Non-Hormonal Treatments for Menopause
There are a variety of symptoms one may experience during menopause:
Hot flashes and/or night sweats
No longer experiencing menses
Itching
Dryness
Pain with sex
Burning with urination (aka., urethritis ~ inflammation of the urethra)
Incontinence
Heart Palpitations
Mood shifts or trouble concentrating
Many women will often seek natural treatments to mitigate their symptoms before reverting to their last resort: hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT is loaded with concerning side effects such as increased risk of cancer and heart disease, and worsening liver congestion with long-term use.
Yoga and herbal therapy are great natural treatments which can effectively help one transition comfortably through menopause. In a 2014 randomized controlled trial, although aerobic exercise and omega-3 intervention groups did not show a significant improvement in symptoms, the yoga intervention group saw a dramatic improvement in lessening menopausal symptoms.
In a review of the literature on menopause and herbs, Kargozar and colleagues (2017) summarized some of the more effective herbal medicines used to lessen the symptoms of menopause. They include:
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis): Sedative-like herb that treats hot flashes
Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa): Binds to estrogen receptors; suppresses secretion of luteinizing hormone; treats hot flashes
Sage (Salvia officinalis): Estrogenic-like herb that treats hot flashes and night sweats; binds to GABA receptors so it can calm, sedate, and improve memory
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis): Stimulates nerve function and supports sleep
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum): Well known for treating depression and anxiety; increases libido; eases vaginal dryness and urinary tract problems associated with menopause
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Well known for its cardioprotective effects and ability to improve bone mineral density (Akazawa et al., 2013; Riva et al., 2017)
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba): improves memory
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare): Since it’s anti-androgenic, it’s used to; treat hot flashes and vaginal atrophy
Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis): Reduces hot flashes
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum): Treats hot flashes
Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra): Treats hot flashes
Anise (Pimpinella anisum): Treats hot flashes
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa): Treats hot flashes
Black Caraway (Nigella sativa): Seed powder, at 1 g daily for two months, significantly improves cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure in menopausal women (Ibrahim et al., 2014)
Asian Ginseng (Panax Ginseng): improve energy, concentration, and balances mood
Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus): increases progesterone levels
Remember, menopause is a natural process. Medicinal herbs and yoga therapy have been successfully used for centuries to help ease menopausal symptoms. With modern conventional western medicine, it’s easy to overlook the natural remedies and revert only to synthetic chemicals loaded with side effects.
Yoga can be done almost anywhere, any time. Just 40 minutes of morning yoga 5 days a week has been found to improve menstrual health in reproductive-aged women (Rani et al., 2013).
References
Akazawa, N., Choi, Y., Miyaki, A., Tanabe, Y., Sugawara, J., Ajisaka, R., & Maeda, S. (2013). Effects of curcumin intake and aerobic exercise training on arterial compliance in postmenopausal women. Artery Research, 7(1), 67-72. doi:10.1016/j.artres.2012.09.003.
Ibrahim, R. M., Hamdan, N. S., Mahmud, R., Imam, M. U., Saini, S. M., Rashid, S. N. A., . . . Ismail, M. (2014). A randomised controlled trial on hypolipidemic effects of nigella sativa seeds powder in menopausal women. Journal of Translational Medicine, 12, 82-82.
Kargozar, R., Azizi, H., & Salari, R. (2017). A review of effective herbal medicines in controlling menopausal symptoms. Electronic Physician, 9(11), pp. 5826-5833.
Rani, M., Singh, U., Agrawal, G. G., Natu, S. M., Kala, S., Ghildiyal, A., & Srivastava, N. (2013). Impact of Yoga Nidra on menstrual abnormalities in females of reproductive age. Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.), 19(12), 925-929.
Reed, S. D., Guthrie, K. A., Newton, K. M., Anderson, G. L., Booth-LaForce, C., Caan, B., ... & Freeman, E. W. (2014). Menopausal quality of life: RCT of yoga, exercise, and omega-3 supplements. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 210(3), 244-e1.
Riva, A., Togni, S., Giacomelli, L., Franceschi, F., Eggenhoffner, R., Feragalli, B., . . . Dugall, M. (2017). Effects of a curcumin-based supplementation in asymptomatic subjects with low bone density: A preliminary 24-week supplement study. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 21(7), 1684-1689.
AUTHOR
Dr. Payal Bhandari M.D. is one of U.S.'s top leading integrative functional medical physicians and the founder of SF Advanced Health. She combines the best in Eastern and Western Medicine to understand the root causes of diseases and provide patients with personalized treatment plans that quickly deliver effective results. Dr. Bhandari specializes in cell function to understand how the whole body works. Dr. Bhandari received her Bachelor of Arts degree in biology in 1997 and Doctor of Medicine degree in 2001 from West Virginia University. She the completed her Family Medicine residency in 2004 from the University of Massachusetts and joined a family medicine practice in 2005 which was eventually nationally recognized as San Francisco’s 1st patient-centered medical home. To learn more, go to www.sfadvancedhealth.com.