Managing Menopause Naturally
The year was 1966 and the book was called "Feminine Forever", by Robert A. Wilson, MD. He put forth the idea that menopause was a condition of estrogen deficiency that causes women to lose their attractiveness and sexuality. Dr. Wilson felt that the best thing women could do for themselves was to take synthetic estrogen pills so they would be "feminine forever". With the recent discovery that hormone replacement therapy carries with it an the increased risk of cancer and no protection against heart disease or osteoporosis, many women are turning away from synthetic hormones and towards natural medicine to manage their symptoms.
The most common symptoms that affect menopausal women are headaches, forgetfulness, cold hands and feet and the most troublesome for many women, hot flashes.
Herbal medicine is the most ancient form of healthcare known. Herbs have chemical activity in our bodies, just like prescription medicines do, but with far fewer side effects. Many herbs have been researched to confirm their effectiveness and one of these herbs works very well for hot flashes, as well as other symptoms of menopause. Black cohosh (Cimcifuga racemosa) is an herb that was routinely used by the Native American Indians for relief of any menopausal symptoms. In a study consisting of 131 doctors and 629 women, most women reported noticeable benefits within four weeks of beginning an extract of black cohosh and within six weeks, an average of 88% of women had definite improvement in all symptoms, including hot flashes, irritability, headaches, dizziness and heart palpitations.
Other supplements such as vitamin C with bioflavonoids and vitamin E, can be used to alleviate menopausal symptoms as well. Many women have had success with herbal progesterone creams and dietary changes, but the exact prescription varies depending on the woman. Karen, a 56 year old woman and Maria, a 51 year old woman both came to see me because frequent hot flashes were making them very uncomfortable in the daytime and disrupting their sleep in the nighttime. Due to individual lifestyle factors and their overall health, I chose different treatment plans for both of these women. Karen was eating many foods that tend to deplete the body and so I changed her diet to one that would allow her body to become stronger and do much of the healing for itself. I also started her on a herbal progesterone cream twice a day to help her with the hot flashes. Maria, on the other hand, already had a very natural and healthy diet and so I used herbal medicine and supplements, such as black cohosh and vitamin E, to decrease her hot flashes. I saw them both 3 weeks later and they were feeling much better, although the hot flashes were still bothering them to some degree. After another 3 weeks, both Karen and Maria reported that their hot flashes had drastically reduced in both frequency and severity and were no longer a problem.
Never underestimate the power of Mother Nature!
