It’s a feeling that is far too familiar for those women who are going through “the change.” If you’ve hit menopause, you likely have experienced the uncomfortable heat of an intense hot flash in public. You’ve probably also suffered the indignities of night sweats, soaking your nightclothes and sheets, pillows and anything else within reach of your sweaty body. Or have you been awakened by “something” and now cannot get back to sleep?
Menopause is a major life event for women; it means the cessation of fertility and hormones associated with it. Estrogen production subsides and other physiological changes occur to the urinary tract, bones, breasts, pelvic muscles, reproductive system, heart and blood vessels and the brain.
Symptoms of menopause include vaginal atrophy – about 30 percent of women experience this inflammation of the vagina because of dry and shrinking tissues; depression; hot flashes and cold night sweats; painful intercourse; increased anxiety or irritability; problems with memory or learning; need to urinate more frequently; moodiness; disturbed sleep; hair loss; loss of breast size, and fat buildup around the abdomen.
For many women, the symptoms are far too severe to handle alone. So they begin exploring their options. From hormone therapy to healing foods, there are a number of ways that females find relief. Here are five of the most in-demand alternatives to sweating it out.
Hormone Replacement Therapy – Is it for you?
Hormone replacement therapy, HRT, is safe for many women, but there is a certain population for which this is not an option. The older the woman and the higher the dosage of estrogen and progesterone, the higher the risk for blood clots and strokes. Women with a history of blood clots should not be on HRT. With HRTs, there is also an increased risk of breast cancer, especially after four or five years of use.
Estrogen alone can raise the risk of endometrial cancer, which is why it is typically paired with progesterone. It is estimated that about 20 percent of women have hot flashes and night sweats severe enough to warrant HRT. Skin patches may be a good alternative to pills.
One of the best therapies for vaginal dryness and discomfort is the topical application of low dose hormones. This reduces the risks associated with hormone therapy since it is non-systemic. This is not oral medication that will circulate throughout the body; it is a localized application.
For women under 60 within ten years of menopause onset, HRT may protect the heart from disease and death. Estrogen also keeps bones strong and healthy. One in five seniors will die within a year of breaking a hip so healthy bones are important in advancing age.
OMMM – Meditation
"When we relax, our heart rate slows down," says JoshTrutt, MD, an expert from PhysioAge Medical Group in New York City. "But when we meditate, the interval between each beat of our heart changes and becomes smoother. That interval between each beat is called Heart Rate Variability (or HRV), and smoothing it out is what lets those Yogi masters live longer--in fact in 2010 the American Journal of Cardiology reported that maintaining a healthy HRV as we age actually predicts longevity!"
The ultimate goal of meditation is to reach a deep state of relaxation. This involves focusing one’s attention on the self and getting rid of negative and stressful emotions. Meditation may allow a person a full day of calmness in the daily routine, even when not actively meditating.
Meditation may also help relieve certain medical conditions associated with menopause such as heart disease, sleep problems, depression, fatigue, high blood pressure and asthma.
The first thing you do to start meditating, is to find a quiet, comfortable place where you will be undisturbed for ten minutes or so. Use proper posture and sit up straight with a tall spine. Next, focus on your breathing, be hyperaware of each and every breath and how it moves through your body. Clear your mind of any thoughts; acknowledge any stray thoughts without judgment and then move back to the calm space in your head. After about ten minutes, slowly focus outwardly onto your surroundings.
Soy Products
Some find soy products have a modest effect on hot flashes. As a phytoestrogenic plant, one study found that women taking a daily supplement of soy isoflavones, which mimics estrogen, reported feeling better.
There are now a variety of soy-based foods and food substitutes readily available in most supermarkets. The following is a list of soy products but is by no means complete:
· miso which is fermented barley
· rice and soybeans with salt mixture
· soy milk
· tofu
· tempeh which is another fermented soy product
· soy hot dogs
· soy mozzarella cheese
· soy sausage
· edamame, green soybeans boiled
· tofu yogurt
· dry roasted soybeans
· boiled soybeans
· soy protein concentrate
· natto which is very strong smelling and has a strong flavor
· fermented tofu also know as pickled tofu
These soy products are deemed safe for most to use but women who have had breast cancer may want to avoid these. If, after 12 weeks of daily use, this doesn’t seem to be effective, stop use of this product.
Ground Flaxseed
Flaxseed has been found to contain omega-3 fatty acids, one of our favorite types of fatty acids, and lignans which act as phytoestrogens. A study found that 40 grams of flaxseed can reduce hot flashes by 50 percent in menopausal women. Flaxseed improves estrogen levels, which in turn diminishes the intensity of hot flashes and night sweats as well as vaginal dryness. Use ground flaxseed as whole flaxseed is difficult to digest.
Flaxseed can be mixed with foods or liquids such as muffins or breads or smoothies. Also can be used with cooked oatmeal, pancake batter and yogurt.
Regular Exercise
If you have a regular exercise routine, good for you. Exercise helps you relieve stress, irritability, and depression, improve the quality of your life by lifting your mood and prevents cognitive decline.
Experts recommend about 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise such as walking briskly, playing shoot-around in basketball, and about 75 minutes of vigorous exercises like jogging or spinning on a bicycle a week. Aerobics include any physical activity that targets the large muscle groups and increases heart rate. They recommend strength training exercises like weight-lifting or machine workouts two to three times a week. By so doing, one reduces body fat, more efficiently burns calories and strengthen muscles. Stretching to improve flexibility and balance exercises can help with stability to prevent falls.
Yoga is also another exercise that helps to mediate mood swings, hot flashes, and night sweats. Sleep disruption can also be minimized with regular yoga sessions.
One muscle that definitely needs to be worked is the pelvic floor muscle. Decreased estrogen levels can cause urinary incontinence. The solution: Kegel exercises to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles to control the bladder. How to do it: squeeze as if clenching vaginal walls, hold for five seconds, release for five seconds and repeat four or five times. Work your way up to three sets of 10 a day. A most pleasant side effect: contributes to the intensity of an orgasm.
Other Alternative Solutions
Truth be told, the available options to deal with menopause symptoms are far-reaching. Also, consider these other all-natural treatments.
- Apple cider vinegar is a folk remedy that has been proven beneficial. . Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar is effective in decreasing the incidence and intensity of hot flashes and night sweats.
- Chasteberry is another folk remedy. It helps balance hormones by nourishing and supporting the endocrine system. This then controls symptoms such as sweating, hot flashes, mild depression and vaginal dryness.
- Cinnamon has been used by Chinese herbalists for eons. It is known for reducing anxiety, mood swings and depression. Cinnamon is recognized for supporting uterine muscle fiber, which is highly beneficial for menopausal women.
- Vitamin E acts as a substitute for estrogen and regulates and controls hot flashes, as well as reducing vaginal dryness and heart palpitations.
- Acupuncture is believed to reduce the severity of hot flashes. Another study showed that acupuncture had a positive impact on patients – a decrease in hot flashes, an improvement in mood changes and positive sleep habits.