Beyond Hot Flushes: Why Your Gut & Liver Hold the Key to a Healthy Menopause

A Tibetan–Western Approach to Midlife Health

Introduction: The Hidden Hormone Highway

Most women entering perimenopause and menopause focus on symptoms like hot flushes, mood swings, insomnia, libido changes, and bone health. But there’s a deeper pivot point shaping your experience: how your gut and liver manage and clear hormones.

In my practice, I blend Western naturopathy with Tibetan medicine, an ancient healing tradition that understands the body as a balance of energies, elements, and rhythms. This combination helps illuminate why supporting your bile flow, gut barrier, and detox pathways can transform not only your cholesterol levels, but also your energy, mood, and overall well-being as you move into menopause and beyond.

Understanding the Three Energies: The Tibetan Lens

In Tibetan medicine, health is guided by three vital energies known as nyepa. These humors’ energies govern all physical, emotional, and mental functions, and shift naturally with age and life stage.

To keep things accessible, I’ll refer to their English translations throughout this article, but here are the original Tibetan names:

Bile (Tripa) – The energy of fire and transformation. Governs digestion, metabolism, clarity, and ambition.

Wind (Rlung) – The energy of movement and circulation. Governs the nervous system, breath, speech, thought, and sleep.

Phlegm (Badkan) – The energy of stability and cohesion. Governs moisture, immunity, memory, and long-term structural integrity.

Each of us has a unique blend of these energies, but they also fluctuate with age, diet, seasons, and emotional state. Understanding how they rise and fall can reveal a great deal about your midlife health, especially as you approach and move through menopause.

1. From Bile to Wind: Understanding the Transition

During our reproductive years, including perimenopause,  Bile (*Tripa*) is dominant. This fire energy gives us drive, ambition, and metabolic strength. But when imbalanced, it can lead to symptoms such as PMS, migraines, skin eruptions, gallbladder discomfort, and emotional heat.

As we enter menopause, the energy of Wind (*Rlung*) rises. Menopause is a Wind-dominant life phase, often bringing dryness, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, and mental instability. If Bile hasn’t been cleared or brought into balance beforehand, Wind can become far more disruptive.

Eventually, Wind may also disturb Phlegm (*Badkan*) leading to weight gain, metabolic sluggishness, cognitive fog, and emotional heaviness.

Tibetan principle: If Bile is not cleared, Wind will rise chaotically, and Phlegm will stagnate. Treating Bile early protects long-term balance.

2. Why “Treat Bile First” is Crucial for Your Heart & Hormones

Before layering in stress management techniques or hormonal support, tending to your gut–liver–gallbladder axis is foundational:

- Move and bind bile: The gallbladder plays a key role in excreting cholesterol and excess hormones.
- Protect the liver: A resilient liver reduces inflammation and supports detoxification.
- Ensure bowel clearance: Regular, formed stools anchor Wind and prevent waste recirculation.

Modern lab findings such as sluggish liver enzymes, cholesterol imbalance, or estrogen dominance often reflect this deeper bile dysfunction.

3. The Gut–Liver–Heart Connection

Maintaining a healthy cardiovascular profile involves far more than just avoiding fat; it’s about how well your gut, liver, and gallbladder are working together to regulate hormones, detoxify efficiently, and support emotional steadiness.

From both Tibetan and Western perspectives:

- Bile flow is supported by fibre, hydration, and naturally bitter foods, such as leafy greens, lightly seasoned vegetables, steamed dishes, and clean, simple meals.
- A healthy elimination process ensures that hormones and cholesterol are effectively excreted, rather than being reabsorbed, reducing long-term health risks.
- Inflammation is naturally lowered when the microbiome is balanced and the liver is supported through rest, warm meals, and emotional calm.

In Tibetan understanding, stagnant bile and disturbed Wind weaken the heart–mind connection, affecting both cardiovascular and emotional well-being.

Feeling the call to realign your inner rhythms?
The EOFY Healing Package offers a gentle 3-session journey to:

• Reset your gut and digestion

• Support your liver with natural rhythms

• Ease your transition through peri- or post-menopause

$370 for 3 sessions (valued at $440) – available until June 30

Limited spots – book now and step into the next half of the year feeling aligned, clear, and nourished.

Book My Spot Here

4. Your 5-Step Daily Ritual to Support Bile & Soothe Wind

In both Tibetan and naturopathic traditions, healing begins with rhythm, not supplements.
How you begin your day, how you digest, and how you wind down all influence liver health, emotional balance, and hormonal flow.

- Morning: Warm lemon water + fresh air or breath outside – Stimulates bile flow, clears stagnation, settles Bile
- Before Breakfast: Sit quietly with intention or breath – Awakens digestive fire (medro), calms Wind
- Midday: Warm, balanced meal + short rest – Grounds digestion, protects Bile, avoids wind agitation
- Afternoon: Gentle movement or breath break – Stabilises blood sugar, prevents mental scattering
- Evening: Early, light dinner + soothing ritual (e.g., journaling, foot soak) – Anchors digestion, cools Bile (*Tripa*), calms Wind before sleep.  

- All Day: Eat cooked foods, avoid skipping meals, stay warm – Prevents Wind–Phlegm imbalance, supports metabolic and emotional resilience. These rhythms can be adapted with personal guidance — supplements are optional, not essential.

5. Why Protein Matters – Especially in Menopause

One of the most misunderstood aspects of menopause is nutrition, especially protein.

As estrogen declines, so does bone density, energy, and lean muscle mass. Regular intake of clean, moderate protein supports:
- Bone protection and tissue repair
- Blood sugar balance and emotional stability
- Prevention of Wind and Phlegm imbalance

While oily, heavy meals aggravate Bile, light, warm, nourishing proteins help anchor the body and settle Wind.

That said, not all women choose the same path. Every woman’s body responds differently. What matters is finding a sustainable, whole-food approach that meets your constitution and stage of life.

Working with a naturopath or nutritionist can help personalise your approach beyond food rules or fads.

6. Navigating the Moon Cycle (Lunar Rhythms)

Even after menstruation ends, many women still feel subtle cyclical shifts, an echo of the moon’s rhythm.

Tibetan medicine observes that Wind energy is sensitive to external forces, including light, season, and lunar phases:
- New Moon – A time of low energy, inward reflection
- Waxing Moon – Energy builds; prepare, nourish, gently activate
- Full Moon – Emotions may heighten; observe and honour them
- Waning Moon – Slow down, release, conserve energy

Even without a cycle, the moon may still pull on your inner tides. Evening rituals like tea, journaling, warm oil foot soaks, or silent sitting help regulate Wind and soothe emotional transitions.

7. From Perimenopause to Post-Menopause: Evolving Your Protocol

Peri-menopause (Bile dominant):
- Clear bile with fibre, warm lemon water, gentle bitters
- Begin grounding Wind with breathwork, magnesium, and slower mornings

Peri-menopausal phase is particularly unstable — Bile remains dominant, but Wind begins to stir, and Phlegm elements like progesterone begin to decline rapidly.-

This hormonal turbulence is why perimenopause is sometimes called the 'second puberty' a time of inner reorganisation and potential chaos.

Post-Menopause (Wind dominant):
- Keep meals regular, warming, and grounding
- Continue liver–gut support with seasonal rhythms
- Incorporate regular movement practices such as yoga or Pilates to nurture physical strength while also calming Wind and supporting emotional and mental clarity.

8. What to Expect & Next Steps

• 3–4 weeks: Improved digestion, more regular stools, and emotional calm

• 10–12 weeks: Opportunity to investigate deeper drivers and begin therapeutic care

• Long-term: Restore energetic balance, embrace acceptance, and live with joyful presence

Conclusion: A Wise Transition, Not a Breakdown

Menopause is not a malfunction.
In Tibetan medicine, it is a Wind-dominant phase: requiring warmth, rhythm, and nourishment of both body and soul.

By supporting your bile flow, gut health, and emotional rhythm, you’re not just managing symptoms — you’re shaping your resilience, energy, and inner peace for the decades to come.

Ready to Begin Gently?

Your journey through perimenopause or post-menopause doesn’t need to be rushed or overwhelming. Whether you're just becoming curious or ready to take the next step, here are a few gentle ways to begin:

• Book a FREE Discovery Call to explore your personalised gut–liver–hormone map

• Join the next Moonlight & Ikigai Circle to reconnect with your rhythm in sacred space

Your body holds deep wisdom. Let’s honour it together, with compassion, clarity, and support.