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Menopause: Natural support for an easier transition

Menopause is a time of change, a normal transition into a new phase of a woman's life. Making this stage of her life an enjoyable and worthwhile time is not just good luck but has a lot do with a positive attitude, a healthy diet, a sensible lifestyle that includes stress management and a regular exercise program. Strictly speaking menopause means 'stopping of period' and a woman wont know menopause has occurred until a year has passed since her last period which indicates that ovulation has ceased. When we talk about menopause, we really mean the peri-menopausal phase and it is considered normal when it occurs between the ages of 45 to 55. Menopause is definitely not a deficiency disease as proponents of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) proposed at the peak of their use in the early 1990s. Since the publishing of two large-scale studies by the Women's Health Initiative in 2002 and the British Million Women Study in 2003 it has become clear that the risk in the long term use of HRT outweighs its benefits and that it should only be taken short term for very specific situations if at all.

Natural therapies have become very popular since they support women to adopt positive lifestyle changes that not only improve symptoms related to the decline of endogenous oestrogen from the ovaries but also reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. Diet and herbs have a direct influence on menopausal symptoms and are believed to contribute to the marked differences in symptoms experienced by women from non-western cultures, especially in regards to the frequency or lack of hot flushes. Ingesting foods containing natural oestrogen (phyto-oestrogen) or those supporting the manufacturing of endogenous oestrogen reduce hot flushes and symptoms associated with vaginal dryness. This can be achieved by for example taking 100g tofu and 1 tablespoon of freshly ground linseed per day. Other beneficial plants are sprouted soya bean and alfalfa, whole legumes like green beans, split peas, chick peas, mung beans, vegetable plants like brussell sprout, clover and parsley, whole grains and seeds like rye, buckwheat, millet, linseed, sunflower and dried seaweeds. Some foods can aggravate hot flushes and should be avoided as with excessively hot and spicy foods, alcohol, coffee and smoking.

Herbs, as combined in a therapeutic herbal infusion, support a woman's hormonal balance and are traditionally taken to lessen or completely stop menopausal symptoms.

When a woman chooses to come off HRT then herbal and nutritional treatment is ideally commenced prior to reducing the HRT dose to lessen withdrawal symptoms. As a rule of thumb women who have been on HRT for less than a year commence taking herbs and specific nutrients as outlined above for 2-3 week and for those who have been on it for longer than a year, 4-6 weeks prior to the withdrawal of HRT. Herbs and nutritional support are recommended to be taken ongoing until the new hormonal regime is well established. HRT can be stopped immediately but withdrawal symptoms can be quite marked. It is best to reduce the HRT dose approximately by half a dose every 2 weeks. Coming off HRT in the cooler months is easier. If the withdrawal symptoms are severe, help from a qualified health practitioner is recommended.

Furthermore research has shown that exercising - even once a week - is associated with less menopausal symptoms and weight bearing exercises support bone density. Interestingly, positive relationships and friendships are also associated with less menopausal symptoms indicating a psychological factor in how this time of change is experienced. With the decline of oestrogen output from the ovaries the adrenal glands and the thyroid have to compensate and take over in the manufacturing of endogenous oestrogen. Therefore thyroid support with sufficient iodine (e.g. with kelp) and adrenal and nervine tonics (e.g. Licorice, Siberian Ginseng, St John's Wort and also a vitamin B complex high in B6) together with stress management also support a women's well-being throughout this transition period. Good liver health further contributes to hormonal balance and less symptoms as it supports the metabolism of oestrogen and the clearance of spent hormones.

It is indeed possible to manage the menopausal time naturally and successfully!