Best diet to relieve menopause symptoms and signs

Menopause is a natural phase of a woman's life. Although millions of women experience signs and symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, irritability, mood swings, weight gain, and similar uncomfortable symptoms, others go through this period symptom-free and with ease. While hormone replacement therapy is commonly recommended to relieve menopause symptoms, this may not be necessary. It turns out your diet has a lot to do with whether menopause will destroy your quality of life.

What is menopause?

Menopause is not a disease state; instead, a natural stage of every woman's life. If you have not had a period for 12 months or longer, you are likely in menopause. But as mentioned above, the absence of periods is often not the only symptom women experience as part of this new phase of life.

If hot flashes, anxiety, vaginal dryness, night sweats are ruining your life, it is understandable why you may believe that hormone replacement therapy is the only option.

What's so wrong with hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?

Contrary to common belief, HRT is not a solution to your menopause-related symptoms. At least not in the real sense. Solutions, by definition, resolve the core problem. HRT does not do that; it merely masks it, leaving the underlying issue completely unresolved.

But what's even worse than that, HRT adds fuel to the fire and predisposes you to a whole host of side effects. Some doctors recommend estrogen-only HRT; others prescribe estrogen-progestin hormone replacement therapy. Regardless, the basis for this approach is always the same, and it is deeply rooted in the false idea that your aging ovaries are to blame.

HRT has serious potential side effects

Shortly after hormone replacement therapy for women became popular, doctors began noticing some serious adverse effects among their patients on the drugs. This recognition took place decades ago. You might wonder, where is the proof? Over the years, multiple clinical trials have confirmed the initial concerns, showing an increased rate of breast cancer, heart attack, and stroke among women on HRT.

If people were to read the information that is included in the product label approved by the Food And Drug Administration of hormone drugs, they would be horrified to find these and other similar "adverse events".

The below examples come straight out of the package insert of one of the most commonly prescribed estrogen, Premarin:

Black box warning about endometrial cancer, cardiovascular disorder, breast cancer, and dementia.
Increased risks of stroke, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) and heart attack
Higher risk of dementia in postmenopausal women over 65 years old
Elevated risk of invasive breast cancer risk

The above is by far not an all-inclusive list of what can go wrong while on estrogen therapy with or without progestin. The risks are real and are not new. But I don't blame you for believing the misinformation that there is something inherently wrong with you, that your body is simply breaking down as you get older, and that you have no other alternative than getting on HRT.

What is the real cause of menopause symptoms?

As I already pointed out, menopause is a natural stage of every woman's life. Unlike what we are lead to believe, menopause symptoms are not meant to be part of the process, nor they are meant to be treated with synthetic hormones. The cause of your problems may be rooted in reasons other than your aging ovaries.

Your troubles are more likely to be the result of a combination of the following:

sluggish liver
adrenal fatigue
thyroid hormone imbalances
food sensitivities
nutritional deficiencies
high toxic load on the body

While taking estrogen and progestin pills may temporarily provide symptom relief, it does so by suppressing your immune system's ability to respond to whatever the underlying issue may be in the first place. Hormone replacement therapy does not address the root cause of your problems and makes you more likely to develop breast cancer, stroke, and heart disease, especially when combined with other risk factors.

What is the best diet to help with symptoms of menopause?

Proper nutrition can have a profound impact on how you experience menopause. If you start implementing some of the below suggestions at the early stages of perimenopause, you will be far less likely to experience symptoms during menopause and postmenopause.

If you are already menopausal and concerned about the risks of HRT, know that you have options. The right foods, herbs, therapeutic grade essential oils and self-care can bring about the relief you have been seeking.

Dietary tips for menopause

Increase your consumption of whole, plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and other seeds. Many of these foods have powerful hormone-balancing effects.

Eat flaxseeds. They contain phytoestrogens and have demonstrated the ability to decrease hot flashes in multiple clinical trials.

Add fermented soy foods to your diet. Organic tofu, miso, and tempeh can also help reduce hot flashes.

If you eat animal products, be sure to only consume hormone-free meat to avoid creating hormone imbalance. Reduce or eliminate spicy foods and alcohol, both of which may increase hot-flash frequency and intensity.

Avoid processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and alcohol as they can make your symptoms much worse,

Herbs to support hormone balance during menopause

Black Cohosh

Vitex (chaste berry)

American Ginseng - an incredibly potent herb that supports healthy adrenals, boosts energy and relaxes the nervous system

Maca (Lepidium peruvianum) - has been shown to reduce hot flashes and support normal hormone balance. Be careful, there are many different phenotypes of Maca, and not all are created equal.

Lift your mood and cool your body with essential oils

Geranium and Rose oils have amazing hormone balancing effects. They also lift your mood and help you combat stress. There are few things in life more relaxing than taking a bath with a few drops of these powerful oils added to your water.

Peppermint offers an instant cooling effect. Place a few drops on the back of your neck, chest, and feet at night.

To get your long lost libido back, give Ylang Ylang a try! You may just find that it melts stress away and lifts your spirit.

When it comes to essential oils, please use therapeutic grade oils.

Whether you are in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause, you can benefit from making some simple diet and lifestyle changes to ease your uncomfortable symptoms. Cleaning up your diet may just be the most natural approach to getting the relief you want.

Top 5 Amazing Essential Oils For Natural Hormone Balance

With 80 percent of women suffering from hormone imbalance, hormonal symptoms are incredibly common. Chances are if you are reading this post, you are looking for natural solutions to your hormonal troubles. If you have never considered essential oils for hormone balance, keep reading.

Whether you have painful periods, debilitating anxiety, severe acne, or infertility, chances are your hormones are out of whack. Sadly, hormones can go haywire at any age, as they are not limited to any particular age group.

Even though not feeling like yourself can be super frustrating, be rest assured that natural remedies do exist to help you feel better. In combination with proper nutrition and self-care routine, I find that essential oils for hormone imbalance are very effective as they can positively affect your body's natural hormone production.

What are Hormones?

Most people know very little about what hormones are and how they can get out of balance. We blame them for so many of our misfortunes. From acne to bloating, mood swings, and anxiety, we point fingers at our hormones.

So what are hormones, anyway? They are chemical messengers that your body produces to perform various functions. Your hormones use your blood to travel to tissues and organs, giving them specific instructions on performing major bodily processes. Nonetheless, when your body makes too much or not enough of a particular hormone, you can experience uncomfortable symptoms.

How Hormones Affect You?

Your hormone health plays a role in:

how you feel during the day
how you sleep a night
how much energy you have
how much weight you hang onto
how ready you are to be intimate and so much more.

Impressive, right? This is just the tip of the iceberg. All that to say, your hormones have an all-encompassing effect on multiple areas of your being and daily life.

Signs of Hormone Imbalance

Hormone imbalance can look very different from one person to another. Some of the most common hormone imbalance symptoms women suffer from are:

PMS
Difficulty losing weight
Bloating
Mood swings
Brain fog, memory problems
Acne
Night sweats
Irregular periods
Anxiety
Hot flashes
Heavy periods

What Causes Hormone Imbalance?

Imbalanced hormones are never the result of a prescription drug deficiency. Instead, the cause is likely rooted in a combination of dietary, lifestyle, and environmental factors. In fact, our nutrient-deficient diet, chronic stress, lack of self-care, sedentary lifestyle, and exposure to environmental toxins are all part of the story. While we work on tweaking our lifestyle and adopt new, hormone-friendly eating habits, we can reach for natural solutions, like essential oils, to nudge our hormones in the right direction.

Can Essential Oils Help with Hormone Imbalance?

Many women use essential oils for hormone balance to help alleviate period cramps, PMS, and even hot flashes. However, there is much more than mere anecdotal evidence that shows the various benefits of essential oils for hormonal symptoms. As a matter of fact, numerous studies confirm how aromatherapy with essential oils can affect your hormone balance and help you cope with anxiety (1) and premenstrual syndrome (2).

Although you can use many essential oils for hormone balance, the ones below are my favorite, with an abundance of research supporting their effectiveness.

5 Best Essential Oils for Hormone Balance

1. Clary Sage

raisa-nastukova-ngCrS1Mj3AA-unsplash (1)

Clary sage is one of the top essential oils that is well-supported by clinical research. It affects the body's hormone levels because it contains natural phytoestrogens. Clary sage is a beautiful herb that regulates estrogen levels and helps keep your uterus healthy.

Menstruating women frequently suffer from infertility issues and PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). These conditions and various types of cancers have been linked to high estrogen levels. Clary sage's estrogen-balancing effect makes it an incredibly helpful oil. In addition, studies also show a beneficial impact on menstrual cramps (3) (4).

Keeping your cortisol level in check is also important. Cortisol is a hormone that your adrenal glands release in response to physical or emotional stress. It is not hard to imagine how our overly stressed lifestyles get us in trouble, making our adrenals work hard, pumping out massive amounts of cortisol. Clary sage has proven itself to reduce cortisol levels effectively. This study (5) showed a 36% drop in menopausal women's cortisol levels by merely inhaling the essential oil.

2. Lavender

Lavender is one of the most commonly used essential oils. Even if you are not an avid user of essential oils, you have probably heard of lavender's ability to reduce stress, ease tension, and help you fall asleep. These are just some of the ways lavender essential oil can help make you feel better, improve your mood, and help you get a good night of sleep.

Rubbing lavender essential oil on your abdomen when you get your monthly menstrual cramps can bring significant relief. Furthermore, headaches, PMS symptoms (2), bloating, anxiety, and depressive mood, can also be alleviated. When I am on the go, I carry a bottle of lavender essential oil and inhale it whenever it calls my name. At home I have a diffuser and love diffusing it into the air around me.

3. Thyme

alejandro-pinero-amerio-Ut3vw1iLBgk-unsplash

Most women know thyme from their kitchen cabinet. The culinary use of this herb has a long history. Thyme has strong antibacterial properties, making it an excellent choice to cleanse and purify acne-prone skin. In addition, thyme is considered one of the best essential oils for low progesterone.

Science confirmed thyme's ability to support your natural hormone production by balancing progesterone levels (6). If you wonder how to use thyme essential oil for hormone balance, it is actually quite simple. A few drops of thyme oil diluted in a carrier oil, such as coconut oil, goes a long way. Apply the mix on the bottoms of your feet.

4. Ylang-ylang

Ylang-ylang has a beautiful floral scent and antioxidant properties. Cosmetic companies often use it in creams and perfumes for its fragrance and its nourishing properties. Ylang-ylang is rich in antioxidants and helpful in reducing wrinkles and signs of aging (7). I make my own DIY facial moisturizer using some of my favorite essential oils. You guessed it right, ylang-ylang is one of the must-have ingredients!

Diffusing ylang-ylang into the air or applying it to the skin can help induce a sense of calm and relaxation (8). Most of us are chronically stressed. Unmitigated stress has a detrimental effect on your hormone balance. Ylang-ylang is a fantastic oil to help lift your spirit and positively affect your mood.

Ylang-ylang essential oil can help reduce fatigue and even increase libido (9). But don't take my word for it. Diffuse a few drops in your bedroom at night or place a drop or two on your pillow and experience it yourself.

5. Geranium

Researchers have long recognized that some essential oils can alleviate menopausal symptoms. Since menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats, are thought to be caused by dropping estrogen levels, inhaling essential oils that can raise estrogen levels can help. A 2017 study (10) found that it is possible to increase estrogen levels by inhaling geranium and rose otto. This is why geranium is thought to be one of the best essential oils for hot flashes.

Geranium can also be handy during childbirth. It reduces anxiety during labor, and according to this study (11), it can be a helpful alternative to anxiolytics during childbirth.

Learn about the dangers of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

Feel More Balanced One Drop at a Time

I have been using essential oils for hormone balancing for several years now, and I can honestly say they have changed my life. I find it fascinating how essential oils offer us a beautiful way to benefit from plant intelligence's infinite potential.

Which Essential Oil Should I Choose?

If you are ready to begin your journey of natural hormone balance with essential oils, let me give you a few pointers to help you get started. Not all essential oils are created equal. The market is flooded with mediocre products that are neither pure nor therapeutic grade. Essential oils are powerful and potent, but only when they contain the constituents that give them their unique properties, contain no fillers, are extracted the right way, and come from the right sources.

Would you like to learn more about essential oils and other natural solutions to get your hormones back on track?

References:

1. A multi-center, double-blind, randomised study of the Lavender oil preparation Silexan in comparison to Lorazepam for generalized anxiety disorder, Phytomedicine, 2010 Feb;17 (2):94-9.

2. Effect of aromatherapy on coping with premenstrual syndrome: A randomized controlled trial, Complement Ther Med. 2018 Feb;36:63-67.

3. Pain relief assessment by aromatic essential oil massage on outpatients with primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2012 May;38(5):817-22.

4. Aromatherapy massage on the abdomen for alleviating menstrual pain in high school girls: a preliminary controlled clinical study, Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:187163.

5. Changes in 5-hydroxytryptamine and cortisol plasma levels in menopausal women after inhalation of clary sage oil, Phytother Res. 2014 Nov;28(11):1599-605.

6. Estrogen and progestin bioactivity of foods, herbs, and spices, Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1998 Mar;217(3):369-78.

7. Potential of native Thai aromatic plant extracts in antiwrinkle body creams, J Cosmet Sci. Jul-Aug 2015;66(4):219-31.

8. Relaxing effect of ylang ylang oil on humans after transdermal absorption, Phytother Res. 2006 Sep;20(9):758-63.

9. Evaluation of the Harmonizing Effect of Ylang-Ylang Oil on Humans after Inhalation, August 2004Planta Medica 70(7):632-6

10. Effects of essential oil exposure on salivary estrogen concentration in perimenopausal women, Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2017 Jan;37(8):567-572.

11. Effect of Inhalation of Aroma of Geranium Essence on Anxiety and Physiological Parameters during First Stage of Labor in Nulliparous Women: a Randomized Clinical Trial, J Caring Sci. 2015 Jun 1;4(2):135-41. (11)

3 Ways Diets Make You Fat and Cause Hormone Imbalance

hormone imbalance

With 69% of Americans overweight and 30% obese (1), everyone seems to be on a diet these days. Most people have tried not one but multiple different diets. Dieting has become so mainstream, that many go from one diet to another without even taking a break in-between. But do diets work? Do they really help you achieve sustained weight loss? Or are they just a band-aid that we slap on to help us drop a few pounds, without even noticing that we create even bigger issues in the process? As a Nutritionist, I have seen many women struggle with extra weight. I can honestly tell you, diets do not end the struggle. In fact, a history of dieting often leads to a host of health problems, including hormone imbalances, that we rarely associate with diets themselves.

Meet Mary

One of my clients, Mary has struggled with her weight all her life. The memories of countless failed attempts to achieve her ideal weight have been haunting her for several decades. She tried many different diet programs with no real results. No matter how hard she tried, extra pounds kept creeping up on her and stuck to her waistline. After all the failures, Mary started to lose hope. Over time she became convinced that her weight issue was beyond her control and that there was nothing more that she could do to fit into her skinny jeans again.

Mary was a hard-working, ambitious executive in a high stress marketing job, with frequent tight deadlines and under constant pressure. She had very little flexibility in her schedule and was stuck behind a desk a large part of the day. As a result, Mary often found herself putting in long hours. It wasn’t uncommon to find her behind her desk at 7 PM even on a Friday night. This type of environment and work schedule did not leave her with a lot of opportunities to change her lifestyle and exercise routine. Fast food, snacks and caffeine-loaded sodas became her crutch to get through the day.

Calories In, Calories Out

We are told we need to move more and eat less to lose weight. It's that simple. That's the premise of many of the popular fad diets that severely restrict calories and recommend frequent, intense workouts. But while these programs may deliver results on the short run, on the long run, they are sure to take a toll on your overall health, burn out your adrenals and lead to various other hormone imbalances.

Take Dr Siegal's famous Cookie Diet from 1975 for example. On the surface, a diet plan that allows six cookies a day may sound like a tasty way to drop some extra pounds. the cookie diet is not a healthful way to reach your dream weight. Putting people on a 1,000 calorie per day diet plan - with or without cookies - is not a sustainable, may lead to rapid weight loss at a pace that is way too fast. The diet promises 15 pounds of weight loss per month, which is unhealthy. Aiming to lose 2-3 pounds a week should is a safe pace for most people.

- Rate of weight loss promised (up to 15 pounds in a month) may be unhealthy. (Safe weight loss should be one to two pounds per week at most.)

- This diet restricts too many calories.

- Eating the same food throughout the day can get boring really fast!
- No scientific evidence that the diet is effective.

But deep down, Mary never gave up on her skinny jeans. Her coworker, Jenni knew that and got her all pumped up about a 6-week Biggest Loser contest. Even though Mary was quite skeptical, she decided to participate.

Fast forward a few weeks, and by the end of the contest, Mary lost several pounds. Due to her competitive nature, she put herself on a strict diet to finish among the top losers. And while she felt pretty good about her accomplishment, she knew that her restrictive diet was by no means sustainable.

Her happiness was short-lived, as in a few short weeks, she was back at her pre-contest weight. Reality hit her hard a couple more weeks down the road when she realized that her weight soared to record highs.

Weight Loss Contests Make You Fat AND...

Mary story isn't unusual. Besides the disappointment that contestants of weight loss challenges frequently experience, there are several additional downsides to these types of programs.

1. Tensions can rise high

While Biggest Loser-style weight loss contests often create a sense of comradery, this positive feeling can quickly dissipate when team members aren’t progressing at the same pace. Criticisms of each others diet and “lack of effort” can induce serious tensions, which in turn can negatively impact the working environment.

2. Contests favor men over women

According to research, men tend to lose weight at a faster pace, which puts women at a disadvantage in contests where weight loss has to be achieved in a few weeks. The reason for this difference between men and women lies in the difference in the ratio of lean muscle. Men tend to have more lean muscle tissue, which burns more calories than body fat. So theoretically, women must cut more calories to achieve the same degree of weight loss. So men have a leg up on women when it comes to losing weight, at least in the short term.

3. Contests can encourage unhealthy crash dieting

The pressure to perform and the incentive to win a prize can push people to take dieting to the extreme. Some might jump on board with dangerous diet programs, or give in to peer pressure even if there were possible health risks involved. Furthermore, just like most diet programs, while participants may see incremental weight loss on the short term, they tend to gain it back shortly after the incentives are no longer there to keep them on track. Employees regularly entering these contests may get discouraged from the experience of losing and regaining weight.

What To Do Instead

The question that employers should ask themselves when considering the sponsorship of such weight loss contest is: What are you trying to accomplish by doing so? If short-term benefits are what you are after, then weight loss contests may suit your needs. On the other hand, if your objective is more along the lines of improving employee health, creating meaningful, sustainable, positive transformations, then you are better off looking into some of these ideas below:

1. Stress Management Training

Obesity is often the consequence of one or more of the following, such as overeating, lack of physical activity or eating the wrong kind of foods. Stress plays a huge factor in all these as it not only reduces our ability to burn fat but also makes us hungry and crave sugar. Furthermore, according to the "Stress In America" survey, conducted by the American Psychological Association, a large percentage of the population admitted to be overeating or reaching for unhealthy foods in response to stress, as a way to calm down. Stress also causes sleep-related issues, which in turn can disrupt appetite controlling chemicals in the body. Stress management workshops, on-site yoga, and meditation classes are all great ways to give employees the tools to cope with stress more effectively.

2. Mindful Eating Programs

Mindful Eating programs are designed to address some of the core issues leading to poor food choices, binge eating, emotional eating, etc. Mindful eating incorporates the fundamentals of meditation, learning to slow down and to be in the present moment. It teaches participants to tune into their sensory experience of the food as well as into their subjective feelings of fullness and hunger. Growing evidence suggests that a more thoughtful way of eating could have a positive impact on weight problems.

3. Make Exercise Accessible

The positive effect of increased physical exercise on weight is evident, yet, finding the time to get into a routine is far less so. Many companies have found that forming walking clubs or having walking meetings to encourage people to get up and move around works well. Offering yoga and other fitness classes can also give employees a nice boost during their workday.

4. Self-Awareness Training

Whether we struggle with obesity, procrastination, lack of discipline, unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits, or a combination of these, without understanding the WHY behind our actions, thoughts, and emotions, the real solution cannot be found. While we all have the inherent ability to be self-aware, most of us never slow down enough to be in the moment and feel the emotions, understand the nature of our thoughts. As it relates to weight loss, often in spite of our best intentions, our own self-limiting beliefs, destructive mental habits may unknowingly sabotage our progress. Self-awareness teaches us to become more aware of what we feed our mind with. Too often emotional eating leads to overeating and to eating the wrong kinds of foods. People often reach for food to comfort themselves for whatever uncomfortable emotions they may be feeling. Self-awareness through meditation can help.

It is time for companies to realize, that there are no quick, easy fixes. There are however real solutions available to those that recognize that weight loss should never be the focus of wellness efforts. Weight loss should be an effortless "side effect" of a culture of health. Commit to your employees, lead by example, provide education and resources instead of prizes for lost pounds. After all, creating a healthier workforce is the only way to increase productivity, job satisfaction, and lower health care costs.