Nutritional Supplements

Alternative Treatment for Menopause: Nutritional Supplements

For women going through menopause, common menopause symptoms such as mood swings, hot flashes and memory loss can be frustrating and at times overwhelming. As such, many women seek natural treatments for menopause. One increasingly popular form of menopause treatment is the use of nutritional supplements; but what kinds of dietary supplements can help to treat menopause, and what sorts of symptoms of menopause can they help alleviate?

Nutritional Supplements and Menopause Relief

The following dietary supplements can help to alleviate the accompanying symptoms of menopause:

Nutritional Supplement	Symptoms
Marine Phytoplankton	Because it provides raw materials that promote the healthy functioning of cells, marine phytoplankton helps to improve memory and mental functioning as well as minimizing common menopause symptoms such as mood swings and depression.
Flaxseed Oil	Depression and fatigue. Flaxseed oil also helps lower cholesterol and boost the immune system.
Evening Primrose	Helps alleviate common perimenopause symptoms such as irritation, water retention, cramping and headaches.
Coral Calcium	Cultivated from coral reefs, coral calcium has an alkalizing effect on the body, thereby helping to reduce acidity levels in the body, promoting calm and restoring balance.
Vitamin B6	Increases levels of sertonin and progesterone in the body, which helps reduce anxiety.
Go-ji	In Chinese medicine, menopause is linked to a kidney deficiency. Go-ji (lycium) helps to restore kidney health and therefore promote hormonal balance.
Vitamin E	Has properties that help alleviate a variety of menopause-related symptoms, and is therefore considered to be a mild form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Vitamin C	Beneficial in the strengthening of the immune system, which can help ward off a number of illnesses, infections and disease.
Zinc	Zinc helps increase levels of progesterone and decrease levels of estrogen. In addition, it can help to boost the immune system. Zinc also helps to build strong bones, thereby reducing the risk of osteoporosis, a condition common among menopausal women.

Be sure to consult your doctor before adding any dietary supplements to your diet for the treatment of menopause symptoms.

Reiki Healing

Alternative Menopause Treatment: Reiki Healing Therapy

Reiki healing therapy is becoming an increasingly popular form of alternative menopause treatment. The ancient healing practice of Reiki treatment has been linked to helping to alleviate a variety of common menopause symptoms. Also used to treat and prevent other conditions, illnesses and diseases, reiki therapy has been proven to be beneficial in promoting an individual’s overall health. But what is reiki therapy and how does this natural treatment for menopause work to alleviate common menopause symptoms?

What is Reiki Healing Therapy?

Meaning "universal life energy", reiki healing originated in Japan and is a non-invasive healing treatment.

Reiki therapy works by balancing the energy system of the body, which in turn helps the body to repair itself.

During a reiki holistic therapy session, the practitioner places his hands in various patterns on the body using light, therapeutic touches.

While sometimes confused with massage, this form of natural menopause treatment is a distinct holistic therapy that channels positive energy into the body, in order to encourage health and healing.

What Does Reiki Healing Help to Treat?

Reiki therapy is considered a complementary form of treatment.

In addition to being an alternative menopause treatment, reiki healing therapy is also used to both treat and prevent a variety of conditions, illnesses and diseases, such as:

• stress
• arthritis
• endometriosis
• fibromyalgia
• chronic fatigue syndrome

Reiki healing methods has also been proven to be beneficial in surgery recovery, in chemotherapy treatment, and it also helps to improve blood circulation.

Reiki Healing and Menopause

Studies have found that reiki therapy is an effective part of natural menopause treatment. Reiki therapy has been found to be effective in treating common menopause symptoms, including the following:

• insomnia
• depression
• migraines
• hot flashes
• cramps

Reiki holistic therapy is effective in alleviating menopause symptoms because it helps to balance various systems in the body, including the body’s hormonal system.

Reiki Treatment: Facts and Figures

An average reiki healing session lasts one hour.

The cost for one session averages $60 to $150, depending on whether treatment is conducted at the treatment centre or whether treatment is done in the patient’s home, which is costlier.

In order to enjoy the long-term benefits of reiki healing, a patient should undergo a series of treatment sessions, typically over a period of several weeks.

Finding a qualified reiki therapist is also important. Ensure that your reiki healing therapist is properly trained. Finding a therapist that lives close to your home is also a good idea because it reduces travel time. Asking friends and family for a referral is another effective method in which to find the best reiki healing therapist for you.

Twins and Menopause

Twins and Menopause

Are you a twin? If so, then you may be unhappy to hear that twin sisters are have a greater chance of undergoing premature menopause. Recent studies performed in Europe and North America seem to confirm that twins are more likely to go through menopause at a younger age than women who aren’t twins. Though in the early stages of study, this information could prove helpful in determining at what age a woman might begin to lose her fertility.

What is Menopause?
Menopause is a stage of life that every woman must go through. You may have heard it referred to as "The Change" or "The Curse." Menopause is actually a hormonal change that occurs in all women. It causes you to stop ovulating and to lose your period. Menopause doesn’t happen overnight. Instead, it is a slow and gradual change marked by various stages. Most women begin to go through menopause around the age of 50, though some women will enter into it at earlier or later ages.

What is Premature Menopause?
Premature menopause is defined as menopause occurring before the age of 40. It is often confused with early menopause, which is defined as menopause occurring before the age of 45. Many women experience premature or early menopause, and this can happen for different reasons. Common causes of premature menopause include:

• surgical menopause
• infection
• certain cancer treatments
• premature ovarian failure

The Twin Studies
Recently, various studies have been undertaken in an attempt to illustrate when menopause occurs in twins. These studies were spurred on by a number of reports of twin females around the world undergoing premature menopause. The studies aimed to find out when twins tend to begin the menopausal process and the reasons behind it.

Two major studies have recently presented information on twins and menopause. The first study was performed on British and Australian twins. 850 female twins participated in the study, including 418 identical twins and 432 non-identical twins. A separate study was also conducted at Cornell University in the United States, consisting of 1700 identical and non-identical twins.

What the Studies Found
The results of these two studies were actually quite startling for many in the medical field. Both studies concluded that female twins do seem to undergo menopause earlier than women in the general population. In fact, twins were up to five times more likely to undergo premature menopause than women who were not twins. The both studies found that:

• up to 5% of female twins had gone through menopause by age 40
• up to 15% of female twins had experienced menopause by age 45

Usually, by age 40, only about 1% of the general female population has experienced any menopause symptoms, and by 45, only 5% have begun menopause. Moreover, the studies also showed that both identical and fraternal twins were equally likely to undergo premature menopause. Yet, typically only one twin out of each pair involved in the studies actually experienced premature menopause.

Causes of Premature Menopause in Twins
You may be wondering why twins are more likely than women without a twin to undergo premature menopause. Well, researchers are also eager to find an answer to this question. Unfortunately, there has not been enough research into the topic to find a valid cause for this early menopause phenomenon. A number of possible factors influencing early menopause have been theorized, though, including:

• the lower weight of twins at birth
• a change in epigenetics (the way your body reads your genetic code)
• the unequal splitting of the embryo during division

What are the Complications of Premature Menopause?
Unfortunately, premature menopause come with its own set of obstacles. Women who undergo premature menopause generally have to deal with more severe menopause symptoms, like hot flashes and mood swings. Early menopause also puts you at increased risk for:

• osteoporosis
• heart disease
• fertility difficulties or infertility

What About Male Twins?
With these findings of decreased fertility in female twins, questions as to whether the fertility of male twins also suffers an early decline have been raised. There has been no real evidence to show that male twins are at risk for losing their fertility earlier than men without twins. However, more studies need to be done to investigate this further.

How Can the Twin Study Information Be Used?
Though the twin study can seem like bad news for all you twins out there, it may actually prove helpful to you in the long run. Continued research in the area of twins and premature menopause could help researchers develop markers for women at risk of premature fertility loss. These markers may one day help to identify women who are at risk of premature menopause. These markers might also help women decide when to begin planning and adding to their families.