Ayurveda- Your Solution for Menopause

Change is inevitable but we need to accept ageing and other health-related issues as it comes positively.

Emma Thompson rightly says “The trick is to age honestly and gracefully and make it look great so that everyone looks forward to it.”

It is important to understand what’s happening in your body and embrace the next chapter of your life with self-compassion. As a woman, you face bigger challenges, one such change in your biological clock is Menopause. Slowly as you enter uncharted territory, it’s comforting to know many women before you have navigated the same course, and emerged stronger and wiser on the other side.
What is Menopause?

Menopause is a hormonal change that marks the end of women’s menstrual cycles and fertility. It is a natural biological process. Normally diagnosed after it’s been 12 months without a menstrual period. Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51. However, the physical symptoms, such as hot flashes, and emotional symptoms of menopause may disrupt your sleep, lower your energy or affect emotional health. Entering into Menopause has three stages

Perimenopause – Perimenopause, or menopause transition, is the stage of a woman’s reproductive life that begins several years before menopause when the ovaries gradually begin to produce less estrogen, hormones etc.

Menopause- Menopause symptoms include irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, sleep difficulties, and irritability.

Postmenopause- The time of a woman’s life following menopause is called postmenopause. During this time, many of the bothersome symptoms that a woman experienced prior to menopause gradually ease for most women.

Symptoms of Menopause:

Early signs and symptoms can vary from woman to woman. Most likely, you’ll experience some irregularity in your periods before they end. Skipping periods during perimenopause is common and expected. Often, menstrual periods will skip a month and return, or skip several months and then start monthly cycles again for a few months. Periods also tend to happen on shorter cycles. Listed below are a few changes you might experience in the months or years leading up to menopause:-
Periods become irregular.

• You have hot flashes.
• You feel the chills and may experience night sweats.
• Have trouble sleeping.
• Feel moody and forget things.
• Have physical changes, weight gain and slowed metabolism.
• Feel differently about sex.
• Vaginal dryness.
• Thinning hair and dry skin.
• Loss of breast fullness.

Causes of Menopause:

As mentioned earlier Menopause is the natural and permanent end to menstruation. However not all women undergo natural menopause. Some women experience menopause because of several other health complications or underlying conditions which can result from:

Naturally declining reproductive hormones: As you approach your late 30s, your ovaries start making less estrogen and progesterone — the hormones that regulate menstruation — and your fertility declines.

Surgery that removes the ovaries (oophorectomy): Your ovaries produce hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, that regulate the menstrual cycle. Surgery to remove your ovaries causes immediate menopause.

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy: These cancer therapies can induce menopause, causing symptoms such as hot flashes during or shortly after the course of treatment. Radiation therapy only affects ovarian function if radiation is directed at the ovaries.

 
Premature menopause: About 1% of women experience menopause before age 40. Premature menopause may result from the failure of your ovaries to produce normal levels of reproductive hormones, which can be caused by genetic factors or autoimmune diseases.

How Ayurveda can help combat menopause problems?

Menopause can bring a lot of unwelcome changes but Ayurveda is a treasure trove of therapeutic, healing ingredients to get you through this phase of life. Ayurveda can help create the right balance and manage the symptoms of menopause to help smooth this significant transition. A few altercations you must follow are:

 

Diet Changes:

Diet can impact a woman’s menopause symptoms. It’s time to eliminate, avoid or cut down on processed food, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, and spicy food during this phase. A menopause diet plan includes making slight dietary changes:

Add foods containing plant estrogens, or phytoestrogens – Broccoli, cauliflower, dark berries, chickpeas, and soybeans can help mimic estrogen and reduce some menopausal symptoms
Consume food that can help strengthen bones like dark green leafy vegetables, especially spinach and kale, yogurt, cheese, milk, eat a well-balanced diet rich in calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D.
Consume Omega-3 fatty acids in fish like salmon, mackerel or tuna, the vegetarian source in flax and chia seeds.

Lifestyle changes:

Menopause is the time when everything else takes a backseat and the ideal time to reinforce healthy changes in your life. Some areas in the regular lifestyle and health that would need your attention:

Keeping a menstrual calendar
Stick to routine
Control blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides
Prevent diabetes
Exercise regularly, pranayama, meditation and yoga
Maintain a healthy weight or lose weight if overweight
Improve nutrition and stay hydrated
Reduce stress
Focus on sleep

Healing with herbs:

Some herbs that can help to combat this change are:

Shatavari:

Crowned as the wonder herb, Shatavari is one of the best friends a woman can have. This versatile supplement with its cooling effects helps to deal with hot flashes, night sweating, vaginal dryness, and brain fog caused during menopause. It can restore and balance hormones, fight fatigue, treat PMS and much more.

Ashwagandha:

During menopause, women face hormonal imbalances, leading to anxiety, depression, hot flashes and sleeping problems. Ashwagandha can work on the endocrine system and help control the secretion of the hormone.

Aloe Vera:

It helps in cleansing built-up toxins, is high in phytoestrogens which imitate the estrogen hormones in women. It also helps reduce the discomfort of vaginal dryness and can be used as a lubricant.

Chyavanprash:

Include Chyavanprash, a rejuvenating health supplement that is made up of a super-concentrated blend of nutrient-rich herbs and minerals including the prime ingredient, Amla (Indian gooseberry)-richest source of vitamin C.


Word of caution: Keep up with regular visits with your doctor for preventive health care and any medical concerns. Always seek medical advice if you have bleeding from your vagina after menopause. Check with your physician before starting any supplement.

Takeaway: Don’t let Menopause, put a pause in your life. We cannot stop it. So ladies welcome Menopause and celebrate the beginning of a radiant period of wisdom and grace in your life. Let us embrace this natural phenomenon with maturity, the right knowledge and the correct attitude. If we can enter it with proper perspective and preparation, this can be an exciting transition. Let us breeze through this experience and change successfully with finesse!

Also read:
Unlock your Happiness with these Amazing Herbs
Cheers to Womanhood: Health Tips for Todays Women

This article is originally published at: Aryan Herbals