Step One: YOUR BODY Is it MLC or something else?

The first box to check off is the Medical box....EVERY woman no matter what needs to do this BUT they especially need to do this if you or your family has a history of dementia, Alzheimer's, mental health problems (Clinical Depression,Bi-polar, Manic-Depression...others), Thyroid Conditions, sleep apnea...anything that would make the body fall out of balance...a thorough medical check-up with a complete medical history given. All of the conditions mentioned run in families and the fact that one family member has had it means that the chances for it occurring in another goes up dramatically. 

When I say they should have a complete check-up...I am not talking about going to the General Practitioner and having your basic check-up. I am talking about going to the Specialist who has the knowledge and understanding of how these ailments begin and get worse and how to best treat each condition as they are determined.


This is my list of Specialist that all women and men should go to, if you need to go to a General Practitioner to get the Referrals...ASK for them, even if the basic test doesn't indicate it...the family history should be enough. If they will not give it to you, go to another doctor and ASK…demand if you must! 
 

• Gynecologist (NOT an OB/GYN) - a specialist that works only with women and female problems, periomenopause/menopause. An OB/GYN is too distracted and busy with her pregnant patients and delivering babies. I believe that many keep their hand in the GYN side just to remain viable and may be required to keep their license up-to-date. In any case, a woman will not get the information and expertise that she needs from an OB/GYN as she will from a GYN who only works with women and female problems. Research the doctor you decide to use and ensure that they have a history of working with women that are experiencing hormone problems. 
 
• Neurologist/Sleep Specialist – Request a referral to a Neurologist with a concentration in Sleep Study. If a person is having problems with sleep it will be picked up during the overnight/and Daytime Napping Sleep Study. Sleep is detrimental to our overall health. Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea, Allergies, and obstructions in the ears, nose and throat can be the root cause of many illness, mental health issues and learning disabilities that are being seen today. A person may be referred to an ENT Doctor for further evaluation, before coming back for a final determination or other neurological studies. Quit smoking because it causes Sleep Apnea.

• Ear, Nose, Throat Doctor/Allergist- The Neurologist may send you here anyways if he/she determines you have Sleep Apnea. The ENT Doctor will more than likely send you to the Sleep Specialist to determine if you have Sleep Apnea, especially if they see that you have obstructions in your nose or throat. Allergies can cause sleep deprivation and Environmental/ Food Allergies can cause all kinds of reactions that cause depression and irrational behavior. Think about it: If you are allergic to Yeast (Brewer’s or Baker’s) and you are eating breads and drinking beer or alcoholic beverages with Brewer’s Yeast…a person may act irrationally just from the mere allergic reaction and then crash in to depression after the reaction has ended….so they drink again…allergic reaction…crash. See!?

• Psychiatrist/Psychologist (Both) - A visit to the Psychiatrist on most occasions will have you walking out with prescriptions for drugs. Yes, a person may need drugs to get over the hump of a depression or maintain balance if a mental illness is determined. Yet in many cases of depression, the drug becomes a crutch and only masks the real problems that are going on. The first appointment is with a Psychologist for testing, and then to the Psychiatrist, if it is determined that medication may be needed. Therapy never hurts, but it is never the whole solution either!

• Individual/Marriage/Family Counseling- In my opinion, I believe that both parties need to be in counseling or an individual coaching program during this time of change AND the couple need to come together in marriage counseling. I do not believe that they should have separate counselors, unless the counselors will be working as a team. Both parties need to be accountable to the therapist for the work they are doing and the program should be pro-active toward keeping the Family/Marriage together. The children should be entered in to counseling at this time also…DO NOT wait…they need to be able to talk and vent about what is going on with in their home and their parents. Children are NOT resilient when it comes to the breaking up of the family and home that they have grown to know and love. Separation and Divorce is an act of pulling out the only safety net they have known. They are not in control of the situation...this situation leaves them swinging in the wind…give them another safety net through their counselor.
 
• Nutritionist- This is self-explanatory. It is very important that you see the Nutritionist if the allergist determines you have food allergies. A nutritionist can create a diet that you can live with, while helping you through the process of changing your eating routines. Many medical insurance companies will not cover the nutritionist, but if your team of doctor can demonstrate that the nutritional guidance is detrimental to your health and healing, they may just pick up the tab.

If you haven't purchased Dr. Christine Northrup's books The Wisdom of Menopause.
or Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing go purchase them now! You don't need to be in menopause to receive all the wisdom that she talks about.

To the Ladies: Be informed...instead of being in denial...Denial is accepting ignorance, refusing help...setting yourself up to be a victim...YOU are the only one to blame if you are unwilling to find out what is actually wrong with you. Leaving your husband and family, blaming your marriage/relationship is a cop-out...Giving yourself permission to have an affair before you are officially divorced is Adultery and Abandonment. Much of what women do in MLC is needless...it has a reason, root, a solution...sometimes it is just a season of your life that you must go through to get to the best chapters of your life....why burn bridges, cause destruction, hurt the people you love the most...turn your life upside down....BE Pro-Active...doing the best for everyone concerned...not just yourself! (Note: if indeed your Marriage is not good then by all means do everything you can to determine that it isn't, FIRST!!!! Physical, Emotional, Verbal Abuse is inexcuseable, Leave and take the kid's with you....but if you look, sound and are acting like an MLC Woman...you need to know that the best place for your children is with your husband...do everything you can to get help, don't burn bridges,,,DON'T have an affair of any kind...wait till the ink is dry ont he divorce papers!)

Shepherdess