11 Natural Ways to Reduce Menopause Symptoms

Menopause is a natural biological process, which is both a concern and a stage of transition for each woman. Menopause can be described as functional amenorrhea or absence of the monthly menstrual periods for 12 months or more. Menstruation is a purely hormone controlled phenomenon existing in the female body, which is a good indicator of both the ovarian function and health. The oocytes within the ovaries produce two major hormones i.e. estrogen and progesterone responsible for regulating transitions from menarche i.e. the first menstrual period, to menopause in a woman’s body.

Menopause occurs due to a significant drop in the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the blood due to a halt in the function of the ovaries. As estrogen and progesterone start depleting, various changes roll out in a woman’s body due to which she experiences a bunch of symptoms. These symptoms encompass almost every system of the body and include: Headache, dizziness and fatigue, disturbed sleeping patterns, anxiety and mood swings, depression, palpitations, enlargement of breasts, breast tenderness (breast pain), hot flashes on the skin, dryness and itching of the skin, urinary incontinence and urgency, joint pain and stiffness, back pain, painful intercourse, vaginal dryness, and abnormal vaginal bleeding.

There are several conventional or natural as well as synthetic measures to manage menopause symptoms. Speaking of natural remedies, it includes all measures which women adopt as an alternative to hormone replacement therapies to minimize the adverse effects and the burden of medicines. Given Below Are 11 Natural Ways To Reduce Symptoms Of Menopause And Include:

Symptoms such as fatigue, headache and irritability occur due to the depletion in the energy reserves of the body. Women need to ensure that they consume a balanced diet containing an adequate amount of all nutrients and minerals to prevent the development of deficiencies which in turn lead to fatigue, dizziness, weakness and related symptoms.

Fruits are a rich source of vitamins and nutrients and help a lot in reducing the symptoms of menopause naturally. They not only help in replacing the lost or energy of the body but also help against the development of several degenerative conditions which postmenopausal women are more susceptible to developing. Similarly, fruits are enriched with anti-oxidants, which slow down the aging process of the body and help women in maintaining their young and fresh look without the need of expensive cosmetic therapies.

A diet that is rich in mineral supplements, such as dietary fibers, oats and so forth also contributes in regaining the lost calories and overcoming weakness pangs. Fats are a good reserve of energy and yield the highest caloric value when broken down. Safe fats, such as Omega-3 protect the body against the development of obesity, weight gain, cardiovascular diseases and so forth. Women should use more of cruciferous vegetables, which help maintain the natural balance of hormones and preserves the normal functions of the body.

The use of phytoestrogens in the diet, such as natto also help in maintaining the physiological balance of hormones in the body; especially estrogen, which also reduces the severity of such symptoms. Flax seeds are rich in both anti-oxidants and fats and therefore, should be added as an essential component of the diet. Women should use as many Probiotics as possible to boost their immune system and protect themselves against infections.

Exercise is the basic tool for a healthy life, especially for women in their postmenopausal phase who are susceptible to developing many health problems. Exercise is one of the best natural ways to reduce symptoms of menopause. Exercise keeps the body active and the individual fit. It increases flexibility in women of increasing age, which helps in preventing joint stiffness and problems. Back pain, a common complaint of post-menopausal women, is relieved by regular exercises.

Women in their menopausal transition should carry out regular aerobic exercises for about 10 to  30 minutes on an average. Squat jumps, burpees, jumping jacks, jumping ropes, crunches are easy doable exercises for women, which help increase their blood flow to tissues and strengthen their ligaments reducing friction and joint pains.

Exercise also helps present many fatal diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and peripheral vascular diseases. All such problems are directly related to an imbalance of hormones in the body which is found during the menopausal stage in a woman.

Women should ensure that they take good nap whenever feasible by putting aside all other activities, to meet the sleep requirements of the body. Sleep deprivation proves to be one of the hindrances in a person’s life and not allows to function well and complete the daily set of activities. Sleep is another natural way to reduce symptoms of menopause. Women entering their menopause usually experience abrupt breaks in their sleeping patterns due to the disturbance in the body homeostasis and a physical as well as physiological transition within the body. Imbalance of hormones at menopause breaks the normal sleeping pattern of women, leading to sleep deprivation which puts the body in a state of panic and emergency, releasing large amounts cortisol and keeping the body activated. Women should control their appetite to calm their body so that they can fulfill their sleep requirements. About 7 to 9 hour daily sleep is recommended for women entering their menopause to fulfill their sleep requirements and prevent their bodies from going into stress and aggravate symptoms of menopause.

Stress is a major risk factor for almost each and every disease affecting the body. Women in their menopausal transition are more liable to getting stressed over trivial matters. Women in their postmenopausal window tend to stress more due to the hormonal storm in their body. Women going through menopause get bouts of mood swings, anxiety and depression on trivial matters or for unaccounted reasons. The best way to lose stress is to divert one’s attention by keeping oneself busy. The busier a woman tends to stay, the lesser does she think or overthink as better stated. Exercise helps relieves stress, so women in their menopausal phase should opt for exercising, despite being fit to help themselves in reducing stress in a natural way.

Smiling, talking to people, sharing emotions, engaging in fruitful activities, taking up a new hobby and sleeping adequately are all ways to help reduce stress and hence reduce symptoms of menopause. In acute attacks of stress, deep breaths have been seen to play a major contributor role in reducing levels of stress.

Yoga, according to a recent research, has been seen to have a positive impact in reducing menopausal symptoms in women naturally. Yoga is a healthy exercise, which not only helps in achieving physical fitness, but also allows women to connect to their inner souls and establish peace within their body, soul and mind. Yoga involves a group of stretching and aerobic exercises which increases blood flow throughout the body and stimulates the release of the ‘feel good hormone’ and thus naturally reduces symptoms of menopause. Yoga helps in reducing stress and anxiety, reduces joint pain and stiffness and also increases the flexibility in the bodies of menopausal women.

Water is an essential component of life without which the body undergoes dehydration and all metabolic processes are impaired. Water helps in reducing the symptoms of menopause. The exact mechanism is unknown, but a few assumptions have been proposed. Water helps in maintaining adequate blood flow which keeps all organs viable and thereby maintain the hormone balance in the body. Water also neutralizes the acidic effect of the depleting estrogen and progesterone levels and prevents women from developing gastrointestinal symptoms.

The daily recommended dose of water is about 2 liters or half a gallon which amounts up to 8 glasses. Women in menopausal phase who drink about 10 glasses of water daily are relieved from skin dryness and have a natural glowing look. Water also plays the role of antioxidants and delays aging and hence all this makes drinking lots of water an excellent natural way to reduce symptoms of menopause.

Menopausal women usually experience severe pain during and after intercourse. In order to avoid this, they should adopt the abstinence method where in until their body completely settles down into the new menopausal transition, they should avoid sex. Keeping single partners and not having multiple partners is also essential for menopausal women as it would contribute to the pain during intercourse and also predispose to several non-healing lesions. Prompt and timely check-ups during the abstinence phase also help menopausal women in keeping their genital health maintained.

Women in their menopausal phase have severe cravings to munch various types of foods, which may or may not be good for their health. This occurs due to the hormone imbalance and increased cortisol levels in the blood of premenopausal and menopausal women. Menopausal women should avoid eating foods which can exacerbate the symptoms of menopause. Packaged food should be avoided under all circumstances as it contains a high concentration of added sugar as well as chemical preservatives which predisposes women to the risk of developing diabetes. This practice can also make the women immune-compromised and susceptible to developing such metabolic disorders. Packaged food also contains toxins, which can give rise to fatal infections. The added sugar can also become a source of weight gain which can initiate a vicious cycle of weight gain and depression. Consumption of conventional meat is also contraindicated. This is mainly because conventional meat has added hormones in higher concentrations which would contribute to the hormonal imbalance and exacerbate the symptoms of menopause. Carbonated drinks and alcohol also have similar effects and should be avoided under all circumstances.

Essential oils have been seen to have a positive impact on balancing hormones in menopausal women. Application of essential oils on various points in the body can help significantly reduce the symptoms of menopause. Coconut oil and jojoba oil are the most commonly used oils in combination with clary sage oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil and so forth for such purposes. Since every woman has a different skin type, she should use the type which suits her skin best.

A daily massage on the neck, palms, soles, periumbilical region and forehead with 2-5 drops, for a couple of minutes, in a clockwise manner and then for 10 minutes in an anti-clockwise manner can relieves stress, give a feeling of well-being, reduce hypertension and palpitations and normalizes panic attacks. Chamomile oil is known for its natural effects of balancing hormones in the body which is the key feature of control during menopause. They help reduce hot flashes as well.

Personal hygiene is one of the key factors for reducing menopausal symptoms. Maintaining personal hygiene not only helps against the aggravation of menopausal symptoms, but also against the development of various infections and precancerous lesions. Dryness of the vagina is a very uncomfortable symptom of menopause, which can be prevented by keeping oneself well hydrated and washing oneself properly after every visit to the toilet. Use of vaginal gels can help keep the cervix as well as the vagina lubricated and protect it against infections, skin crackling, itching and precancerous lesions of the skin and mucous membranes.

Keeping oneself busy socially helps women going through menopause in counter attacking both depression and anxiety and also in naturally managing or reducing other symptoms of menopause. Women in the menopausal phase tend to develop mood swings and anxiety more often than anticipated. Engaging in social relationship keeps women busy and gives them less room to think about the symptoms of menopause.

Several studies have shown that women with a large group of friends or a group of close friends tend to go into depression 2 times lesser than women who have isolated themselves or do not socialize much. A healthy social relationship is the easiest ways to keep the woman, entering the menopause stage, happy, busy as well as active. It motivates women to engage themselves into activities, exercise, build healthy routines and keep themselves out of the loop of depression and anxiety.

It is therefore clear that women need to adopt a whole system approach in order to prevent the circle of menopausal symptoms. Be prepared for the transition phase and make use of the above 11 natural ways to reduce the symptoms of menopause and tackle this phase of your life like an expert.

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