By Dr. Sharon Stills, NMD
What if we told you that all it took to erase some of your worst symptoms of menopause was a few simple tweaks to your daily routine? Well, it’s true! Some of the latest research on menopause remedies shows how little changes — we’re talking new habits that take less than five minutes — can help to reduce hot flashes, reverse menopause weight gain and make achy joints a thing of the past.
Ready to give these fast menopause remedies a try?
Symptom: Hot flashes
Hot flashes are the most common symptom of menopause and perimenopause. More than two-thirds of North American women who are heading into menopause have hot flashes.
Solution: For hot flash relief, pour a cup of tea
A recently published study suggests that regularly sipping milk thistle tea can cut hot flashes by up to 73 percent within three months! Researchers credit silymarin, a compound in milk thistle that helps the liver deactivate excess hormones that throw your internal thermostat off balance.
Plus, sipping tea is a relaxing way to spend a few minutes of your time and cut back on stress that could be sending your symptoms into overdrive.
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Symptom: Achy, painful joints
As many as 77 percent of women experience joint pain during menopause. The reason? Fluctuating estrogen levels. Estrogen is a natural anti-inflammatory for joints, so as levels of the hormone drop during menopause, inflammation and pain can increase.
Solution: Take a quick walk
Walk for 4.5 minutes (aka 4 minutes, 30 seconds) two times each day. According to researchers, a few small bursts of activity in this small time frame are enough to signal the body to lessen the inflammatory response and lubricate joints.
Symptom: Hormonal weight gain and belly fat
Gaining more weight in menopause, especially belly fat? One of the best ways to beat middle age “meno belly” spread is to boost your gut’s “good bacteria.” Growing research on gut health has found that body weight — and the ability to shed excess weight — is related to the amount and diversity of the body’s gut flora.
Solution: Take a minute to sip a probiotic-rich drink
In one study on successful weight loss, people with weight to lose who sipped three daily servings of kefir (a probiotic-rich yogurt drink) lost 81 percent more belly fat than those who only cut calories. Kefir boasts 10 kinds of beneficial bacteria that optimize the body’s ability to use food for energy. Other sources for probiotics include yogurt, sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables. Another quick way to get more probiotics? Take a high quality probiotic supplement daily to replenish beneficial flora.
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Symptom: Low libido
Not feeling “in the mood” lately? If you’ve noticed your sex drive has plummeted, you’re not alone — research has shown that 40-50% of women experience a loss of sex drive during the menopause transition.
Solution: Eat more iron-rich foods!
According to a study of women, sexual function and satisfaction were significantly lower in women with iron deficiency anemia. Other signs of anemia include loss of energy, difficulty concentrating and dizziness. Work more foods like oysters, strawberries, sweet potatoes and spinach into your diet to give your iron levels a boost, or take a supplement. Bonus iron: cook up your next romantic dinner in a cast iron skillet — trace amounts of the mineral will be released into your food.
Symptom: Thinning, brittle hair
About half of menopausal women notice accelerated hair loss and changes in texture, according to a recent study. Fluctuations in sex hormones may be part of why once lush hair is now thinning or brittle, but the real culprit for many women is chronic stress. Over time, chronic stress and elevated stress hormone levels push large numbers of hair follicles into a resting phase. Within a few months, hair can fall out suddenly when simply combing or washing your hair. Hair that you do have may become thinner and more prone to break.
Solution: Take a brisk walk
Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones and helps restore sex hormone balance too. Exercise also increases blood flow and circulation, bringing nourishment to hair and helping to stimulate new follicle hair growth. So what are you waiting for? Going for a brisk 20-minute walk most days may be all you need for inside-out symptom relief that you can feel and see.
Wonder what your symptoms are telling you? Take our quick Hormonal Imbalance Quiz to find out.
