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Menopause Relief

Menopause

Ok the children are now all teenagers, all those menstrual problems are a mere dream (cramps ,PMT, heavy periods, sore breasts). And just when you think there's no more tampons and sanitary napkins, and that life will now be plain sailing you find yourself feeling blood red in the face on the hour every hour during the day, dripping with self produced spurts of water during the night and snappy and intolerant with many of those you come into contact with during the day.  Romance is a thing of the past and as for libido, well this is now completely foreign. Now "who is this woman?" you may wonder as you slump into a chair exhausted at night, still too tired to finish the novel you've been reading for more than a year. Certainly not the "in control"  woman everybody has come to know and rely on.
You visit your trusted family doctor who has only ten precious minutes to spare as he scribbles the script for HRT. You go homes and religiously take this and then just as your symptoms have decreased, you get this cancer scare much publicised and linked to HRT.
Oh Dear! "what do I do now"  you ask yourself.
The above description is quite typical of the menopausal woman. However, there are other additional experiences quite common to those hormonal changes during this time. These include: Sleep disturbance, weight gain, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, lack of energy and waning zest for living,among others.

Here's where I would like to step in and let you know a bit about the menopause and how you can be helped;  how you can use safe natural treatments as your body moves through this period of transition.

What is the Menopause?

The menopause is a period of transition which occurs in middle-aged women.  It only occurs in humans and usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55.   It is not a disease requiring treatment; it is a natural biological change.

The menopause is defined as the final episode of menstrual bleeding. This transitional time encompasses the progressive loss of ovarian function and a variety of endocrine, somatic and psychological changes.

Preceding the menopause, the pattern of menstrual cycles is variable, but the interval between menses usually becomes longer.

Hormonal Changes 

The ovaries which have been releasing oestrogen and progesterone slow down their production of these hormones and eventually stop releasing them. During this slow down, the periods may become irregular and when the hormones stop being released, the periods will also stop. On the other hand, bleeding may be heavy and prolonged due to the hormonal imbalance.

The Body Adapts

Once a woman reaches menopause the adrenal glands and fat cells become the primary sources for estrogen production. The adrenals produce an androgen which is converted to estrogen in peripheral tissues such as the skin, adipose and muscles. Because adipose tissues are a primary location for this conversion relatively lean women tend to experience menopause earlier than heavier women.

Most of the difficulties women tend to encounter as they go through the menopause years appear to be because of the different amounts of hormones available in their bodies.

However, this is complicated by other aspects including emotional issues, a history of poor eating habits or lack of exercise.

Problems experienced during menopause

Women’s experiences during the menopause vary greatly.

Some have no problems at all, while others will often experience quite uncomfortable symptoms and be severely troubled by them.

The most common symptoms are hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, poor bladder control and depression. Others are weight changes, headaches and lack of energy.

 

In the long term, the lack of oestrogen can cause two main problems: It reduces the body’s ability to absorb calcium from food and so may contribute to the development of osteoporosis and secondly oestrogen is believed to have a protective effect against heart disease. 

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

HRT is a controversial orthodox treatment for menopausal symptoms and entails the introduction of synthetic hormones into the bloodstream to replace the oestrogen supplies that are waning naturally as part of the menopausal process.

HRT only postpones menopausal symptoms and they will reassert themselves whenever HRT is stopped. It can be argued that the adjustments that are occurring during the menopause are taking place at the natural time for the woman concerned and postponing them with HRT could upset the delicate hormonal balance and rhythm completely by overriding the body’s natural process.

Both Oestrogen and Progestogens used in HRT have huge side-effects including

  • Increased risk of certain cancers.
  • Abnormal or excessive uterine bleeding
  • Fluid retention
  • Increased blood pressure
  • Increased risk of gallbladder disease
  • Increased risk of migraine, stroke and thrombosis.
  • Breast tenderness and enlargement
  • Dizziness or depression
  • Weight gain or loss
  • Nervousness, insomnia, somnolence, fatigue
  • Anaphylaxis and  anaphylactoid- like reactions
  • Urticaria, rash, pruritis, acne and sweating
  • Nausea

HRT has an effect on the whole circulatory system – blood circulation, veins and arteries. It can therefore increase the risks of raised blood pressure, migraine, stroke and thrombosis. It also increases the levels of oestrogen, the building hormone and hence the risks of breast tissue changes, fibroids and endometriosis. Then there is the “domino” effect on other vital organs e.g. the liver which helps remove excess hormones added into the body from HRT. Its function can be affected increasing the possibility of liver damage.

The longer HRT is taken, the greater the side effects.

Natural Treatment Options for Menopause

Natural methods of treatment include remedies which may address one or more of the symptoms experienced during the menopause. Individuals therefore may find themselves taking more than one remedy in an effort to address the combination of symptoms. The choice of remedies

 will therefore depend on which symptoms are the most debilitating.

It is pleasing to know that there are so many choices available to women who need to relieve the unpleasant effects of menopause. Women do not have to suffer the devastating side effects of introducing synthetic hormones into their bodies.

Today’s menopausal woman would more than likely have been exposed to the synthetic hormones of contraceptive pills. If she now chooses HRT as well, it means that she would have been introducing synthetic hormones into her body for more than two thirds of her life, risking long term side effects.

However, since todays’ woman is increasingly aware of what is available to her, she can choose the form of treatment to best suit her circumstances. She can use alternative natural methods of treating these symptoms with the knowledge that these natural products are relatively safe and free of disastrous side effects.

The choices are numerous and varied and it simply means that women only have to match the natural alternatives to suit their symptoms. They thus can choose a single treatment or a combination.

By doing this menopausal women can go forward confidently and really enjoy the next phase of their lives.

NUTRITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

A varied, unrefined whole-food diet based on grains, fresh fruit and vegetables may help ease the transition, and as such it is often worth looking paying more attnetion to eating habits.

Time to Take Action

Should you wish to relieve your menopausal symptoms we’ll be waiting to help. Simply ring 9879 9596 for a consultation or fill in the form below to receive a more detailed fact sheet on menopause.