Although the menopause is a physiologic occurrence, yet, owing to the many pathologic changes which are liable to take place at this time, the woman should be as carefully watched during the menopause by the gynecologist as the pregnant woman now is by the obstetrician. If the same care were taken, in the majority of cases, the dangers attending the menopause would be avoided, and the woman would be prepared to enjoy a healthy and useful post-climacteric period of life.
CHAPTER XV.
HYGIENE OF THE MENOPAUSE.
Diet; Constipation; Stimulants; the Kidneys; the Skin; Turkish Baths; Massage; Exercise; Profuse Menstruation; Hemorrhage; Mental Therapeutics.
"'Tis the breathing time of day."
"Hamlet."
Hygiene of the Menopause. The changes which occur in all the organs of the body at the time of the menopause are retrograde, and therefore just the opposite of those which occur at the time of puberty. This fact should be borne in mind in the matter of alimentation. All that is now needed is to make the repair equal to the waste.
Diet. Unless the woman is taking a great deal of active exercise, it is better to diminish the amount of meat eaten, and to increase the vegetable food and take more fluids. Unless the effect of the meat eaten is counterbalanced by active outdoor exercise, it produces an excess of waste matter, which accumulates and causes biliousness, and sometimes rheumatism and gout. A vegetable diet is less taxing to the excretory organs than an animal diet.
Indigestion is at this time of life apt to appear in the form of fermentation, which may assume the gastric or intestinal type. The chief causes of the formation of gases are the lessened peristaltic action of the intestines, the increased tendency to congestion of the liver and to obstinate constipation.
All dishes rich in sugar, as cake, candy, preserves, and jelly, should be indulged in with moderation; or where there is a tendency to fermentative indigestion, they should be wholly avoided.
All dishes known to be difficult of digestion, as hot breads, pastry, cheese, fried dishes, and rich salads, should be cut off the menu, since these readily overtax an already weakened digestive system.