Being a woman surely means you shudder when you hear the term menopause. It’s not easy, that’s for sure. Thanks to endless research, though, we are learning more each day about new methods, techniques, and products to help alleviate this phase in a woman’s life. We want to share with you some recommendations to help improve your quality of life during hormonal changes.
Move your body
You’ve probably read that exercise is suggested for overall health. Physical movement never fails us! Especially with menopause, it helps tremendously by controlling unhealthy lipids, regulating body mass and fat, and, most importantly, increasing endorphins in the hypothalamus responsible for good mood. In addition, exercise helps with other menopause symptoms like hot flashes and sleeping problems. Adding more physical activity is the key to opening the door to a better relationship with menopause. (1,2,3)
Information and Support
One of the worse aspects of going through menopause is not understanding what is happening within your own body and mind. Which is why arming yourself with information is the most important step. Aside from making a doctor appointment, you can also enroll in classes geared toward menopausal self-care, which provide tools to help navigate the process. It’s been proven that women who choose these options improve their quality of life. (4)
Try Natural Resources
The first thing that comes to mind for most menopausal women once the midnight hot sweats, headaches, and fatigue kick in is to go for hormonal replacement therapy. On the other hand, some are afraid to try it due to possible side effects such as increased risk for embolism or breast cancer (1). Therefore, more and more women are opting for complementary products made from plants, especially those that contain phytoestrogens and vegetable hormones with isoflavones that help relieve some symptoms. The most common products used are:
Soy: A systematic review discovered that isoflavones, found in soy, help decrease night sweats and hot flashes – one of the more common menopause symptoms. Soy was also found to help combat mineral deficiency in the spine and vertebrae, improve systolic blood pressure, and regulate the glycemic index. Add soy milk to your diet or choose products like tofu as alternatives to meat. (5)
Red clover: An abundant source of phytoestrogens. A systematic review from 2017 found that consuming red clover could have a positive effect on lipid regulation in peri- and postmenopausal women. (6)
Licorice: This root has shown positive effects in quality of life for menopausal women, helping reduce depression and stress by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels (7). A study also found licorice could decrease the amount and intensity of hot flashes. (8)
Royal jelly: This honeybee secretion has helpful properties that can treat some menopause symptoms, especially by stimulating estrogen receptors. It’s even used to treat vaginal dryness during menopause. (9, 10)
Omega 3: Supplementing this fatty acid helps fight depression symptoms associated with menopause and post menopause which, in turn, improves quality of life thanks to its eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid. (11)
Three Allies for the Main Symptoms
To make your life easier and give you complete support, we offer a powerful trio of natural supplements:
- Hormonal Balance helps relieve the main symptoms of this stage, including hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, low energy, and insomnia.
- Sexual Health, designed to enhance your intimate well-being, contains ingredients like omega-7 fatty acids to combat vaginal dryness, skin dryness, and dryness of all the body’s membranes that need extra hydration during this period. It also includes citrulline, which boosts circulation and energy and supports sexual performance.
- Finally, to help reduce the recurrence of urinary tract infections—a common problem during menopause—there’s Urinary Tract, formulated with cranberries and probiotics to help keep your urinary system healthy.
Small steps that can help you regain your well-being and enjoy this new stage of your life.
Your Santo Remedio Team
References:
1. Mahboubeh Taebi 1,2, Somayeh Abdolahian 1, Gity Ozgoli 3, Abas Ebadi 4, Nourossadat Kariman 3,✉ , J Educ Health Promot. 2018 Jul 6;7:93. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_137_17 Strategies to improve menopausal quality of life: A systematic review PMCID: PMC6052783 PMID: 30079364 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6052783/
2.Carolina Kimie Moriyama 1 , Bruna Oneda, Fernanda Rocchi Bernardo, Crivaldo Gomes Cardoso Jr, Claudia L M Forjaz, Sandra B Abrahao, Décio Mion Jr, Angela M Fonseca, Tais Tinucci PMID: 18551087 DOI: 10.1097/gme.0b013e3181605494 Randomized Controlled Trial Menopause 2008 Jul-Aug;15(4 Pt 1):613-8. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e3181605494.A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the effects of physical exercises and estrogen therapy on health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18551087/
3.Kirsi Mansikkamäki 1 , Jani Raitanen 2 , Nea Malila 3 , Tytti Sarkeala 4 , Satu Männistö 4 , Jonna Fredman 3 , Sirpa Heinävaara 3 , Riitta Luoto 5 PMID: 25449820 DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.09.009 Maturitas 2015 Jan;80(1):69-74. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.09.009. Epub 2014 Sep 30. Physical activity and menopause-related quality of life - a population-based cross-sectional study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25449820/
4.Sedigheh Forouhari 1 , Marjan Khajehei, Marziyeh Moattari, Mitra Mohit, Mozhgan Safari Rad, Haleh Ghaem PMID: 20606933 PMCID: PMC2888337 DOI: 10.4103/0970-0218.62563 Indian J Community Med. 2010 Jan;35(1):109-14. doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.62563.The Effect of Education and Awareness on the Quality-of-Life in Postmenopausal Women https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20606933/
5.Li-Ru Chen 1,2,†, Nai-Yu Ko 1,†, Kuo-Hu Chen 3,4,* Nutrients. 2019 Nov 4;11(11):2649. doi: 10.3390/nu11112649 Isoflavone Supplements for Menopausal Women: A Systematic Review
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6893524/
6. Luís 1 , F Domingues 1 , L Pereira 2 PMID: 30269660 DOI: 10.1080/13697137.2018.1501673 Review Climacteric. 2018 Oct;21(5):446-453. doi: 10.1080/13697137.2018.1501673.Effects of red clover on perimenopausal and postmenopausal women's blood lipid profile: A meta-analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30269660/
7.Dinesh Dhingra 1 , Amandeep Sharma PMID: 16443316 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2005.11.019 Comparative Study Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2006 May;30(3):449-54. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2005.11.019. Epub 2006 Jan 27.Antidepressant-like activity of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. in mouse models of immobility tests https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16443316/
8.Fatemeh Nahidi 1 , Nourossadat Kariman, Masoumeh Simbar, Faraz Mojab PMID: 24250540 PMCID: PMC3813162. Iran J Pharm Res. 2012 Fall;11(4):1079-85.The Study on the Effects of Pimpinella anisum on Relief and Recurrence of Menopausal Hot Flashes https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24250540/
9.Satoshi Mishima 1 , Kazu-Michi Suzuki, Yoichiro Isohama, Naoko Kuratsu, Yoko Araki, Makoto Inoue, Takeshi Miyata PMID: 15946813 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2005.04.012 J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Oct 3;101(1-3):215-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2005.04.012.Royal jelly has estrogenic effects in vitro and in vivo
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15946813/
10.Fatemeh Seyyedi 1 , Mahmoud Rafiean Kopaei 2 , Sepideh Miraj 3 PMID: 28070251 PMCID: PMC5217810 DOI: 10.19082/3184 Electron Physician. 2016 Nov 25;8(11):3184-3192. doi: 10.19082/3184. eCollection 2016 Nov. Comparison between vaginal royal jelly and vaginal estrogen effects on quality of life and vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: a clinical trial study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28070251/
