10 Natural Remedies for Menopause to smooth your Midlife Transition
Number 10 Will Surprise You But Really Works…
Natural Remedies for Menopause
The Menopause is a natural part of ageing. That doesn’t make it any easier to handle though. Thankfully there are natural remedies for Menopause which work gently with our bodies.
Menopause Symptoms
Most of us will experience some of the following fun symptoms which include
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- vaginal dryness
- Insomnia
- Depression or anxiety
- Low libido
- Brain fog
Some of these can be very debilitating and can go on for years, making your life a misery and causing serious problems at work and home.
In some cases, Hormone Replacement Therapy can be an answer, especially if you are suffering particularly bad symptoms.
However, there are lots of tried and tested natural remedies for Menopause which may just help you avoid having to use HRT if you can try them first. Many of these herbs, tinctures & supplements have been passed down, mother to daughter over the centuries. If you work on a systemic level to heal your whole body you have a chance of bringing things back into balance.
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As always, please note I am not a Doctor and this doesn’t constitute medical advice. I’m just listing ideas that worked for me and others. Please do consult your medical practitioner before making any changes.
1 Cut out Processed Food, Sugars, Sweeteners & Preservatives and eat healthily.
Many added ingredients in everyday food can disrupt the balance of hormones and make it harder for the body to maintain a healthy state. Sugary processed foods, sweeteners and preservatives all take a toll on the body and keep it in a less than optimum state.
Midlife is the time to get your diet in order and be careful what you put in your body. It’s a good idea to get into the habit of reading labels carefully and avoiding any ingredients with names you don’t recognise.
Try to eat fresh foods that you have cooked yourself. You are then in control of what goes into your body and not ingesting a vast array of chemicals.
This gives your body a good natural baseline to work from.
Don’t try and go low fat. Research indicates that healthy fats may benefit women during menopause. Omega-3 fatty acids {found in fish, nuts and flax seeds} may decrease hot flashes and night sweats.
Food is your fuel so choose a good source to power your body through menopause.
2 Cut down on alcohol
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news [although you probably already know this} but alcohol really doesn’t help with Menopause Symptoms
Alcohol can be the trigger for hot flashes. It can disrupt your sleep, making you wake at 3 am with anxiety and bring on the night sweats. It can also cause inflammation which is at the root of many illnesses.
Alcohol can impact your mood and increase depression and anxiety. The extra calories can cause weight gain too. It’s all-round bad news when it comes to alcohol and the Menopause.
You don’t have to stop drinking altogether but cutting back a little may be a good idea.
In this post, I detail why I cut down on drinking and how I did it. It did make a huge difference to my own menopause symptoms. Why not try it for 21 days and see if it makes any difference to you.
3 Reduce Inflammation with Turmeric
Inflammation is the immune system’s response to an irritant. It may cause bloat, weight gain, joint pain as well as autoimmune conditions.
Long-term inflammation is the smouldering fire behind many diseases and conditions. If your body is chronically inflamed in response to food, alcohol or other irritants, this will make Menopause symptoms worse.
Turmeric is a natural remedy for inflammation. The powerful acting agent in Turmeric is called Curcumin. There is a lot of research being done into this ingredient which points to the fact that Curcumin is a powerful anti-inflammatory which works gently to soothe the inflamed state of the body.
I take Turmeric supplements for age-related aches and pains, specifically a sore ankle from a break years ago. If I run out, within a few days I am hobbling like an old lady so I can testify that it works.
Use Turmeric in cooking or take a supplement for everyday support.
4 Support your sleep and soothe anxiety with Valerian
Valerian was used in ancient Greece and Rome to help with nervousness, insomnia, headaches and stress.
This soothing herb can be taken before bed to ensure a good nights sleep, the key to feeling well and healing, often sadly lacking during Menopause.
It can help to soothe the anxiety symptoms which are often a big part of the Menopause too.
5 Soothe Hot Flashes with Evening Primrose Oil
Evening Primrose Oil {EPO} is a tried and tested natural Menopause Remedy that has been used for years to help with Menopause symptoms. It contains high levels of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and linolenic acid. These acids help reduce inflammation.
In a 2013 clinical trial looking at Natural Menopause Remedies, EPO was shown to reduce the severity of hot flushes as well as their frequency and duration.
6 Balance Your Hormones. The key to reducing Menopause Symptoms…
Pretty much ALL of the Menopause symptoms that you suffer from stem from Hormone Imbalances. Some symptoms of hormone imbalance can include:
- Weight Gain, especially in the belly area
- Hot Flashes
- Night Sweats
- Troubled Sleep
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Body aches and pains
If you balance your hormones your symptoms will improve and you can often do this naturally.
You can discover if a hormone imbalance is at the root of your problems by completing this 60 second quiz.
7 Black Cohosh – Native American Menopause Treatment
Black Cohosh is another herb which may be worth trying. Known throughout most of its history as Black Snakeroot, Cohosh was used by Native Americans to treat musculoskeletal pain, fever, pneumonia, and menstrual issues as well as Menopause.
Black Cohosh can help with Hot Flashes and Night Sweats as well as sleep disturbances.
A trial in the International Journal of Reproductive Biomedicine found Black Cohosh, as well as other herbal Menopause remedies, to be effective treatments for Hot Flashes.
8 Lift low mood with St Johns’ Wort.
Menopause can bring with it anxiety and depression due to low Estrogen and other hormonal fluctuations. Disruption and confusion in midlife can all add to the mix and many people find themselves being prescribed anti-depressants just to get through.
It may be worth trying St Johns Wort first to help lift your mood.
9 Improve your gut health
Functional medicine doctors believe “all illness begins in the gut”. It’s certainly an idea that is now gaining more traction in mainstream medicine {although it has been rebranded “intestinal permeability” to make it seem more respectable to the medical establishment}.
Looking after and healing your gut health can improve a wide array of issues and bring your body back into balance which all helps with Menopausal symptoms.
Try using probiotics in everyday life a little more. Apple Cider Vinegar is delicious and can be made into a wonderful salad dressing. Saurkraut, especially homemade, contains a huge boost of probiotics as well as adding zing to meals. Kombucha and Kefir boost your gut flora and are refreshing alternatives to alcohol and are great ways to cut down on the booze too.
10 Try using a Sleep Mask to improve your circadian rhythms and boost sleep
Out of everything I have tried, this is the thing that worked best for me and boosted my wellbeing the most. It’s a surprisingly simple fix and seems too good to be true, but I believe a solid nights sleep is the basis of all health.
When sleep eludes you during menopause it can deplete your reserves and leave you open to illness, anxiety and depression. Fix your sleep and you are on the right path to wellness.
Melatonin is produced in the brain as darkness falls to aid sleep and recovery. The problem is that we don’t sleep in cave-like darkness anymore. Blue lights on our phones, streetlights and even tiny dim lights on alarm clocks can all suppress our Melatonin production leading to restless and non-healing sleep.
Wear a Sleep Mask to cut out all light to your eyes and allow your Melatonin to reach optimum levels. I found this simple change made me sleep like a log for the first time in years. When you sleep properly your body can heal and rebalance during the night leading to all-round better health.
Sleep masks are very cheap to buy so it’s well worth a try to see it will improve your health as much as it has mine.
I hope these 10 ideas give you some pointers to things to try to help you sail through Menopause smoothly.
I would love to hear your natural remedies for Menopause that worked well for you. Please share in the comments.
Let’s support each other through this tricky period in our lives.
PS – If these tips have been helpful please download my FREE ebook below. The Hormone Symptoms Checklist.
Targeting common Menopause symptoms such as Hot Flashes, Night Sweats, Weight Gain, Anxiety & Depression, Loss of Libido and more
FREE HORMONE SYMPTOM CHECKLIST
Healing your hormones is key to reducing your Menopause Symptoms.
Heres the key to getting your life back! [Even if your hormones ARE out of balance!]
Have you struggled with weight gain, depression, anxiety, hot flashes, night sweats, low libido, fatigue, and other seemingly un-related menopause symptoms?
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Helen
I love this article and all the natural remedies. Menopause can be a beast, but with a bit of nature, it can be tamed. I was surprised about Tumeric being helpful with inflammation. I was told I have arthritis in my knees so, I am going to try turmeric. Thanks, Helen.
Absolutely Reesa. As I mentioned it totally helps with my aches and pains and it has loads of other positive properties too. Hope it helps your arthritis. x