MENOPAUSAL WOMEN DIET AND HOMEOPATIC REMEDIES

When you start skipping periods and begin to experience feeling irritable, you start being unable to tolerate distractions such as "Mom, where is my blue shirt or when is dinner?"

This inevitable, overwhelming, moody feeling could start early 40's. There is not a specific time frame for pre-menopause, and it is much more midlife transformation than raging hormones. Obviously, this situation creates a hormonal shift that means basically our brains are changing.

If a woman can accept this developmental stage consciously by listening to her body, mind and spirits at the deepest levels, she can actually benefit with positive changes that create great awareness and health for this hormonal shifting.

DETOXIFY YOUR BODY - CLEANSING

This is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. It is a gradual change in lifestyle, as cleansing is happening on the physical and psychological levels at the same time.

Include at least one serving of cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, cauliflower, radish, kale, turnip, Brussel sprouts, watercress, and cabbage) each day in your diet.

Aim at eating two to five cloves of garlic a week. Ideally garlic should be eaten every day together with at least one member of the onion family. More examples of allium vegetables (onion family) are chives, leeks, spring onion, shallots.

Take raw vegetables to as a snack or lunch.

In the evenings, make raw vegetables part of your choice of nibbles using hummus made from chickpeas as a dip.

Include oily fish such as tuna, salmon or mackerel in your diet at least twice a week.

Use lean cuts of meat and poultry, choose smaller portions, reduce the frequency of meat-based meals, and pay attention to how you cook. Red meats cooked at high temperature form toxic substances such as heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These can have negative effects on health. Look at using pulses as an alternative source of protein. They include chickpeas, a wide range of lentils, split peas and a vast range of beans from the black-eyed to the broad, butter and kidney.

Use seeds (sunflower, pumpkin or sesame) and nuts (brazils, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds) as a snack, either by themselves or with yoghurt or fruit.

A boiled egg offers excellent protein quality, is portable, cheap and can be used as a snack.

Avoid smoked fish and meats whenever possible but if the occasion does arise, accompany the food with one high in vitamin C (lemon juice or tomatoes) which helps neutralise the effect of the nitrosamines.

Meet your calcium needs: Menopause brings an increased need for calcium to maintain bone health as the estrogen levels are low. Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium from the intestines. Hence, it is functional in preventing osteoporosis. Dairy products such as cow’s and goat’s milk, yogurt and cheese are among the best food sources of calcium. Broccoli, collard and turnip greens, almonds and Brazil nuts, soy foods and blackstrap molasses also provide calcium. The best way to get an adequate quota of Vitamin D is to take a walk in the sun, eat fish oils and fortified cereals rich in Vitamin D.

Reduce the intake of salt: to offset bloating and fluid retention. Do not eat more than 6-9 g of salt/day. The results of a new study by an American university suggest that hormonal changes following menopause may prompt salt-sensitive hypertension in women who never had a history of BP before menopause. In addition, the researchers found that, in a group of younger women who experienced a hysterectomy with ovary removal, the number of patients with salt sensitivity doubled within 4 months of their surgeries. All tastes like sweet, salty, spicy and tangy should be in moderation.

Minimize foods with added sugars. Excess refined sugar consumption may increase insulin production which may aggravate bloating. It also can lead to a lowering of blood Chromium levels and cause increased urinary excretion of magnesium. Processed food which contain starches and sugars that are quickly broken down by the body have a high GI (The Glycemic Index (GI) is simply a ranking of foods, based on their immediate effect on blood glucose levels. It is a physiological measure of how fast, and to what extent, a carbohydrate food affects blood glucose levels.), i.e. they are converted into glucose rapidly and can cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar levels which can make PMS worse.

Eat Healthy Fats: Early 50's brings hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings, which are just a few of the side effects of peri-menopause and menopause. If you experience these symptoms, eating healthy fats may help you manage them. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in cold-water fish like salmon, sardines and tuna. Flaxseed is good plant-based source of alpha linolenic acid, a type of omega-3. Snack on seeds and a few nuts, they contain Omega 6 and some Omega 3.

Omega-3s in fish oil have an effective and potent natural anti-inflammatory effect that's key during menopause. "It's not only helpful in terms of cardiovascular benefits and lowering triglycerides, but this powerful antioxidant also helps preserve brain function including cognitive delay, dementia, and Alzheimer's. The American Heart Association "recommends eating at least two servings of fish (salmon, trout, sole, sardines and herring) a week," but supplements are needed to get adequate amounts to score these health benefits.

Stay Hydrated with Water: Water plays many roles in keeping you healthy with age. It helps to digest food so you can absorb the nutrients you need. It gives you an important source of minerals like magnesium and calcium. Water moistens mucous membranes and lubricates the joints and cools the body through perspiration. Drink a lot of (10-12 glasses) of water, watery soups and vegetable broths.

Coenzyme Q1 or CoQ10 is an antioxidant that helps convert food into energy and is needed for basic cell function. While it is naturally made in the body, production decreases with age. It's key for your body's energy transport system, great for cardiovascular health, and can help with hot flashes, mood swings, and depression." Studies suggest that CoQ10 may lessen cognitive decline in postmenopausal women and can be important for women taking hormone replacement therapy or blood pressure or thyroid medications—all of which can further deplete CoQ10 levels.

Curcumin Research has shown that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, may provide anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-tumour, and antidepressant benefits. "Curcumin is extremely anti-inflammatory and has lots of brain health benefits and cardiovascular benefits. Be sure to choose one with black pepper extract or piperine, which has been shown to help with absorption.

HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES

We have several remedies for every situation as we talk all the time. I will give just as reference of couple remedies for now.

CIMICIFUGA RACEMOSA Hot flashes, labor pains, cramps, back pains.

Pain across pelvis from hip to hip.

Intolerance to pain.

Thinks she is going crazy.

Nervous, fidgety, excitable and jerky. Incessant talking, changing from one subject to others.

Desire to wander from place to place.

Burning in breasts.

SEPIA

Perspiring profusely, especially under arms.

Whole inside seems to be dragging down.

She wants to run away and leave it all, and have a little peace.

Dull indifference to loved ones.

Nervous, irritable, must stay alone.

Sleep makes things better.

Left side headache.

Great falling out of hair.

AGNUS CACTUS

Menses are suppressed with abdominal pains. Bearing down pains.

No sexual desire.

Leucorrhea staining yellow, transparent.

Hormonal disorders.

Changeable moods.

Indifference to everything.

PULSATILLA

Moody, shifting symptoms.

Patient seeks the open air, always feels better there.

Thirstless, chilliness and shortness of breath.

Never well since puberty.

Discharges are profuse, bland, thick, yellowish green.

LILIUM TIGRINUM

Darting pains in lower abdomen and from ovaries down things.

Restless and nervous.

Snappish.

Can not stand, must lay down.

Continuous pressure in region of bladder, constant desire to urinate, with scanty discharge.

Sharp pain in ovarian region burning, stinging, cutting pain extends across hypogastrium to groin, down leg; sensitive to pressure.

IGNATIA

Patient sighs, and yawns constantly. Can not stand smoking or tobacco smoke.

Hysteria.

Trouble in rectum and anus.

Sleepless, nervous, she is unable to control her emotions, ashamed herself.

Irritation and ulcerative pain in genitalia.