Firstly remember…As the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care puts it, “Menopause is not an illness. It is normal for hormone levels to fall in middle age. These hormones do not need to be replaced.”
Up your self care!! Look at the stressors in your life, what can you cut back on?
Spend more time with yourself- journaling, cycle charting, walks in nature, yoga, breathing, meditation, journeying, exercise, Epsom salt baths, spas, receiving massages, reiki, lovely treatments…whatever calls to you.
Sleep! Take naps/rest where you can, ideally we need 7-9 hours per night. When insomnia hits this is difficult, so find ways to rest while not sleeping if you’re having bouts of insomnia, have a head torch and a good book, listen to meditations or soothing music on an iPod, give yourself healing- make use of these wakeful hours as best you can.
Look at your diet and drink plenty of water (especially up your water intake if you are experiencing hot flushes and night sweats)- if possible see a nutritionist Cut out sugar, caffeine, alcohol, fizzy drinks, processed foods, refined oils and fried foods, cut back on dairy, meat, wheat. Do eat organic, high fibre foods and include omega 3 oils and healthy fats. A note about soya- soya is often talked about for menopause but it’s worth remembering many soya products in the West are highly processed, so stick to fermented soya- tempeh and fresh tofu- available from most Chinese supermarkets.
Basic supplements- magnesium citrate, vitamin D, a good multi vitamin that includes iron. I recommend using Cytoplan – they supply food based supplements that are easy for your body to absorb and don’t put strain on the liver. A nutritionist will recommend the best supplements for you. https://www.cytoplan.co.uk
Other women- listening partnerships, inspiring stories (Red Moon Passage book), women’s circles- red tent groups, purple tent groups, grandmother circles, inspiring older women in your community and in the media.
Alternative Therapies
Trauma Release Exercises (TRE UK offer workshops all over the UK) EFT Tapping- check out Nick Ortners you Tube videos TCM -Traditional Chinese Medicine- acupuncture, Chinese herbs, moxabustion, cupping
Womb Massage and womb packs (especially for symptoms like flooding and fibroids- see a qualified practitioner) Homeopathy Yoga- especially Alternate Nostril Breathing (look it up on you tube)
Aromatherapy massage/ essential oils Reiki
Herbs
Motherwort: fast relief for those with menstrual cramps. A 5-10 drop dose, taken at the first twinge of pain and repeated every 10- 15 minutes, or as needed, will do the trick for most women Motherwort is a favourite ally of menopausal women too. A dropperful stops hot flashes, relieves rapid heartbeat, soothes frayed nerves, and helps the tears flow. A dose of 10-15 drops taken just before bed can help ensure deeper sleep. Daily use of 15 drops several times a day can improve vaginal elasticity and bolster libido.
Black Cohosh: Can help prevent menopausal symptoms including hot flashes and night sweats. Research shows it might also help improve sleep quality, reduce hormonal imbalances tied to diabetes or fibroids, and even help women with fertility prior to menopause. This works better taken for 3 months and then have a break for 6 weeks and start taking again.
Vitex or Chasteberry: Vitex has been clinically proven to relieve hot flashes. It also has many of the same hormone-balancing properties as black cohosh, helping to regulate hormones tied to sleep problems, fibroids, skin changes and irregular periods.
Research shows that vitex increases luteinizing hormone, modulates prolactin and aids in the inhibition of the release of follicle-stimulating hormone, which all helps balance out the ratio of progesterone to estrogen, slightly raising the levels of progesterone.
American Ginseng: For thousands of years, ginseng has been used to increase energy and sexual arousal. Some research suggests it can help relieve hot flashes, fatigue, depression and cognitive impairments, and vaginal dryness.
Red Clover: Can help prevent loss of bone density and lower risk for heart complications. Red clover contains isoflavones that have positive effects in reducing symptoms related to oestrogen loss — such as hot flashes, trouble sleeping, weight gain, bone loss, bone fractures or osteoporosis, cardiovascular problems, and inflammation of the joints.
St. John’s Wort: This herb has been safely used for over 2,000 years, often to lower anxiety, depression and sleep-related problems. It may be able to help to stabilize your mood, reduce inflammation, improve your sleep and make the emotional/mental transition through menopause a bit easier.
Maca Root As an adaptogen herb, maca has been used for thousands of years to lower the effects of stress and aging on the body by decreasing cortisol levels. It can help reduce hot flashes, low energy/fatigue, restlessness and weight gain while improving libido and energy.
Adaptogen Herbs: These plants offer protection from a variety of diseases, including those caused by excess stress. Adapotogens include ashwagandha, medicinal mushrooms, rhodiola and holy basil. Research shows they can help improve thyroid function, lower cholesterol, reduce anxiety and depression, reduce brain cell degeneration, and stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels. Although less commonly used at home on your own, other botanicals/herbs can also help manage symptoms including: evening primrose oil, licorice root, wild yams, red raspberry leaves, chaste tree and sarsaparilla. Each one has a specific symptom (or sometimes symptoms) that they are able to help treat, so it can be very helpful to talk with a trained naturopath doctor to help guide you into using proper dosages and combinations.
Essential oils
Clary Sage Oil A 2014 study published in the Journal of Phytotherapy Research found that inhalation of clary sage oil had the ability to reduce cortisol levels by 36% and improved thyroid hormone levels (TSH). The study was done on 22 post-menopausal women in their 50’s, some of which were diagnosed with depression and at the end of trial the researchers stated that “clary sage oil had a statistically significant effect on lowering cortisol and had an anti-depressant effect improving mood”. This is just one of the many studies proving clary sage oil benefits hormones. The biggest benefit of clary sage is that it helps balance out oestrogen production in the body. A lot of health issues today, even things like infertility, PCOS and oestrogen-based cancers, are caused from excess oestrogen in the body — in part, because of our consumption of high-oestrogen foods. Because clary sage helps balance out those oestrogen levels, it’s an incredibly effective essential oil in the a wide array of hormone imbalances. So, whether you’re looking for natural remedies for PMS cramps during the month,or possibly already know you have excess oestrogen in your body, clary sage is a great essential oil to consider adding to your essential oil regime.
Thyme Oil Research discussed in the Proceedings of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine discovered thyme essential oil has progesterone balancing effects. Thyme oil benefits the body by improving progesterone production. Both men and a lot of women are low in progesterone, and low progesterone levels have been linked with infertility, PCOS and depression as well as other imbalanced hormones within the body. Improved progesterone makes thyme a great essential oil you can use to naturally balance out hormones in your body.
Sandalwood Oil Of these three essential oils for hormones, sandalwood essential oil is very effective at balancing out testosterone levels in both men and women.
Using Essential Oils An oil burner is the easiest way to use oils, add a few drops of oil to the water on the top of your burner. You can simply mix some coconut oil with the essential oil, itself, and rub it on different areas of the body. And, because essentials oils are so small molecularly, they can actually be absorbed into your body through your skin, so you can get full body effects simply by putting essential oils directly on the skin. I like to put some Epsom salts in a jar and add essential oils to the salts, the after the salts have soaked up the oils, sprinkle into your bath…add rose petals for extra luxury!
A few other essential oils are also known to balance and support hormone health in the body include Rose essential oil, which has been used also as an aphrodisiac, as well as a natural mood lifter. It’s been shown to help in improving serotonin and other neuropeptides in the brain — aka those good mood hormones. lavender oil and chamomile oil are effective at reducing stress, therefore naturally lowering cortisol levels, which is very important for the body when it’s trying to overcome disease.
In general, one of the best essential oils for thyroid function and autoimmune issues is frankincense oil, which reduces inflammation, also helping to lower those cortisol levels.
Other tips can be found here-
https://www.rachaelcrow.co.uk/balancing-our-hormones-naturally/
https://www.rachaelcrow.co.uk/who-are-your-allies/
https://www.rachaelcrow.co.uk/books-that-have-helped-me-on-my-menopause-journey/
https://www.rachaelcrow.co.uk/signs-you-may-be-peri-menopausal/
https://www.rachaelcrow.co.uk/moon-pause-musings-vlog/
https://www.rachaelcrow.co.uk/deepening-into-autumn-woman/
https://www.rachaelcrow.co.uk/the-threshold-to-wise-woman/
https://www.rachaelcrow.co.uk/messages-from-my-inner-autumn-woman/
Disclaimer- Any health advice that I give is my opinion based on my general professional experience but not your specific case. As such, you should always seek the advice of your own health professionals. You are advised to do your own due diligence when it comes to making decisions about and all information, products, services that have been provided should be independently verified by your own qualified professionals.
© Rachael Crow 2018
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