Herbal Menopause Treatment Alternatives

Menopause is defined as the permanent cessation of menstruation in women that occurs at the extreme of life usually beginning somewhere between the ages of 45-50. It is a normal physiological process of aging but however causes a great number of discomfort and complications to women enough to make them seek medical attention. They include vasomotor complaints (hot flushes), in which the woman complains of excessive heat; psychosomatic complaints, whereby a woman could go into a state of depression; genital atrophy, that results from extremely reduced estrogen levels (same occurs in the uterus) and osteoporosis.

The issue of menopause is becoming increasingly important as life expectancy climbs to over 85 years for females in some developed countries. Since most baby-boomers are approaching or have reached menopause, they can expect to spend half of their lives post-menopause with all its attending challenges. Therefore, it becomes essential to lead good quality of life during this period.

This article addresses herbal menopause treatment alternatives as provided by Traditional Chinese Medicine and other Alternative Holistic Practices.

Soy: This contains phytoestrogens (estrogen-like substances from a plant). Some research has shown that soy food products can help with mild hot flashes. Other research suggests that women who have been diagnosed with estrogen-dependent breast cancer should be cautious with the amount of soy they take. However, women in general will find soy very useful.

A balanced diet is one of the biggest factors in coping with menopausal symptoms. Doctors and researchers such as Nancy Snyderman, M.D., Christine Northrup, M.D., Robert Arnot, M.D., Susan Love, M.D., Susan Lark, M.D., and Susan Weed have advocated eating foods that are high in phytoestrogens. The active ingredients in dietary supplements for menopause are phytoestrogens — they behave like the estrogen produced naturally in the body. These include herbs, such as black cohosh, wild yam, dong quai, and valerian root. Studies of black cohosh have found that it may reduce hot flashes and night sweats for some women.

St. John’s Wort and chaste berry may help some women with depressed mood. There is a long tradition of the use of these and other herbal remedies in menopause. There are claims it reduces hot flushes and night sweat significantly.

Flax seed has a significant impact in providing menopause symptom relief and menopause help, as well, according to ongoing studies. During this mid-life change, many menopausal women strive to achieve hormonal balance with the proper combination of diet, exercise and nutrition. Proper diet containing flax seed could therefore be very helpful for treatment of menopause naturally.

TMN-1 Significant improvement in scores of hot flashes and KI were found at weeks 4 and 12 in the 50 peri- and 53 postmenopausal women. Logistic regression analyses showed that perimenopausal women with hot flashes had sevenfold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8–28.0) odds of improvement in favor of treatment, whereas that of the postmenopausal group was 1.5 (95% CI, 0.5 to 4.2). Further analyses showed that TMN-1 produced superior benefit in women with moderate and severe menopausal symptoms (KI ≥ 21), compared to those with mild symptoms. It also improved symptoms of insomnia, nervousness, melancholia, and palpitation in perimenopausal women. Five (5) adverse drug reactions were detected: three single events of nausea, abdominal pain, and abdominal fullness; and two events of diarrhea. This study provides evidence that, 12 weeks of TMN-1 therapy is a viable alternative treatment to consider in perimenopausal women with hot flashes, particularly in those with palpitations, emotional disturbance, and insomnia.

Menozac is a natural alternative to HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and is designed to relieve common symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, mood swings, lack of vaginal secretions, night sweats and anxiety and depression. This Menozac is a natural menopause treatment that provides a trust worthy natural alternative to prescription drugs. Ingredients found in the pills include vitamin E, soy, black cohosh and damaiana, all assisting with symptoms of menopause. MacaActive (Lepidium Meyenii) is a dehydrated vegetable plant which produces a radish-like root. The use of this herbal root dates back to approximately 2000 years ago, and only survives at very high altitudes between 12,000 - 14,500 feet above sea level. MacaActive's natural ingredients stimulate human hormonal glands into working more efficiently. It is an all-natural herbal supplement for improving hormonal processes. It therefore can stimulate estrogen secretion which is the major problem in menopausal women provides several benefits. Here are some of the benefits: Normalizes hormonal levels, Promotes healthy sexual performance which becomes possible as estrogen secretions helps avoid vaginal atrophy and dryness, Increases energy and vitality. MacaActive indisputably perform wonders as far natural treatment of menopause is concern.

Yin Deficiency: Reman-AP # 170 is one of the most commonly used and most effective formulas for menopause. It has marked effectiveness to treat the cause (estrogen deficiency) and the symptoms of menopause (hot flashes, perspiration, insomnia, emotional instability, etc.) Just like the others, the focus to naturally replace deficient hormones.

Deficient heat rising: Lady's Friend # 36 is another formula that is extremely effective for menopause. The main focus is to address: menopausal symptoms; severe hot flashes, night sweating, insomnia, streaming-bones sensations, irritability, dizziness, nervousness, and emotional disturbance. The therapeutic actions of the formula are to clear deficiency heat, calm the spirit of the heart and treat excess worrying or anxiety.

Kidney Jing (essence) deficiency: Osteo Forte # 172 is the formula of choice for prevention and treatment osteoporosis. It contains herbs that increase the utilization of calcium, strengthen the bones, prevent fractures and promote healing.

Diagnostic symptoms and signs of osteoporosis are weakness and soreness of the lower back and legs, inability to stand for a prolonged period of time, and decreased bone mass density. These herbs are rich in calcium, and function to increase absorption of calcium into bone, and promote growth and healing of bones. Its function is mainly in encouraging calcium absorption not to replace estrogen. It therefore makes sense to combine these treatments if a good result is expected in the alternative of herbal treatment for menopause.