Menopause Problems

It used to be called the change of life, and for many women, the name is an accurate one. Menopause isn’t just the end of a woman’s childbearing years, it’s the beginning of a new stage.

Most women experience menopause in their forties or fifties. Like puberty and pregnancy, menopause is packed with physical and psychological changes caused by shifts in a woman’s hormonal makeup. These changes may cause night sweats, vaginal dryness and hot flashes. Menstruation becomes irregular and finally stops. For some women, this process take as little as six months; others have symptoms for three years or longer. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and with your doctor’s approval—may help lessen the severity of the symptoms of menopause, according to some health professionals.

Aromatherapy

Clary sage essential oil, used in a home diffuser, may help ease hot flashes, says San Francisco herbalist Jeanne Rose, chairperson of the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy and author of Aromatherapy: Applications and Inhalations. For portable relief, she suggests carrying a handkerchief scented with a drop of clary sage and inhaling whenever you feel a flush coming on. Keep the hankie in a plastic bag, so the smell doesn’t dissipate.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Ayurveda

For hot flashes, David Frawley, O.M.D., director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico, recommends swallowing a teaspoon or two of aloe vera gel before meals and before going to bed at night. “It’s very cooling to the whole system,” he says. Be sure to purchase the aloe vera gel that is intended for internal use; ask your Ayurvedic practitioner or herbalist to recommend a brand that won’t have a laxative side effect. It’s available in most health food stores.

Flower Remedy/Essence Therapy

“For most women, the emotional issues surrounding menopause are at least as difficult as the physical symptoms,” says Eve Campanelli, Ph.D., a holistic family practitioner in Beverly Hills, California. She recommends the remedy Walnut. “Menopausal women are entering a new phase of their lives, and Walnut helps them achieve emotional balance during the transition,” says Dr. Campanelli.

For women prone to hot flashes, Susan Lange, O.M.D., of the Meridian Center for Personal and Environmental Health in Santa Monica, California, suggests the flower essence Aloe Vera. “It has a soothing, cooling effect and can be very helpful for mental and emotional burnout,” says Dr. Lange.

Flower remedies/essences are available in some health food stores and through mail order (refer to the resource list on page 635). For information on preparing and administering flower remedies/essences, see page 37.

Food Therapy

Eat a low-fat vegetarian diet, suggests Michael A. Klaper, M.D., a nutritional medicine specialist in Pompano Beach, Florida, and director of the Institute of Nutritional Education and Research, an organization based in Manhattan Beach, California, that teaches doctors about nutrition and its relationship to disease. “Vegan women (vegans eat no animal products, including dairy) tend to breeze through menopause, while those who eat the typical meat-laden, high-fat American diet often have worse problems,” he says. “A high-fat diet produces high estrogen levels, and when you go through menopause, there’s a big drop in these hormone levels, setting off a tremendous number of hot flashes. But a low-fat vegetarian-based diet seems to keep natural hormone levels steady and less likely to cause problems.”

Herbal Therapy

Scientific studies conducted in Europe show that the herb black cohosh may be effective at relieving menopausal symptoms, according to Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. In one study, he says, a group of menopausal women had fewer hot flashes and felt less nervous tension after they began taking the herb.

Dr. Tyler says you can find black cohosh in most health food stores, where it’s usually sold as an extract. He says to follow the dosage recommendations on the label and, because there are no studies of the herb’s effects when it’s taken for years at a time, to not take the herb continuously for more than six months. Instead, he suggests taking it for six months, stopping for about a month and then resuming treatment again, staying on this regimen for as long as your menopausal symptoms persist.

Homeopathy

In his book The Family Guide to Homeopathy, Andrew Lockie, M.D., suggests taking one of the following 30C remedies every 12 hours for up to seven days to cope with menopause.

If you feel unusually talkative and dizzy and have a headache when you wake, a tight feeling around your belly, hot flashes and an usually heavy menstrual flow, Dr. Lockie says to try Lachesis. He suggests Sepia if you feel irritable, chilly and tearful and have a backache, periods of sweating, hot flashes and an usually heavy menstrual flow. Amyl nitrosum is a good remedy for hot flashes that develop suddenly, he says.

Pulsatilla is the remedy of choice if you have hot flashes, hemorrhoids and varicose veins, prefer open air to stuffy rooms and are often weepy and chilled, says Dr. Lockie. He recommends Sulphuric acidum if you feel fatigued and your hot flashes seem worse in the evening or after exercise. To calm hot flashes that are worse at about 3:00 a.m. and are accompanied by loss of appetite, backaches, heart palpitations and nervousness, take Kali carbonicum, he says.

All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

For minimizing hot flashes, Tori Hudson, N.D., a naturopathic physician and professor at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon, recommends beginning each day with a neutral bath in water just slightly cooler than body temperature. “The neutral bath improves vasodilation, which might help release the heat of a hot flash,” says Dr. Hudson. “Some women prevent hot flashes entirely by taking a coolish bath every morning. It’s wonderful for easing the tension and anxiety some women experience during menopause.” Soak for about 20 minutes, Dr. Hudson suggests, adding water as needed to maintain the temperature of the bath.

A daily perineal wash may reduce vaginal dryness, says Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. After urinating or having a bowel movement, rinse the area around the vagina with a quart of plain water while you’re still sitting on the toilet, suggests Dr. Thrash. Use a squirt bottle or a square container and pour from one corner. Hold the container in one hand and use the other hand to open the folds a bit. Women prone to urinary tract infections or yeast infections should add one to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar per quart of water, says Dr. Thrash.

Juice Therapy

“Hot flashes often flare up when women drink wine or coffee, which acidifies the blood and strains the liver,” says Eve Campanelli, Ph.D., a holistic family practitioner in Beverly Hills, California. “One way to avoid this acidification is to cut down on these beverages and to drink more fresh vegetable juices, which counteract the effect by alkalinizing the system.” She recommends a liver-stimulating blend of 8 ounces of carrot juice, 1 ounce of beet juice, 4 ounces of celery juice and ½ to 1 ounce of parsley juice. Drinking an eight-ounce glass of this juice blend in the morning and the remainder in the afternoon can prevent or reduce hot flashes, says Dr. Campanelli.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Reflexology

You may help control hot flashes by working the diaphragm, reproductive system and pituitary, thyroid and adrenal gland reflexes on your feet, says St. Petersburg, Florida, reflexologist Dwight Byers, author of Better Health with Foot Reflexology.

To help you locate these points, consult the foot reflex chart on page 592. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

Relaxation and Meditation

Slow, deep breathing may reduce the number and severity of hot flashes by calming the central nervous system, says Robert R. Freedman, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology and director of behavioral medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. Practice deep breathing twice a day for 15 minutes at a time as a preventive measure, or use it as an on-the-spot treatment when you feel a flash coming on, Dr. Freedman says. To learn a deep breathing technique, see page 116.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

You may be able to reduce the severity of menopausal symptoms with the following vitamin and mineral regimen, says Elson Haas, M.D., director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California, and author of Staying Healthy with Nutrition: 300 to 500 milligrams of magnesium, 500 to 1,000 milligrams of calcium, 800 international units of vitamin E (400 international units twice a day) and a multivitamin/mineral supplement that contains at least 100 percent of the six important B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B₆, vitamin B₁₂ and pantothenic acid). “It’s also a good idea to take evening primrose oil supplements as well, according to the manufacturer’s specifications,” he adds. These supplements are available in most health food stores.