Healthy Living / Eating
Support through menopause (Part 2)
This article is reprinted with permission from herbalist expert Steven Horne.
Having covered the basics of natural support for hormones during menopause, let’s look at some remedies for some common problems that can occur during this life transition.
Hot flashes and night sweats
Hot flashes are the most common symptom of menopause. Night sweats are simply hot flashes that occur at night and cause heavy perspiration.
Hot flashes occur via the hypothalamus, which regulates body temperature and monitors the blood to determine what hormones are needed. When the hypothalamus senses there is a need for more estrogen, it signals the pituitary to release the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). During the child-bearing years, FSH stimulates the development of an egg follicle, which releases estrogen and signals the hypothalamus and pituitary to stop producing FSH.
During menopause, when there is no viable egg to develop, there is no estrogen response from the ovaries. So, the hypothalamus and pituitary cause more FSH to be released. This results in a release of epinephrine from the adrenals, which stimulates the hypothalamus and resets the body’s internal thermostat. This causes hot flashes, night sweats, and increased feelings of anxiety, which may result in increased heart rate and a pounding feeling in the chest. After a while, the hypothalamus learns to adjust to lower levels of estrogen and stops trying to stimulate the ovaries. At that point, the problem goes away naturally.
Helpful Remedies for Hot Flashes
Fortunately, there are natural ways to help balance hormones to reduce the severity of hot flashes, if not eliminate them entirely. Try some of the following approaches to see which ones work best for you.
Black cohosh has helped many women with hot flashes. It works better when taken in small doses in liquid form (5-10 drops taken every 5-10 minutes until symptoms subside). However, it also works as part of a formula that contains a time-release form of both black cohosh and dong quai.
Many women have found essential oils with estrogen-stimulating effects helpful. These include clary sage, pink grapefruit, and geranium. Lavender essential oil can also be helpful because of its relaxing effects. Mix a few drops of several of these oils in a small spray bottle filled with water. When you’re experiencing a hot flash, shake the bottle thoroughly and mist the oils around your face. These essential oils directly affect the hypothalamus via the sense of smell, which resets your body’s thermostat and cools you down.
Other possible remedies include eating a teaspoon of flax seeds daily or high-lignin flax seed oil. You can also take flax seed oil in capsules. Flax is high in phytoestrogens and can signal the hypothalamus that estrogen is present.
You can also calm down the adrenal glands by taking a B-complex formula along with vitamin C. The adaptogens Schisandra and astragalus may be helpful for night sweats. Sage capsules can also inhibit night sweats
Mood swings
Mood swings due to changing hormone levels are a common occurrence when going through menopause. These mood swings are similar to the ones experienced during problems with PMS. They include irritability, anxiety, and depression.
For depression during menopause, black cohosh is often helpful. Another possibility is a formula containing herbs like perilla, cyperus, and bupleurum root.
For anxiety and irritability, magnesium, zinc, folate (vitamin B6), and vitamin B12 may be helpful. The vitamin B complex mentioned earlier may also be helpful, as can a stress formula containing magnesium, zinc, and a plant extract from the kana plant called Zembrin®, which has adaptogenic and anxiety-reducing properties.
Solving more specific menopause problems
There are other important health concerns to consider during menopause. Here are some remedies to address these health issues.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a decrease in bone density that causes skeletal weakness. It is a common problem after menopause because the production of the reproductive hormones that help improve bone health has decreased. However, there are cultures where osteoporosis is not a problem in postmenopausal women, suggesting that other factors are involved.
Bone building consists of an array of complex biochemical reactions that maintain a balance between breaking down old and injured bone and building new strong but flexible bone. Old bone is constantly being dissolved and reabsorbed, and new bone is constantly being laid down in its place. Bones weaken when the breaking-down process occurs more rapidly than the building-up process.
There is a common belief that osteoporosis is caused by a lack of dietary calcium. If that were actually the case, then all the dairy products, calcium-fortified foods, and calcium supplements would easily reverse the problem. However, the real issue lies in a deficiency of other nutrients needed to attach calcium to the bones. These include vitamin D3 and K2, which tend to be deficient in modern diets, along with the minerals boron, magnesium, and manganese.
To help maintain bone health in postmenopause, try taking a skeletal support formula that combines calcium with other nutrients needed for bone health. A hair, skin, and nail formula that supplies silica-rich herbs like horsetail and dulse can also help because silica helps prevent bone brittleness.
It’s also important to note that bone is built in response to the body’s need for structural support. This is why weight-bearing exercise helps keep bones healthy. Engage in some exercise and lift light weights to help maintain bone health both before and after menopause.
Vaginal Dryness
One of the effects of lower estrogen levels can be vaginal dryness. If this is a problem, some of the tissue-moistening adaptogens that support adrenal health may be helpful. Specifically, try licorice, Shatavari, Schisandra, and astragalus. It may also help to use moistening herbs like marshmallow or linden as a tea.
Any kind of chronic burning, itching, discomfort, or pain should be checked by a doctor to determine the cause before embarking on a course of treatment.
Skin & Hair Health
The health of the skin and hair can suffer during the changes that come with menopause. A hair, skin, and nails formula helps the skin and hair maintain their elasticity. You should also get an adequate amount of omega-3 essential fatty acids and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E. These help the skin stay moist.
Photo by Kelly Newton on Unsplash
