Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Natural Remedies for Menopause and Weight Loss

By Ricardo d Argence

For many women, menopause is a challenging transition period after the child-bearing age. A woman's body stops causing egg follicles to mature every month in preparation for pregnancy,menopause occurs when female hormones naturally decline.

Unfortunately, menopause can be difficult for some women because of its often uncomfortable symptoms. These can include hot flashes, insomnia, night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness, loss of interest in sex, and irritability. Unexpected weight gain is another frequent consequence of menopause.

Even women who don't change their eating and exercise habits during menopause may experience weight gain. This can be frustrating, prompting women to wonder what caused this sudden and unexpected weight gain. Weight gain can also be a result of hormonally triggered overeating. Another cause of weight gain is the natural metabolic slow-down that happens as people age. When a woman's metabolic rate slows during menopause, any extra calories ingested have a far greater effect than they did pre-menpausal.

Body fat and estrogen also have a unique complementary role. Body fat helps regulate the production of estrogen, the female hormone that declines dramatically in menopause. Sometimes, the body will fight to hold on to fat in an effort to stabilize estrogen levels. Hormones and body fat also interact with each other in complex was that affect weight gain through changes in appetite, digestion, and metabolism.

Try using a more natural antidote to increased weight and other the negative symptoms of menopause, instead of turning to hormone therapy that is now linked to problems such as breast and reproductive cancers. Some of these remedies include black cohosh and sage, to regulate hot flashes; St. John's Wort, a natural anti-depressant and stress alleviator; and chasteberry, for moodiness and general hormonal imbalance.

Many women mistakenly believe that these remedies will prevent weight gain and other menpausal symtpoms by themselves. The fact is that the most you can to to prevent or even eliminate weight gain while going through menopause is to eat well and work out.

Regulating hormone balance naturally by eating a nutrient-dense, whole-foods diet is a far more effective approach than herbal remedies. While herbal remedies can help supplement a good diet and exercise plan, many women find that a healthy lifestyle will alleviate symptoms without the need to spend money on these supplements and herbal preparations.

It is important for a healthy diet to concentrate on ingesting healthy fats in moderation and not eating bad fats at all. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables should form the bulk of the diet, supplemented by lean protein and dairy foods (or non-dairy foods that contain calcium). Keep away alcohol food, and spicy food, if you are caffeine aggravates symptoms of menopause, and of course, pass up fried and fatty foods, excess sugar, and junk.

Added 8 glasses of water a day for about half an hour several days a week exercise has potential, you can approach your significant weight loss, and even in the face of obstacles to menopause hormones. By stabilizing your hormones with a diet and excersize program, you will see relief from other menopause issues as well. - 15343

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