Menopause

Menopause represents the permanent cessation of menses resulting from loss of ovarian follicular function. At menopause, the decline in ovarian hormones (particularly estrogen) may result in short-term unpleasant effects such as hot flashes, mood changes, that can adversely affect the qualify of life, and may increase the risk of osteoporosis and possibly coronary heart disease.Menopause happens to all women, but affects each woman uniquely. For some, the end of fertility (and end of concerns about contraception and menstrual periods) brings a sense of freedom. Menopause is a bridge to a part of life when many women report feeling more confident, empowered, involved, and energized than in their younger years. For some women, however, menopause coupled with mid-life emotional and social crises can contribute to serious health problems. Homoeopathic, medicines are extremely effective in curing the symptoms associated with menopause. You can take Sepia 200. A dose taken on alternate days for a period of two weeks will help reduce depression and other symptoms of menopause.In a similar case, a 57-year-old woman who had become very depressed due to menopause was cured by Ignatia 200 (one dose every alternate day taken for a period of two months). In another case where the flashes had become extremely severe to an extent that the patient had to immense her feet in cold water for hours, a few doses of Amyl Nitrosum 200 worked wonders.The majority of women are afflicted by symptoms that may include mood swings, poor memory, vaginal atrophy, night; sweats and hot flashes with possible long-terms symptom of heart disease and osteoporosis. Despite these factors, many women refuse to expose themselves to the risks of hormonal replacement therapy, which is the common prescription offered by conventional medicine for addressing menopausal symptoms. A recent study of 50,000 women, published by the American Medical Association (Jan 26, 2000) who took hormonal therapy for five years fond out that they had a 40 per cent increased risk of breast cancer.A natural approach to menopause includes a nutritional diet, lifestyle modifications and a regular exercise programme. The most important dietary recommendation for all menopausal women is to increase foods containing natural phytoestrogens. All soya foods are rich in phytoestrogens and are thus extremely beneficial for all menopausal women.

As the controversy regarding the use of hormone for treating menopause deepens, the need for a completely harmless treatment becomes stronger than ever, and a notable shift is now seen with more and more people opting for safer systems of medicine like homeopathy.Talking about safety, the need arises for the treatment free from short- term as well as long-term side-effects. Menopause is a normal change in the body functioning and means the end of menstruation. After a year of no menstruation a women is said to have gone through menopause. It is the final result of a gradual decline in the functioning of the ovaries. The ovaries are a set of organs in females that produce eggs for fertilization, and a female sex hormone called oestrogen. As women reach menopause their periods become irregular and scanty, until they permanently cease. In some women the periods cease suddenly. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 45-52, although in some it may start as early as the late thirties and the early forties.Symptoms of menopause in women passing through this phase may range from hardly any to severe ones. One of the symptoms that may cause great discomfort, embarrassment and also sleeplessness is hot flushes – it is a feeling of extreme heat, mostly in the upper parts of the body, accompanied by drenching sweats. These hot flushes gradually subside over a year or two but in some it may even continue up to five years. Homoeopathic medicines Sepia, Amyl Nitrite and Lachesis, if used under proper guidance, can give excellent results in treating these dreadful flushes.Loss of vaginal lubrication and elasticity during menopause results in difficult intercourse and irritation in the urinary tract. Homoeopathic medicine Sepia is recommended for decreased libido and low sexual energy, and Lycopodium is recommended for treating vaginal dryness. Irritability and sudden mood fluctuations may result out of the hormonal change occurring in the body in addition to the stress of aging. Homoeopathic medicine Speia is one of the leading medicines in treating the symptoms of menopause with irritability and indifferent behaviour.Pulsatilla may be useful in women who undergo sudden mood fluctuations and depict emotional instability. In some cases psychological symptoms may worsen and symptoms of clinical depression — excessive weeping, sadness, feeling of loneliness, sleeplessness and reduced social interaction — are also seen. Homoeopathic medicine Ignatia Amara can be a great boon for such patients.One of the main effects of menopause is osteoporosis. It is a progressive loss and weakening of the bones. Bone mass losses on an average 1-2 per cent/year after menopause and results in easy fractures and other symptoms related with osteoporosis such as backache, pain in bones, etc. Homoeopathic medicine Calcarea Carb can be a “sight for sore eyes” for those women who are undergoing osteoporosis. It helps in decreasing the loss of calcium from bones and also increasing its absorption from the food that we eat.Natural approach to menopauseIncrease calcium intake : Increase your dietary intake of calcium. Calcium is found in dairy products–milk, cheese, yoghurt, etc. At least two glasses of milk are recommended for women undergoing or heading for menopause.Exercise: Adequate exercise is a must for menopausal and post-menopausal women, as it reduces the rate of loss of calcium. Women who exercise less generally develop more osteoporosis.Latest research: Soya foods have been found to contain natural phyto-estrogens that are very helpful in menopausal and post-menopausal women. The potential health benefits are the reduction of hot flushes and vaginal dryness, protection against coronary heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer.