Sage

What Causes Fatigue

Shatavari

Wild Yam

Black cohosh

St John's wort

Chase tree

Withania

Red Clover

Black Cohosh

Wild Yam

Chase tree

Rhodiola

Premenopausal symptoms and menopausal symptoms; do you have any of the following;

The common menopausal symptoms include; hot flushes (70% of women), depression (40% of women), sweating, fatigue, irregular menstruation, cessation of menstruation, sleep problems/insomnia (up to 40% of perimenopausal women).

If you are experiencing any of the above;

READ MORE ON NATURAL MENOPAUSE REMEDIES AND MENOPAUSE THERAPY ....

Menopause Therapy and Menopause remedies by naturopath Tracey Lee Morley

Summary click on topic of choice

1. Menopausal Therapy how to use natural remedies to treat menopause

2. Menopause and Depression, Premenopause and depresion.

3. Menopausal Remedies including diet and effective herbal treatment

4. Good adrenal health is the underlying 'anchor' for a trouble free menopause

5. Wellness review 2010 Is the 'change of life' ruining your life?

6. Dietary changes for menopause and peri-menopause

7. Why do some women have problems in menopause and other do not?

8. Herbal medicines and remedies for menopause

9. Natural alternatives to HRT

10. Good and Bad oestrogens

11. What are phytoestogens? What are natural food sources? How can they help in menopause?

12. What are the risks of HRT? What are the natural alternatives to HRT?

13. Supplements and vitamins to promote menopausal health

14. Why does menopause symptoms sometime seem like PMS symptoms (prementrual syndrome). premenopausal symptoms

15. PDF newsletter Menopause 2006

Menopause & Peri-menopause

A natural therapies approach to menopause is to help the body adjust to lower hormonal levels. How easily the body becomes accustomed to these changes, reflects how severe or troublesome the symptoms of menopause are for each woman.

The menopausal transition can take several years and the duration of every woman's menopause is very individual. It is in accordance to her general level of health and primarily her adrenal health which can influence the length of menopause.

Adrenal health, or in many cases ‘adrenal exhaustion’,  in the years leading up to menopause is a key factor in determining the severity of the symptoms of menopause.

The modern day approach is to only consider the lower hormonal level as the cause for menopausal symptoms. By replacing hormones (with HRT) that the body is no longer producing, this will help alleviate the symptoms of menopause but it is only delaying the process. It does not address the underlying causes of why some women experience severe problems during menopause.

The common menopausal symptoms include; hot flushes (70% of women), depression (40% of women), sweating, fatigue, irregular menstruation, cessation of menstruation, sleep problems/insomnia (up to 40% of perimenopausal women).

The aim of holistic menopausal support is to assist the adjustment of these important changes; to provide symptomatic alleviation of the effects of hormonal withdrawal; to improve the overall health of the individual especially supporting adrenal gland health. It is not simply taking herbs to replace or increase hormonal levels as the approach with HRT (hormonal replacement therapy). Holistic treatment should not be used indefinitely.

Most people approach herbal treatment for menopause the same way they do HRT, which herb will increase the hormonal level? But that is not the main aim of holistic treatment. It is not aimed at DELAYING menopause by simply replacing hormones.

Natural Remedies for menopause & peri-menopause

An easier menopausal transition needs to be approached by firstly improving your overall health and wellbeing including diet and lifestyle factors.

The best time to start holistic treatment for menopause is in the peri-menopausal phase i.e. when the length of periods are starting to change.  As this is the best time to ensure healthy adrenal function and general health, to help create a healthier and easier transition in menopause with hormonal balancing herbs and natural remedies.

Holistic treatment varies from six to 18 months but in some case’s treatments may be necessary for years.  The healthier the patient’s adrenal status, the shorter the duration of treatment required.  Healthy adrenal function can make a healthy amount of progesterone.

Recent concerns with the use of HRT has prompted increased interest in what holistic treatments can offer women in menopause.  Many herbal and homoeopathic medicines can help alleviate menopausal symptoms without increasing the level of oestrogen.

There are three choices for treatment in menopause;

1. HRT which uses synthetic hormones to replace what your body is not producing. (for more information on HRT alternative click here

2. Natural hormones which are still replacing hormones BUT they are chemically the SAME as the hormones you produce in the body. I would tend to recommend these hormones over the synthetic hormones

3. Holistic treatment: to assist the body to make the adjustments more easily and improve the woman’s overall health and adrenal function.

Note :most doctors do not prescribe natural hormones, these hormones have to be made up in a compounding chemist (the closest is Lismore or Bondi in Sydney) and must be prescribed by a doctor.

Which natural remedies really work?

Herbal and homoeopathic medicine needs to be individualized to each person for it to be the most effective treatment for that individual woman.  No one herb or one group herbs/homoeopathic medicine will always work in every case.

The two main reasons why natural remedies fail to be effective in the treatment of menopause are; 1.poor quality of products especially of herbal products and 2. trying to use natural remedies the same way they use orthodox drugs without addressing other health issues (especially adrenal exhaustion) which are directly contributing to a difficult transition in menopause.

Remember, herbs and homoeopathic medicines do not work the same way as drugs, they are treating your whole health, improve your own body’s response. Hence when you stop natural treatment your body stays healthier and in balance.

If you are on HRT and would like to come off it, it is better to start holistic treatment while you are still on HRT, then slowly increasing the natural remedies as you reduce the HRT over 8-12weeks.

If you are on (or have been recently) HRT to reduce the side-effects of HRT supplements with isoflavones, estrofactor from metagenics, tumeric, rosemary, methylation factors (folate, trimethglycine, B6, B12), st mary’s thistle, grapeseed and green tea all help the correct metabolism of oestrogen into a less harmful form.

This above treatment is also important for women who have or have had hormonal problems characterized by estrogen dominance. A salvia hormonal test is the best way to assess this.

Note on poor quality products;  Please do not buy your herbs or homoeopathic medicines off-the-shelf. See a qualified practitioner (and not a 5-10min consult in a shop) who should spend no less than 45 minutes in your first consultation assessing not only your menopausal or peri-menopausal symptoms but also your overall health, especially your adrenal health, stress levels and lifestyle factors and others. This is the only way they can prescribe correctly and individualise your herbal and homoeopathic treatment that will work for you.

ADRENAL FATIGUE & ADRENAL EXHAUSTION

A LEADING FACTOR IN COMPLAINTS OF MENOPAUSE

Adrenal ‘Exhaustion’; a common cause of fatigue. We all live with daily stress, but it is our ability to adapt to the stress which determines how it will affect our long term health. Healthy adrenal gland function will ensure a higher tolerance to stress and to the effects of stress.

The adrenal gland are located just above the kidney area and they produce the ‘stress’ hormones adrenalin and cortisol. Our body produces these hormones in times of stress to help us ‘adapt’ and deal with the stress. But the ability to adapt declines when the stress is long term and continuous.

This can leads to adrenal ‘exhaustion’ which has four phases; the longer you are under stress the more severe the adrenal exhaustion will tend to be;

Phase 1: Stressed and Wired where common symptoms include: anxiety, nervousness, insomnia, panic attacks, PMT, trembling, rapid shifts in body temperature, pressure, decreased appetite, diarrhea, palpitations and shortness of breath.

Phase 2 Tired, then Wired which includes an increased risk of depression, anxiety, insomnia and fatigue; decrease resistance to infections including aggravating allergic reactions, depletion of sex hormones and libido, decreasing thyroid function, obesity and insulin resistance. Common symptoms can include intense anxiety, melancholy depression, insomnia, poor appetite, allergies.

Phase 3 Stressed & Tired which includes symptoms of (apathetic) depression, increased daytime sleep, and tiredness, weight gain, lethargy, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple allergies and chemical sensitivities. Fibromyalgia is a disorder in this stage. Energy levels are extremely low and manifest as muscle weakness and pain.

Phase 4 Exhaustion; this stage is usually after a period of the above stages and is often associated with post viral syndrome or chronic fatigue syndrome (as immune system if often compromised). These symptoms are mild fevers, sore throat and increased infections, painful lymph nodes, muscle weakness, headaches, painful joints, depression and sleeping disturbances. The treatment in this stage is similar to stage 3, but with more emphasis on repairing damaged nervous tissue and adrenal glands.

The level of adrenal exhaustion will direct effect the severity of menopausal symptoms, hence it is important to improve adrenal gland’s adaptation & tolerance to your daily stress to ensure an easier transition in peri-menopause and menopause.

 Natural Remedies for Healthy Adrenals To improve adrenal gland exhaustion you need to consider all lifestyle facts to help improve your tolerance/resistance to daily stress. Regular exercise and relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, tai chi with the use of adrenal tonic herbal medicines can be helpful.

Herbal Treatment For Adrenal Exhaustion

The commonly used herbs are;

Withania, Siberian Ginseng, Panax ginseng, Rhodiola, Licorice and Rehmannia

For adrenal tonic herbs that support the adrenal gland function Licorice and Rehmannia are commonly used (for all four phases).

Poor concentration and memory Rhodiola is specific and has an immediate effect on improving concentration.

Adaptogenic herbs are herbs which increase your tolerance/resistance to stress the three lead herbs are Withania, Siberian ginseng and Rhodiola, Korean Ginseng or Panax Ginseng, Schisandra

Diet & lifestyle factors to improve adrenal function;

Relaxation techniques like yoga, tai chi, mediation & regular exercise.

Remove sugar, high GI carbohydrate food and stimulants like coffee/caffeine from the diet.

An insulin zone diet to correct any blood sugar imbalances is also important to help correct imbalances in adrenal gland function.

Supplements with Vitamin C, B complex with extra B5 & B6 and Magnesium are also important to improve adrenal function.

There are many herbs to choose from and it is important to take not only the correct herbs for your individual needs but also that the quality and the dosage of these herbs is correct. If you are considering taking herbs please see a qualified herbalist.

e books recommendations by Naturopath Tracey Lee Morley are;

The Adrenal Fatigue Formula e book Click Here!

• A complete guide on what causes fatigue and adrenal exhaustion and what to do about it

The most important consideration is your professional practitioner has to take into account that each person reacts to stress differently. This is why each person should receive an individualised natural treatment plan by using different combinations of well researched nutritional and herbal medicines.

Assess your stress;

On this website, Tracey has a stress questionnaire to assess your stress levels, click here

Dietary Changes for Peri-menopause and Menopause

Consider diet modification guidelines suggested in research studies to reduce symptoms of peri-menopause and prevent risk of CVD, osteoporosis, and endometrial and breast cancer:*
 

• Maintain healthy weight and include a regular exercise program.
• Limit the intake of refined breads and cereal dishes, saturated fat, alcohol, and spicy food. Replace with whole grain products, high quality seeds, oils, fish, and raw, organically grown vegetables.
• Limit the intake of well-done meat to reduce breast cancer risk.
• Increase intake of isoflavones and lignans to provide modulation of estrogen activities, antioxidant effects, and promotion of bone health.
• Increase intake of cruciferous vegetable family to support healthy estrogen metabolism.
• Include phytonutrients that act synergistically with isoflavones, such as curcumin.
• Increase intake of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, magnesium and trace minerals to promote bone health.
• Promote a healthy methylation pathway and manage homocysteine levels with folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6

• Parsley is one herb which contains phytoestogens, it is also high in calcium and iron.  Others useful foods in menopause are tofu or tempe (from soybeans) and flaxseed meal (linseed).

Herbal Remedies for menopause and peri-menopause

Herbal remedies in menopause; what really works?

There are many different herbal products on the market for menopause and peri-menopause and the difficulty is to knowing which ones really will work in which one’s are simply a waste of money.

Many herbal companies in Australia do not really do the full range of testing that I would consider to be required on the herbal product's to ensure quality of the herb i.e. contains the correct active constituents in the correct level to be effective.  The two brands that I use are Mediherbs and Phytomedicine, these are practitioner only products. 

It is always best to have a qualified naturopath or herbalist prescribe for your individual symptoms.

The Four clinically tested herbal medicines for menopause are;

These for herbs contains substances called steroidal saponins.  This substance reduces symptoms of menopause via a negative feedback on the brain and NOT by increasing estrogen.

Shatavari

Has been traditionally been used as a general tonic and female reproductive tonic it is a rejuvenating tonic for women; promoting oestrogen balance, the tonic the general debility, for fatigue and low libido and for most of the menopausal symptoms. It is adaptogenic, meaning it increases the body's tolerance to stress.

Shatavari does not increase oestrogen but helps the body's response (via the pituitary gland in the brain) and adjustment to the lower level of oestrogen.  (It is believed that hot flushes are not caused directly by the lower oestrogen levels but from higher levels of FSH, the hormone released from the pituitary gland in the brain to try to make the ovaries produced more oestrogen).

Tribulus

Is one of the best researched herbal medicine for menopause and is popular in Europe of the treatment of menopausal symptoms.  It is not significantly change hormonal levels, although FSH tends to be lower.

The quality and type of Tribulus is very important, as it is only the Bulgarian Tribulus which has the active constituents (not the Chinese or Indian Tribulus) and it is only the leaves and stems which are used ( and not the fruit).  Many products on the market use incorrect type of Tribulus which has been mostly due to the interest from bodybuilders.

Wild yam

Confusion over Wild yam creams and natural progesterone creams

Any cream containing extracts of wild yam and claims progesterone effects are unproven.  The substance in Wild yam in can be converted into progesterone, but this only happens in the digestive tract by the bowel flora chemically changing it and then it is absorbed into the body.  Rubbing wild yam cream on the skin your body cannot convert the substance into progesterone.

Progesterone creams as in natural progesterone creams which are made from a compound chemist, (and must be prescribed by a doctor). These creams are made from wild yam (or other natural substances) which is chemically changed in the laboratory into natural progesterone (that is the same progesterone your body produces hence called “natural”, as opposed to HRT which contains synthetic progesterone which is slightly different chemically to the produced train your body produces).  This natural progesterone cream when rubbed onto the skin gives the body a dose of natural progesterone.

As a herbal product, Wild yam needs to be taken orally to be effective. It contains the steroidal saponins which work via a negative feedback on the hypothalamus.

Black cohosh

This herb has become known as the alternative to HRT, for reducing menopausal symptoms.  It has been used in Europe over 40 years so has a long track with record in menopause, peri-menopause and premenstrual syndrome.

Other herbs

Sage

Has traditionally been used for sweats and hot flushes.

St. John's wort

Has traditionally being used the depression during menopause (long before the current use for depression in general).

Chase tree

Often use for erratic periods, for peri-menopausal stages where there is an worsening of PMT, and the sleep disturbances (it increases the production of melatonin).

The most commonly used herbal medicines for the following (note which of the group you will need depends on your other symptoms)

Hot flushes; Shatavari, Black cohosh, Wild yam, Tribulus, Zizphus, Sage.

Low memory and concentration in menopause or perimenopause; Rhodiola plus adrenal herbs.

Sleep disturbance in menopause in perimenopause; Chase tree, Zizphus.

Fatigue/Tiredness in menopausal or premenopause; ginseng Siberian and Panax, Withania, Rhodiola. Often required other adrenal supportive herbs

Depression during menopausal & perimenopause; St. John's wort, Damiana plus adrenal herbs are important (see above)

Anxiety during menopause or perimenopause; Zizphus, Black cohosh. Plus adrenal herbs

Vaginally dryness in menopause or premenopause; Codonopsis, Shatavari

Other important areas your herbalist may prescribe for to improve menopausal symptoms are adrenal tonic herbs and herbs to improve detoxification.

HRT & Natural Alternatives

Natural Alternatives to HRT Q&A

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