Menopause and Homeopathy

Menopause, or the permanent end of menstruation and fertility, is a natural biological process, not a medical illness. Even though, the physical and emotional symptoms of menopause can disrupt your sleep, sap your energy and trigger feelings of sadness and loss.

Hormonal changes cause the physical symptoms of menopause, but mistaken beliefs about the menopausal transition are partly to blame for the emotional ones. First, menopause doesn't mean the end is near - you've still got as much as half your life to go. Second, menopause will not snuff out your femininity and sexuality. In fact, you may be one of the many women who find it liberating to stop worrying about pregnancy and periods.

Menopause occurs anywhere between 35 to 55 years of life. Menopause before age 35 may occur as a result of a surgical procedure, treatment of a disease, or illness. In these cases it is referred to as induced or premature Menopause. Each woman experiences menopause differently. Menopause is an important time in a woman's life. Her body is going through changes that can have an effect on her social life, her feelings about herself, and her performance at work. Contrary to the old-fashioned view that life is all downhill after menopause, many women today find that the years after menopause offer new recognition and fresh beginnings. To have a positive attitude towards menopause as a natural, essential and healthy phase of womanhood is important.

Symptoms of Menopause

Technically, you don't actually "hit" menopause until it's been one year since your final menstrual period. The symptoms of menopause, however, often appear long before the one-year anniversary of your final period. They include:

  • Irregular periods

  • Decreased fertility

  • Vaginal dryness

  • Hot flashes

  • Sleep disturbances

  • Mood swings

  • Increased abdominal fat

  • Thinning hair

  • Loss of breast fullness

Causes

Menopause begins naturally when your ovaries start making less estrogen and progesterone, the hormones that regulate menstruation. The process gets under way in your late 30s. By that time, fewer potential eggs are ripening in your ovaries each month, and ovulation is less predictable. Also, the post-ovulation surge in progesterone - the hormone that prepares your body for pregnancy - becomes less dramatic. Your fertility declines, perhaps partially due to these hormonal effects.

These changes are more pronounced in your 40s, as are changes in your menstrual pattern. Your periods may become longer or shorter, heavier or lighter, and more or less frequent. Eventually, your ovaries shut down and you have no more periods. It's possible, but very unusual, to menstruate every month right up to your last period. You're much more likely, though, to have a gradual tapering off.

Unfortunately, there's no way to know exactly which period will be your last. You have to wait until well after the fact - 12 months after, by official definition. In your final months before reaching menopause, it's still possible to get pregnant, but it's quite unlikely.

Because this process takes place over years, menopause is commonly divided in to the following two stages:

Perimenopause -This is the time you begin experiencing menopausal symptoms, even though you still menstruate. Your hormone levels rise and fall unevenly, and you may have hot flashes and other symptoms. Perimenopause may last four to five years or longer.

Post menopause - Once 12 months have passed since your last period, you've reached menopause. Your ovaries produce much less estrogens and no progesterone, and they don't release eggs. The years that follow are called post menopause.

Treat Menopause with Homeopathy

Homeopathy is the safest treatment before, during, and after menopause because it stimulates the natural hormonal balance without the use of harmful drugs. Constitutional homeopathic treatment is best during the transitional period of menopause in order to balance hormonal levels and cure the many accompanying symptoms.

Homeopathy is reassuring and helpful for both physical and emotional aspects of menopause, and most women, in addition to relief from their discomforts, experience an enhancement in self-awareness and well being after the treatment. Thus you can rely on Homeopathy to achieve optimal health during menopause and into the later years of your life. It is of assistance in all sorts of emotional, mental and physical problems that a woman is likely to experience, and can help her through the transitional and developmental milestones of her life.

Self medication is not advisable.

Homeopathic Medicines for Menopause

Asidum sulph, Aloe s, Aurum Mur, Calcarea Ars, Calc Carb, Camphora, Cimicifuga, Conium, Gelsemium, Helonias, Hypericum, Lachesis, Natrum Mur, Platinum Met, Pulsatilla, Sanguinaria, Sepia, Staphysagria etc.

General Self-care Tips

Fortunately, most of the symptoms associated with menopause are temporary. Note these few steps to help reduce or prevent their effects:

  • Cool hot flashes. Get regular exercise, dress in layers and try to pinpoint what triggers your hot flashes. For many women, triggers may include hot beverages, spicy foods, alcohol, hot weather and even a warm room.

  • Decrease vaginal discomforts. Use over-the-counter water-based vaginal lubricants or moisturizers. Staying sexually active also helps.

  • Optimize your sleep. Avoid caffeine and plan to exercise during the day, although not right before bedtime. Relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation, can be very helpful. You can find a number of books and tapes on different relaxation exercises. If hot flashes disturb your sleep, you may need to find a way to manage them before you can get adequate rest.

  • Strengthen your pelvic floor. Pelvic floor muscle exercises, called Kegel exercises, can improve some forms of urinary incontinence. Practicing Yoga will help. Naukasana is beneficial.

  • Eat well. Eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and that limits saturated fats, oils and sugars. Aim for 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium and 800 international units of vitamin D a day. Ask your doctor about supplements to help you meet these requirements, if necessary.

  • Don't smoke. Smoking increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, cancer and a range of other health problems. It may also increase hot flashes and bring on earlier menopause. It's never too late to benefit from stopping smoking.

  • Exercise regularly. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days to protect against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and other conditions associated with aging. More vigorous exercise for longer periods may provide further benefit and is particularly important if you are trying to lose weight. Exercise can also help reduce stress.

  • Schedule regular checkups. Talk with your doctor about how often you should have mammograms, Pap tests, lipid level (cholesterol and triglyceride) testing and other screening tests.

  
 

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