Before outlining my own personal experiences and natural ways to treat symptoms of menopause, let’s look at this natural female bodily function. The normal changes of menopause are part of an entirely natural biological process representing the decline of production of the female reproductive hormones. This process signals the natural end of the menstrual cycle in a woman’s life. This generally takes place when a woman enters her 40s or 50s. Each individual woman may experience this process in entirely ways.
The symptoms associated with menopausal change can include:
• Night sweats
• Hot flushes
• Varying degrees of insomnia
• Mood swings
• Vaginal dryness
• Weight gain
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Dry skin, mouth, and eyes
• Tachycardia
• Reduced muscle mass
• Painful or stiff joints
• Reduced bone density
But rest assured the angels of mercy of the pharmaceutical industry are leaving no stones unturned in their efforts to find chemical solutions for the perceived problems of the normal changes of menopause.
As well they would – given the lucrative nature of this particular market.
A recent report stated:
“The global menopause treatment market is expected to enjoy a valuation of US$ 13.3 billion by the end of 2022 and to further expand at a CAGR of 5.5% to reach a valuation of US$ 22.2 billion by the year 2032.”
Clearly the altruism of Big Pharma comes at a heavy price!
Pharmaceutical answers to the normal changes of menopause
As many of the symptoms associated with menopause are related to declining levels of the reproductive hormones such as oestrogen, the solutions to the challenge offered by Big Pharma aim to address this situation. Consequently, at the vanguard of menopause treatment is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which as its name suggests aims to replace naturally declining levels of female reproductive hormones.
There are two main types of HRT:
● Combined HRT (oestrogen and progestogen) – for women who still have their womb
● Oestrogen-only HRT – for women who have had their womb removed in a hysterectomy
Oestrogen may be administered in a number of ways, including:
• Tablets – taken orally
• Skin patches
• Implant – inserted under local anaesthetic
• Oestrogen gel – applied topically
• Oestrogen spray—applied topically
Progestogen, where indicated is administered in the following ways:
• Combined with oestrogen as patches
• Combined with oestrogen as tablets
• Independently as tablets or a progestogen releasing coil
Side effects of HRT
Hormones used in HRT can have associated short-term side effects, including:
• Fluid retention
• Bloating
• Breast tenderness or swelling
• Indigestion
• Depression
• Vaginal bleeding
Side effects of long-term HRT
Given that such hormonally-based treatments aim to replace reproductive hormones, such as oestrogen, which the woman’s body is naturally trying to drastically reduce over a period of time, it is not particularly surprising that over the long-term unpleasant and serious consequences may be seen.
These include the following:
• Strokes
• Cardiovascular disease and heart attacks
• Blood clots in the legs or in the lungs (thromboembolism)
• Hormone-linked malignancies such as breast cancer
(For further details go to the scientific article “What are the benefits and risks of long-term hormone therapy?”)
Given the above problems, the pharmaceutical industry is constantly looking for alternative chemical interventions. They have come up with the following.
A pharmaceutical alternative to hormone replacement therapy
Big Pharma has come up with a non-hormonal therapy – a NK3 receptor antagonist named fezolinetant (Veozah), which is designed to deal with vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats.
So far so good, however this particular drug comes with a raft of potential unpleasant side effects, including:
• Stomach (abdominal) pain.
• Diarrhoea.
• Insomnia
• Back pain.
• Hot flashes or hot flushes.
• Elevated hepatic transaminases – this indicates liver damage
Normal changes of menopause – the natural alternatives
The normal changes of menopause – as uncomfortable as these symptoms may be – are entirely natural and will run their course. My personal experiences of the menopause were hot flushes and night sweats and hot flashes – this lasting for a period of 18 months.
Now, sweating is the body’s way of expelling toxins – let it happen ladies! Recognise that your body is working hard to regain a healthy balance and let it do its job. Drink plenty of water and just breathe your way through it.
Our bodies are amazing creations and if we listen to them, look after them and allow them to work for us, they will naturally do the job they were designed to do. Our biological make-up is perfect for working through physical and hormonal changes. Rarely should we need to interfere with this perfectly natural process by using medication.
With mood swings, I would recognise them and thank my body for working so hard to stabilise my hormones, instead of allowing them to get me down.
So, my advice, ladies! Stop believing the menopause is a condition that needs to be treated with medication, fretted or obsessed over and instead thank your incredible body for taking such good care of you during this perfectly natural change and look at natural ways to treat symptoms of menopause.
Embrace the new beautiful you, respect and look after yourself as you stride confidently into this new phase of your life.
All symptoms of menopause relate to body’s mechanisms to detoxify and prepare for post-menopausal existence.
Menopause is not a disease or “condition” but a natural process, so the question has to be asked – why are we loading the female body with synthetic reproductive hormones at a point in time where the body is trying to get rid of them?
Let’s look at a number of natural ways to treat symptoms of menopause which assist the body’s natural processes – these include:
Eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin D
As the menopausal hormonal changes may be linked to the weakened bones of osteoporosis it is essential to maintain the body’s supply of natural sourced calcium and vitamin D.
Calcium may be obtained from rich natural sources such as:
• Kale
• Cabbages
• Spinach
• Legumes
• Tofu
The main source of vitamin D, is purely and simply, sunlight.
Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables
This recommendation is relevant to good health in general, however it is additionally of value as a way of naturally treating symptoms of menopause through:
• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Protection against cardiovascular disease – important as the risk of this increases during menopause.
• Protection against the bone loss often associated with menopause
Avoiding known “trigger” foods
Certain foods and drinks are implicated in triggering menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, nocturnal sweating and changeable moods. These include:
• Caffeinated drinks
• Alcohol
• Refined sugars
• Spicy foods
To determine culprits that may be implicated it will be of benefit to maintain a symptom diary and note associated foods/drinks. It would make sense to reduce consumption of these or, indeed, eliminate them completely.
Exercising regularly
Regular quality exercise – for example Pilates-based programmes – will assist in reducing menopausal symptoms through:
• Increasing energy
• Improving bone density
• Decreasing stress
• Improving sleep
Maintaining good hydration
Maintaining good hydration is essential during the normal changes of menopause as dryness and dehydration are a particular problem. Personal needs may vary, but as a general guide drinking 8-12 glasses of water per day is recommended.
The maintenance of good hydration will help with the following symptoms:
• Night sweats – these result in a loss of water with subsequent dehydration
• Bloating
• Weight gain – through promoting a feeling of fullness and promoting good metabolism
• Anxiety
• Dry skin, mouth, and eyes
• Tachycardia
Eat less refined sugar and processed foods
Reducing, or indeed, eliminating refined sugars and processed foods from the diet is a general recommendation for a healthy lifestyle. During menopause this is particularly important for the following reasons:
Refined sugars are notorious for unstable blood sugar levels which may exacerbate the mental symptoms of menopause, such as depression and mood swings.
Processed foods may affect bone health thereby aggravating this particular symptom of menopause.
Eating protein-rich plant-based foods
A regular intake of healthy plant-based proteins will help prevent muscle loss that may be seen during menopause. Additionally, an adequate protein intake will help the maintenance of a healthy body weight through enhancing a feeling of fullness.
Examples of sources of plant-based protein include:
• Almonds
• Lentils
• Quinoa
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Peanuts
Please feel free to leave a comment on this article and please share this with anyone you know who may be interested.
“BE TRULY FREE – BE PHARMA FREE”