Natural Health: Menopause

Q. I have suffered from menopausal symptoms since 2008.

I am now nearly 51 years old and am at my wits’ end, especially during the night when I am woken up out of my sleep every hour or hour and half with hot flushes (severe heat, sweating, feeling very, very uncomfortable like I have the flu). The symptoms (day and night) have got progressively worse as I move towards full menopause and my quality of life has deteriorated in that I have no energy in the evening time and find myself very sluggish in the morning due to lack of quality sleep. Otherwise, I am in good health and not on any medication.

I recently attended a doctor who recommended I go on a diet for my blood group (O positive) and while it was a good idea from a digestive point of view, it had no effect on my menopausal symptoms. I follow the diet for more than 90% of the time and also avoid any foods which ‘heat’ me up in any way, especially after 6 pm.

I exercise at least once a day and have a fairly healthy lifestyle, only drinking one night a week and/or a glass of wine with a meal once or twice a week. I have never smoked.

I have tried homeopathy, acupuncture (although only a few sessions), all the supplements, herbal and soya remedies available in health shops. I have read and researched widely on the subject and other than HRT (which I took for one year only to give me some relief) nothing has had any effect in easing the hot flashes. I do not want to go down the route of pharma HRT as my sister suffered from oestrogen-based breast cancer only in the past year. I am sure I am not alone, it is a terrible affliction and I dread to think how long it is going to go on.

A. A genetic lottery, the menopause seems to affect some people to an extreme degree and barely touch others. Usually I would recommend sage (Salvia officinalis) for your hot flushes, since sage is the go-to herb when it comes to flushes and night sweats. Menosan from A. Vogel, in particular, is tailored specifically for menopausal hot flushes.

However, since you have researched high and low and tried everything on the shelf, there is a very high chance that you have tried this and it didn’t work. If not — then please do try it.

While each woman is unique, and often this means that what works for one menopausal woman might not necessarily work for another, I have recently come across a combination that seems to work for a very wide range of women experiencing different hormonal problems at all times of life.

The formulation is from the US-based Dr Christopher range, and it is called Changease. It contains the herbs black cohosh, sarsaparilla, ginseng, liquorice, false unicorn, holy thistle, and squaw vine. The formula itself is very good, but it is taken to a new level when combined with wheat germ oil. The herbs in the formulation provide the building blocks for the hormones, but the wheat germ contains active ingredients that act as a catalyst to chemically convert the precursors into the hormones that should ease your symptoms.

You will need to take two capsules of the Changease, three times daily, and take a tablespoon of the wheat germ oil, three times daily. If you really can’t stomach the taste of the oil, then try capsules instead, take two to four three times daily.

Changease is available online from www.vitalerbs.com, and wheat germ oil is available from health food stores and even some supermarkets.