» Menopause

Black Cohosh is an amazing herb with several benefits. It is one of the most popular homeopathic remedies used to treat menopause problems naturally. Black Cohosh grows in the eastern parts of North America, and is a part of buttercup family. The dry black root of Black Cohosh is rich in various useful substances such as phytoestrogens and formonentin.

It directly affects the center of the brain, which helps to control the dilation of blood vessels. Black Cohosh is useful for alleviating menopausal problems and symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. It is also very effective to treat the menstrual cramps.

It cannot be denied that Black Cohosh is one of the most popularly used and researched natural alternative to HRT. The herbal products containing Black Cohosh as an active ingredient have proved to be effective in relieving hot flashes, vaginal dryness, depression, and anxiety compared to standard HRT.

Apart from normalizing the effect on female sex hormones, Black Cohosh is also known to improve problems related to low sex drive which usually occurs with women nearing the age of menopause.

Black Cohosh is often combined with St John’s Wort for more effectiveness. When both these herbs are used together, they greatly help to reduce flashes and other menopausal symptoms. You can start noticing improvements within 2 to 4 weeks.

Black Cohosh is also very beneficial to improve the nervous system for both women and men. It can relieve problems such as the inexplicable muscle pain of fibromyalgia.

The normal daily dose of Black Cohosh is 80mg to 160mg of a standardized extract. Though no such serious side effects taking Black Cohosh have been reported, some people have experienced nausea, indigestion, or headache, if they have taken too much of the herb.

So, if you are looking for natural cure for menopause then you can opt for the herbal bills that contain Black Cohosh extracts.

Categories : Black Cohosh, Menopause
Comments (0)

Diet To Reduce Menopause Symptoms

Comments Comments Off on Diet To Reduce Menopause Symptoms

Several women across the world have claimed that special menopause diets can help minimize the symptoms of menopause and make this transition in life much easier. Diets work as natural cure for menopause and they are considered as good alternative to prescribed medication.

There are many gynecologists who also recommend that women who adopt a menopause diet and stick to it throughout the transition to ease stress, reduce symptoms such as hot flashes, and ensure good health.

Black cohosh is a highly recommended herb to be added in menopause diet.  Gynecologists advise that women should begin using black cohosh for natural hot flash treatment. However, this is a powerful herb and shouldn’t be used any longer than six months, without any medical supervision. Hence, it always better to consult a gynecologist.

Foods that can reduce menopause symptoms:

Japanese women eat a great deal of soy in their diet to combat the symptoms of menopause. Only 30% of Japanese women are likely to complain of menopause symptoms, as compared to women in America and other parts of the world. Soy is known to contain estrogen like substances, which are often used in menopause diets to reduce problems of hot flashes.

Foods experts recommend that you include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables for your menopause diet.  Boost your consumption of melons, oranges, and lemons. Good and recommended vegetables are collard greens, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes

Foods that can aggravate menopause symptoms:

When we are discussing about foods that help to reduce menopause symptoms, it is also vital to know which foods can have adverse effect on it. These include tea, alcohol, coffee, spicy food, soft drinks, and cigarettes. Women nearing their age of menopause should try to keep high calorie, junk food to a minimum.

Remember that a well balanced and nutritious diet can serve as a natural cure for menopause and achieve good health in women. The key is to include as many natural foods you can into your menopause diet to provide yourself the excellent opportunity to go through menopause easily.

Categories : Black Cohosh, Menopause
Comments Comments Off on Diet To Reduce Menopause Symptoms

According to a woman health expert, a positive attitude and a little planning is all a woman needs to smartly deal with menopause and its related symptoms.

Women should ideally start preparing when they experience perimenopause, which is the stage just before menopause. Typically, perimenopause sets in when a woman reaches her 40s. In some cases, it can start as early as 30s. However, a woman can avoid the symptoms and minimize the side effects of menopause by being proactive about her health.

In this post, I’d share with you some simple but effective tips to deal with menopause and its related problems:

Start exercising: You must exercise in order to avoid the 5 to 10 pound weight gain that typically happens at the time of menopause. Fluctuations in hormones can lead to weight gain in women nearing the age of menopause. It is better to start early because it becomes more difficult to lose the extra pounds if you wait for menopause to set in.

You can start with pelvic-floor-strengthening exercises like kegels. The right kegels exercise contracts the pelvic-floor muscles, not the thighs, buttocks or abdomen. Weight bearing exercises can help you keep the bones strong and reduce any risk of fractures.

Keep your brain sharp by challenging it with memory exercises, puzzles, and crosswords. This can greatly help lower the risk of memory loss during menopause.

Dips in estrogen levels can cause potential sleep problems, so it’s better to develop a good sleeping habit. You can take a light shower and listen to soothing music before going to bed. This will not only induce sleep but also improve your sex drive.

You can also consider estrogen suppositories to treat vaginal dryness, which is a common problem in women nearing the age of menopause. Try to have regular intercourse with your partner to increase lubrication and prevent vaginal dryness.

Make a healthy diet plan containing fresh vegetables, fruits and healthy fats products such as salmon, avocado and olive oil.

Comments (0)

Women nearing the age of menopause often experience hot flashes. It may be described as a sudden feeling of warm wave spreading quickly on the upper portion of the body – especially head and neck areas. Though hot flashes have mostly been linked to menopause, at times they can also be the result of wrong lifestyle and certain medications.

Some other symptoms of hot flashes include perspiration, rapid heartbeat, a flushed appearance with blotchy, red skin, headache, dizziness or nausea. Some women also experience night sweats along with hot flashes. This may also cause sleeping difficulties in women.

The symptoms of hot flashes usually last for as long as 30 seconds. For most women, the occurrence of hot flashes slows down with time but in some cases they can last as long as ten years.

The exact cause of hot flashes is not known. Some studies and researches suggest that it is a result of decrease in the level of the female hormone called estrogen within the body. This fall in the estrogen level has a direct effect on the hypothalamus, which regulates the temperature level of the body.

As a result, the body temperature increases and chemicals are released, which cause the blood vessels in skin to enlarge and start a hot flash. When the skin temperature rises, the body temperature falls and the sweat glands generate sweat to cool it off.

Treatment for hot flashes:

To treat hot flashes, you can start by making changes in your diet and lifestyle. Try to keep your body well hydrated and cool. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Try to use a fan or air conditioner. An increase in physical activities can also help in alleviating hot flashes. Exercise regularly, stop smoking and cut down spicy food, alcohol and caffeine from your diet.

A little regulation in your lifestyle and diet can lessen the occurrence of hot flashes and also make for a natural cure for menopause related problems.

Categories : Hot Flashes, Menopause
Comments (0)

Menopause is a normal condition that all women experience as they age. The term “menopause” is commonly used to describe any of the changes a woman experiences either just before or after she stops menstruating, marking the end of her reproductive period.

A woman is born with a finite number of eggs, which are stored in the ovaries. The ovaries also produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which regulate menstruation and ovulation. Menopause occurs when the ovaries no longer produce an egg every month and menstruation stops.

Menopause, when it occurs after the age of 40, is considered “natural” and is a normal part of aging. But, some women can experience menopause early, either as a result of surgery, such as hysterectomy, or damage to the ovaries, such as from chemotherapy. Menopause that occurs before the age of 40, regardless of the cause, is called premature menopause.
How Does Natural Menopause Occur?

Natural menopause is the permanent ending of menstruation that is not brought on by any type of medical treatment. For women undergoing natural menopause, the process is gradual and is described in three stages:

  • Perimenopause . Perimenopause typically begins several years before menopause, when the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen. Perimenopause lasts up until menopause, the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs. In the last one to two years of perimenopause, the decrease in estrogen accelerates. At this stage, many women experience menopause symptoms (see below).
  • Menopause. Menopause is the point when it’s been a year since a woman has her last menstrual period. At this stage, the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs and producing most of their estrogen.
  • Postmenopause. These are the years after menopause. During this stage, menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, ease for most women. However, health risks related to the loss of estrogen increase as the woman ages.

What Conditions Cause Premature Menopause?

Premature menopause can be the result of genetics, autoimmune disorders, or medical procedures. Here are some other conditions that may cause early menopause.

  • Premature ovarian failure. Normally, the ovaries produce both estrogen and progesterone. Changes in the levels of these two hormones occur when the ovaries, for unknown reasons, prematurely stop producing eggs. When this happens before the age of 40, it is considered to be premature ovarian failure. Unlike premature menopause, premature ovarian failure is not always permanent.
  • Induced menopause. “Induced” menopause occurs when the ovaries are surgically removed for medical reasons, such as uterine cancer or endometriosis. Induced menopause can also result from damage to the ovaries caused by radiation or chemotherapy.

Continue reading at WebMD.com »

Categories : Menopause
Comments (0)