Ladies, let’s talk Menopause and holistic therapies – do they actually work?

Menopause in the past was a rather a taboo subject. One to be kept quiet about and for woman to suffer in silence. In more recent years the topic has become more mainstream, yet it’s still a subject women tend to keep to themselves. There is of course a stigma to it - menopause screams to all women loud and clear “You’re getting older!”. Apart from dealing with the impact of these hormonal changes, women can start to feel unseen and unwanted in present day society. Many professional women report to be concerned about their male colleagues, or even younger female colleagues, knowing that they are suffering hormonal issues, perhaps a perception out there that hormonal change might compromise a women’s ability to make big decisions or manage things correctly.

But it’s like most things, until women start speaking more openly about it, we can’t hope to understand it and do something about it. After all, it’s only through sharing, with both friends and loved ones, that we can learn from each other, have a greater understanding, and also start to become more comfortable with this natural transitional phase of life. Where woman can truly give themselves an opportunity to reset and empower themselves, if given the right support and treatment when required.

I myself am a woman in my menopause, and I have to admit I have been struggling. I was never one to have been particularly moody in the past when going through my female monthly cycles, but oh boy, did that start to change when hitting menopause. Add to this hot flashes, horrendous night sweats and achy joints; after several years in denial, I just had to find some help.

Having personally been put off by HRT after my Mother’s HRT experience, which may or may not be linked to her fibroids and passing away with cancer, I decided I wanted a more holistic solution. I initially decided to try Bioidentical HRT, which is supposedly made from yams, which to me implied natural. (I later found out it is synthetically made from the same chemical composition as yams - so not the yam itself. Not quite as natural as I thought!).

Pressing the fast forward button on this topic, since it is a huge subject in itself, I tried Bioidentical HRT for nearly a year. Although I experienced a very positive response initially, with most of my symptoms disappearing, I will cut to the chase to say they definitely did not suit me. Particularly when my doctor suggested we add more testosterone for energy and libido. This was a disaster. Going through a rather turbulent time in many areas of my life, including the loss of my very precious furry companion, I hit rock bottom late last year. I couldn’t see my way through a very heavy fog for several months. Discussing this with a friend, she also mentioned she’d had a terrible time with Bio-identical HRT and testosterone, making her completely paranoid and depressed. I came off it immediately. Within two weeks I felt a complete shift in my mood and the heavy fog disappeared. However my hot flashes came back with a vengeance.

Having previously chatted with homeopath Sarah Heczko about the positive results with on mental health, I decided to reach out to find out if there might be a reason why I was having such strong menopausal symptoms and if there were any homeopathic remedies that could help.

Sarah shared that many more women today are experiencing difficult menopausal symptoms, compared to previous generations who rarely experienced the hot flushes, weight gain and anxiety to the extent women are today. These days there are many more toxins in food, toiletries and water, and we consume far more over processed foods, sugar and of course alcohol. She also mentioned that every generation that took birth control had unknowingly made it worse for the next generation. Add to that other hormonal treatments like IVF, which I had been through in my forties, and you have a ticking time bomb, which can magnify hormonal changes considerably. (The latter inevitably, is not highlighted by the clinicians at the time).

However, she added “There’s nothing to fear, lifestyle changes and homeopathic remedies can help the body rebalance, making for a better transition into menopause. After all” Sarah continued “we’re entering our years of wisdom. It should be something to celebrate, not commiserate.”

This was quite a relief to my ears. She further explained that Homeopathy can help the body ease into this transition so that women experience minimal symptoms. “Part of my job as a homeopath is to provide information to help people make an informed decision about what is best for their body.”

A Qualified Homeopath will work with you to discover the underlying cause of your symptoms, looking not just at the declining hormones, but at your nutrition, lifestyle and stress levels. You’ll be given the opportunity to talk at length about all your health and emotional concerns, without judgement. This will enable the homeopath to take a detailed family health history, enabling them to suggest deeper acting remedies that will help restore balance in the body and the need for the acute remedies will lessen or disappear completely.

Whilst the homeopath prescribes a remedy to deal with the root cause of troublesome menopausal symptoms, Sarah highlighted that there are remedies that can offer quick relief to symptoms such as hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings and anxiety.

If you would like to know more about Sarah Heczko you can find her on https://wellnesstraveller.co/practitioners/sarah-heczko-homeopathy.

With homeopathy you will notice that many of the same symptoms run through different remedies. She suggested to try to find the remedy that has the majority of the symptoms you’re experiencing. Start with 30c potency. If that doesn’t work, don’t give up! Each remedy has a specific symptom picture, so try another one. It is of course best to have professional help rather than self diagnose, however Sarah kindly provided a few homeopathic remedies aligned with the relevant symptoms:

Lachesis
• Hot flushes and profuse sweating - particularly at night - waking up because of it
• Palpitations
• Fainting spells
• Talking a lot
• Anxiety with depression

Cimicifuga
• Hot flashes
• Vaginal dryness
• Irregular or delayed menses
• Painful joints such as fingers, wrist, ankles and toes
• Worse with touch or motion
• Feels as though there is a black cloud over her

Ignatia
• Profound mood swings and depression
• Sudden mood changes - laughing to weeping, happiness to sadness
• Desire to be alone

Graphites
• Weight gain, particularly if they have a tendency to gain weight easily
• Trouble concentrating
• Skin issues
• Sadness

Sepia
• Hot flushes with sweating
• Indifferent towards loved ones
• Loss of love for friends and family
• Feeling worthless
• Irritability
• Loss of sex drive
• Vaginal dryness

Pulsatilla
• Highly anxious
• Weepy. Better when consoled
• Changeable moods
• Menopausal symptoms may shift around the body

I am delighted to report that having started trying out some of Sarah’s recommended homeopathic remedies, so far I have had great results. Inevitably these remedies also have to go hand in hand with diet, exercise, good supplementation and relaxation techniques that suit the individual. Although it is possible to use these as a guideline it is much more impactful and longer lasting to work with a homeopath for a longer term solution to bring the body back into balance.