Nutritional and Herbal Tips for Women Experiencing Menopause

Natural health tips and recipes for easing the menopause transition and improving overall health...

The article below originally appeared on the website BlogCritics.org.

BY: Dorene Petersen, ACHS President

Menopause is the natural cessation of menstruation and ovulation, which typically occurs in women ages 40-55. Though menopause is sometimes called the “change of life,” it does not have to change your life in a negative way. Rather, there are many natural strategies you can use to make the transition as smooth and health-promoting as possible.

Nutrition is a big part of everyday life and, for that reason, one of the best tools you can use to control any menopause-related symptoms. Once you know how to select foods that will support your body during menopause, you will feel more in control of what your body is experiencing, but you will also be practicing the best medicine possible — prevention.

Menopause is often associated with stressful symptoms like hot flashes, sweating, irritability, depression, and stomach upset. Why is that? Many naturopathic and allopathic doctors attribute menstruation with the ability to eliminate toxins from the body. Once menstruation ends, toxins have to find new channels and can overload other eliminatory channels. When this occurs, physical symptoms of toxicity appear.

Women cannot stop menopause from happening. But, we can ease the transition with a good nutrition program. There has been a lot of research about the role herbs can play in balancing hormones in the body. Plant saponins, such as the diosgenin found in wild yam, cause a mild balancing response by binding directly to hormone receptors. The following herbs contain beneficial saponins: black cohosh, dong quai, elder, ginseng, licorice, passion flower, and wild yam.

In addition, herbs can supply the extra nutrients needed during menopause. Calcium-rich herbs, for example, support bone health and are easy to incorporate into the daily diet via cooked meals or teas, including: alfalfa, cayenne, chamomile, chives, cleavers, dandelion, dill, parsley, plantain, red raspberry, red clover, rosehip, watercress, and yellow dock.

Additional vitamin and nutrient-rich herbs that can ease menopause include:

• Vitamin C (healthy teeth and gums, heart health, and clears out toxins): alfalfa, catnip, cayenne, dandelion, hawthorn, parsley, red raspberry, and rosehips.
• Vitamin E (for heart health and arteries): alfalfa, dandelion, kelp, red raspberry, rosehips, and watercress.
• Iodine (promotes nerve and brain activity and regulates metabolism): garlic, Irish moss, kelp, mustard, nettle, and parsley.
• Vitamin B1 (nervous and digestive system health): cayenne, dandelion, fathen, fenugreek, kelp, and watercress.
• Vitamin B2 (eye health): burdock, dandelion, fenugreek, parsley, and watercress.
• Vitamin B3 (niacin supports the adrenal glands; deficiency symptoms include insomnia, depression, and irritability): alfalfa, burdock, fathen, kelp, parsley, and sage.
  

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Homeopathy for personal health: World Homeopathy Awareness Week

Spring is here! In some parts of the country, that means plants are starting to bloom and the sun is shinning for the better part of a day. But in other locals, like here, in Portland, Oregon, the ratio of rain to sun still feels about 90-10. It can be difficult to fight that blah! feeling when all you want is a little quality time with vitamin D out of doors.

So, when is feeling blah! something more? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression varies in intensity and duration, and can appear at any stage of life. Symptoms vary, but can include: “changes in mood, with sadness, indifference to things that are usually pleasure, decrease in the usual level of functioning, and often, there are changes in functioning of the function of biological processes like sleep, appetite, energy, and sexual functioning. At times these functions decrease, at other times they will increase. Some people will have increased sleep and/or appetite; others, or at other times, will have decreased sleep and/or appetite (American Institute of Homeopathy).”

There is no single cure or remedy for depression. But—there are homeopathic remedies for people who are suffering with depression and, as fundamental to homeopathy, those particular symptoms of depression are part of the whole picture. In other words, homeopathy is a powerful holistic health protocol because it address the whole person, not an individual symptom or experience.

April 10-16 is World Homeopathy Awareness Week. If you want more information about how to integrate holistic and allopathic health care, now is the time. World Homeopathy Awareness Week is about bringing awareness to a 200-year-old natural health practice.

Events for World Homeopathy Awareness Week will take place in more than 45 countries worldwide. The theme for 2009 is homeopathy for allergies. For information about how to use homeopathy for personal health, or if you are interested in career training, CLICK HERE.