Managing menopause naturally: non-medical route
How can you manage menopause naturally?
When those symptoms of perimenopause start to kick in, many of us will look for quick-fix solutions that can include natural remedies and supplements before, instead of, or even alongside the medical route. You will find various healthy, non-medical, natural ways to manage menopause symptoms that can also improve your physical and mental health. A double whammy!
It’s a non-negotiable that a healthy diet, lifestyle, regular physical activity and managing stress can help women reduce the symptoms of menopause, plus reduce the risk of developing heart and bone diseases.
Can making changes to diet and lifestyle help with menopause symptoms?
Food can be a key player in managing menopause symptoms. With a diet that’s highly processed, high in fat and low in fibre, western women report more difficult menopause symptoms than women from other cultures. This may be because other countries’ diets include little meat and no dairy products, and/or a diet richer in vegetables and legumes meaning resulting symptoms are much milder or even non-existent. Auditing what, how much and when you eat may pay off big time in helping to manage menopause symptoms and your overall health.
Does exercise help manage menopause?
Menopause and exercise make perfect partners. Exercise helps with mental and physical health, helping to manage menopause weight, strengthen muscles, deal with menopause stress and improve self-esteem as you invest time in yourself.
Heading into perimenopausal and onwards the best exercises for menopausal women will build strength, resistance and balance. The UK NHS guidelines recommend 150 mins of moderate activity per week, the older version of you, will thank you if you build exercise into your life now especially as recent research shows that exercise reduces the risk of death from heart disease and cancer by between 10-20%.
Find a qualified health & fitness coach , pilates, yoga teacher on Menopause Movement Directory.
Does CBT work for menopause?
The UK NICE guidelines, the gold standard for managing menopause, recommend Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as a treatment option for menopause anxiety and/or depressed mood. CBT helps to manage connections between the way that we think, and behave and the way that we feel emotionally and physically.
There’s evidence to show CBT won’t change the frequency of hot flushes but can be effective for managing the impact as women are more able to cope with the effects. It’s a great tool for women who can’t or don’t want to take HRT.
Manage your stress
Oestrogen helps to control cortisol levels, keeping them low. With menopause, fluctuating oestrogen levels can lead to increased levels of cortisol making you feel stressed. Here’s just one example, research shows that women often feel stressed or anxious just before a hot flush, getting on top of stress may lead to fewer hot flushes!
Recognising the role of stress on your symptoms, introduce some changes to your self-care in menopause. Try to find those quick and easily accessible fixes – look at your diet, reduce or cut out caffeine & alcohol. Take practical steps to reduce your stress using breathing techniques that will slow down your nervous system – find time for mindfulness and meditation, there are so many accessible apps to choose from. Move more – from dancing energetically around your kitchen to fitness and exercise yoga, pilates and aerobic programmes.
Can natural remedies help with menopause?
Increasingly, we’re looking to natural remedies and treatments to manage our health. Menopause is no exception. Women who don’t want to medicalise what is a natural event look for alternatives.
There’s a range of herbal remedies and supplements claiming to manage, reduce or stop menopausal symptoms but there’s little research to confirm their effectiveness. Natural doesn’t always mean safe, these remedies may interact with other medications that you’re taking, so do get advice from your doctor before taking them.
Herbal prescriptions may have a place for managing symptoms naturally. You’ll get the best advice and treatment from a medical herbalist who will be used to working alongside GPs. You’ll also ensure that you get quality herbs in the right dosage. If you buy from a related look for the THR (traditional herbal medicine) logo.
What natural therapies help with menopause?
Anecdotally women report that natural therapies – hypnosis, acupuncture and aromatherapy - help to manage symptoms. There’s little clinical evidence to prove that they work and what evidence there is, suggests a placebo effect. But as there’s no evidence that they do harm and if this is in line with your approach to managing your health, these natural therapies may help you to manage your menopause.
