Monday, February 23, 2009

Natural Remedies for Menopause and Weight Loss

By Ricardo d Argence

Menopause is a challenging time of transition from the reproductive years to the post-childbearing years for many women. A woman's body stops causing egg follicles to mature every month and female hormones naturally decline when menopause occurs.

Sadly, menopause may be hard for certain females since it frequently produces unpleasant side effects. These can include hot flashes, insomnia, night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness, loss of interest in sex, and irritability. Weight gain can be another common, but unexpected, symptom 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.

The fat in our body and estrogen also has a unique role in support. Body fat helps in shaping the production of estrogen, which 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 exchange in the complex is that the impact of weight gain by changing the 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 make the mistake of thinking that these remedies will prevent weight gain and other menopause symptoms on their own. The truth is, the best thing you can do to prevent or reverse weight gain in menopause is through healthy diet and exercise.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet rich in whole-foods is more effective approach than using herbal remedies. There are many herbal remedies available to alleviate menopausal symptoms. However, many women find that healthy eating and exercise are enough, and they do not need to waste their money on such products.

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.

Add eight glasses of water per day and about half-hour of exercise as many days per week as possible, and you could be on your way to significant weight loss, even in the face of the hormonal hurdles of menopause. You're also likely to see an improvement in other menopause symptoms as a healthy diet and exercise program begins to stabilize hormone levels. - 16004

About the Author: