Can Herbal Remedies for Menopause Help Ease Menopausal Symptoms

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.