Natural menopause specialist, brighton, UK and worldwide, online
Feel like yourself again in peri/menopause
As your body changes, how you support yourself has to change too.
My one-to-one functional medicine consultations investigate what’s behind your symptoms and turn those findings into a personalised health plan to get you back to health.
Meet Sandra Ishkanes
Functional Medicine Practitioner specialising in peri/menopause
1-2-1 Consultations
Natural peri/menopause management and symptom reversal
Book a strategy call
Start feeling better now, not soon, with a personalised plan and active support
10+ Years
functional medicine experience
Full Lab Panel
54 biomarkers analysed
Root Cause
not just symptom maNAgement
Peri/menopause can feel like a mystery. It’s not.
We’ve been told the “empty tank” story: your ovaries stop, oestrogen falls, and your body slowly winds down, but that’s myth, not biology. Lower oestrogen is the destination your body was designed to reach, and the change is a sophisticated shift built for resilience and a longer health span.
A peri/menopausal woman is not a faulty younger woman; she is operating a completely different, highly intelligent biological design.
It’s a natural transition
Your hormones run an ancient programme, 1.5 million years in the making, written for Original Eve, who lived on whole foods, deep circadian sleep, natural movement and close community. In that world, this transition was simply the next stage of life.
Mismatched to a modern lifestyle
Today, we Burnt-out Eves are runing the same programme on processed food, chronic stress, too little sleep and constant pressure. Hot flushes, sleepless nights, anxiety and stubborn weight gain are the body’s distress signals – they mark the mismatch between the lifestyle peri/menopause needs and the reality of modern life.
But there is a clear way through
Since the mismatch is the problem, closing it is the answer. It isn’t oestrogen that needs replacing. It’s a nourished life. Change the conditions and symptoms can resolve. That holds whether you’re going through the transition naturally or coming off HRT with support.
Peri/Menopause changes everything—from how you sleep to how you think.
Phases
Shifts
Heavy bleeding, brain fog, fatigue and anxiety are distress signals from a natural transition running on broken foundations
How is your nutrition, blood sugar, stress, sleep, and liver detoxification?
These are the foundations on which your transition has to operate.
When these foundations fail, your symptoms flare—and no amount of external HRT can patch over those broken roots.
The symptoms are not random — they cluster in:
Early perimenopause
When oestrogen goes spikes upto 3 times higher and progesterone crashes in the progesterone shift
Late perimenopause and menopause
When oestrogen starts declining and triggers
to reveal exactly which metabolic gateways are struggling. Once we identify these patterns, they can be fixed.
Explore the Knowledge Hub to discover why your body is not a mystery, how your systems can hold steady naturally, and how to safely navigate this transition from the metabolic roots up.
Meet your practitioner
Adapting to the changes that peri/menopause brings can be hard, but this is where I am trained to help you
Hi, I’m Sandra Ishkanes
I work like a health detective
BSc · MA · DipION · ANP MEMBER
I have a degree in molecular biology, clinical training in functional medicine and I am an expert in resolving the root causes of peri/menopausal health issues.
I work like a health detective, where symptoms are my clues and poor health is my crime scene. I identify the root causes of unbalanced hormones and create solutions to optimise health.
Over 10 years of clinical experience
For over 10 years, I have been empowering women to take charge of their peri/menopausal health by providing root cause explanations, personalised health plans and support, education and resources.
My passion for problem solving means a success rate of over 90%
The functional medicine model provides a systems analysis framework within I can connect, understand and optimise all aspects of of your health, and it’s what I love to do.
Partnership, compassion and care
A safe and supportive environment means you can discuss your concerns and receive personalised care that meets your unique needs.
YOUR SYMPTOMS ARE CLUES
Why choose a functional medicine approach to peri/menopause?
Unlike conventional medicine that treats symptoms, Functional Medicine is a science-based approach to health that looks for the root causes of your symptoms, such as blood sugar, stress, gut health and sleep. These are the exact factors that impact your health as your hormones change in perimenopause.
This means your symptoms aren’t random, they’re clues to which systems are struggling to adapt as your hormones change. I work to find the pattern behind your symptoms and build a personalised plan around your biology, to fix what is driving them.
| Factor | Typical medical menopause appointment | Functional medicine consultation with me |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 15-30 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Foucs | Managing symptoms | Finding what's driving your symptoms |
| Testing | Standard panel | 54 targeted markers and advanced functional testing |
| Plan | Prescription | Personalised protocol + follow ups |
Supporting peri/menopause from the foundations
Investigate
A 90-minute deep dive into your history, plus a 54-biomarker lab panel.
Identify
Map your symptom pattern to your lifestyle drivers: blood sugar, stress, gut, liver, sleep, nutrition and nutrient deficiencies
Resolve
A personalised nutrition, supplement and lifestyle plan, adjusted as you improve
Symptoms and conditions I specialise in
These are the symptoms I work with every day in my clinic. Most women come to me with several at once, often treated separately by different specialists, with no one connecting the dots. Seen together, they tell a story about what your body is going through. Once we understand that story, we can work out what will actually help.
Periods and complex conditions
Energy, mood and body changes
HRT support
“I felt better almost within a week, and 4 weeks later all my symptoms were almost gone. I came off HRT and my vitality is back. Transformative.”
Heidi B.
Perimenopause symptoms reversed
via Google
Start with a strategy call and start feeling better within 4 weeks
Tell me what has been happening and what you most want help with, and we’ll put together a strategy to reclaim your energy, mind, and vitality.
01
Lock In Your Free Strategy Call
A 30-minute phone call. We will review your symptoms so you get my initial assessment of your root causes—and see if this approach is a fit for you.
02
Get Your Personalised Plan
We do a 90-minute deep dive into your biology and functional testing to map out your custom nutrition, supplement, and lifestyle protocol.
03
Experience Relief Within 4 Weeks
Start seeing noticeable improvements in your energy, clarity and pain within 4 weeks while we build long-term resilience for your brain, bones, and heart.
case studies
Clinically proven results for women seeking a clear, natural route
Case studies with full histories, test results, protocols and step-by-step progress
BRAIN FOG · FATIGUE · POST-MENOPAUSE
Brain fog in menopause cleared and all symptoms reduced by 85% in 8 weeks
Linda, 59
Linda arrived with severe brain fog and low energy affecting her work and daily life. We mapped her metabolic patterns, addressed insulin and thyroid drift, and built a brain-fuel protocol. By week 8 her energy was back and the fog had cleared.
“I finally have a roadmap. For the first time in years, I know what my body needs — and why.”
HOT FLUSHES · NIGHT SWEATS · struggling on hrt
Severe peri-menopausal symptoms despite HRT reduced by 80% in 4 weeks
Helen, 48
Helen came to clinic having already tried HRT. Her hot flushes and night sweats were severe. We worked on the metabolic and inflammatory roots driving the vasomotor symptoms and supported the intracrine system directly. By week 4 her symptoms were down 80%, she was able to come off HRT without any problems, and she continued to be well without it.
“I was told there was nothing else to try. There was.”
THE 68-SYMPTOM PERI/MENOPAUSE QUIZ
Curious about where you are in the transition and the root causes of your symptom pattern?
When peri/menopause collides with complex conditions, the effects can be severe, but completely manageable
Living with endometriosis, fibroids or adenomyosis can mean years of managing pain or heavy bleeding.
As perimenopause begins, it may become harder to work out what is changing and why.
Wherever you are with HRT, I’ll meet you there.
HRT overlays oestrogen on top of the transition already underway. In some women, HRT relieves some symptoms. In many, it pauses or distorts the transition the body was trying to complete
Peri/Menopause support beyond the script
“Having guidance that doesn’t automatically lead to HRT, but instead looks at the whole picture of health, has been incredibly valuable.”
I
Ida F.
Nature connection facilitator
via Google
“Thank you Sandra. You have helped me get back in control of my life. No exaggeration. This has set me on a course for health for the rest of my life.”
D
Danielle B.
CEO Black Minds Matter UK
via Google
“Absolutely mind-blowingly good. Patient, responsive, open, thoughtful. I’ve already suggested my daughters talk to her.”
C
Caron B.
CEO Charity Finance Group
via Google
On your free strategy call you’ll:
Calls Tue-Thu 8-10am and 2-5pm (UK time)
100+
women
supported
10+
years in
clinical practice
4
weeks to
first results
1:1
every
consultation
Frequently asked questions
Smarter practitioner, superior care
“I walked away from my first consultation with Sandra full of energy, hope and motivation. Her knowledge and enthusiasm had bowled me over, and I set about immediately following her advice to the letter. The results were incredible. Even my GP was amazed.
Within just 4 weeks from starting my protocol my body had gone through a total reboot. I was, and still am, feeling great.”
