Many women are wary of hormone replacement therapy when treating menopause and are looking for natural relief. The purpose of this article is to look at your natural treatment options for treating menopause and its associated symptoms. Natural relief options for menopause include:
Flax Seed- Flax seed is an extremely popular treatment for hot flashes.
Exercise and Massage- Stress and weight gain are common symptoms associated with menopause and, as such, exercise and weight gain are great natural relief options. Exercise can help keep your weight down whilst also helping to reduce stress, and massage can help treat sore muscles often associated with menopause and reduce stress.
Herbal Treatments- In an effort to combat symptoms, herbal treatments are commonly prescribed with naturopaths and herbalists. They can also help to counteract any vitamin, mineral and hormonal imbalances within the body.
Phytoestrogen treatments- Phytoestrogen, a naturally occurring compound within plants, is also a commonly used natural menopause relief option. The reason that phytoestrogen is used is because it has a similar genetic make up to the naturally occurring estrogen hormone.
Progesterone Cream- In recent times, treatment with progesterone cream is becoming more and more popular. Progesterone is not only a sex hormone, but it is thought that progesterone production lessens as a woman goes through menopause. Other studies have suggested that a variety of menopausal symptoms can happen as a result of an imbalance in the ratio of progesterone to estrogen.
If you are concerned about taking hormone replacement therapy treatment for menopause because of horror stories that you have heard, you need not be too concerned. There are a variety of natural menopause relief options available. If you are looking at your options, you could look at one or more of the treatment options mentioned above.
Is There A Safe And Effective Cure For Hot Flashes?
If you’re a woman and you’re in menopause, then it almost goes without saying that you’ve suffered from hot flashes at one time or another. Hot flashes affect 75-85% of all women in menopause to varying degrees. It is not completely understood exactly what causes them, but most agree that it is due to hormonal imbalances caused by changes in the level of estrogen. Because they can be so uncomfortable and disruptive, most women are searching for a safe cure for hot flashes.
Some of the earliest symptoms of menopause are hot flashes, abnormal menstrual bleeding, and mood swings. Hot flashes and night sweats often result in sleep problems and insomnia, which can lead to anxiety and depression. Women in menopause quite often also experience heart palpitations, vaginal dryness, weight gain, loss of libido, and urinary changes. Some women float through menopause with few symptoms, but for most of us it’s a different story. Is it any wonder that searching for a safe and effective cure for hot flashes can be such a priority?
Since the imbalance is caused by falling estrogen levels, it makes sense that estrogen itself is the most effective treatment for hot flashes. That’s why for so many years Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) – also known as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) – has been the primary cure for hot flashes. In fact, it generally results in an 80 to 90% reduction in hot flashes and other symptoms.
The peak age for hot flashes is the early 50′s, but many women start getting them in their 40′s. There is also a growing number of women who have undergone breast cancer treatment who suffer from hot flashes as well. Estrogen is the most prescribed medication to cure hot flashes, often as a pill or a skin patch. Generally, the amount of estrogen it takes to reduce hot flashes and other symptoms is less than the amount needed for normal menstrual periods. In recent years, doctors have prescribed much lower dosages than in the past.
Unfortunately, very recent studies have made it very clear that hormone replacement can increase the risk of breast cancer, uterine cancer, and strokes. That means the hot flash cure can be worse then just coping with the symptoms. This has led increasing numbers of women to search for a more natural cure for hot flashes.
Breast cancer survivors don’t even have the option of using estrogen as a cure for hot flashes. The concern is that taking estrogen would cause the reappearance and further growth of breast cancer cells. Hot flashes then become a routine occurence in women undergoing breast cancer treatment. Many of these women have severe hot flashes.
Fortunately, there are natural remedies and strategies that can lessen the effects of hot flashes and other symptoms. Many women have turned to herbal remedies that include black cohosh, soy, and vitamin E. They have found these natural remedies to be an effective part of their search of a cure for hot flashes. Lifestyle and dietary changes also play a part. Foods and beverages that often increase hot flashes are alcohol, caffeine, and hot, spicy foods. Removing them from the diet can improve your symptoms. Increasing physical activity will also help.
In summary, hot flashes are the most common symptom faced by women going through menopause. They are caused by changing levels of hormones, especially of estrogen. Hormone Replacement Therapy is still the most prescribed cure for hot flashes. However, women are increasingly investigating natural remedies due to the increase in breast cancer, uterine cancer, and stroke risk associated with HRT. Fortunately, they don’t last forever. For most women, they will decrease in intensity and frequency. It’s only a matter of time.
Discover how YOU can stop your hot flashes and menopausal symptoms without HRT. Pick up your free special report ”Coping with Hot Flashes the Natural Way” by clicking here: http://www.survivemenopause.com
www.healthymenopauseremedies.com There’s plenty you can to reduce hot flashes and other menopause symptoms, but it will help a lot if you can fully understand what causes hot flashes in the first place. This will also help you decide on what, if any, menopause treatments you may want to look into. Video Rating: 0 / 5
It’s the classic symptom of menopause: the heat on your face and upper body, sweating, and rapid heartbeat known to menopausal woman everywhere as hot flashes or, the nighttime version, night sweats. While some women only experience a little warmth, others women’s hot flashes are accompanied by nausea, dizziness, muscle weakness, headaches, and a feeling of anxiety. Just because they’re common, though, that doesn’t mean you have to put up with them. Understanding the causes and treatments for hot flashes and night sweats can help you deal with this uncomfortable symptom.
Causes of hot flashes and night sweats
While just about every woman entering menopause knows what a hot flash is, not many can tell you exactly what causes hot flashes. As with most menopause symptoms, hormone fluctuations are the underlying cause, but it’s little more complicated than that.
Estrogen regulates not only your reproductive cycle, but also your body temperature. This hormone, along with testosterone (yes, even in women), affects the hypothalamus, the segment that regulates your body temperature. Without the normal amount of estrogen, your hypothalamus gets the signal that you’re too warm. Your body then starts doing it’s best to cool you off by getting your heart pumping in order to increase blood flow to the skin, where the excess he can be let off. That leaves you a pounding pulse and sweating like it’s 110 degrees out.
Treatment for hot flashes
The good news is that there are plenty of treatments for hot flashes. The place to start is with what you eat and drink. Stay away from caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and spicy foods as much as possible. Decreasing the fat in your diet may also help although the effects are slow to show up. You might also want to try increasing the amount of vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids in your diet by eating more nuts, olive oil, and fish like salmon and trout.
Herbs for hot flashes
Natural remedies for hot flashes are also available. Herbs for hot flashes include licorice root, black cohosh, red raspberry leaves, chasteberry (Vitex), spearmint, motherwort, and wild yams
Evening primrose oil can also help stave off hot flashes, but this may only be because of the essential fatty acids it provides.
Products for hot flashes
If adjusting your diet and using herbal remedies doesn’t help, consider a product for hot flashes that includes natural progesterone. These products are made from plants rich in phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) and have been shown to help some 80% of women who use them. Besides helping with hot flashes and night sweats, products like these have also been shown to lessen other menopause symptoms like insomnia and loss of libido.
With time, the intensity of menopause hot flashes decreases and eventually they’ll stop altogether. That said, in around 30% of women, hot flashes can keep happening for years before and during menopause. If you’d rather not put up with regular hot flashes and night sweats, but aren’t willing to resort to traditional medications, look into some of the herbal remedies or progesterone creams available.
