Alcohol and Coffee While Menopausing

Art and Heart of Menopause: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Beverages - Alcohol & Coffee During Menopause

Episode Summary

Join Dr. Chitra (Ayurvedic specialist) and Clarissa (Chinese Medicine practitioner) as they explore how alcohol and coffee affect women during perimenopause and menopause. Drawing from 5,000 years of Ayurvedic wisdom and Traditional Chinese Medicine, they reveal why context matters more than blanket restrictions when it comes to beverages during this life transition. Learn how your constitutional type, seasonal factors, and timing influence whether that glass of wine or morning coffee helps or hinders your menopausal journey.

Key Topics & Takeaways

The hosts debunk the all-or-nothing approach to alcohol and coffee consumption during menopause, emphasizing that both Ayurveda and TCM focus on individual constitution, timing, and moderation rather than complete elimination. For alcohol, they discuss how different types affect the three Ayurvedic doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and Chinese medicine's five elements differently - from wine being better for hot-natured Pitta types when consumed with sweet, cooling foods, to how beer can benefit chi and blood but may cause dampness in our over-fed modern context. Coffee emerges as a complex ally that provides essential bitter taste often missing from Western diets, supporting liver health while potentially depleting yin energy that menopausal women desperately need to preserve.

Practical Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life

Both practitioners emphasize the importance of mindful, sacred consumption rather than habitual dependency. They share specific modifications like adding cardamom to coffee to reduce acidity, choosing pomegranate or watermelon mixers for summer cocktails, and timing consumption based on seasonal heat and personal constitution. The episode addresses the social pressures women face around drinking, offering alternatives like herbal wines for cold constitutions and guidance on when these beverages can actually be therapeutically beneficial. Their message is clear: listen to your body, understand your constitution, and transform daily habits into conscious rituals that support rather than deplete your energy during this transformative life stage.

Hosts: Dr. Chitra (Art of Menopause Substack) & Clarissa (Heart of Menopause Substack) Topics: #Menopause #Perimenopause #Ayurveda #ChineseMedicine #WomensHealth #AlcoholAndMenopause #CoffeeAndMenopause #HolisticHealth #MindfulDrinking

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