Tired Of Those Hot Flashes?!
Menopause can be a very emotional, tiring, and uncomfortable time for women entering a new stage in their lives. For others, it is a time to embrace and celebrate these natural changes that occur. But for most women, it is just downright uncomfortable and annoying to go through.
When a woman goes through menopause, it causes a permanent cessation of their very familiar menstrual cycle, or menses. Many women suffer from symptoms such as hot flashes, headaches or migraines, atrophic vaginitis (the drying of the vaginal lining), bladder infections, cold hands and feet, and forgetfulness.[1] These can all be very frustrating to deal with for an unknown amount of time since menopause is different for every woman. Holistic healthcare and alternative health modalities can be very beneficial during this time to help ease your body during this transition to make things a bit more pleasant to deal with.
Hot flashes are probably the most common and unwelcomed symptom of them all. You just can’t seem to cool off no matter what you do! But, did you know that exercising can actually be beneficial to relieve them? An article published in 1999 by Medscape indicated that regular exercise can increase central opioid activity and could decrease the severity of hot flashes similar to how estrogen therapy treatment does. It was found that women who participated in aerobic exercise had higher levels of estrogen afterwards. [2] According to The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, regular exercise for women suffering from menopause has been found beneficial to: relieve hot flashes, decrease bone loss, improve heart function, improve circulation, reduce blood pressure, decrease blood cholesterol levels, improve ability to handle stress, improved oxygen and nutrient utilization in all tissues, better self-esteem, improved mood, and an increase in energy levels. Many women have also found that the use of the herb clary sage (salvia officinalis) made into a cold tea was also beneficial to reduce sweating. [3] Traditional Medicinals makes a wonderful tea for menopausal hot flashes that uses clary sage that you can find here.
Another important holistic aspect to look into is making adjustments to your diet. For a woman going through menopause, it is highly recommended to eat as much of a plant based diet as possible with a focus of eating organic foods high in phytoestrogens such as apples, legumes, carrots, and celery. It is also important to lower your intake of animal foods. Vitamin C and other citrus flavonoids from the diet can help alleviate hot flash symptoms. The use of fish oil supplements can also help to alleviate hot flashes and reduce stress levels. [4]
These are just a few examples of what you can do from a holistic approach to help make the transition of menopause less stressful and uncomfortable. There are definitely other things that can help such as massage, acupuncture, yoga, and other botanicals. I encourage you to research these holistic approaches yourself and speak with a medical professional before starting to incorporate these into your lifestyle.
[1] Murray, M. (2012). The encyclopedia of natural medicine third edition (1st ed., pp. 781-795). Atria Books.
[2] Exercise at Menopause: A Critical Difference. (1999). Medscape. Retrieved 16 May 2017, from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/715521_3
[3] Herb of the week: Sage, Salvia. | Henriette's Herbal Homepage. (2012). Henriettes-herb.com. Retrieved 16 May 2017, from http://www.henriettes-herb.com/blog/hotw-sage.html
[4] Murray, M. (2012). The encyclopedia of natural medicine third edition (1st ed., pp. 781-795). Atria Books.
