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Do you ever wake up at night in a sweat?
Have you found yourself emotionally sensitive lately?
Or is your energy level low and weight seems to be creeping up?
Although a natural part of aging, menopause can
feel anything but normal when it emerges.
The decline in hormones as a woman ages can be a difficult, however, there are natural and safe options that can manage it effectively.
Menopause, which typically takes place in a woman’s 40s or 50s, is when the body decreases production of reproductive hormones and the menstrual cycle. This can happen due to the natural process of aging, from surgery (such as the removal of ovaries), or from disease treatments such as chemotherapy.
And with this decline in hormones comes symptoms such as:
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- trouble sleeping
- moodiness
- weight gain
- low energy
- low libido
- vaginal dryness
- painful intercourse
- irregular periods
- loss or thinning of hair
But you don’t just have to live with it.
At The Koa Clinic, we treat women in perimenopause and menopause with natural, safe, and effective therapies which can reduce or eliminate unwanted symptoms such as these.
Acupuncture
Research has shown that acupuncture can help alleviate menopausal symptoms, especially hot flashes and night sweats, and it may also help with emotional distress, mood issues, sleep, and vaginal discomfort.
Over a course of treatments, acupuncture can help restore balance and regularity.
Herbal Remedies
There are many herbs that have been used to treat menopause throughout history and are still commonly used to this day.
Black cohosh is a native plant in North America that is used to relive hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, sleep, and mood issues.
Maca, a root plant found in South America, can support bone health during menopause as well as decrease hot flashes, sleep problems, vaginal dryness, and sensitive mood.
In addition, according to The North American Menopause Society, the following herbs can also support the menopause process:
- Red Clover
- Ginseng
- Kava
- Evening Primrose
- Dong Quai
Many of these herbs can be consumed as a capsule, pill, oil and even as a tea.
Bioidentical Hormones
Different than conventional hormone therapy (HT), bioidentical hormone therapy (BHT) comes from plants (not chemicals or animal products) and are chemically the same as the body’s actual hormones. They can be used as a cream and are also be available as patches, suppositories, troches (that dissolve in your mouth), pellets that are inserted in the skin, and pills.
Bioidentical hormone therapy needs to be started less than 10 years after menopause (ideally within the first 5 years), and can be an important part of disease prevention for later life.
If you have had your ovaries removed, then bioidentical hormones are best started within one year from the surgery. Even women who have their uterus removed, but still have their ovaries, are more likely to go through menopause earlier and would benefit from BHT. The earlier a woman goes through menopause, the higher the risk of certain conditions like osteoporosis, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
At The Koa Clinic, we are here to discuss all of these natural options so you can decide what is best for you.
If you live in the Kailua Kona area and are interested in learning more about natural options to manage menopause, please call us at (808) 638-3343, visit our website at thekoaclinic.com, or email us at admin@thekoaclinic.com to schedule a consult.
Together, we can work to make aging a gentle and even joyful process.
REFERENCES:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4874921/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324481#Acupuncture-and-hot-flashes
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/BlackCohosh-HealthProfessional/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-maca-root#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6
https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopauseflashes/menopause-symptoms-and-treatments/natural-remedies-for-hot-flashes