A Natural Approach to Alleviating the Symptoms
of Menopause
By Liz Barrington,
Natural Body Healing
Around the
age of 50, many women experience menopause and its symptoms due
to a natural decrease in hormone levels; the menopause is
a completely natural transition period from one phase of
a woman’s life to another.
The menopause
is defined as the point when a woman naturally stops ovulating
and menstruation ceases. The 'peri-menopause' is
referred to the in-between stage when natural changes
start beginning with the normal menstruation stage through to
the menopause itself.
During this
'pre-menopausal' stage, hormonal fluctuations can occur and the
change in balance and quantity of these hormones often cause a
variety of unwanted symptoms including anxiety, dry skin,
fatigue, feelings of bloating, headaches, heart palpitations,
heavy bleeding, hot flushes, insomnia, irritability, decreased
libido, vaginal dryness, loss of concentration, mood swings,
night sweats, reduced stamina and weight gain.
Some woman
experience very minor changes. However,
many women
in the westernised world experience much suffering in the months
or years prior to the menopause and during the post-menopause
period.
Long-term post-menopausal health conditions, such as heart
disease, osteoporosis and certain cancers, are all intimately
linked to your diet,
your
lifestyle and the environment in which you live. So,
what is the best approach to take to alleviate many symptoms of
the menopause?
In recent decades, the trend has been to regard the
menopause as a ‘deficiency disease’ which can be ‘treated’
through medication, in the form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Yet, we
are now discovering that HRT is not suitable for long-term
use; in fact 4 out of 5 women find that HRT doesn’t agree
with them. With safety at mind,
millions of women worldwide have now decided to stop taking HRT
to treat menopausal symptoms. This follows a recent series of
key studies that actually link HRT to serious health conditions
such as breast cancer, stroke, heart disease, along with other
side effects.
It’s
widely believed that elevated levels of hormones, especially
oestrogen, are the major reason for the increased incidence and
prevalence of breast cancer over the past 25 years. ‘Premarin’
is the most widely prescribed oestrogen 'HRT' drug used
worldwide which is actually derived from pregnant mare's urine
(hence the name PRE-MA-RIN). With increasing risks of side
effects associated with HRT, it’s no wonder that a
more natural approach to managing the symptoms of
menopause
is more desirable and is certainly a much healthier choice for
today's women.
Recommended Dietary and
Lifestyle Changes
To help manage your menopausal symptoms the natural way, it’s
recommended that you sleep in a cool room and cover yourself at
night with thin layers of cotton sheets which can be peeled off
as necessary. Simple changes to your diet and lifestyle
will also play an important factor. Short bursts of exercise
can trigger a hot flush, along with stress, hot drinks, caffeine
and alcohol. However, regular exercise will help to reduce the
overall number of hot flush attacks, along with adjustments to
your diet and reducing daily stress, alcohol and caffeine
levels.
'Phytoestrogens' have a balancing effect on the body’s
hormone levels. The richest dietary sources of phytoestrogens
come from soya (tofu, soya yogurt, soya milk) and also linseeds
(sprinkle on cereal), otherwise known as flaxseeds (start taking
flaxseed oil). Try to include
these foods in your diet at least 5 times a week. Other
good plant foods to eat include wholegrains rye bread or
crackers, porridge oats and wholemeal bread), root vegetables,
green leafy vegetables, beans and other pulses (beans, chick
peas or lentils). Also consume nuts and seeds and at least
five portions of fruit and vegetables daily. Oily fish
such as mackerel, sardines, tuna and salmon are also beneficial
for women during menopause.
There are many powerful herbs available to help cope with
hormonal changes that work quickly
and effectively in the body. Nature's Sunshine provides
the finest herbs, essential fatty acids and antioxidant
nutrients that nourish the body naturally and relieve the unwanted
symptoms associated with the menopause.
Our complete
Natural Woman Pack helps
provide essential support for the bones, hormones,
cardiovascular and nervous systems during the peri-menopause,
menopause and post-menopause stages. This
convenient-to-use pack contains EACH of these 5 amazingly powerful
supplements, including:
Skeletal Strength: A
comprehensive supplement containing calcium, magnesium and
vitamins to help prevent osetoporosis.
Black Cohosh & Liquorice Combination:
A female reproductive formula designed to nourish the adrenal
glands and support the glandular system and hormonal changes.
Black
Cohosh is a powerful and effective herb which has a
phytoestrogen effect and is most useful for easing the 'peri-menopausal'
transition. Originally used by Native Americans, these days it's
the herb that's most commonly used for the menopause.
Nutri-Calm: A B-vitamin
supplement that enhances the body's ability to adapt to hormonal
fluctuations, stress levels and mood swings.
Wild Yam & Chaste Tree:
Designed to alleviate symptoms associated with both menstrual
and menopausal complaints.
The active compounds within Chaste Tree (or Agnus Castus)
provide progesterone-like compounds which ease the menopause
transition phase.
Flax Seed Oil: This is a rich
source of the essential fatty acid known as Omega-3 which is
important for every cell in the body.
Each of the above products can be purchased in one single
Natural Woman Pack.
Alternatively each item can also be purchased
individually from our web site, by clicking on the product name
above.
Do You Mainly Suffer From Just
'Hot
Flushes'?
If hot flushes seem to be your main symptom, then
Black Cohosh with Dong Quai is
for you. This is a unique herbal combination that helps provide fast relief from
'hot flushes'.
Hot flushes can severely interrupt your daily routine and
interfere with sleep. This special time-released formula
gradually releases the beneficial ingredients into your body's
glandular system over a 10-hour period. Simply take one
tablet in the morning and one in the evening to benefit from night and day
coverage.
Often,
many women view this new 'menopausal' stage in their lives from
a negative perspective. Yet, the menopause is often a time
for new freedoms and new beginnings; your children have grown up
and your career or your social support network is firmly
established, which when viewed positively, actually leaves you with
much more time to enjoy life!
If you
make the simple changes recommended above to your diet and lifestyle, you'll
no doubt feel happier; as a result you'll find that you have boundless
more energy with the ability to pursue this new phase of your
life and your interests, with much renewed vigour!
The
product links stated in this article can only be purchased from
this website in UK and in Europe.
Furthermore, because of strict regulations in the sale of
nutritional products in Australia, our range of NSP products
there are rather limited, so we have a separate section on our
website for you. Therefore, if you live in Australia,
please click
here.
The above information should not be treated as a substitute for the
medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care
professional.
|
