metal. So for metal women, we often can find healing connected with ritual, really powerful. So like lighting a candle or taking a mindful walk, creating ceremony around release. Just like metal in the fire, you're becoming stronger, clearer and more beautiful through this transformation. Okay, on to the water element. The water elements a big one in Chinese medicine, because the water is the kidney and the bladder and the kidneys. I'm sorry, the kidneys are how can I say it? They tend to get weakened with age, so as our kidney chi weakens around menopause, one can create some havoc. But if you think of women that are truly water in their constitution, those women are like the wise ones, the introspective ones, the ones that really carry the weight of generations. They're the people that you can go to for like wisdom that feels like it's from the past. So water energy is about essence and wisdom and flow, and it's the foundation of reproductive vitality. It's also the foundation of courage, and when we go through menopause, we're really drawing on that water essence and and you may feel especially depleted, tired, fearful or unsure about the future, but you also. You may feel when your water is is balanced. You may feel deep intuition. So common symptoms to look for, for a water imbalance would be low libido, fatigue, low back pain, night sweats, emotionally might really fear aging, fear loss, fear of slowing down. And what can help with the water element to get it back in balance is rest, real. Rest, the kind where you kind of like, let the world kind of just leave the world behind and just focus on yourself, laying down yoga nidra. Another thing that can help keep the water element in balance is staying warm, especially now that we're heading into winter, no cold plunges, absolutely not emotionally. What can help is really working on cultivating trust. Trust is medicine for the water element, because if you can trust that everything is going to work out, okay, and that you've got the inner wisdom to carry you through everything, you won't be so fearful. All right. So here's what I love the most about five element medicine. No one is just one element, you may have resonated more with one of the elements than the next, or you may have found that two resonate the rest didn't. You may have a dominant one, but all five are doing this dance within you. They shift and balance along with the seasons. So maybe your menopause is mostly like wood and fire, lots of anger, lots of heat, or earth and metal, like a lot of worry and a lot of nostalgia, or maybe you're just simply plain water exhaustion and fear. The goal isn't to fix the elements that feel really loud. It's more to like listen to it and practice self care that may align with those elements, and that's what makes Chinese medicine so beautiful and so timeless. It's not just take this herb or that symptom or this acupuncture point is going to fix your shoulder pain. It's really about who are you becoming in the process. So which element feels like home to you? Did you see? See yourself in one of them, or maybe in all of them? If you have any questions, reach out hello at rising women project.com. I would love to talk to you again. I'm going to remind you of the coaching sessions I've had quite a few since I announced my struggles with the fire in the clinic, I would love your support. So please jump on my cleanly calendar and book yourself a coaching session that will really help me while my business rebuilds itself, and maybe I can help you to figure out which elements need to be brought back to balance. So here's your little practice for the week. When a symptom arises, the hot flash, the mood swing, the worry spiral, instead of judging it. Ask, what is the symptom? Trying to tell me, maybe your wood element is craving change. Maybe your fire element needs a little bit more joy or a little bit more rest. Maybe your earth element is telling you that you really need to nourish yourself. Do some food prep. Maybe your metal element wants to release something that's no longer serving you. Maybe your water element just needs stillness. The beauty of midlife is not about controlling these elements. It's about learning how to dance with them. So again, if you'd like to dive deeper. Please book a coaching call with me, especially if you're not in Maryland. I love to integrate functional medicine, Chinese medicine, hormones, acupuncture, all that stuff to help women to feel balanced, grounded and radiant. Because menopause is not the end. It's a beautiful beginning. It's a dance. It's an alchemy. It's it's just such a beautiful stage of life where we can become more introspective, like that element of water. So until next time, take a breath. Honor your elements and keep rising. My friends, you