HealthWise

Menopause has many symptoms: fatigue, flushing, insomnia, liver problems, joint problems, depression, vaginal dryness, memory loss, dry skin, acne, etc. Researchers and practitioners do not agree on what physical and emotional problems are directly attributable to menopausal hormonal changes. Some complaints just happen to coincide with menopause, or the stress of changing levels of hormones may reduce your general well being. Hormones are just one of the factors that contribute to ill health.

Natural remedies have many advantages. Here are some examples of how a Naturopath can help with menopausal problems. Consult your Naturopath for help with these and other menopause symptoms.

Diet changes can help-Foods that contain plant oestrogen are soy beans and soy bean products like tofu, miso and soy bean oil, celery, fennel and other green and yellow vegetables; rhubarb, linseed, alfalfa, green beans, brussel sprouts and red clover tea.

Depression

There is no scientific evidence that depression increases at menopause. However, menopause, with its changing hormones, often coincides with other changes in your work and family. Reminders that you're getting older need to be offset by a change of thinking and direction.

If you're feeling depressed, do something; for example, get professional counselling or take up bushwalking or some other new physical activity (or both), but avoid stressing yourself. In addition to the oestrogenic plants that you can include in your diet, there are some specific natural remedies.

• Naturopaths prescribe St John's Wort (Hypericum) for soothing and balancing the nervous system; it contains substances similar to plant oestrogens; L-methionine, an amino acid is helpful for a number of menopausal symptoms, particularly depression.
• Ginseng and gotu kola are both mental tonics. Ginseng has beneficial effects on oestrogen metabolism. Ginseng has other advantages, it is used for depression, exhaustion, depleted learning and memory capacity, headaches, stress and low self-esteem.

Patients must consult a Naturopath for a specific remedy to suit their individual symptoms.

Fatigue

People of all ages get tired. It's the most common reason for consulting naturopaths. Just about everything can cause fatigue, including anorexia, boredom, changing hormonal patterns, diseases such as diabetes, poor diet and environmental pollutants. The first step is to try to find and eliminate the cause. If you can't afford a holiday, a tonic is the next best thing.

Ginseng is a recognised tonic with a history of use spanning thousands of years. Other herbal tonics derive from: oats; fenugreek and alfalfa. Interestingly, these three tonics all contain certain plant hormones.

Flushing

This is the most common sign of menopause and affects about 70-80 percent of Australian women to varying degrees.

Hormones, exercise and placebos have a beneficial effect on flushing by changing natural opioid levels. (Opioids are your brain's natural well being chemicals.). Your body is "working" for you to find another source of oestrogens.

Some woman find that deliberately making yourself hot can actually reduce flushing. Some women find that if they exercise vigorously to become hot and sweaty, they may feel uncomfortable during the exercise but the flushing is subsequently reduced. You don't need to be a super athlete - fast walking will do. In most cases regular exercise will reduce flushing as well as improving well being. Another suggestion is to soak in a hot bath to which you have added one or more cups of Epsom salts. This also mimics the conditions of a fever and promotes sweating; that is, it trains the hypothalamus - the brain's heat-control centre - to do its proper job of regulating body temperature. (Hot Epsom-salts baths often relieve muscle and joint pain too, as well as functioning as a cleanser.)

Here is some general advice for obtaining relief from flushing:

• Plan your wardrobe so that you can take off a jacket or jumper as necessary; wear looser and lighter clothing, but avoid getting chilled.
• Coffee, alcohol, emotional distress or warm, closed environments trigger heat in some women.
• Some people tell you to avoid hot, spicy foods, but you may find that if you eat them fairly freely they will heat up the body and make you sweat; in other words, try to get the heat and sweating at a convenient time to yourself.
• When you're out, have cool, preferably non-alcoholic drinks and eat plain, light foods, as eating tends to be warming. Red wine, in particular, seems to bring on flushing.
• Take anti-flushing herbs, which include sage, hawthorn, black cohosh and ginseng.
• It has also been found that flushing can be relieved by intake of vitamin E.
• Potassium Sulphate in tissue salt form - is another successful flushing remedy.

Insomnia

Adjusting hormone levels, flushing and sweating can temporarily disturb sleep patterns, and if you worry over sleeplessness you'll make it worse.

Exercise has a beneficial effect on sleep quality. People who are physically fit have a higher amount of slow-wave sleep than those who have just begun exercising, but after three months of regular exercise, its mood-enhancing effect develops more strongly.

Joint Problems

Goto Kola improves the circulation to connective tissue. It is also a traditional "nerve" remedy. Celery seed and shitake mushrooms are other remedies that favourably affect hormone metabolism as well as being traditional arthritis remedies.

Liver Problems

The liver is the site of extensive metabolism of oestrogens and other chemicals. Give this organ all the assistance you can, not only because it recycles and regulates oestrogens but because it breaks down toxins, converts fats and has other vital functions. Restrict or eliminate alcohol, coffee, food additives and chemicals in your diet.

St Mary's Thistle is the most effective herb for treating and supporting the liver. It is proven to be valuable in all forms of toxic liver disease and also for the supportive treatment of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. It acts as a protective agent against various types of liver damage.

With any method of hormone replacement therapy sufficient to relieve symptoms (that is, to get into the blood stream) oestrogen reaches the liver, which is why HRT is contraindicated in liver disease. Supporting the liver is important for users of HRT because it increases the liver's workload. One side effect of HRT is that the composition of bile is changed detrimentally.

Dandelion is another source of treatment for liver disorders.

Memory Loss

There is no evidence that HRT helps to maintain a good memory. What doesn't help is anxiety, and telling yourself that you're hopeless. If you think you're hopeless, then you won't make the effort.

Ginkgo is helpful for the circulation. It reduces blood stickiness and has antioxidant properties (prevents premature ageing), but you need to take it for some months to feel the results. In one trial of 112 geriatric patients with long-term cerebrovascular insufficiency (poor blood flow to the brain) ginkgo brought about an improvement in short-term memory loss as well as in depression, headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears and lack of alertness.

Skin Problems

The skin naturally thins and wrinkles with age, and at menopause there seems to be a temporary acceleration of this process.

Post-menopausal Acne

This sometimes occurs especially in darker-skinned, formerly oily-skinned, large-pored women who probably didn't experience adolescent acne. It may be caused by hormonal imbalances, such as adrenal hormones not being converted. Oestrogenic foods and herbs as well as an increased intake of vegetables in the diet may help. But is may be necessary to get a professional herbalist to mix up some specific herbs for internal use, depending on your symptom picture. Sometimes a vitamin A supplement helps, but you should be getting sufficient amounts of this vitamin from all the fruits and vegetables you are eating.

Dry skin on face, hands and body

As in cases of post-menopausal acne, calendula, liquorice and St John's wort have an oestrogenic effect when used externally; dried powdered herds or fluid extracts could be mixed into Sorbolene as a skin softener. However, Sorbolene, can sting sensitive skins, especially on the face, so you may need to use another base.

Pure vitamin E oil obviously improves the skin. Break open a capsule and apply the contents to the face, hands and neck. You'll be surprised how quickly it is absorbed.

Vaginal Dryness and Irritation

The vagina becomes smaller after menopause because it will never have to open wide enough for a baby's head to pass through. It retains its elasticity better with regular sexual activity - that is, three or more times a month. Sexual activity also helps maintain an appropriate acid balance.

The level of dryness and vaginal irritation does not seem to be related to hormone levels. It is thought that the mechanism by which elasticity is maintained is an increased blood flow. Petroleum jelly is not cleared easily by the vagina and may promote infections, while water-based lubricants dry quickly after exposure to air; the best external treatment is with vegetable oils. A combination of a few of the following: Vitamin E, Calendula, Wheat germ, St John's wort, Avocado, Evening primrose, Almond and Apricot kernel. Use cold-pressed oils, and avoid anything that is perfumed.

A healthy vagina is slightly acidic, and during menopause it may lose some of its acidity; a suggested home remedy is to apply a little natural yoghurt to the area.

References

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Sanderson PL, Fraser RD. The influence of pregnancy on degenerative spondylolisthesis. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 1996; vol. 78, pp951-54.

Hawk C, Long C, Azad A. Chiropractic care for women with chronic pelvic pain: A prospective single-group intervention study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Feb. 1992; vol. 20, no. 2, pp73-8.

Franklin ME, Conner-Kerr T. An analysis of posture and back pain in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Sept. 1998; vol. 28, no. 3, pp133-38.

Melton LJ. Epidemiology of spinal osteoporosis. Spine, Dec. 1997; vol. 22, no. 24S, pp463-7.

DiNubile NA Osteoporosis: How to make exercise part of your treatment plan. Physician and Sportsmedicine, July 1997; vol. 25, no.7, pp47-56.

Vingard E, Alfredsson L, Malchau H. Osteoarthritis of the hip in women and its relationship to physical load from sports activities. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 1998; vol. 13, no. 3, pp61-72.

This information is intended as a guide only. This information is not intended as medical advice, it is provided solely for information and educational purposes. Please consult a health care professional if you have any health problems.