Natural Help With Menopause Symptoms - Get Your Life Back

By Vanessa Evans

Concerns over the side effects of HRT mean that many women are now seeking natural help with menopause symptoms. This help can fall into three main categories: dietary advice, herbal supplements/remedies and lifestyle changes.

There has been a lot of interest focused on the Asian diet, which is rich in soy-based products such as tofu, soymilk and miso. Women from this continent suffer from menopause symptoms to a far less degree than we do in the Western world. Could there be a connection? Soy products contain phytoestrogens and isoflavones which are hormone-like compounds that may have an effect in reducing menopause symptoms.

Other foods that contain phytoestrogens include yams, potatoes, apples and carrots. Although there is a lack of scientific evidence at the present, many women have reported that their symptoms were eased when they changed to a diet rich in these foods.

There are a number of herbal remedies that have been used for years to help with easing hot flashes, night sweats and other menopausal symptoms. These include black cohosh and dong quai. Red clover is another herb that is showing some promise in being able to help with some of these problems and also mood swings that are common at this time. This herb contains isoflavones that can help the hormonal balance in the body.

To obtain herbal remedies you have the choice of visiting a specialist practitioner in herbal medicine (a herbalist) or going straight to a product supplier. The advantage of going to a specialist is that they will sit down and discuss your symptoms and then they will recommend an herb or mixture of herbs that are specific to you. The disadvantage to this is that it may take some time to find a local practitioner and it is likely to be more expensive than looking up an herbal remedy supplier on the Internet.

The final category of things that you can do to help your symptoms, is to make simple lifestyle changes. If you suffer from hot flashes during the day you can wear clothes that are easy to take off such as a cardigan rather than a sweater. Wearing several thin layers is also a practical idea. If you find that your symptoms occur more often at night then keeping your bedroom cool is a priority. Consider having a bed fan and use light bedclothes made of natural fibers. Keep a glass of cool water by your bed to drink and you may also want to have a damp face flannel there too.

Visit http://www.naturalmenopausetips.com to find out more about coping with menopause night sweats and hot flashes.

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