Symptoms of Menopause
Menopause occurs between ages 38 and 64 and can last up to 5 years. Natural menopause will occur in 25% of women by age 47, 75% by the age of 52 and 95% by the age of 55. This natual phase of life has been controlled since the fifties by the addition of hormones derived from Mare urine. These hormones were all the rage until a few years ago when they discovered that taking supplemental hormones increased a womans chance of develping fatal cancers and heart disease. The natural approch is better and with a little planning can be a much gentler way of controlling annoying symptoms.
Menopause is a natural part of life, it is the bodies way of giving us a rest from the hormonal ups and downs of our fertile years. A woman who is entering menopause is a woman who should be honored by her community and her family as she enters a new stage of freedom which allows her to perhaps for the first time experience who she is.
One of the first thing to do if a woman thinks she is entering menopause is to go to a medical doctor to confirm it. There are several tests that can be run to determine if the amount of estrogen production is decreasing. Another more natural way to determine if you are going into menopause or pre-menopause is to pay attention to your menstrual cycles. If they start decrease in length, duration, or if they cease completely then you are probably in menopause.
Menopausal symptoms can be controlled with herbs and whole foods. One of the main things that is being recommended for menopausal symptoms is the ingestion of soy products. This helps decrease hot flashes by increasing the estrogen precursors and helps the adrenals (who still supply estrogen when the ovaries stop) increase estrogen output. The problem with the studies highlighting estrogen as a "menopause control agent" is that the studies done on symptom reduction were on woman who consumed about half of what is recommend for symptom reduction. Increased soy consumption can lead to bloating, and can increase estrogen dependant cancers such as uterine and breast. Women who have a personal or family history of these cancers should limit soy consumption to 100 mg every day. Another way to reduce symptoms is to eat whole, organic food. Organic food does not have chemical contaminants such as fertilizers (Petroleum product) or herbicides. These added chemicals make the liver work harder so that it has a hard time processing natural chemical changes during menopause. Another important factor to consider is that some herbicides have been proven to increase and alter various hormones in the body. The best bet for optimum health is to eat 8-10 servings of fresh organic vegetables every day.
There are several supplements that help reduce symptoms of menopause. One of my favorite and least controversial is Flax seed oil. Flax seed oil has natural chemicals which help the liver process rapid chemical changes and helps reduce oxidation of free radicals. Another simple supplement is Vitamin C. Taking vitamin C in daily doses of 1000 mg has been proven to decrease hot flashes, and night sweats by over 30%. Another of my favorite supplements to add to a diet is Vitamin E 800 international units. In the science world this vitamin has been studied by medical institutions and scientists and they have not been able to directly correlate its use with decreased symptoms. However, I have personally seen and heard of many women who swear by its use for symptom reduction.
There are many herbs that help with menopausal symptoms. One of my favorite herbs to reduce night sweats and hot flashes is garden sage. Sage helps regulate the temperature system in our body as well as the oil and water balance in the cell wall. This is one of the first herbs I reach for in women who have night sweats and who do not have palpitations. In women who have hot flashes, night sweats and palpatations I recommend motherwort. Motherwort is an endocrine balancing herb that regulates the heart. It calms nervous palpitations, anxiety, and helps induce restful sleep. Nettles is excellent for the menopausal woman who is undernourished or whose endocrine system is out of balance and often exhibits with symptoms of hyper or hypo thyroid in addition to hot flashes and night sweats. An adjunct herb I use with the nettles for women who are anxious or irritable is oatstraw. Oatstraw is calming and cooling to the central nervous system and is also full of nutrients which makes the body work more efficiently.
Herbs supplements and natural foods are very useful in reducing menopausal symptoms. Please experiment with them all and see what combination works best for you or call a qualified herbalist of natural healer to assist you in your journey through womanhood.
