Menopause: Natural Remedies That Actually Work
If you’re struggling with menopause symptoms, you’re not alone. “Fifty per cent of my female patients have concerns about menopause,” says Sydney GP, Min Yeo. She tells them that many symptoms can be managed through diet and exercise – and that menopause can offer a fresh start.
“Menopause is a great opportunity to re-examine the way you live your life,” she says. “It’s a time to really ramp up your health and turn your life around because at 40 or fiftysomething, you still have time on your side. You can become fitter, stronger and smarter.”
While diet and lifestyle changes can offer relief from menopause symptoms, be aware that the effects take time and commitment. “The body works in six-week cycles. You break an arm – that’s six weeks in plaster; you break a leg – about 12 weeks in plaster,” Dr Yeo says. “Allow 12 weeks to see the changes. Don’t just try something for three days and give up.”
Change your diet
The way you eat can make a big difference to how you experience menopause. Ensuring your diet contains enough oils is important for women whose skin feels dry and itchy due to the drop in oestrogen levels. Olive oil, avocado, walnuts, wild salmon, sardines, sesame seeds are all recommended foods.
“You also need adequate protein, preferably wild fish and probably some animal protein for collagen, which is especially good for thinning hair associated with menopause,” Dr Yeo says. “Food that are high in phytoestrogen, like legumes, tofu and flaxseed, mimic oestrogen and decrease hot flushes.”
Phytoestrogen-rich foods also help your digestive system function smoothly, ensuring that you are absorbing nutrients.
“Phytoestrogen foods increase fibre and help get rid of toxins that your liver dumps into your gut. The toxins go out of your body rather than getting re-absorbed into the body via constipation. That has an impact on hormone regulation, too.
“If you are passing wind, have bloating or constipation, it’s very important to address those issues.”
Take supplements
Magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and evening primrose oil can all help women experiencing menopausal symptoms. “Magnesium is super, super important because it’s the relaxing mineral – it helps with sleep, it helps with hot flushes because it reduces anxiety,” says Dr Yeo.
Specific extracts of black cohosh – a member of the buttercup family – seem to have also been proven beneficial in clinical studies.
“Specific extracts of black cohosh have been known to help reduce hot flushes, but it does cause liver disturbance in some people. We don’t know why, but see a doctor to discuss taking it and if you do take it, get your liver function tested before you start and during the course of taking the supplement. I don’t recommend taking black cohosh for any longer than one year.”
Get serious about exercise
Dr Yeo says a solid exercise regime will help combat health risks associated with menopause. “Exercise is really important. I suggest walking 10,000 steps [around 8 kilometres] and doing resistance exercises – say, a seven-minute workout or yoga sequence – daily. In addition, each week do cardio exercise – huff and puff! – for about 120 minutes,” Dr Yeo says.
During menopause bone density and muscle bulk can decline. There is also a risk of increased insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes, which in turn is associated with heart disease.
“We need to have muscle bulk which decreases insulin resistance and also decreases the incidence of falls,” Dr Yeo says. “We also need to make sure our bones are really strong to avoid osteoporosis, which can be associated with debilitating hip fractures. Weight-bearing exercise, adequate protein, calcium, mineral consumption, vitamin D and sunlight will all help.” But, adds Dr Yeo, “[To benefit from these] you need an efficient digestive system.
“The thing to remember is all these things work synergistically, so you can't just do one thing at a time. It’s lots of things you do together, much like a great artwork, all the subtle things make a difference.”
This information is general only. Always seek advice from a medical practitioner about your personal health conditions. We do not accept any liability for any injury, loss or damage caused by use of the information provided in our website.
Words_ Patricia Sheahan
Photos_ Jessica Felicio/UnSplash