Menopause treatment is required only when this phase of a female’s body development does not go smoothly. Menopause treatment commonly does not require the use of medications. Instead, menopause treatment aims to relieve your signs and symptoms and prevent or treat chronic conditions that can come with age.

Menopause treatment may include:

Hormone therapy.

Estrogen therapy is the most effective treatment for hot flashes during menopause. Subject to your individual and family medical history, your OBGYN practitioner may suggest estrogen at the smallest dose and for the shortest time needed to relieve symptoms. If you still have a uterus, you will need progestin in addition to estrogen. Estrogen also helps prevent bone loss. Long-term use of hormone therapy may have some risks of heart disease and breast cancer, but starting hormones around menopause have shown benefits for some women. Ask your physician about the advantages and consequences of hormone therapy and whether it is a good option for you.

Vaginal estrogen as a part of menopause treatment.

To relieve vaginal dryness, estrogen can be injected directly into the vagina using a vaginal cream, tablet, or ring. This therapy distributes only a tiny amount of estrogen, which is absorbed by the cells of the internal lining of the vagina. Using vaginal estrogen can help alleviate vaginal dehydration, discomfort during intercourse, and some urinary tract symptoms.

Antidepressants, when menopause symptoms run out of control.

Antidepressants are commonly used in low doses for menopause treatment if symptoms of menopause are associated with excessive nervousness, emotional instability, and depression. Some antidepressants, in a class of drugs, called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can reduce hot flashes during menopause. Low-dose antidepressants for hot flashes may be helpful for women who cannot take estrogen for health reasons or for women who need an antidepressant for mood disorders.

Gabapentin (Gralise, Horizant, Neurontin).

FDA approves Gabapentin to deal with seizures, but it has also been shown to help ease hot flashes. This medication is helpful in women who cannot use estrogen therapy and those who have nighttime hot flashes.

Clonidine (Catapres, Kapvay).

Clonidine, a pill or patch commonly used to treat high blood pressure, may provide some relief from hot flashes.

Medicines to prevent or treat osteoporosis.

Medical practitioners may recommend pharmaceutical drugs to avoid or treat osteoporosis, depending on personal needs. Several medications are available for menopause treatment that help reduce bone loss and the risk of fractures. Your doctor may prescribe vitamin D supplements to help strengthen your bones.

What Is Menopause?

It refers to a woman’s life stage where her reproductive capabilities cease due to aging. It is sometimes labeled ‘the change of life. The production of progesterone and estrogen comes to a halt, and ovulation stops as well. It’s the last menstrual cycle the woman will experience. If the woman hasn’t experienced periods for 12 months, she’s considered “postmenopausal.”

Menopause naturally occurs among women in the age demographic of 45-50 years, generally occurring at the age of 50. If a woman has been through cancer treatments, had surgery to remove her ovaries, or maybe because of the natural ceasing of ovarian functioning, she may experience premature ovarian insufficiency or Menopause before age 40. If a woman experiences Menopause between 40-45 years of age, it’s considered ‘early.’

What causes menopause?

Menopause is caused by a transformation instability and equilibrium of sex hormones in women’s bodies at 45 and up. Menopause is a normal, expected development phase of a female’s reproductive system. While in most cases, menopause causes no discomfort or pain; women don’t even ask their medical practitioners for help.

Menopause happens when your ovaries stop producing as much of the hormone estrogen and stop releasing an egg each month.

Premature or Early menopause can happen at any age, and in many cases, there is no apparent cause. However, premature menopause is usually not a normal process, and it is associated with different symptoms described below.

Sometimes it’s caused by a treatment like surgery to remove the ovaries (oophorectomy), some breast cancer treatments, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, or it can be caused by an underlying condition like Down syndrome or Addison’s disease.

What are the symptoms of menopause?

Don’t be alarmed; Menopause isn’t a disorder or a disease; however, it’ll profoundly change a woman’s body. If you’re above 45, these are the symptoms you must watch out for to know if you’re menopausal.

Irregular Periods

The abnormal menstrual pattern is the most typical symptom of Menopause. While some women may have periods every 2-3 weeks, some may not experience it for months.

Vaginal dryness

During perimenopause, discomfort, itching, and dryness of the vagina occur. Because of this, you may experience pain or dyspareunia during sexual intercourse. This happens because of the low levels of estrogen. This leads to vaginal atrophy, a vagina inflammation that arises because of decreased lubrication and tissue shrinking and thinning.

Lower Fertility

Before Menopause, perimenopause occurs for 3-5 years.

At this stage, there is a significant drop in estrogen levels. When this happens, your chances of becoming pregnant decrease.

Hot Flashes

It’s characterized as a sudden feeling of heat in the top part of your body. It can begin from your chest, neck, or face and move downward or upward.

You may experience patchy and reddish skin, typically accompanied by sweating. You may also experience abrupt changes in your heartbeat. Hot flashes are pretty typical during the first year after your last period. Natural Remedies for hot flashes are effective and safe.

Night Sweats

They are the hot flashes that arise during the sleep cycle. Many women experience night flashes for just a few minutes, but some studies have shown that moderate to severe night flashes can present a problem for 10.2 years.

Disturbed Sleep

As you go through symptoms of menopause, it’s pretty typical to experience disturbed sleep. You may have difficulty or discomfort during sleep in some situations due to night sweats. Anxiety or insomnia may also lead to sleep disturbance.

Emotional Changes

Low mood and depression are also typical during Menopause. This often occurs due to hormonal changes. Additionally, these emotional changes occur alongside sleep disturbances.

As a result of these changes, it’s common to experience a decrease in sex drive.

Other signs

Menopause may also include these symptoms:

Shrinkage of the breast
Thinning and hair loss
Accumulation of fat in the abdomen can lead to obesity

It usually takes 2 to 5 years for the symptoms to disappear without menopause treatment. However, it’s not unusual for the symptoms to persist for a more extended period. Sometimes symptoms like discomfort, itching, and vaginal dryness can become chronic and may deteriorate without medical help.

Complementary and alternative medicine for menopause treatment.

Many approaches have been advertised as helping to treat menopause symptoms, but few of them have scientific evidence to back the claims.

Specific complementary and alternative menopause treatments that have been or are being considered are:

Plant estrogens (phytoestrogens).

These estrogens occur naturally in certain foods. There are a couple of primary sorts of phytoestrogens: isoflavones and lignans.

Isoflavones are discovered in soybeans, lentils, chickpeas, and other leguminous plants.

Lignans are discovered in flaxseeds, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables.

Whether the estrogens in these foods can relieve hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms has yet to be proven, but most studies have found them ineffective. Isoflavones have some weak estrogen-like effects.

Hence, if you have had breast cancer, discuss it with your medical provider before enhancing your diet with isoflavone dietary supplements.

Sage is thought to encompass complexes with estrogen-like outcomes, and there is decent evidence that it can successfully manage menopause symptoms. The herb and its oils should be avoided in people with a sage allergy and pregnant women or breastfeeding. Use caution in people with hypertension or epilepsy.

Bioidentical hormones.

These hormones come from plant sources. The term “bioidentical” implies that the hormones in the product are chemically identical to those produced by your body. The Food and Drug Administration endorses several available bioidentical hormones. But many preparations are compounds – mixed in a pharmacy according to a doctor’s prescription – and are not regulated by the FDA, so quality and risks may vary. There is no scientific evidence that bioidentical hormones work better than traditional hormone therapy in relieving menopausal symptoms. Furthermore, there is no evidence that they are less risky than traditional hormone therapy.

Black cohosh.

Black cohosh has been popular with many women with menopausal symptoms. But there is little evidence that black cohosh is effective, and the supplement can be harmful to the liver and may not be safe for women with a history of breast cancer.

Yoga for menopause treatment alleviates the severity of symptoms.

There is no evidence to support yoga practice in reducing menopausal symptoms. But balance exercises like yoga or tai chi can improve strength and coordination and help prevent falls that could lead to broken bones. Consider taking a class to learn how to do proper postures and breathing techniques, but before, discuss with your physician if balance exercises are suitable for your menopause treatment.

Hypnosis for women in menopause.

Clinical hypnosis may reduce the frequency of hot flashes for certain menopausal women, according to a study by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the US NIH. According to the study, Hypnotherapy also helped improve sleep and lessen interference with daily life.

You may have heard of or tried other dietary supplements such as red clover, kava, dong Quai, DHEA, evening primrose oil, and wild yam (natural progesterone cream). Scientific evidence on effectiveness is lacking, and some of these products can be harmful. Talk to your doctor before taking any herbal or dietary supplement for menopausal symptoms. The FDA does not regulate herbal products; some can be dangerous or interact with other medications you take, putting your health at risk.

Natural Remedies for Menopause Treatment.

Natural Remedies for Menopause are effective and safe. Many women, when dealing with Menopause, don’t want to associate with the risk of hormone replacement therapy. As a result, many have turned to natural remedies for Menopause.

Fluctuating levels of progesterone and estrogen characterize Menopause. Women are also more likely to experience symptoms like mood swings, breast pain, insomnia, and hot flashes. These symptoms can be very frustrating to deal with.

If you aren’t satisfied with the results of conventional approaches, there are numerous natural remedies for Menopause to help you cope with it.

Natural Remedies for Menopause - Philadelphia Holistic Clinic

If you’re thinking about trying natural treatments for dealing with your menopause symptoms, you’re not alone. Many women have been straying from conventional methods toward natural and alternative treatments. And it’s not a surprise, whether you’re looking for alternative treatment for menopause or natural remedies for menopause, there are various options you’ll have to choose from. Also, these options are safe and effective.

Homeopathy for menopause treatment.

Homeopathic remedies for menopause treatment can be very effective in treating various symptoms of Menopause. Homeopathy medicine offers holistic treatment during menopause. If a woman with menopausal symptoms like hot flashes seeks a homeopath, he won’t prescribe medication for treating hot flashes.

Since homeopathy regards emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual illnesses as interconnected, the homeopath won’t treat the condition separately, rather he’ll examine the patient as a whole. This is known as a constitutional remedy.

By prescribing in such a manner, the overall imbalance gets treated. This means not only will the woman’s hot flashes be gone, but it will also improve her overall health. Sometimes, patients with no other illnesses show signs of specific menopausal symptoms. In such cases, the problem can be treated by prescriptions based on those symptoms alone.

Here are some common homeopathic remedies for Treating Menopause:

Pulsatilla:

This is an essential medication for women’s problems and is often used for menopause treatment. Pulsatilla is often given to patients with gentle, mild dispositions and those who experience sudden mood swings. Patients with physical problems like irregular menstruation can also be treated using Pulsatilla.

Calcium Carbonicum:

This is effective for patients who experience:

Uterine Fibroids and Metrorrhagia, and in some instances, uterine hemorrhages.
Perspiration in the head and neck gets worse during sleep.
Hot flashes coupled with a burning sensation in their vertex.

Folliculinum:

This is a valuable remedy for patients with hormonal symptoms and effectively treats menopausal symptoms.

Sulphuric Acid:

This is another effective homeopathic remedy for women who:

Experience hot flashes
Prolapsed of the uterus and vagina from weakness
Have nightmares either before or after menstruation.
Mood swings

Sepia:

This a helpful medication for patients who:

Are weepy
Exhausted
Perspire profusely
Weak
Are worn down

Lachesis:

This is another effective remedy for menopausal symptoms. It’s given to women who have the following problems:

Diarrhea, hemorrhoids, nausea
Periods profuse
Hot flashes with hot sweats, palpitations, and headaches.
Periods every 21 days
Melancholy
Weak

Acupuncture for Menopause Treatment.

Acupuncture for Menopause is a non-evasive, gentle, natural, and effective way of treating menopausal symptoms. Acupuncture for Menopause helps balance menopausal symptoms by reducing irritability, insomnia, and hot flashes, balancing hormones, and inducing sleep.

It helps improve the overall quality of your life and motivates you to see the changes in your life from a positive perspective.

Traditional Chinese Medicine regards menopausal symptoms as a natural phenomenon. It is believed to be caused by the lack of Yin. In our lifetime, we expend our Yin through stress, work, grief, helping others with illness, giving birth, and so on. As such, our body can’t balance our natural moist, calming, and cooling rhythms, leaving us with menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety, and generally just feeling exhausted and worn down.

That said, the critical principle of acupuncture is to nurture yin. Acupuncture doesn’t treat two individuals equally. When you consult an acupuncturist, he will consider both your emotional and medical history and come up with a treatment protocol keeping in mind that your symptoms will differ at each visit.

Since menopause can happen at any age, it can be a period of heightened emotions for some. As such, your acupuncturist will assist you in understanding the emotional and physical symptoms you’re experiencing. They’ll also help you create a self-care plan that fits your lifestyle and help you make conscious decisions to self-manage and overcome your menopausal symptoms.

Herbal Remedies for menopause treatment.

Herbal Remedies for Menopause are also great for relieving symptoms. Here are some Herbal Remedies for Menopause that can help you deal with this condition:

Black Cohosh: This herb is probably the most well-known natural remedy for Menopause treatment. It’s an excellent home-natural remedy for hot flashes from menopause. In clinical trials, three out of four women found these herbs effective in dealing hot flashes. However, as with most natural treatments, it can take up to 8 weeks to see visible results.

St. Johns Wort: This is an excellent natural remedy for Menopause mood swings and depression. Research has shown this natural remedy’s effect to be similar to Prozac in dealing with Menopause symptoms and mild to moderate forms of depression. If you’re having a hard time dealing with mood swings, give this natural remedy a try.

Sage Tea: Many women swear by this natural remedy for night sweats. Pour 2 or 3 teaspoons of this beautiful herb into a teacup of boiling water, steep for about 10 minutes, and strain it. If you want to sweeten it, adding a generous amount of honey can help you. Having this several times throughout the day can help you deal with night sweats.

Conclusion on Menopause Treatment:

Menopause is natural and isn’t something you should dread. However, the symptoms can be very frustrating and challenging to deal with. Natural treatments like the ones mentioned above provide you with a practical, affordable, and safe approach to dealing with these symptoms. If you’re unsatisfied with conventional medicines, you might want to switch to natural remedies for menopause.

Natural Remedies for the Menopause Treatment in Philadelphia.

At the Philadelphia Holistic Clinic, you may find all-natural approaches for the treatment of menopausal symptoms:

Contact our clinic at (267) 284-4305 to schedule an appointment for an initial evaluation. Our Medical Director, Dr. Victor Tsan, will evaluate you, perform necessary testing and propose an individualized and customized treatment plan.