Dana LaVoie, LAc

A friend asked if I'd come meet her neighbor's golden retriever - see if I could help channel all that zest for life into something a little more manageable. Dog training's one of my hobbies.

The 1 year old golden jumped all over me. I had on a skirt. I ended up with some pretty ugly scratches on my legs.

Three days later, almost completely healed.

I gave myself a little cheer - like, okay, this is really working!!

But it also surprised me - right when I expected my skin to be thinning and more fragile post-menopause - how quickly it healed.

It's a sign everything I've been doing for my post-menopausal health is finally clicking together - working as a whole, not just pieces.

Speaking of what's possible when the right strategies click into place - go check out Train With Joan. She's not someone who got lucky. She's proof that even if you think you might have missed your moment - you can start exactly where you are and change your body more than you'd expect.

Full video on why recovery takes longer in perimenopause and menopause (and what you can actually do about it) - link in bio.
https://danalavoielac.com/why-recovery-takes-longer-perimenopause-menopause

6am. Herbal hot chocolate steaming beside me. Coat zipped up. Writing at my backyard desk again.

First morning back at it since the backpacking trip - and I still can't make myself work indoors.

I'm Dana - acupuncturist, herbalist, & founder of Making Menopause Easy. Follow along for the backpacking tips I'm sharing this month, and everything else midlife throws at us - real strategy, but you might catch me laughing or skipping along the way too.

Why herbs, not just acupuncture, for menopause?

Hormones are the first domino of menopause - the shift that sets off everything else that changes during menopause (connective tissue, inflammation, recovery time, all of it).

Acupuncture's great for a lot of things, but herbs are the more powerful tool for supporting hormones directly which is why…

Every time I see a woman who needs hormonal support, I'm reaching for my herbs, not my needles.

Full video on why recovery takes longer in perimenopause and menopause - link in bio.

A special kind of friend gives you a tiny bidet for the holidays, and a silver-infused p*e cloth for your birthday.

Mine is also the one who talks me into another hike I wasn't sure I wanted - and I always end up fitter and more inspired for having done it.

Turns out the people who get you out the door are usually the ones who've already solved the boring, practical stuff nobody talks about too.

My picks, no friend required: Kula Cloth (kulacloth.com) and the CuloClean bidet (culoclean.com) - in my pack every trip now.

Want more of this - the stuff nobody else is telling you, backed by ancient medicine and modern science? That's my newsletter, The Missing Chapter. Free, unfiltered, actually useful. Get on the list - link in bio.

PS - not sure which way in makes sense for you? My free Menopause Kickstart mini-course (four short lessons over five days) or my Herbal Playbook program (full protocols, real support) - both linked in my bio.

Hillsides of wildflowers. Alpine meadows perfect for napping. What felt like a hundred butterflies who'd clearly found the best spots on the trail before we did.

FYI I just got back from backpacking Mount Rainier - at almost 60, in case you're wondering if that's still on the table (it is).

I'm a menopause herbalist sharing my favorite backpacking tips for women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s all month - follow along, or save this one so you don't lose it.

If you like this - my email newsletter is where I shared all the links and tips in one handy place - the best stuff from me lands in your inbox - link in bio.

That first hot drink of the day. The one that has to happen before anything else does.

Now picture making it in the woods. Camp stove going, water just boiled, days into a backpacking trip.

Mine wasn't coffee. It wasn't a latte, and it wasn't hot chocolate - though it tasted like both.

It was a powder I mixed myself before the trip - a blend of several different herbs, ground down, in one little baggie with a tiny spoon.

Every morning I'd spoon it into my cup, add two wafers of pure cacao paste, then boiling water. What came out was rich and dark - genuinely felt like the elixir of life and chocolate at the same time. Not bitter. Just good.

Then I'd sit with my friends around the camp kitchen, sipping it, watching the woods wake up. One of the best parts of the whole day.

And through the trip - smoke in the air one day from wildfires, an endless brutal downhill another - I stayed steady. No headache. Knees held up. I felt resilient.

I ate enough protein, took my basic vitamins too. But the herbs are one of the biggest reasons I know I felt that way.

👉 Herbs for energy and stamina

👉 Herbs supportive of joints and low back strength

🌟 Herbs for hormone-related sleep and heat

🌟 Herbs supportive of urinary and vaginal health

This isn't a whole new routine. It's one small addition to something you're already doing anyway.

PS - There's more waiting for you, all free: my Menopause Kickstart mini-course, my newsletter, or this week's blog post. Connect however you're ready - link in bio. danalavoiecoach.com/mini

Half the internet says push harder. Half says surrender. Only one is right for you right now — and it'll flip in a few months. This is why generic midlife fatigue advice fails so many women.

The full breakdown of which one and when → Full Video on the blog at danalavoielac.com/menopause-fatigue (LINK IN BIO)