Choosing Menopause Remedies and Natural Herbal Alternative Medicine for Menopausal Symptoms
The number of women looking for menopause remedies and natural herbal alternative medicine has greatly increased in the last few years. Because of the health risks associated with hormone replacement therapy, you will probably find your local vitamin store offering menopause treatments, as well as natural remedies and cures for all kinds of ailments. Choosing one can be difficult. As with pharmaceutical products, what works for one woman may not work for every woman, so a little trial may be necessary, but there are ways to narrow your choices.
Whether shopping on-line or at your local vitamin store offering menopause treatments, you will undoubtedly find a large assortment of menopause remedies and natural herbal alternative medicine. The Federal Trade Commission advises that while the benefits of some health products are well documented, others have no proven benefits and may even be dangerous. It is the responsibility of the health supplement manufacturers to insure that the products they sell are safe. These are general statements that apply to all health supplements. Manufacturers are not allowed to claim that a product is designed to treat or cure any illness.
Consumers are advised to avoid products that make claims that seem remarkable or amazing. Manufacturers should provide a detailed list of ingredients. They may also provide any relevant research relating to the effectiveness of these products.
This brings up one way that a consumer can spot a questionable product. Manufactures that are confident in the quality and effectiveness of their products will provide a detailed list of ingredients. The best manufacturers will even provide information supporting the use of the ingredients for any given condition. Manufacturers that make broad, non-specific statements concerning ingredients are either unsure about what the product contains, unsure about the products effectiveness or trying to mislead the consumer by insinuating that the product contains substances that are actually not included.
Let?s look at an example of what to avoid, without giving any brand names. One internet company that sells vitamins for menopause makes this statement, ?formulated to deliver essential vitamins and minerals, as well as menopause discomfort relieving herbs and isoflavones.? Sold under the heading ?menopause remedies and natural and herbal alternative medicine? this product apparently contains no herbs of any kind. The list of ingredients includes a number of vitamins, but no herbs and no isoflavones. Apparently this company is hoping that the consumer will read the description, but not the list of ingredients.
None of this is meant to be discouraging. There are a number of effective herbal remedies and most health care professionals recommend specific vitamins for menopause health, when used in conjunction with a healthy, well-balanced diet and regular exercise. You may wonder why exercise is so important. You may think that if you take a calcium supplement you are protected from osteoporosis (a weakening and thinning of the bones), even if you do not exercise regularly. If you think this way, then you are wrong. Certain activities (or lack of activity, in this case) and substances have a canceling effect on vitamins and minerals. Lack of exercise cancels out the positive benefits of calcium supplementation.
The commonly recommended minerals, dietary supplements and vitamins for menopause or the years leading up to menopause are calcium, vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B-complex, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, potassium, fiber, isoflavones and phytoestrogens.
Isoflavones are actually a well-researched form of phytoestrogens, but are sometimes listed separately. Phytoestrogens are simply plant compounds that have an ?estrogen-like? effect on the body. Lessening levels of estrogen in a woman?s body are believed to cause both PMS and menopause related symptoms. The most common sources of isoflavones are soy and red clover. Soy, as you probably know, is a food. Red clover can usually be found with other menopause remedies and natural herbal alternative medicine. A vitamin store offering menopause treatments may carry these in the form of teas, capsules, powders or liquids. Both the quality and quantity of the active ingredients can affect the effectiveness of the product. So, if you try something that is ineffective, you may want try a different manufacturer.
Other menopause remedies and natural herbal alternative medicine for unwanted symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings include black cohosh, sarsaparilla and chaste tree berry. Even ginseng is sometimes suggested to promote energy and improve sexual function, but in some women it increases anxiety, which has been associated with increased incidence of hot flashes.
A vitamin store offering menopause treatments will usually carry black cohosh. There is more supportive clinical research for the effectiveness of black cohosh than any of the other herbal remedies. Most experts suggest that women try black cohosh before resorting to hormone replacement therapy to relieve hot flashes. This writer can personally vouch for the effectiveness of good quality products containing this herb. For more information about the best quality and most effective menopause remedies and natural herbal alternative medicine for menopausal symptoms, please visit the Menopause and PMS Guide.
|
Patsy Hamilton was a health care professional for over twenty years before becoming a freelance writer. Currently she is writing a series of articles about women’s health. Read more at http://www.menopause-and-pms-guide.com |
Add to:
