Thinking of going through hormone replacement therapy to help ease your menopausal symptoms? Have you considered trying some herbal remedies first to see if they help? Rather than go for a drastic option, the use of herbal remedies may be worth a try as they are natural and comparatively safer.
In fact, there are many herbal remedies that can help deal with the various menopausal symptoms that you are having. These include herbal remedies to alleviate your existing condition of night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, loss of sex drive, memory loss, depression and sudden mood swings.
Menopause is often referred to as the change. It is often a difficult period for the sufferer as well as those around. Also, it can get depressing as weight gain is a possible outcome during menopause.
Here is a guide to the top 5 herbal remedies for menopause:
1. Gingko Biloba. Gingko Biloba is effective for those going through hormonal changes. Herbalists and naturopathic doctors say that this herb can increase and improve blood flow to virtually all parts of the body. Herbalists recommend that a dosage of 40 to 80 milligram capsule 3 times a day. This will also help in cases of memory loss.
2. Chasteberry. Chasteberry is one of the herbal remedies often overlooked when treating menopause’s difficult symptoms. However, this is a secret known to herbalists that this herb can have a profound effect on the body’s hormones. Herbalists recommend this herb because it can actually help reverse the vaginal changes, lowered libido, and other symptoms of menopause.
3. St. Johns Wort. St Johns wort, on the other hand, is a herb known to help with anxiety, irritability and mood swings. In fact, this is one of the herbal remedies that can be more more effective in treating depression than traditional antidepressants. In general, herbalists and naturopathic doctors recommend 100 and 300 milligrams of St. John’s wort 3 times a day. You should be sure that this is standardized for 0.3 percent hypercin.
4. Valerian. You may also find it hard to get to sleep at night during menopause. Many herbal remedies help to induce relaxation and sleep. One of them includes valerian. Valerian is both safe and nonaddictive. It is suggested that women should take between 300 to 500 milligrams of this one hour before bed.
5. Lavender. The last of the herbal remedies that is recommended is lavender. You can achieve a peaceful night of rest with lavender. This herb can be easily integrated into aromatherapy. Simply sprinkle a few drops of lavender essential oil onto your pillow before going to bed.
Before you try any of these herbal remedies, do check with your doctor. You have to make sure that the herbal remedies for menopause do not interact negatively with the other medications that you may be on. Also, you would need to ask your doctor or herbalist for the recommended dosages of herbal remedies for your specific case. What is useful is to know that hormone replacement therapy is not the one and only solution if you want to ease your menopausal symptoms. There are many herbal remedies out there that can help you alleviate your suffering!
Evelyn Lim
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/top-5-herbal-remedies-for-menopause-127934.html
December 8th, 2009 at 4:51 am
Herbal remedies for Menopause?
A work colleague is going through ‘the change’ or at least she thinks she is. She doesn’t want to visit the GP and start HRT but has seen some bad press about herbal remedies recently. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions please? Thanks
Thanks The Mom. We both work within a PCT so have access to the ‘professionals’ thoughts and views i.e. nurses and GP’s so I was hoping for some responses from women who have already gone through this but many thanks indeed for your detailed reply.
December 8th, 2009 at 9:53 am
The trouble with HRT is that you only want to take it if you have to, and then most doctors only want to do it for no more than six months. While it can help with a real nightmare menopause, most ladies can adapt to the changes in other ways. Hot flashes can be dealt with during the day by dressing in layers, and keeping a fashionable oriental folding fan at hand. At night you just keep a spare dry nightie on the end of the bed. If she wants to try some of the herbal remedies, that’s fine. Just tell her to be sure she chooses one from an old reliable company and not some off the wall place out of China. Some research has suggested the isoflavinoides in soy products can help, since they can act in place of the estrogen she is decreasing production of. Oriental women don’t tend to have a hard time with menopause, and they believe that is part of the explanation. Tofu isn’t a miracle, though, because those chemicals are about 1000 times less potent than the estrogen you make naturally. And honestly, a lot of the trouble with menopause is related to how we feel about the process and ourselves. If she is dreading the changes to come, she will tend to have more trouble as well. She should certainly consider visiting the gynecologist and at least doing a blood test to see how far along in the process she is, if that is what is going on, and see what options she has to choose from. It’s not all HRT, you know. They have lots of other suggestions that can help as well. She may be helped as well if she hears from you and other ladies "of age" that menopause can actually be a positive in life. Yeah, it means you won’t be getting pregnant anymore. But then again, it does mean you are free of that worry. You don’t have to worry about going swimming, wearing white pants, cramps or any of that period related inconvenience. For some ladies, that is actually pretty liberating. And it definitely isn’t the end of the old sex life either. Without the worry of pregnancy, a lot of ladies find things actually improve in that arena. All they need is a willing partner, and that is not usually a problem. Help her find the positives, and she may find the process isn’t so bad after all.
References :
nurse
December 8th, 2009 at 9:55 am
All she can do is try them. I wasn’t supposed to have HRT because of medical history, but I finally flipped out and insisted on it after months of evening primrose oil and wild Mexican yam and DHEA did absolutely nothing for the hot flashes, which were almost constant.
Well, the hormones didn’t fix the hot flashes either. Menopause sucks. But I am apparently a hard case. Everyone else I know who tried any of the three supplements I was taking had better results than I did. Some people also swear by soy.
By the way, she’s probably going to have to go to a gyno if she wants HRT. My GP wouldn’t give them to me.
References :
December 8th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Hi Kaydee,
Your work colleague could try ‘Menolife’
Optima Menolife Original
This herbal complex combines a specially selected blend of herbs including Chaste Tree (Agnus castus), Dong Quai, Black Cohosh, Passoin Flower and Sage. The inclusion of standardised herbs ensures consistency, providing a guarantee of quality in each capsule.
OR
Red Clover
Kordel’s Red Clover Plus
Red Clover Plus is a high strength blend of non-genetically modified standardised Soya and Red Clover extracts plus Chaste Tree (agnus castus), Dong Quai and Wild yam.
Red Clover is used by many women to assist in the treatment of the menopause.
I hope this helps.
Check out the free delivery and if you spend over £20 Trust William are offering 20% off your order at checkout by quoting code ’sm20′
http://www.trustwilliam.com/Well-being/Kordels-Red-Clover-Plus/Product?related=KOREDCLOVERPLUS &extcam=sm
http://www.trustwilliam.com/Womens-Health/Menolife-Original/Product ?extcam=sm
References :
http://www.trustwilliam.com/Well-being/Kordels-Red-Clover-Plus/Product?related=KOREDCLOVERPLUS &extcam=sm
http://www.trustwilliam.com/Womens-Health/Menolife-Original/Product ?extcam=sm
December 8th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Soy. This contains phytoestrogens (estrogen-like substances from a plant). Some research has shown that soy food products can help with mild hot flashes. Other research suggests that women who have been diagnosed with estrogen-dependent breast cancer should be cautious with their soy intake. Eating large amounts of soy products could be harmful for women with this type of breast cancer.
Other sources of phytoestrogens. The active ingredients in most dietary supplements for menopause are phytoestrogens — chemicals found in plants that may act like the estrogen produced naturally in the body. These include herbs, such as black cohosh, wild yam, dong quai, and valerian root.
References :
http://www.menopausebody.com/natural-treatmentsalternative-therapies-for-menopause/