The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) reports that an estimated 6,000 US women reach menopause each day, which translates to over 2 million women every year. The average age of natural menopause, which is the point of a woman's last menstrual period, is 51.4. The Women's Health Initiative study, which followed 16,608 women being given hormone replacement therapy (HRT), discovered a high risk of breast cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke from the use of these drugs. As a result, more and more women today are seeking the use of natural remedies for menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, migraine headaches, anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia.
Vitamin E is famous for it's health benefits to glands and organs, however it may not be generally known that vitamin E is a proven remedy for hot flashes. Adelle Davis, the first nutritionist to base her recommendations on science-based studies, says: "During the menopause the need for vitamin E soars ten to fifty times over that previously required. Hot flashes and night sweats often disappear when 50 to 500 units of vitamin E are taken daily, but they quickly recur should the vitamin be stopped."
One study supporting vitamin E is from the University of Iran, published in Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation in 2007. 400 IU of vitamin E in a softgel cap was given to the participants daily for four weeks. A diary was used to measure hot flashes before the study and at the end. The researchers concluded that vitamin E is effective and is a recommended treatment for hot flashes.
Another natural remedy has been making headlines lately. Mayo Clinic breast health specialist Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., conducted a study on flaxseed for hot flashes. The 29 participants in Mayo's clinical trial were women with hot flashes who did not want to take estrogen because of increased risk of breast cancer. The study gave them six weeks of flaxseed therapy, consisting of 40 grams of crushed flaxseed eaten daily. The result was that the frequency of hot flashes decreased fifty percent. Participants also reported improvements in mood, joint or muscle pain, chills, and sweating. This was a significant improvement in their health and quality of life. Dr. Pruthi said: "We hope to find more effective nonhormonal options to assist women, and flaxseed looks promising."
Pycnogenol is a natural plant extract from the bark of the maritime pine tree which grows exclusively along the coast of southwest France. In a study from Taiwan, 100 pre-menopausal women aged 45-55 years, were given 100-mg capsules of Pycnogenol or placebo twice daily (at breakfast and dinner) for 6 months in a double-blind manner. All menopause symptoms evaluated (including depression, hot flashes, night sweats, memory, attractiveness, anxiety, sexual symptoms, and sleep) improved significantly with Pycnogenol treatment, as early as one month after initiation of treatment. The researchers said, "Supplementation with Pycnogenol clearly reduced the frequency as well as the severity of pre-menopausal symptoms."
Night sweats and hot flashes can become a form of insomnia in which a woman wakes up drenched in sweat and unable to sleep. Regarding mineral deficiency at the time of menopause, Adelle Davis says, "The amount of calcium in a woman's blood parallels the activity of the ovaries. During the menopause, the lack of ovarian hormones (estrogen and progesterone)
One insomnia remedy becoming popular among menopausal women is Sleep Minerals II from Nutrition Breakthroughs. This natural sleep aid contains six different types of calcium, three types of magnesium, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, boron and horse tail herb. The ingredients are formulated with carrier oils such as evening primrose, an oil that has been shown to increase mineral absorption, reduce calcium excretion, and increase bone density.
Lyn K., Los Angeles, CA. says, "I've had chronic insomnia for some years now and had been taking other calcium products to help with my sleep. No other insomnia remedy has worked as effectively or consistently as Sleep Minerals II. I can count on it whenever I need help falling asleep at night or going back to sleep in the middle of the night. This is what sets it apart from the rest - it works reliably. And in my life, I need to be well-rested 7 days a week, so I call this product my "Sleep Insurance". It also eases my menopause symptoms, evens out my hormonal changes, and seems to put my body into a healthy balance."
Life after menopause has been found to be a fulfilling time of life for many women. In a recent Gallup Poll sponsored by the North American Menopause Society, 51% of postmenopausal US women reported being the happiest and most fulfilled between ages 50 and 65. This was compared with their 20s (10%), 30s (17%), or 40s (16%). Menopause is an excellent time for a woman to keep her health at its peak and minimize symptoms such as night sweats and insomnia by using effective natural remedies.
For more information on Sleep Minerals II, visit http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/
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References:
1. "The Effect of Vitamin E on Hot Flashes in Menopausal Women". Gynecol Obstet Invest 2007;64:204-
2. Summer 2007 issue of the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology.
3. Yang HM, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of Pycnogenol on the climacteric syndrome in peri-menopausal women. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2007;86:978-
