Herbal remedies for menopause have been used for literally millennia with very satisfactory results. Only since modern medicine decided that the menopause was more of a disease than a perfectly normal condition, did we start to move away from using natural herbs for menopause, and more into main stream drugs.
But since the many detailed and well publicized studies into treatments like HRT, women are taking control back and looking to more natural solutions for staying healthy after menopause.
Every woman's menopause is unique and personal. Four out of five women go through "the change of life," as menopause is often called, with few signs beyond the ending of their monthly periods.
Menopause symptoms occur due to the physical changes a woman experiences as she gets older. In particular, it is due to the reduction in the levels of hormones - namely estrogen and progesterone - in her body. This decrease causes an irregularity in the menstrual cycle and the eventual end of the menstrual cycle all together.
If you think you are starting to go through the menopause, there are usually 3 clear signals or symptoms to watch out for. They are hot flashes, irregular periods and quite likely vaginal dryness. An irregular menstrual cycle is probably the first thing you'll notice. This could happen several months or even years before you experience the full onset of menopause, but is one of the classical early menopause symptoms. Hot flashes are also quite likely, although the degree to which they affect you varies from woman to woman. A hot flash starts as a warm or hot feeling rising from your torso through your neck and up to your face. It can also cause your face to redden slightly as though you were blushing.
A hot flash can make you perspire - in some cases profusely - and may bring on headaches, dizziness and an increased heart rate (though it's nothing to be overly concerned with - it's usually just your heart trying to cope with the increase in blood flow). An effective method for dealing with hot flashes (or hot flushes depending on what part of the world you live in) is to help control your temperature by wearing several layers of clothing. When you get hot, you can always take some layers off. A cool shower often works well, but depends if you're at home or have access to a shower. Drinking cool liquids (not necessarily cold, but nicely cool) usually has a very beneficial effect as well.
One of the other symptoms of menopause - that of vaginal dryness - are caused by the reduction in estrogen. This decrease in natural hormones makes the urinary tract a lot thinner, and can cause both the urinary tract and vagina to become more susceptible to infection. In certain cases, it can also make having sex quite a painful, or at least uncomfortable experience.
Of the many natural and herbal remedies for menopause, a simple remedy for vaginal dryness is use of a personal lubricant (K-Y jelly, apricot oil or Vitamin E oil) during intercourse. A physician may also prescribe a vaginal cream containing estrogen.
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Friday, 20 April 2007
Menopause is not a disease
Conventional western medicine views the menopause as a disease rather than a normal physiological process. However, in many other cultures, the menopause is considered a natural part of the life process and a positive event in a woman's life.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Spreading Her Wings
Founder of the Mandeville Menopause Centre, Dr. Verna Brooks-McKenzie, is now one of three Jamaican medical practitioners who are certified by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and has advanced competency in the field.
With an increasingly ageing population and recognising the growing demand for more information about menopause, Dr. Brooks-McKenzie set about getting herself armed with the Knowledge and credentials to continue to offer help to women who need it most.
She sat the NAMS Menopause Practitioner Competency Examination in September and last month received word that she had passed with a grade in the top percentile of the results.
In an interview with Outlook, she said that by 2050, there will be over two billion people worldwide over age 65. "We will need a specialty that takes a multi-disciplinary approach to ageing," Dr. Brooks-McKenzie said.
Eligible to sit However, prior to the September sitting, only persons from the United States and Canada were eligible to sit the examination. "1 found that practice discriminatory and decided to write to the international body and make a strong case for doctors from Jamaica and the Caribbean to sit this important exam.'' Dr. Brooks-McKenzie is also president of the Caribbean Menopause Society.
"The NAMS organization finally listened and requested that doctors from the region present proof that they are licensed medical practitioners to qualify to sit the examination. It was two hours long and had 100 questions,"
Dr. McKenzie said.
The NAMS Menopause Practitioner Competency Examination is now offered worldwide and the next sitting will be in Cape Town. South Africa, in May 2004. It will also be held in 12 other locations throughout U.S.A. and Canada and special arrangements can be made for persons attending regular medical conferences to sit the exam.
After three years in operation, the historic Mandeville Menopause Centre has received overwhelming demand for knowledge on the subject which Dr. Brooks-McKenzie literally brought "out of the closet". For years, menopause was mentioned in hushed whispers and the only signs of its presence would be middle-aged women fanning themselves while others were shivering with cold. She is happy to see the turn-about in attitudes and spends many hours addressing the topic at service clubs, community groups and church meetings.
At the time of writing this article, groundbreaking research had just released findings that in the near future, it will be able to diagnose in embryo, females who will in later years be predisposed to osteoporosis - one of the diseases that affect menopausal women.
Growing need In direct response to the growing need for menopause treatment and information, Dr Brooks-McKenzie now operates out of the Gynae Centre on Balmoral Avenue in Kingston on Wednesdays. She offers bone density testing, gynaecological services and menopause management.
"I will continue to provide a place where women can come to manage the symptoms of menopause and all the risk factors they race as they age. I will also continue to apply the knowledge I'm gaining to the Jamaican people who are thirsty for all the information they can get on the subject," she said.
Dr. Brooks-McKenzie is grateful to those without whom access to knowledge would have been limited. These include her mother, who always encouraged her to aim for the stars, Hennine Metcalfe – Area Sales Manager, North Caribbean, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Teddy Price - Senior Professional Representative for Merck Caribbean. Both represent companies that produce drugs related to the treatment of menopause and have facilitated her participation in many conferences on the subject.
With an increasingly ageing population and recognising the growing demand for more information about menopause, Dr. Brooks-McKenzie set about getting herself armed with the Knowledge and credentials to continue to offer help to women who need it most.
She sat the NAMS Menopause Practitioner Competency Examination in September and last month received word that she had passed with a grade in the top percentile of the results.
In an interview with Outlook, she said that by 2050, there will be over two billion people worldwide over age 65. "We will need a specialty that takes a multi-disciplinary approach to ageing," Dr. Brooks-McKenzie said.
Eligible to sit However, prior to the September sitting, only persons from the United States and Canada were eligible to sit the examination. "1 found that practice discriminatory and decided to write to the international body and make a strong case for doctors from Jamaica and the Caribbean to sit this important exam.'' Dr. Brooks-McKenzie is also president of the Caribbean Menopause Society.
"The NAMS organization finally listened and requested that doctors from the region present proof that they are licensed medical practitioners to qualify to sit the examination. It was two hours long and had 100 questions,"
Dr. McKenzie said.
The NAMS Menopause Practitioner Competency Examination is now offered worldwide and the next sitting will be in Cape Town. South Africa, in May 2004. It will also be held in 12 other locations throughout U.S.A. and Canada and special arrangements can be made for persons attending regular medical conferences to sit the exam.
After three years in operation, the historic Mandeville Menopause Centre has received overwhelming demand for knowledge on the subject which Dr. Brooks-McKenzie literally brought "out of the closet". For years, menopause was mentioned in hushed whispers and the only signs of its presence would be middle-aged women fanning themselves while others were shivering with cold. She is happy to see the turn-about in attitudes and spends many hours addressing the topic at service clubs, community groups and church meetings.
At the time of writing this article, groundbreaking research had just released findings that in the near future, it will be able to diagnose in embryo, females who will in later years be predisposed to osteoporosis - one of the diseases that affect menopausal women.
Growing need In direct response to the growing need for menopause treatment and information, Dr Brooks-McKenzie now operates out of the Gynae Centre on Balmoral Avenue in Kingston on Wednesdays. She offers bone density testing, gynaecological services and menopause management.
"I will continue to provide a place where women can come to manage the symptoms of menopause and all the risk factors they race as they age. I will also continue to apply the knowledge I'm gaining to the Jamaican people who are thirsty for all the information they can get on the subject," she said.
Dr. Brooks-McKenzie is grateful to those without whom access to knowledge would have been limited. These include her mother, who always encouraged her to aim for the stars, Hennine Metcalfe – Area Sales Manager, North Caribbean, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Teddy Price - Senior Professional Representative for Merck Caribbean. Both represent companies that produce drugs related to the treatment of menopause and have facilitated her participation in many conferences on the subject.
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
Menopause Support – How To Overcome the Menopausal Myths
Menopause takes on new dimensions these days, reaching more and more women either when they have just returned to the work force or when their job careers are peaking.
As a consequence, the problem that their mothers generally faced alone at home must now be approached in a way that will minimize its impact on women at work. Every woman reaches menopause at some time in her life. Some women face it in their early 40s, others in their early 50s, with most women becoming menopausal in the mid- to late 40s.
Unfortunately, up to now menopause has been a matter too often not taken seriously. Jokes are still being made about hot flashes, and even today menopause is seldom explained and dealt with frankly and openly. Witches' tales are still told: that you dry up, you get hairy, you sweat all the time, you lose control of your functions, your, libido is lost. All of these, of course, are at best half-truths that can be dealt with intelligently with a doctor's help.
As a consequence, the problem that their mothers generally faced alone at home must now be approached in a way that will minimize its impact on women at work. Every woman reaches menopause at some time in her life. Some women face it in their early 40s, others in their early 50s, with most women becoming menopausal in the mid- to late 40s.
Unfortunately, up to now menopause has been a matter too often not taken seriously. Jokes are still being made about hot flashes, and even today menopause is seldom explained and dealt with frankly and openly. Witches' tales are still told: that you dry up, you get hairy, you sweat all the time, you lose control of your functions, your, libido is lost. All of these, of course, are at best half-truths that can be dealt with intelligently with a doctor's help.
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Menopause Statistics
There are a number of websites on the internet that provide statistics about the menopause however many of these sites are targeted to health professionals and so many of the statistics there can be confusing to the normal everyday person. Below are a few statistics about the menopause that are easy for anyone to understand.
For more help and support visit my menopause help and support web site.
• The average age of menopause i.e. the natural cessation of the monthly menstrual cycle that lasts for 12+ months, is 51 years however there is a wide age distribution that ranges from 40 years to 58 years.
• The menopausal transition takes around 4 years for most women.
• Up to 10% of women simply stop menstruating without any prior menstrual irregularity or symptoms that are common during menopause.
• Women who smoke typically reach menopause 1.5 years earlier than they would if they didn’t smoke. There is a firm relationship between the number of cigarettes smoked, the duration of smoking and the age at menopause i.e. the more you smoke and the longer you smoke the earlier you will reach menopause.
• There is estimated to be around 45 million women going through the menopausal transition in the US at any one time.
• Approximately 5% of women aged 40-45 will experience natural menopause, even though the average age is 51 years.
• Women who are malnourished begin the process of menopause up to 4 years earlier than women who are well nourished.
• Women who have reached menopause have a higher risk of developing heart disease and osteoporosis then those who haven’t undergone the process.
• Studies have shown that women who are in the menopausal age range i.e. 45-55, are up to three times more likely to develop heart disease than similar women in the pre-menopausal age range i.e. 35-44.
• Hormone Replacement Therapy is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease in menopausal women by up to 50% however it may increase the risk of breast cancer by the same degree.
• Osteoporosis occurs when bone mass is lost. In pre-menopausal women this occurs at a rate of around 1% each year however in menopausal women this increases to 2-3% each year.
• Hospital statistics show that over 40% of women suffer from at least one bone fracture after the age of 50 i.e. the average age of menopause.
• One of the major symptoms of menopause is hot flashes and approximately 75% of women report experiencing this symptom on a regular basis.
• The average life expectancy for US women today is 84 years which means that many women spend around 50% of their adult life as a menopausal or post-menopausal female.
• Studies have shown that only 57% of women suffer with more than one symptom of the menopause and that the remaining 43% experience nothing more than irregular periods.
• Of the 57% of women who do suffer with menopause symptoms, 22% report that they affect their lives in a major way and that they couldn’t cope without medication.
Menopause is a natural process and unfortunately it affects every woman at some point. There are a few precautions that can be taken in early life which may help with the symptoms however there is no way of preventing it – if you are female, you will reach menopause and that’s a fact.
For more help and support visit my menopause help and support web site.
• The average age of menopause i.e. the natural cessation of the monthly menstrual cycle that lasts for 12+ months, is 51 years however there is a wide age distribution that ranges from 40 years to 58 years.
• The menopausal transition takes around 4 years for most women.
• Up to 10% of women simply stop menstruating without any prior menstrual irregularity or symptoms that are common during menopause.
• Women who smoke typically reach menopause 1.5 years earlier than they would if they didn’t smoke. There is a firm relationship between the number of cigarettes smoked, the duration of smoking and the age at menopause i.e. the more you smoke and the longer you smoke the earlier you will reach menopause.
• There is estimated to be around 45 million women going through the menopausal transition in the US at any one time.
• Approximately 5% of women aged 40-45 will experience natural menopause, even though the average age is 51 years.
• Women who are malnourished begin the process of menopause up to 4 years earlier than women who are well nourished.
• Women who have reached menopause have a higher risk of developing heart disease and osteoporosis then those who haven’t undergone the process.
• Studies have shown that women who are in the menopausal age range i.e. 45-55, are up to three times more likely to develop heart disease than similar women in the pre-menopausal age range i.e. 35-44.
• Hormone Replacement Therapy is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease in menopausal women by up to 50% however it may increase the risk of breast cancer by the same degree.
• Osteoporosis occurs when bone mass is lost. In pre-menopausal women this occurs at a rate of around 1% each year however in menopausal women this increases to 2-3% each year.
• Hospital statistics show that over 40% of women suffer from at least one bone fracture after the age of 50 i.e. the average age of menopause.
• One of the major symptoms of menopause is hot flashes and approximately 75% of women report experiencing this symptom on a regular basis.
• The average life expectancy for US women today is 84 years which means that many women spend around 50% of their adult life as a menopausal or post-menopausal female.
• Studies have shown that only 57% of women suffer with more than one symptom of the menopause and that the remaining 43% experience nothing more than irregular periods.
• Of the 57% of women who do suffer with menopause symptoms, 22% report that they affect their lives in a major way and that they couldn’t cope without medication.
Menopause is a natural process and unfortunately it affects every woman at some point. There are a few precautions that can be taken in early life which may help with the symptoms however there is no way of preventing it – if you are female, you will reach menopause and that’s a fact.
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