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As a result of these declining and/or fluctuating estrogen levels, menopause generally accompanied by various symptoms like hot flushes, fatigue, depression, heart diseases, vaginal dryness, urinary problems, weight gain and high blood pressure. These symptoms can develop into serious health problems like cardiovascular diseases, strokes, obesity and even breast cancer.
Depending on the severity of symptoms, various medical therapies and tried-and-tested natural alternatives can be considered, in order to gain relief from the symptoms of menopause.
Medical treatment includes Estrogen Replacement Therapy and Hormone Replacement Therapy. Although, they are effective in treating patients suffering from severe symptoms of menopause, they also have numerous side effects.
Some of the potential side effects of HRT include liver and gallbladder problems, blood clots, risk of uterine cancer and cardiovascular ailments. Hence, it is recommended that you first try the natural and alternative options, before medical therapy.
However, if the natural options do not provide enough relief, you should consider the lowest possible dosage of the prescribed medical treatments, for the shortest time possible.
In some cases, antidepressant drugs like paroxetine and flouxetine hydrochloride have also been administered successfully. Anti-seizure medication like gabapentin is also used to reduce the severity of hot flushes. Medicines including clonidine are beneficial for women displaying signs of high blood pressure and hot flushes.
However, it should be noted that the medication offers only short-term relief and on the contrary, poses greater health risks, accompanied by several side effects.
Many women have great success with natural alternatives and are able to transition through menopause effortlessly. Some true natural therapies include an active lifestyle and healthy diet that promotes hormone normalization. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential during menopause. Regular exercises like resistance training and aerobic exercises are a great way of staying physically fit and active.
Developing a personal exercise schedule is useful to combat the lack of energy usually experienced during menopause. Of all the exercises, resistance training is the most effective. The exercises are not only good for shedding the excess weight that women gain during menopause, but also to increase the metabolism that slows down due to ageing.
They also help to increase strength and vitality. Resistance training offers considerable relief from the discomfort associated with menopause, by ensuring healthy bones and the maintenance of a normal cholesterol level, reducing the risk of being prone to cardiovascular diseases. You can also stay physically active by doing simple household chores and errands. Besides helping you to stay in shape, these exercises are also beneficial for combating osteoporosis that accompanies menopause.
Many women also advocate use of natural supplements like black cohosh, red clover isoflavone extract and placebo. However, there is no concrete evidence to prove their effectiveness.
Compared to ERT and HRT, black cohosh poses lesser health concerns. Black cohosh is used extensively in herbal compounds and dietary supplements and is considered as one of the safest, natural remedies for relief from menopausal symptoms, it is believed that black cohosh contains chemicals similar to estrogen.
Recent studies point out that black cohosh works by binding to the serotonin receptors. Serotonin is a misnomer present in the central nervous system that plays an important role in regulating the body temperature, mood swings, sleep, vomiting, sexual desire and appetite. Low levels of serotonin in the body can cause many health related problems.
The roots of the plant contain phytoestrogens, which are plant chemicals that are similar to the female sex hormone estrogen. When the ovaries stop producing estrogen, the result is menopause. The phytoestrogen in black cohosh supplements compensate for this deficiency in females during menopause by replacing it. Black cohosh binds to the same receptors as estrogen and helps control mood swings, depression, anxiety, effective and other emotional symptoms during menopause.
Its use is recommended for short-term treatment up to 6 months by the American college of obstetrics and gynecology. Adverse side affects are limited to mild, transient stomach upset. Black cohosh is also known to have anti allergy properties. In addition to this, it has non-estrogenic effect on breast cancer cells, which finally leads to the conclusion that black cohosh treatment may be a safe, natural remedy for menopausal symptoms in breast cancer.
The chemicals compounds present in black cohosh can also protect against cellular DNA damage. Hence, it is considered to be very safe with low toxicity, few and mild side effects, and good tolerability. Studies indicate that extracts from black cohosh do not thicken the uterine lining and low-dose estrogen patch has positive effects on cardiac risk.
Besides this, the use of black cohosh leads to an increase in levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol and significantly reduces harmful LDL cholesterol levels. For menopausal women who should not use hormones for medical reasons, and for women who prefer non-hormone approaches, black cohosh is a reasonable option. Yet, the side effects of using cohosh cannot be ignored altogether. Thus, it is advisable to take the dosage under medical supervision.
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