The North American Menopause Society
Identifying And Coping With Menopause Symptoms
Menopause can be a very difficult time for many women. Studies show that up to 70% of women will be affected by some sort of uncomfortable symptom during menopause. Menopause is caused by changing hormones in older women. After women go through the change, they will no longer have a menstrual cycle. Unfortunately, there can be some very uncomfortable symptoms that can occur while women are going through this transitional period.
Menopause symptoms range from the more common hot and cold flashes to ones that deserve more concern, such as depression and anxiety. There are a large number of potential symptoms and most women will experience at least a few of them during menopause.
The most common symptoms associated with menopause are hot flashes, irritability, irregular periods, memory loss, mood swings, fatigue, and a wide range of physical body changes. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done in the way of treating menopausal symptoms but there are ways to cope and reduce the symptoms’ effect on your life.
In the case of irritability, mood swings, depression, and anxiety, they will all come and go randomly during menopause. If these menopause symptoms persist consistently for an extended period of time, more than a week or two, it is time to contact a doctor. If these symptoms become too severe, they could start to adversely affect your life. A doctor will have the tools to assess the problem and come up with a treatment plan.
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Physical changes are extremely common during menopause. Women may experience headaches, weight gain, sore joints, achy muscles, a burning sensation in the mouth or on the tongue, digestive problems, bleeding around the teeth and gums, itchy and dry skin, and stiffness. All of these conditions are in some way related to the changing hormones in the body. For example, the drop in estrogen results in the body producing collagen at a much slower rate. Collagen helps keep skin looking and feeling soft and moisturized. If there is not enough, the skin will start to get dry, flaky, and itchy.
Most physical menopause symptoms are normal and can be combated naturally with exercise, medication, and a good diet. If stress becomes an issue, doctors recommend small lifestyle changes. Put time aside to relax and be alone. Go for a walk to burn off some stress. In the case of the more serious symptoms, such as depression, disorientation, interrupted sleep, extreme memory loss and lapses, it is the best idea to get in touch with a doctor. Menopause is a normal and expected change in a woman’s life. The symptoms may be extreme at times, but typically they pass quickly (Sandy Rutherforde:Ezine)
Natural Remedies For Menopause – Treating Menopause Naturally
Are you experiencing the menopause? Are you suffering with some of the symptoms that go with it, like hot flashes, mood swings, trouble sleeping and restlessness? If so you may be tempted to try medications, but be aware, this can have side effects as well. So you may well be interested in using natural remedies for menopause. If you are keen to treat your menopause in a more natural way, here are some tips that will help you to achieve this;
1. Consuming Adequate Water
Consuming enough water will do wonders for the body so you should start doing this from young. However, even if you are nearing or experiencing menopause, you can still use water consumption to help reduce the hot flashes that you may sometimes get, especially in the night. Taking in one or two cups will not be sufficient. Instead you should drink around 3 cups in the morning and frequently throughout the day. Do not wait till you are very thirsty as by that time, you are already dehydrated. Make this your daily routine.
2. Consume Honey
You probably already know a lot about the nutrients that honey can give you. It has been said that a woman who consumes honey twice daily with 4 dessert spoonfuls of honey mixed in half a glass of water will not suffer from the menopause symptoms. There is no studies done to prove this yet but taking honey is always good so why not give it try?
3. Drinking Herbal Teas
Drinking herbal teas is one of the many commonly used natural remedies for menopause. The only con of such herbal teas is probably the strong smell you get in some of these herbs.
The benefit of such herbs is to improve the hormonal balance in your body so that your menopause symptoms can be greatly reduced. One such example of herbal drinks is the bitter leaf. It is known to get rid of your hot flashes as well as internal heat. There are no side effects with taking this drink everyday but can help to greatly improve your life. You will feel happier since you will not be irritated by the hot flashes.
I hope that these little tips have helped you to learn about some of the more common natural treatments for menopause. There are so many natural remedies for menopause available in the marketplace if you are not keen in taking the traditional hormone pills prescribed by doctors.
By taking these natural cures, you will be able to lead life as you used to and can become adapted to the changes that are taking place in your body very quickly(Kelly Jenkins:Ezine)