Breathe
By Olivia Medina
With today's life expectancy women will practically spend a third of our time in this world in menopause. We now know that women's life cycles are very different from men's simply because our hormones vary in periods of 28 days (in fertile age) and then in menopause the lack of hormones causes significant changes not only physically but also emotionally.
Recent studies link more than 60 symptoms to menopause, so no, you are not crazy, what you are feeling may be related to menopause or peri-menopause (that stage before "full-blown" menopause in which your periods are no longer as exact and which warns you that hormonal changes are happening and that you will soon stop menstruating).
Here are some symptoms that I have experienced and how I feel them:
- Hot flashes (or hot flashes): a feeling of burning inside that makes you sweat more than when you were doing aerobics and makes you soak the sheets or take out the fan and want to get naked to get them down.
- Mental fog: the forgetting of what I was going to say even though it was on the tip of my tongue, that thing I knew by heart and now I suddenly don't remember.
- Insomnia: What a time when I used to sleep until 11 a.m. and a tractor could pass over me without flinching! Now not even counting cows or stars helps me sleep.
- Depression and anxiety: I don't know what's wrong with me, the urge to cry out of nowhere, the urge to do something I don't know what it is.
- Dry skin: before, with just a little cream my skin was shiny and soft, now it looks like crocodile skin no matter how many creams or oils I apply.
- Headaches: I have always suffered from headaches but now they are more intense and without reason.
- Vaginal dryness: No comments.
- Digestive problems: don't even think about eating a heavy dinner or I'll face the consequences.
- Joint Pain: Sometimes I wake up all numb and feel like the tin man.
- Hair loss: My hair was so beautiful when I was young! Every time I wash it, it scares me to see so much hair on the floor.
And so we could fill this sheet with more and more symptoms, not necessarily (and fortunately) we have them all but surely some.
So I set myself the task of studying what herbs nature gave us to combat some of these symptoms, here I tell you about some of them:
LEMON ZACATE: it is a tonic against fatigue, it helps to reduce the symptoms of colitis and to fight indigestion, it is an excellent soothing and very refreshing.
ALQUEMILA or PIE DE LEON: this herb is little known but has the great property of stimulating the production of progesterone, a vital hormone for this stage of the woman's life.
MELISA: helps to relieve stress and anxiety, it generates a feeling of calm and relaxation when we take it. It also helps to improve cognitive function and memory, because it stimulates brain activity and protects neurons from oxidative damage.
CHAMOMILE: tonic and digestive, calms nervous excitement and improves sleep. It also helps us to avoid rheumatic and headaches.
REGALIZ: it is an estrogen regulator and a powerful antidepressant, it also softens the gastric mucosa which helps with acidity and it is also antiviral.
SAGE: fights hot flashes by being thermoregulatory and anhydrotic (i.e. you sweat less because it inhibits the sweat glands). It also helps with palpitations.
GINKGO: helps hormonal balance, decreases mood swings reducing the risk of depression. It is also very useful to improve memory and concentration.
SILVER TILO: with anxiolytic and sedative properties, it is very useful to reduce nervousness and calm the mind, it helps us to lower stress and reduce headaches. It also helps us to fall asleep.
VALERIANA: the best herb for inducing sleep, relaxing the nervous system and the brain, it also helps to relieve stress and anxiety.
HOP: has diuretic, digestive and anti-inflammatory properties, it is also attributed to help combat insomnia due to its sedative effect, but most importantly, it helps control hormonal imbalance.
PASSIONFLOWER: It is a relaxing herb and can also help alleviate symptoms related to hormonal changes and promote better sleep.
MACA ROOT: this tuber from the Andes has been shown to help hormonal balance, as well as improve mood and increase libido, it is considered an aphrodisiac. It also reduces anxiety, is antidepressant and nutritious (with potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and iodine).
All these ingredients work in synergy to help you overcome the annoying symptoms; remember that since they are natural plants and not extracts or concentrates, their action is slower but long lasting and they are present in a herbal tea that I called Meno Tea.
I sincerely hope that this tisane, besides appeasing your soul, helps you to live fully this stage of your life in which you are wiser, calmer, you know what you want and you are more beautiful inside and out.
It is important that when you take herbal remedies you do it for at least 30 days to see their effects on you, remember that we are unique and therefore not all of us react the same to what we take. It is also recommended to take them for 3 months, rest for 1 month (you can take other infusions) and then take them again.
Have a lifestyle that helps and promotes your well-being to counteract the symptoms of menopause, if you do not know what else to do look for books, podcasts, courses and blogs that talk about it, remember that this stage will be almost a third of your life, so live it with joy and fullness. After all this age gives us many gifts to appreciate.
Taking this infusion or any other remedy does not exclude a visit to your gynecologist or specialist in these matters (fortunately there are already many!) to help you in this great stage of your life.
*Should not be taken during pregnancy (but since you are not pregnant if you are menopausal, there is nothing to worry about).
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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