Why AfterShock?
AfterShock brainstorming session. Seattle, January 2020
Educate a woman, empower a community
by Lisa Sealey, Founder, AfterShock
Why did I start AfterShock? Like many start-ups, it arose out of a personal frustration and need that I had when experiencing a challenging health situation. In my late 40’s I was in the throes of peri-menopause but didn’t know it. I had a doctor that was (somewhat) knowledgeable about hormones and midlife health challenges, mostly surface-level and all “answers” led to her prescriptions of bio-identical hormones. She was the first doctor to test my hormones, something no other doctor had ever mentioned or done. She also let me know that the physical symptoms I was experiencing were due to the natural fluctuations that occur as women move from peri-menopause to menopause.
The bio-identical hormones were great for me, for a time. They certainly made my most troubling symptoms – brain fog, moodiness, night sweats, and bloating – better. However, the more I learned about peri menopause and menopause, the more I wanted to know. Mostly, I felt like my doctor was only selling one solution – the one that she knew – bio-identical hormones. And they weren’t cheap! Close to $1,000 twice a year depending on how fast your body metabolizes them. She wasn’t able to tell me why I might metabolize them faster or educate me about other lifestyle changes that could support me during this time. I liked the idea of the natural solution (they’re made from yams) but I wondered if there were any other ways to deal with my symptoms. And there’s no doubt that at that price tag, HRT is the affluent woman’s helper for menopause.
I started investigating, reading, learning. I read books by endocrinologists and newly-emerging MD/functional medicine doctors that talked in great, specific detail about what women need to do during this time of life to manage symptoms and feel better. It was all very interesting and in-depth but still overwhelming and also contradictory at times. I keep thinking that if I was overwhelmed by it all – despite my deep interest in all things health related, biohacking etc. – how were other women who probably weren’t as focused as I was on research, going to get the right information at the right time?
It became clear that I needed to help educate women. Women can be very, forceful self-advocates if they are educated and empowered to do so! And, at this stage of life, I believe women are more receptive to self-care and growth (in all areas) if they have the support, education and tools they need.