Living Natural with Symptoms of Menopause

Did you know women in other countries experience very little menopausal symptoms? Why is that? Women in other countries tend to be more physically active than women in industrialized countries. Daily exercise can diminish hot flashes while improving bone density.

The medical profession encourages women to use hormone replacement therapy to treat menopause. Hormone replacement therapy has known serious side effects. What are the alternatives?

What is menopause? Menopause is just a point in time, no menstrual period for a year. Peri-menopause is the period before menopause when your hormones fluctuate. The age for menopause varies from late 40's to mid 60's. The average age is 52. Peri-menopause usually last 2-5 years before menopause.

During Peri-menopause, women experience a variety of symptoms. During Peri-menopause: Ovarian eggs decrease to low levels; ovarian production of the hormones estradiol, progesterone and testosterone decreases. Signs and symptoms of perimenopause are:
menstrual changes- hormonal imbalance.
hot flashes- fluctuating estrogen levels cause an imbalance in the hypothalamus.
vaginal dryness- decreased estrogen production causes thinning and dryness of the vaginal wall.
skin changes- decreased estrogen makes skin more elastic.
fatigue- trouble sleeping through the night.
decreased libido- hormonal imbalance
mood swings- hormonal imbalance and fatigue
urinary tract infections- decreased estrogen levels causes urethral thinning and increase resilient to infection.
palpitations- estrogen helps to dilate arteries, with decreased estrogen the arteries aren't dilating as well.
Most of these menopausal symptoms can be reduced with natural remedies.

Exercise is the most important activity women can do to improve their health. Women should exercise 3-4 days a week. Exercising is excellent for heart health, in decreasing your risk for cancer and preventing bone loss.

Getting plenty of sleep also helps decrease menopausal symptoms. The brain regulates it's biochemistry during sleep. We need 6-8 hours of sleep daily.

Your diet can help improve menopause symptoms. Avoid food with caffeine and phosphorus, they increase bone loss. Limit your consumption of saturated fats, like beef, pork, and chicken, they decrease the body's ability to metabolize estrogen. Increase foods containing phytoestrogens like soy. Grains, fruits, yams, beans, and tofu should be included in your diet.

There are also supplements to assist in menopausal management:
- vitamin e helps to reduce hot flashes and night sweats.
- calcium is for bone health.
- magnesium helps absorb calcium.
- black cohosh, a phytoestrogen helps manage menopause symptoms.
- lactobacillus acidophilus, good bacteria for metabolizing estrogen and decreasing yeast infections.

These suggestions can help decrease menopausal symptoms, but every women is different. Try all of them and find out which is best for your body.