Some women seem to sail through the hormonal turmoil that marks the end of their fertile years (average age 51), but for others symptoms such as hot flushes, mood swings and memory loss can be so dire as to make life intolerable. As many as 6 per cent of women experience this before the age of 40.
More than a quarter of women going through the menopause struggle to cope with everyday life due to their symptoms, research shows. Half say they are depressed, while more than a third suffer from anxiety, a poll of 3,275 women found. Other common symptoms include exhaustion, aching muscles and night sweats. Many of us have been there, constantly throwing off the duvet, only to wake up freezing cold a few minutes later. Fatigue brought on by poor quality sleep, sudden memory blanks and visible hot flushes can be a real concern at work. No one expects the menopause to impact on their professional life!
While hormone replacement therapy (HRT) used to be seen by many as the solution, its safety profile has plummeted since American research in 2002 linked it with a higher risk of breast cancer, stroke and blood clots (even though for most women the risk of these is still small).
But are natural remedies an effective alternative?
The conventional view is that herbal pills and other supplements are ‘much less effective at easing the symptoms of the menopause compared to HRT’, as the Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians has reported. However: ‘The best ones can reduce the severity of symptoms by 50-60 per cent, compared with a reduction of 80-90 per cent with HRT,’ it said.
Natural treatments for menopause work in a completely different way to prescription drugs. The natural approach works with your body, which means that it can actually prevent or reduce the severity of nearly all of your symptoms rather than just relieving them temporarily!
Find the natural and powerful combination that works best for you:
1. Nip your symptoms in the bud with optimal nutrition
The most effective (and enjoyable) medicine that exists, is in the food that you eat. Strive to eat a balance of good fats, complex carbohydrates and protein. Make sure you have plenty of fruits and vegetables at every meal, including breakfast. It’s best to eat three meals a day and two or more snacks in order to keep your blood sugar stable. The most important thing to remember is to reduce carbohydrates especially refined carbohydrates and sugars.
2. Use herbal remedies that act like our own hormones
Many plants and herbs can adapt to the needs of your body, they share various molecular features with our own hormones allowing them to support our hormone production or even mimic what our own hormones do.
Some herbs that can help reduce menopause symptoms include black cohosh, passionflower, wild yam, sage leaf and ashwagandha. Sage leaf, wild yam and black cohosh have certainly helped to reduce the severity and frequency of my own symptoms, particularly the dreaded hot flushes and night sweats.
3. Exercise to reduce the fat that can upset oestrogen and progesterone ratios
Many women gain weight steadily during the perimenopause and menopause, especially around their stomachs and abdomen. Fluctuating oestrogen levels tend to cause the body to hold on to fat. On top of this, fat actually produces oestrogen, which can create even more fat, so the cycle continues. Doing whatever exercise you enjoy can make such a positive impact on your health. Moving your body has a major impact on your weight, other menopausal symptoms and your overall health.
For many women, perimenopause and menopause offer them the opportunity to change, to become a different person, one that is less interested in what people think of them, and one that is much more able to speak up for herself.
Making natural adjustments to your lifestyle not only enables you to feel much better but also feel in control of your menopause symptoms. I would encourage you to start to make small yet important changes, as they can create some remarkable results:
- start the day with a glass of water with lemon
- make daily positive affirmations
- ensure that you remember to breathe deeply each day (an effective and simple way to reduce stress)
- make a commitment to take your supplements every day
With a little bit of time and trial and error, you’ll discover the combination of natural steps that works best and helps relieve your symptoms!
Enjoy the journey
Alison x
Sources:
htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/8376768/How-do-professional-women-cope-with-the-menopause.html
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