Finding the Best Treatment For Your Menopausal Symptoms December 19, 2011

Finding the best treatment for your menopause symptoms can be frustrating. You probably have a bunch of friends that have all found good treatments. They could even be pressuring you to try their chosen treatment methods. It is important to remember that your friends have good intentions. They only want you to feel better. Unfortunately not all menopause treatment options work across the board. This is because every woman goes through menopause in her own way. What works for your friend might not work for you (and vice versa). A doctor is a good person to talk to when you need help dealing with your symptoms. Here are some recommendations you might get.

Vaginal estrogen is one remedy that has been proven to ease a few of the symptoms associated with menopause. This treatment can be particularly helpful indecreasing menopause related sexual discomfort. It could also help with vaginal dryness. Many women report fewer urinary symptoms too. Estrogen can me delivered in a tablet form, a ring form, or a cream form. Before you decide to begin estrogen treatment it is highly recommended that you discuss it with your physician.

Yoga, believe it or not, has also been proven to be an incredibly effective treatment for menopause. Studies have proven that regular yoga helps release the amount of hot flashes a woman experiences. Regular yoga can also help to reduce just how intense a woman’s hot flashes might be. Lots of health professionals believe that the controlled breathing and the relaxation techniques of yoga raise a woman’s spirits as well as helping her physical body which is one of the biggest reasons that women say yoga helps them deal with menopause.

Herbal supplements are available for menopausal treatment.  Among these,  black cohosh has proven to be the most effective.

Ensure proper amounts of time for rest. Do the best you can to get at the very least 8 hours per night of good sleep. Dealing with mood swings is easier after a full nights rest. It is highly recommended that women having difficulty sleeping discontinue the use of all stimulants including coffee. Your decision to cut out caffeine and exercise more can be a life saver on the sleep cycles during menopause. How easy is it to overlook such a simple treatment as sleep?

 

Treating menopause is not a universal activity. There isn’t a sole treatment that will help every woman. Many women decide that the best way to deal with all of the symptoms of menopause is to combine the major types of treatments: lifestyle, herbal and medicinal. There are, however, some women who decide to only use one kind of treatment. Others want to pretend that menopause doesn’t exist. You will know which treatment is best. Make sure, however, that no matter what kind of menopause treatment that you decide to try, you run it past your doctor. Don’t try anything new without your doctor’s okay. You don’t want to do more harm than good to yourself.

Diet Tips for Menopausal Women August 16, 2011

Every woman goes through it.  Some dread it,  and some look forward to it.  It may happen as early as the 30’s,  or as late as the 50’s.  But it is a fact of life for all women,  it is menopause.

Some women take hormone replacement therapy or HRT for the symptoms,  but these can be very dangerous.  Some others opt for herbs and vitamins.  But in this post,  I would like to explore a very easy option for any woman to take.  It is diet,  in particular,  the menopause diet.

Menopause Diet

The menopause diet is meant to do 2 different things.  The first one is to alleviate health risks that are associated with menopause.  The second,  and most important one for many,  is to alleviate the unpleasant symptoms of menopause such as irritability,  hot flashes,  and weight gain.

The Diseases of Menopause

When I say “diseases of menopause,”  I am not saying that menopause is a disease,  many women even look forward to it.  But there are certain diseases that are more common in women after they go through menopause.

Top Health Risks for Menopausal Women

• Heart disease
• Osteoperosis
• Breast Cancer
• Ovarian Cancer
• Clinical Depression

The menopause diet is rich in foods that naturally fight against these conditions.  These include fatty fish which are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids,  these are a great defense against cardiovascular disease as well as depression.

Foods high in calcium and magnesium work to strengthen the bones,  which is very important for preventing osteoperosis.  And most Americans are deficient in magnesium,  a good source is leafy greens.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants  which help the body to fight cancer.  These should be staples in everyone’s diets anyway.

Diet for Menopausal Symptoms

By menopausal symptoms I mean hot flashes,  depression and anxiety,  trouble concentrating,  and weight gain.  Many people don’t know this,  but there are foods that can actually relieve these symptoms.  These foods I’m talking about are high in a nutrient called phytoestrogens.

Plant Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens are plant nutrients that mimic estrogen in the human body.  These phytoestrogens act similar to estriol,  the form of estrogen which is the most beneficial to postmenopausal women.

Phytoestrogens bind to receptors in the breasts,  this helps prevent breast cancer because it blocks the receptors from binding with harmful forms of estrogen such as estradiol.

What’s very interesting,  and also good news for menopausal women is that these phytoestrogens can also relieve many symptoms such as hot flashes.  The mechanism for this is similar to the effect mentioned above.  And it seems to work just as well as HRT.

Top Phytoestrogen Foods

• Soy Based Foods
• Flaxseed
• Broccoli
• Cauliflauer
• Cabbage
• Brussel Sprouts

How Much Do I Have to Eat?

Soy foods are the best source of phyotestrogens by far,  but you need not eat bucket loads of soybeans everyday.  As a matter of fact,  it is better to mix it up a bit.

These foods all contain phytoestrogens,  but there are different types.  In soy,  they are called isoflavones,  in flax they are called lignans,  and in the cruciferous vegetables,  they are referred to as indoles.

Conclusion

So just do what you can to incorporate these foods into your diet on a daily basis.  And like I said,  you don’t need a large amount.  But then again,  mother always said to eat you broccoli.