Natural Remedies for Menopause

By Kelsey Ligon

Does this sound like a normal day to you?  Hot flash as you make breakfast, a mood swing before you even get into traffic, drowsiness at the office because of your frequent insomnia, and anxiety that everyone else is very aware of what you are going through?

The good news is that there is a lot of research on all these symptoms of menopause, and there are a lot of simple, natural ways to counteract these symptoms. 

Black Cohosh Root

The first thing you can do is to improve your lifestyle by taking better care of yourself.  Get plenty of sleep each night (if possible!), exercise frequently, and eat right.  Already doing all of these things?

The next thing you can do is find herbal remedies to treat each symptom.  Since every woman’s body is different, every woman’s treatment regimen is going to be different as well.

• To reduce those out-of-control mood swings and hot flashes that take you by surprise before you even make it in to the office, try to limit caffeine, sugar, and alcohol.  These changes to your diet should help your body to regulate its hormone levels naturally and get rid of processed stimulants.  You can also try black cohosh to balance your hormones.  Black cohosh has been approved by the German Commission E as a capable treatment for menopausal symptoms.
• Another less discussed symptom of menopause is the fluctuation in weight.  The awesome fix for this according to researchers is one tablespoon of cinnamon a day.  The cinnamon works to improve insulin sensitivity, causing your body to process fat in a more natural way.
• For that tiresome insomnia that seems to aggravate all the other symptoms, try decaf herbal tea such as chamomile. 
• Changes in hormonal levels during menopause can also create anxiety and tension, both of which are twice as common in women as in men.  You can make simple diet adjustments to reduce anxiety, such as consuming more plant foods in your diet.  Researchers believe that the phytoestrogens in plants reduce anxiety.  This means consuming more carrots, fennel, celery, parsley, etc.
• Another major symptom that we don’t like to talk about as much is vaginal dryness, which occurs as estrogen levels drop.  To counteract this painful symptom, try fish oil supplements or flaxseeds.

Keeping all of these lifestyle changes and herbal remedies in mind, it is also important to realize that these changes will not work the way that over-the-counter drugs work.  According to researcher Barbara Hey, herbs are not as fact acting as over-the-counter drugs, and she recommends allowing a month to assess the effectiveness.  The same can be said for diet and exercise changes.  As with all natural things, changes take time.

o   Murray, Michael.  “Menopause and Anxiety.”  Better Nutrition.  Apr 2015, vol. 77 Issue 4, p. 34-35.

o   Patz, Aviva.  “Hormone Control.”  Natural Health. Jun 2009.  Vol. 39 Issue 6, p. 46-52.

o   Hey, Barbara.  “Safe and Sound.”  Vegetarian Times.  Nov. 2002, Issue 303, p. 45.