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Natural Remedies for Menopause
Menopause is a natural part of life. It happens to everybody. But, this midlife transition for women aged 40 and up isn’t easy. It’s a complicated, decade-long process. Between when it starts and when it ends, most struggle to find relief. If you’re looking for natural remedies for menopause, there are countless options available online.
Unfortunately, with choices come confusion - a recipe for disaster at such a trying time. So, how do you decide on the right natural remedy for menopause?
Below, we’ve rounded up our top picks for the best natural remedies for menopause, why you should try them, what to skip, and more.
Understanding Menopause and Its Symptoms
Physiological changes in the late 40s and early 50s can cause certain hormone levels to fluctuate, which in turn impacts metabolic rate causing you to gain body fat around the waist, and declining estrogen specifically can result in muscle loss and weaker bones.
Common Symptoms of Menopause
Menopause is officially diagnosed if you’ve gone 12 months without going through a menstrual cycle. In the United States, the average age of menopausal women is 51.
These are the most common symptoms of menopause:
- Hot flashes
- Anxiety
- Weight gain
- Mood swings
- Insomnia
- Chills
- Vaginal dryness
- Irregular to no periods
- Night sweats
Why Choose Natural Remedies?
There are two reasons to use natural remedies to relieve menopause symptoms: better for your overall health and fewer risks. Natural plant-based remedies, for example, have been shown to improve common menopausal systems such as night sweats, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness.
Despite the inconclusive evidence, natural remedies like black cohosh, red clover, dong quai, and evening primrose oil, more are swearing by the benefits of natural remedies for menopause relief.
Herbal Remedies
While various treatments for menopause symptoms exist, these herbal remedies may help provide relief naturally.
Ashwagandha
Used within traditional Ayurvedic medicine to relieve stress and anxiety, improving mental health and mood. More recently research has suggested it can play a role in hormone balance during the menopause, relieving common menopause symptoms and improving sleep.
Maca root
Another traditional medicinal herb, used by tribes in the South American mountains to improve wellbeing and mental health. Recent research has also demonstrated that supplementation can reduce symptoms of hot flashes among other symptoms.
Black Cohosh
Black cohosh is one of the most well-known natural remedies for menopause For decades, various researchers have studied black cohosh for its apparent effect on menopausal symptoms.
Native to North America, this flowering plant is widely used to help with depression and hot flashes in menopausal women.
Red Clover
A popular folk medicine used for treating everything from asthma to whooping cough and even cancer, Red Clover is also popular among middle-aged women looking for a potential treatment for osteoporosis and menopause symptoms.
As a legume, red clover is rich in isoflavones like peas and beans. These compounds are similar in structure to estrogen and are sometimes referred to as phytoestrogens. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) notes that clinical studies have used red clover extracts safely for three years.
Dong Quai
Sometimes referred to as “female ginseng”, Chinese women have used this herbal medicine for thousands of years to treat infrequent periods, irregular menstrual cycles, period cramps, and menopausal symptoms. Although most Western-style research paints Dong Quai in a bad light, some studies are more positive about its potential benefits as a natural remedy for menopause.
It’s important to note that Dong Quai is not recommended for breastfeeding and pregnant women.
Evening Primrose Oil
Many women have had success using evening primrose oil to help them deal with menopause. In fact, multiple surveys and trials attest to the effectiveness of evening primrose oil for relieving these menopausal symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Hot flashes
- Mood swings
- Night sweats
- Weight gain
Aside from menopause, evening primrose oil helps in the production of prostaglandins, a hormone that contributes to blood flow and inflammatory response.
Dietary Changes
Hormonal changes in the late 40s and early 50s can cause certain hormone levels to fluctuate, causing you to gain excess body fat around the waist, have weaker bones, and become more sensitive to certain foods or beverages.
Eating a healthy diet can offset some of these irregularities and regulate menopause symptoms, making them more manageable.
Foods That Help Manage Symptoms
The best approach to managing menopause symptoms is to focus on eating certain food groups with the necessary vitamins and minerals, such as:
Soy Products
Studies have shown that consuming soybeans every day can reduce hot flash severity by 84%. Likely a result of the phytoestrogens found in soy products that can help balance hormones. Increased calcium intake helps keep your bones healthy and strong, which is especially important as estrogen levels start dropping during menopause. Soy products are one of the best sources of calcium.
Soy milk, in particular, is a viable alternative to cow’s milk with roughly 6 grams of protein per cup, low saturated fat content, and plenty of calcium and vitamin D.
Flaxseeds
According to this study, menopausal women who used flaxseed saw a marked increase in quality of life and decreased menopausal symptoms in three months. Ground flaxseed is a readily available supplementary ingredient to salads, yogurt, smoothies, and healthy home-baked treats.
Leafy Greens
Estrogen is a natural trigger for nitric oxide, a basal dilator that decreases blood pressure. During menopause, most women face a heightened risk for cardiovascular disease because of its dramatic decrease.
One way to combat this is regularly consuming high-nitrate, leafy greens like spinach, lettuce, celery, and kale.
Phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens, which have an estrogen-like effect, have been shown to have positive effects among menopausal women, among other benefits. The four most common types of phytoestrogens are isoflavones, lignans, coumestan, and stilbene.
These are the five best sources of phytoestrogens:
- Natto (82.28mg of isoflavones per 100g)
- Soy Protein (91.05 mg of isoflavones per 100g)
- Broccoli (98.51 mg of lignans per 100g)
- Tempeh (60.61 mg of isoflavones per 100g)
- Miso (41.45 mg of isoflavones per 100g)
Do note that some researchers are disputing the incomplete evidence for how phytoestrogens can benefit bone health and menopausal symptoms.
Foods to Avoid
Whereas certain foods and beverages can help alleviate menopause symptoms, others act as triggers. Eating sugary and spicy food at night, or drinking caffeine and alcohol before going to sleep, for example, might be why you’re waking up in the middle of the night with night sweats or hot flashes - or not being able to sleep at all!
If you’ve noticed a pattern between your menopause symptoms and certain food items, you might want to write them down in a diary.
Lifestyle Tips
While fighting those creaky bones and aching muscles can sap your energy, it will only get harder as you age if you stop now, even after you’ve moved past the menopause stage.
Your best option is to start making lifestyle changes at this very moment.
Regular Exercise
This study in 2014 found that moderate exercise helped menopausal women with their sleep quality, depression, and insomnia. Adding more physical activity can even help with weight loss, psychological symptoms, and vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats).
Strength Training
There is clear evidence to show that strength exercise should be prioritized during the menopause, for its ability to increase metabolic rate, stabilize hormones and develop strength in muscle and bone.
Stress Management Techniques
Your body’s fight-or-flight response reacts to your anxiety and stress levels, making hot flashes more frequent and worse.
Pilates
An 8-week pilates program is enough to help women increase strength and improve flexibility, while also reducing menopausal symptoms according to research. Our exercice experts have created an article that will guide you through Pilates moves for weight loss, these exercises will help you manage symptoms and get fit.
Yoga and Meditation
Practicing yoga and meditation can help offset common menopause symptoms such as mood swings, irritability, and menopausal brain fog while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), or the so-called “good cholesterol” and reducing glucose (GLU) levels. We recommend you to read our article about Yoga for menopause, where we also have you covered in a plan of exercises to ease menopause symptoms with Yoga exercises.
Deep Breathing Exercises
“Simple” relaxation techniques and deep breathing can be a help with menopause relief. Taking deep breaths and slowly exhaling forces your mind and body to reset and relax, reducing stress levels, which improves common menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.
Keep cool
Keeping your body temperatures low and steady can help with menopause symptoms, since higher temperatures can trigger hot flashes. Investing in cooling sheets, mattresses, and pajamas will help you sleep better at night.
Turning on air conditioning or turning the thermostat down and drinking a glass of cold water before going to sleep or if you wake up in the middle of the night can also help.
Improving Sleep Quality
As it turns out, hot flashes don’t cause a lack of sleep - it’s the other way around! If you’re having trouble sleeping, consult a healthcare professional. In the meantime, you can develop healthy sleeping habits by doing the following
- Stick to a regular sleep routine and schedule
- Avoid using electronics in the bedroom
- Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet
- Exercise regularly, but not hours before going to bed
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol
- Say no to large meals, especially close to bedtime
Other Natural Approaches
When it comes to menopause, the placebo effect isn’t a bad thing. The worst case scenario is that your menopause symptoms don’t consistently improve while other aspects of your life benefit.
Take note of these alternative natural remedies for menopause relief:
Acupuncture
This 2019 study reveals that acupuncture is a “safe, cost-effective and simple procedure, with very few side effects reported,” after studying menopausal women who had acupuncture treatment for five straight weeks.
This natural remedy for menopause can help with common symptoms like hot flashes, pain, insomnia, fatigue, and vaginal dryness.
Aromatherapy
While limited, there’s evidence showing that aromatherapy can help improve menopausal symptoms in middle-aged women. Lavender and neroli, for example, were found to be effective as a complementary method for relieving menopause symptoms.
Maintaining Hydration
Did you know that we require different levels of hydration? Menopausal women need to stay hydrated even more to combat menopausal symptoms.
Experts recommend that women drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and start their day with at least one glass with regular fluid intake even when they don’t feel thirsty.
Addressing Common Concerns
While natural remedies for menopause can be effective, you shouldn’t ignore these two research-backed methods: traditional treatment and lifecycle changes.
Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, learning to manage stress better, sleeping at least eight hours a day, and keeping cool, are still some of the best natural remedies for menopause.
Safety of Herbal Supplements
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can’t guarantee your safety and the effectiveness of taking dietary supplements. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) warns against relying too much on natural remedies for menopause.
Here are some red flags to look out for before taking natural remedies for menopause:
- Claims that are too good to be true. Big promises like saying that they can cure your menopause are a bad sign.
- Ingredients. There’s no “secret” formula for treating menopause symptoms. You should know all the minerals and vitamins the remedy contains and why it’s beneficial for menopause symptoms. Otherwise, skip it.
- Real testimonials. For supplements, watch out for testimonials from “fake clients” listed only by their first names, initials, and locations.
TLDR; most natural remedies for menopause work best in moderation and under medical guidance.
Consulting with Healthcare Providers
Your healthcare provider is your first line of defense against anything, including menopause symptoms. These medical experts will advise you on the most suitable natural remedies for menopause.
Combining Natural Remedies with Conventional Treatments
Between the natural remedies for menopause that we listed and other conventional treatments, there’s plenty that you can do to enjoy a better quality of life in your golden years.
This evidence-based fact sheet explains that the most important thing is that you believe a particular treatment works for you. This doesn’t 100% guarantee that the medicine will work, but your belief generates more brain chemical messengers that may contribute to a stronger placebo effect that may yield positive results.
Just be mindful of the potential risks and side effects carried by some supplements or therapies.
Conclusion
Your menopause symptoms will affect your life. However, there’s a difference between the occasional mood swings or night sweats and feeling unbearably miserable to the point that you’re affecting the people around you. If you're looking for natural remedies for menopause symptoms, consider making lifestyle changes first such as maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising more and eating loss, and quitting smoking.
If you insist on trying herbal remedies and other supplements, discuss your plans and other options with a healthcare professional first.
