Menopause Herbal Supplements - Get Relief From The Symptoms of Menopause

Although a lucky few women slip through menopause untouched by symptoms, most of us aren't that fortunate. The worst part is that symptoms can go on for literally years unless you do something to get rid of them. If you're suffering through menopause, herbal supplements can be the natural solution to get rid of your symptoms.

Of course, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can do the trick as well. But if have concerns about some of the long term side effects that come with taking HRT, then you may want to try something natural.

Herbs have been used by women in years past and they worked. Maybe not as quickly as HRT, but when you're considering your health, the trade-off is worth the wait. Natural herbal remedies are a safe and effective way of reducing or eliminating the symptoms of menopause.

Menopause occurs when the menstrual cycle comes to an end. As this happens the production of estrogen tapers off, creating an imbalance. It's this hormonal imbalance that causes the uncomfortable hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and other symptoms.

With HRT, it's a one size fits all approach to dealing with symptoms. No two women are exactly the same, so why should our menopausal symptoms be treated in the same way? Herbal remedies are designed to restore the balance in the body's hormones while at the same time targeting specific symptoms. Some herbs work better at relieving certain symptoms than other herbs, so it's important to know what you are looking for.

There are two basic types of herbs that can be used to relieve menopausal symptoms; phytoestrogenic and non-estrogenic herbs. Each type does something different.

Phytoestrogenic herbs contain natural plant estrogen. Plant estrogen can replace the estrogen in a woman's system and by doing that can directly relieve her symptoms.

Red clover and black cohosh are two of the most common phytoestrogenic herbs and they are known to regulate the estrogen levels in the body.

On the other hand, non-estrogenic herbs do not contain natural estrogen. They work in a different way. They stimulate the endocrine system in the body to produce its own natural estrogen. The herb macafem is known to help relieve menopausal symptoms.

Non-estrogenic herbs are thought to be even safer than phytoestrogenic herbs as they don't add estrogen directly to the body.

How well herbal remedies work will vary from woman to woman. Some factors that may affect their effectiveness include the severity and kind of symptoms, other medication being taken, and when menopause began.

The bottom line is that many women have gotten relief from menopausal symptoms by using herbs. But it can be tricky to try to figure out what and how much to take.

Probably the most foolproof way of taking an herbal remedy is in supplement form. Supplements are made with optimal amounts of specific herbs, so you know what you are getting and what to expect. Because of that, to treat the symptoms of menopause, herbal supplements may be your best bet.

Sex Drive and a Natural Menopause Relief Solution

One of the most common menopause symptoms is a low sex drive, along with the hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings. The good news is that there are a number of safe, natural menopause relief solutions available to help!

During perimenopause and menopause it is quite normal to feel a decreased appetite for sex. This is because the body naturally is putting survival ahead of pleasure. Fortunately, it is usually a simple matter to restore your libido.

Why does your libido decrease?

Usually the reason is due to a hormonal imbalance. A lifetime of dieting can be the cause, especially low fat diets. This is because the body requires the fat to produce the necessary hormones.

Another common reason is stress. When the body is under stress, which it usually is, the adrenal glands work overtime to keep you in an alert state. Gradually this disrupts the hormonal balance, with the resulting symptoms of menopause.

During menopause the hormones begin to change and very often the balance between the testosterone, estrogen and progesterone changes. Once again, the common menopause symptoms appear.

How can you increase your libido?

The first step in finding a natural menopause solution is to get an evaluation of your hormones by taking the free, online assessment available below. It is very informative, and the results are kept confidential. Plus, it is free!

Some important steps you should take are

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  Eat a diet rich in fresh, organic fruits and vegetables
  


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  Drink plenty of water
  


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  Make sure you get adequate vigorous exercise
  


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  Make every effort to get enough sleep and rest
  


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  Take time for yourself, you need to recharge and be centered
  


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  Use high quality vitamin/mineral supplements
  

Communicate with your partner

Often women are reluctant to speak up about things such as vaginal dryness or discomfort. They are so used to caring for others that they just put up with it. Yet, by merely mentioning that you feel pain during intercourse and want to find a natural menopause relief solution, you can often find new satisfaction.

There are numerous water based lubricants available that can make a dramatic difference. Drinking lots of water will also have the effect of lubricating the vaginal area.

Your partner certainly wants you to be comfortable and satisfied, it is in his best interest as well! There is no need to suffer from a low sex drive during menopause.

What you should do

• Take the free online assessment


• Take steps to improve your overall health, as mentioned above


• Use high quality vitamin/mineral supplements


• Communicate with your partner


• Use lubricants and drink plenty of water


• Take time for yourself so you are happy!

How Amberen Wins The Fight Against Menopause

Talk to any woman who is in her fifties and most will have a story to share about menopause that will border on a nightmarish experience. No matter what you do, there is no easy way of going through menopause. Sleeplessness caused by hot flashes that leads to fatigue are just a small part of the numerous changes a woman's body experiences. We must not forget the bloat and weight gain, and the constant emotional roller coaster that we seem to be on.

The Food and Drug Administration allowed for the use of hormone replacement therapy only to find that it had many unexpected and serious side effects. Why this was not noted before the product was released is still a question that plagues me, but who am I to question the powers that be. All I know is that I was not interested in giving up hot flashes for cancer, stroke and heart attack, no matter how severe they were. Menopause symptoms are some of the worst feelings I have ever undergone, but to my knowledge there are none known to cause death.

The health food store gave me a few leads, but nothing seemed to work as promised. I scoured the computer in search of anything that could aid in the relief of the dastardly symptoms and I found a product referred to as Amberen. Could there actually be a product claiming to be totally non-hormonal and yet works like a hormone treatment to restore your body to its former self? I must be having some kind of out of body experience related to lack of estrogen, for I am finding these claims difficult to believe.

Well, menopause may have won a few battles but the war was not yet over. I ordered the product and started taking it as soon as it arrived. Within a few days the changes became more and more noticeable. I felt like me again. The person I had lived with all my life was returning to inhabit my body. Instead, of being married to a shrew, my husband could again enjoy having me in the same room with him.

Amberin makes no false promises. It guarantees results with a money back guarantee. Unlike many medications, it is not one that has to be taken forever. The normal regimen is to take the tablets for 90 days, and then discontinue use until symptoms begin again. The amount of time off Amberen will vary from woman to woman.As for side effects, it is known to cause headache in some women. Giving up all those symptoms for a headache; I will take the headache thank you very much. This product contains a small amount of MSG that is the cause of the headaches, so if you have consumed MSG with no ill effects, this will not create a problem for you. Unfortunately, any woman that suffers from hyperthyroidism is not a candidate for Amberen.

It is advisable that you confer with your physician before beginning this regimen and if he is unfamiliar with the product, clinical manuscripts are available for him to read. This product has for me won the fight against menopause. After many hard fought battles with symptoms, I am again once symptom free thanks to other secrets I have learned that I feel pharmaceutical companies don't want us to know. What are they?

Dealing With Menopause Fatigue

Menopause is a very serious and often very challenging time in a woman's life, one which is often very difficult to face. After all it is basically the signaling of the end of the woman's fertility period, the end of the chance of being able to become pregnant.

Most women cite that the hardest part of all of dealing with menopause is dealing with the symptoms that come with it, including hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. Hot flashes are typically the most common and most complained about symptom of all, and tend to begin in perimenopause, the stage immediately previous to actual menopause.

Hot Flashes

The hot flashes usually begin in the hypothalamus which is a part of the brain that controls body temperature, and the hot flash is basically the body's way of cooling itself, like the way a refrigerator kicks on when you open the door on a hot day, to give you a better idea of the concept that is involved here.

Herbal remedies for women with hot flashes include:

1. plants that cool the system, such as chickweed, elder and violet;


2. plants that nourish or increase oxygen utilization in the liver, such as dong quai, dandelion, Ho Shou Wu (polygonum multiflorum) and yellow dock; and


3. plants rich in phytosterols, such as black cohosh.

Menopause Fatigue

Another of the most talked about symptoms of menopause is menopause fatigue, which the majority of all women experience during this time in their lives. In fact, for most menopause sufferers menopause fatigue is all too common, and while some women only notice mild fatigue, others report it being so bad that they have to remain lying down with their eyes closed and cannot move for extended periods of time.

Menopause fatigue comes in a variety of forms including as a loss of energy after working out, motion sickness fatigue resulting from mixed signals in the brain, and some women are even diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome which is also often accompanied by a variety of other symptoms as well including a chronic cough, chills and night sweats, brain fog, chest pain, shortness of breath, jaw pain, weight loss or gain, and psychological problems.

B vitamins are excellent for energy. The best way to get your B vitamins is through nutritional yeast. Be sure to get a brand that has been processed at low temperatures.

Coconut oil is an excellent energy booster and good for your thyroid. It can also help you lose weight. Try 2 tablespoons in a little warm water before meals.

CoQ10 is good for your heart and gums as well as your energy.

L-carnitine is an excellent supplement for energy as well as weight loss.

L-tyrosine is an amino acid that can give you more energy if you are not getting enough of it in your diet.

Seaweeds are packed with nutrients, especially trace minerals, which many people are deficient in. Seaweeds also helps support thyroid function. You can add seaweeds to your diet or take a kelp supplement.

Other Symptoms

Besides hot flashes and menopause fatigue there is also an array of other symptoms that are commonly experienced, including memory and concentration problems, insomnia, low sexual desire, weight gain, mood swings, hair loss and depression.

If these natural remedies do not help, it is important to speak to your doctor if any of these symptoms become too severe or if you are finding yourself unable to complete daily activities and tasks without problems.

Urethritis & Cystitis Treatment

Cystitis refers to sharp and painful inflammation of the bladder whereas urethritis is inflammation of urethra which is the tube, through which the urine travels from the bladder to the outside.

One of the symptoms of cystitis is an acute burning sensation around the vulva and it hurts during urinary excretion. You can easily get to know when you are suffering from urethritis since the symptoms are so obvious and hard to ignore. The urge to urinate increases which is accompanied by a lower back pain. Urethra or bladder infection gives a whole new meaning to "urgency". It usually occurs due to poor hygiene in the area of urethra. It can also occur due to congenial defects in the urinary tract or if an instrument which is not sterilized is inserted in a patient to analyze a urinary problem. There may also be discharge which is cloudy, green-yellow mucus or white and watery.

Going by doctor's advice, one should never hold urine for too long, since it leads to infection. Drinking less water doesn't mean that there will be less urine, it would just result in dehydration. Drinking lots of water would immediately give relief from the pain. Water removes all the toxins from the body and cleanses the entire excretory system. As it is said prevention is better than cure so it is essential to drink minimum of 10 glasses of water a day.

It is generally observed that women who have undergone menopause are easily susceptible to urethritis and cystitis. The best way to treat urethritis and cystitis is to go to the doctor who would prescribe antibiotics to recover. Intake of vitamin C can prevent frequent infections. A herbal cure is to drink pure cranberry juice which will give you relief since it will acidify the urine and reduce the infection. Dried cranberries can also be tried. In Homeopathy "Cantharis" is recommended as a cure. Decreasing sugar and soda intake can also help to reduce the problem.

Home remedies to treat cystitis is to drink cucumber juice mixed with a tablespoon of fresh lime juice and a teaspoon of honey taken 3 times daily, This would make you feel better very quickly. One more home remedy is to use a teaspoon of drumstick flower juice and mix it with coconut water taken twice daily. To avoid using medication, you can also drink radish leaves juice once daily which would surely make you feel better. Somehow it is always said it is best to treat infections with natural things than man made, hence you can also try spinach juice mixed with coconut water. Drink twice daily and it would do wonder for your cystitis.

It is not necessary that cystitis and urethritis would always occur simultaneously. However, frequently the two coincide. When they occur together it is also called UTI (urinary tract infection).

Another treatment for cystitis is radiation cystitis treatment. In radiation cystitis treatment, radiation helps in treating the infected area and prevents the infection from spreading in any other organ. The flip side of this treatment is that the tissue near the infected area could get affected by the radiation beam. It is usually used when the infection becomes very severe.

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Early Menopause - Dry Eyes

Dry eyes are the least likely symptom of early menopause and menopause that you would think of. It is not often mentioned as being a menopausal symptom most of the time. Menopausal and post-menopausal women often complain of dry eyes but it is with some
'digging' that a connection might be made. There are symptoms and causes of dry eye. There are treatments for early menopause symptoms including dry eye.

Symptoms of Dry Eye

Though dry eyes are not usually connected to menopause, it will take some checking things out to determine this. Symptoms include itchiness, scratchiness, grittiness, and/or tears running down your cheeks. Your eyes may get more 'tired' throughout the day, become irritated from smoke, wind, or air movement and you may get stringy mucus in the eye. Light sensitivity, blurriness, and problems with your contacts may occur.

If dry eyes are not treated, your eyes could become ulcerated, the cornea can be scarred, or they may become seriously infected.

Causes of Dry Eye

There are two main reasons for dry occurring. The Meibomian Gland (in the inner eyelids), does not have enough oil being produced or the watery tears may evaporate too quickly. Most people have both low production of oil and excessive evaporation of tears.

There are lifestyle events that might contribute to having dry eye. When you are looking at a computer screen or reading a book and you don't blink enough to spread the eye fluid may cause dry eye. Other life events that may be connected to dry eye include wearing contacts that absorb fluids, having Lasik surgery, which cuts nerves and reduces your impulse to blink, and taking some medications such as allergy medications diuretics - birth control pills can dry out your eyes also.

A fatty acid deficiency or a deficiency of anti-inflammatory foods and auto immune diseases such as Diabetes, Arthritis, and Lupus may also cause dry mouth.

Dry eyes may affect you if you are in perimenopause, specifically because this is the time when hormones do the most fluctuation. The greater the estrogen in your system, the less tear production you will have. There is a definite hormonal connection to dry eyes and hormonal imbalances.

The inflammation of dry eye may be connected to an overall minor inflammation. An inflammation will absorb any lubricants including eye fluids. This is a belief of TCM - traditional Chinese medicine that also holds that your purest energy is shown in your eyes. If there is any imbalance or deficiency, it will show in your eyes. In TCM the liver (a detoxifying organ) rules the eyes. Increased intake of fatty acids such as Omega 3's that can be found in fish such as mackerel, tuna, or wild salmon can be beneficial for this. It can also be found some seeds and nuts. Omega 3's help relieve inflammation, aid tear production, and aid in oil production in your tears.

Treatments of Early Menopause Dry Eyes

Artificial tears (eye drops) are the usual treatment for early menopause dry eyes. Eat a diet that includes Omega 3 fatty acids that can be found in fish, nuts, and seeds, and if necessary, natural supplements can benefit dry eyes and your over-all health. Make sure your hormones are balanced; this will likely be determined by a physical exam and blood work.

Have your doctor review your medications to see if a medication might not be contributing to your dry eyes. Try to avoid anything that might be irritating to your eyes such as smoke.

Blink - it is important for your eye health. Keep your body hydrated by drinking water, pure juices, milk, and herbal teas. A humidifier may help.
Take good care of your contacts if you wear them.

Natural herbal supplements may also benefit dry eyes because they are effective in relieving early menopausal symptoms. To be of high quality they should be made of standardized herbal extracts and be extensively tested to ensure quality, safety, effectiveness, and purity.

Conclusion

Early menopause dry eyes are often attributed to anything but menopause. With a little searching and life style inventory, your dry eyes might be connected to your menopause.

You may have itchy, gritty, redness, and irritated eyes. Treatments may include artificial tears, hydration, and including Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet may add lubrication to your eyes. There is a belief in Traditional Chinese Medicine that says the eyes will show imbalances because they channel your purest energy. The liver - the detoxification organ rules the eyes. Early menopause dry eyes are a real symptom of menopause.

More Symptoms of Menopause - Dry Skin and Hair Loss

Is dry skin a big part of your reality now that menopause symptoms have taken their toll? It may not be one of the worst symptoms, but it certainly can be part of menopause. Also, losing hair is another one of those "not so pleasant" side effects of menopause. Let's find out why this happens, and how they relate to menopause.

It's bad enough that women have to suffer through the night sweats and headaches, loss of sleep and irritability, but losing your hair? This is going too far isn't it? Some doctors are not convinced it really is caused by menopause, or a decrease in female hormones. But since it happens around the same time, it's possible that there is a relationship - although age probably has something to do with also. Of course the sun and gravity take their toll on a woman's skin too, so don't blame it all on menopause. Maybe about 50/50? Nobody knows for sure, but one thing is certain you need to stock up on skin cream at this age.

Since estrogen is decreasing during menopause, let's look at some of it's chemical side effects. The collagen and elastin that is in skin starts to degenerate which causes wrinkles to appear, which can be related to the estrogen decrease. Your skin starts to lose it's flexibility, and in many women the fatty layer just under the skin starts to become thinner as well. This also leads to more wrinkles, and a loser look to the skin. As the skin starts to sag, the wrinkles show up even more. Add to this the dryness many women experience at this time, and your skin is looking more like your Mothers every day, right?

Some women resort to taking the creams that are available with natural estrogen and progesterone ingredients, which are not only safer than taking HRT orally but more direct since they can be applied to the skin. These hormone-containing skin creams aren't a "miracle cure" for dry skin, but in many women seem to help slow down the process of aging skin, which is certainly a help. While you're at it, it's probably a great idea to either stay out of the sun, or use some type of high SPF sun blocking cream. Can you have both?
Shop around, as there are more than likely some creams that have both ingredients. If not just apply the estrogen or progesterone cream at night, and the sun block during the day! See if you find something that works, and keep experimenting. There are many alternatives out there these days, so why suffer with dry skin?

Another skin cream that seems to be popular is retinol-A, which has been around for awhile and seems to help the skin in many women. These creams are based on Vitamin A, and some women report smoother skin, reduced spots and wrinkles, and a healthier glow to the skin. They aren't cheap, but maybe worth a try. Of course the main thing you should remember is that eating healthy foods, which means less sugar for a start, is important to general health and skin. Drinking lots of water has also been known to keep the skin healthy as well, and don't forget those vitamins every day too.