In Parts One and Two I set out some information about menopause itself and some of the symptoms you may have during this change of your life. This final part deals with what you can do to help your symptoms.
Hot flushes and night sweats -A few years' ago I attended a talk by Dr Marilyn Glenville, the nutritionalist, about Menopause. She said one of the best ways of helping to minimise menopausal symptoms generally was to give up coffee, and any other form of caffeine, and alcohol totally. This will help but it is drastic. If you are a coffee drinker of over 5 cups a day I would suggest reducing your intake gradually. If you come straight off it you will suffer withdrawal symptoms.
Take care when eating spicy food as it will cause both hot flushes and night sweats. Thai food is particularly spicy. Try not to have baths and showers too hot and make sure drinks are not drunk piping hot.
Some women find hot flushes can be helped by wearing a magnet. This needs to be used 24 hours a day but can be extremely helpful, is not hugely expensive and available from larger pharmacies. It can also help other symptoms too, and these will be listed on the leaflet supplied with it.
Night sweats can sometimes be helped by using a Chillow. This is a plastic rectangle which is filled with water. It has a special lining in it which keeps it permanently chilled. It slips under your pillow and if a night sweat starts you rest it under your head and the sweat quickly diminishes.
Overwhelming tiredness - As I said in Part Two, it is well worth having your thyroid levels checked by the doctor as it can become underactive after menopause and one of the symptoms of this is major tiredness. At the same time have iron levels looked at. If you have been suffering heavy periods pre-menopause then you could be anaemic. Often, though, the tiredness has no cause. In this case I would suggest seeking out a therapist. More on this later in the article.
Forgetfulness - The key here is to make your brain work. When I was little my mother used to tell me the brain was a muscle and the more you worked it the better it would be. Not sure that is strictly true but I do believe that reading and studying is good for us. If crosswords are your thing, do them. If there is something you have always wanted to study, a language, for example, do this. There is proof that linguists and musicians suffer less from dementia than other professions so you could take up a musical instrument. When you are tired and not able to concentrate this seems the last bit of advice you want but achieving something new, however basic the standard, is really satisfying.
Urinary Tract Infections - Drink lots of water and cut down on alcohol. Foods to avoid are pork, processed and cured meats. Eat sparingly the following: aubergines, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and spinach. Wear cotton pants and avoid perfumed soaps, bubble bath and talcum powder.
If all this fails and you still seem to be prone to these infections see a herbalist. They will take your case history and will be able to come up with a single or combination of herbs to help you through this difficult time.
Dizziness - If it is purely due to hormonal changes there are a number of things you can try. Homoeopathy can be beneficial but it is really important to see a homoeopath and have a remedy prescribed solely for you rather than reading them up in a book and trying to find one which nearly fits your symptoms. Chinese herbs can be useful too. Again see a qualified practitioner for this. Often a herb which supports the liver will sort this out remarkably quickly. You could also try using a magnet. These are readily available and will help many symptoms, including hot flushes (as mentioned above), headaches and vaginal dryness.
Palpitations - A blood test will rule out anaemia, which can cause palpitations. If you do have these I believe it is especially important to cut out caffeine completely. Make sure you eat regularly so that blood sugar levels do not drop. Homoeopathy can be really helpful with these but you will probably need a high potency of a remedy so should see a homoeopath to discuss your individual case.
The good thing is that even though this symptom is horrible it will cease when your hormones settle and will not cause any lasting problems.
Anxiety - As with palpitations try and make sure you eat regularly to keep blood sugar levels even.
A magnet, as mentioned earlier for use with hot flushes, can be helpful with both palpitations and anxiety. I would also consider trying Chinese Herbs.
Insomnia - Following the above advice for help with hot flushes will also help sleeplessness. Classic advice such as having a milky drink before bed is worth trying. Have a relaxing bath (not too hot, of course, as this could cause a hot flush) with up to 7 drops of lavender essential oil mixed in can help. You could also try 4 drops of lavender on a tissue tucked under your pillow.
Lack of libido - Make sure you eat sensibly, exercise and get plenty of rest. Try a multivitamin and mineral supplement too which may help.
Skin dryness - It is really important to drink lots of water to keep you hydrated. Do start using skin creams for more mature skin, depressing as this sounds. Unfortunately, we can no longer just wash skin and do nothing else; it needs work now to help it. If you can afford it, have a regular facial to really oil the skin. Homemade face packs work well. An excellent one is to apply egg white to clean skin, omitting the area around the eyes, leave for 20 mins and wash off. You face will feel soft and plumped up. This is brilliant before a night out. Eat oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon, sardines and take a good Multivitamin and mineral supplement along with Vitamin E.
Vaginal Dryness - Try using a magnet, as mentioned earlier, and take Vitamin E. It will take up to three months to make a difference but in many cases can help enormously. It is also worth using a natural lubricant before sex. These are readily available from health shops and larger pharmacies.
Joint and Muscle Pain - If you are having problems see if any foods seem to add to this. Possible triggers are tomatoes, orange juice and oranges, spinach, rhubarb and potatoes. With some people the joint pain will be worse the day after, with others it may take a couple of days. The easiest thing will be to start a food diary. If you can pinpoint a food eliminate it for a month then reintroduce it and see if it is still causing problems. If so, cut it out or reduce it. When menopausal symptoms stop you will be able to eat normally again so I am not suggesting you must give it up forever.
It is really important to keep fit throughout our lives. Try and do some brisk walking at least 5 times a week for 20-30 minutes. Incorporate a steep incline if you can to get the heart working so you get some aerobic exercise. Use stairs at work where you can. This will not only help keep joints moving and supple but will be a good preventative for many problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol problems. Oestrogen has the most wonderfully protective effective on women and reduces our risk of heart disease but post-menopause our risk equals that of men. Therefore, it is important to keep fit and look after ourselves so as to diminish this risk.
An excellent supplement to help bones and muscles is one containing calcium and magnesium. These will also help leg cramps and restless legs. Try to make sure the type of magnesium used is magnesium citrate. If taking magnesium oxide very little is absorbed. Follow the dosage recommendations on the label. In some instances this supplement can cause diarrhea. If this is the case, see a homoeopath as there are remedies you can take which will work just as well without any side effects.
Many foods also contain these two vital minerals. Almonds, Brazil nuts and walnuts contain good amounts of them. Walnuts are also very good for reducing cholesterol levels, and nuts, in moderation, are not as fattening as many people think. Green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, also contain it. Taking the recommended (in the UK) five portions of fruit and vegetables is for a good reason as it will help boost levels of these important minerals.
Yoga or Pilates would be beneficial too. Not only can they help aches and pains but will give you some "me" time, which is important too.
To sum up, menopause is different for every woman. I have discussed some of the symptoms but it does vary hugely. If you are having problems it is really important to find something that works for you and this may take time. If you do not want to spend money then at the very least eat a really good diet, exercise regularly and do some meditation.
Some women find massage helps them, others reflexology or Reiki. I have mentioned taking herbs. There are many herbal supplements quoted in magazines that help menopause but many women take them and find they do not work for them. This is because it is so important to treat people individually. If you want to try the herbal route see a practitioner. It is well worth the money to "get it right". The same follows for Chinese Herbs. Reading about them is one thing but getting the right one for you is a totally different thing. Sometimes it is false economy to treat ourselves. We practitioners spend many hours studying to learn how to treat people as individuals which is of great importance during menopause as it varies so much from woman to woman.
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