Alternative Treatment For Menopause

Alternative therapies for the menopause

Many women that are going through menopause have tried some kind of alternative therapy to help deal with the symptoms. Some women prefer to use the hormones that their physicians prescribe, but for numerous reasons, many women prefer to do it with “natural” methods instead. While this is a matter of personal preference, please be sure that what you believe to be “natural” is truly natural and is not harmful to your body. There are quite a few alternative therapies that have been proven to be quite successful in lessening your discomfort and occasionally symptoms are eliminated altogether.

Exercise

Exercise is still one of the most effective therapies for menopause. It is well known that as we get older, we can eat less and still gain more weight. Menopause is known to contribute to body fat shifting from the hips to the middle. In addition to exercise making you feel better, it also helps prevent heart disease, increase bone mass, lower cholesterol and it will help with your overall weight. It is important to remember to exercise for at least thirty minutes daily. Walking is probably the best form of exercise you can get.

Calcium and Vitamin D

Calcium and Vitamin D are important for menopausal women and should therefore be taken on a daily basis to help maintain healthy bone mass to prevent osteoporosis. The recommended daily dose of calcium is 1,500 mg per day and 400-800 IU daily of Vitamin D. While Vitamin D and calcium are both available in tablet form, many foods will give you the same effect. Foods high in calcium are milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, broccoli, collard greens and orange juices that have calcium added.

Phytoestrogens and soy

Phytoestrogens are probably the most proven of therapies for menopausal symptoms because of the way it interacts with estrogen receptors in the body and imitates estrogen when the body requires it. There are two forms of phytoestrogens: lignans (found in flaxseed oil) and isoflavones (found in soy, chickpeas and other legumes). One study showed that women with a steady diet of soy experienced few menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and sleepless nights, less osteoporosis and fewer cases of breast and endometrial cancer.

Black cohosh

Black cohosh is a flowering perennial plant used by Native Americans to relieve menstrual cramps and labor pains. In doing research for alternative therapies, the name of Black cohosh came up frequently as a highly effective method because of its estrogen-like characteristics. It has shown to help with hot flashes, anxiety and sleep disorders associated with menopause.

Relaxation therapy Numerous relaxation therapies such as yoga, deep breathing, meditation and massage have been effective in helping with menopause discomforts. These remedies will not stop the symptoms, but will help you to manage them easier and they are healthy and pose no risk to the body. It is important that you make certain you have qualified specialists to assist you in this therapy.

Last but certainly not least, we have the basic every day remedies that you probably are not aware we have at our disposal. Try to wear loose fitting clothing. Splashing cold water on your body will help as well as drinking ice water when a hot flash comes on. Maintain consistent regular sleeping habits while getting plenty of exercise during the day. Most women feel that the hot flashes are the worst part of menopause. If you know of something that triggers them, avoid it. Keeping this daily regimen will help you to control many of the discomforts you many experience and each day will get better.

Herbal Menopause Treatment