Ayurvedic Management Of Post Menopausal Issues

Ayurvedic Management Of Post Menopausal Issues

What is menopause?

Menopause is defined as the point in time when menstrual cycles permanently cease due to the natural depletion of ovarian oocyte to form ovum because of aging. It is a stage in a woman’s life when she stops having her monthly menstruation cycle. It is a normal stage of aging and marks the end of a woman’s reproductive phase. Menopause typically occurs in a woman’s late 40s to early 50s. However, women who have their ovaries surgically removed undergo “sudden” menopause.

What are the hormonal changes during menopause?

Ovaries are the source of estrogen and progesterone, the two key hormones that control the reproductive system, including the menstrual cycle and fertility. When ovaries get aged and release fewer hormones, FSH and LH can no longer perform their usual functions to regulate your estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. These inevitable changes in hormones and natural decline of estrogen levels during menopause can significantly affect women’s health for coming time.

What are the Phases of menopause?

Natural menopause is the permanent ending of menstruation that is not brought on by any type of medical treatment. For women who have not had a menstrual period for a whole year, this could be the signal that they are entering post menopause. In fact, some women will go all the way through per menopause without experiencing any symptoms, but then they tend to be more symptomatic during post menopause.

For women undergoing natural menopause, the process is gradual and is described in three stages:

Premenopausal or Menopause transition- Pre menopause can begin 8 to 10 years before menopause, when the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen. It usually starts in a woman’s 40s, but can start in the 30s as well. Premenopausal lasts up until menopause, the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs.

Menopause- Menopause is the point when a woman no longer has menstrual periods. At this stage, the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs and producing most of their estrogen. Menopause is diagnosed when a woman has gone without a period for 12 consecutive months.

Post menopause- These are the years after menopause. During this stage, menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, can ease for many women. But, as a result of a lower level of estrogen, postmenopausal women are at increased risk for a number of health conditions, such as osteoporosis and heart disease. Medication, such as hormone therapy and/or healthy lifestyle changes, may reduce the risk of some of these conditions.

What are the common symptoms of post menopause?

You may be transitioning into menopause if you begin experiencing some or all of the following symptoms:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats and/or cold flashes
• Vaginal dryness
• Urinary urgency
• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
• Emotional changes (irritability, mood swings, mild depression)
• Dry skin, eyes or mouth
  
  Women who are still in the menopause transition (premenopause) may also experience:
• Breast tenderness
• Worsening of premenstrual syndrome
• Irregular periods or skipping periods
• Periods that are heavier or lighter than usual. Some women might also experience:
• Racing heart
• Headaches
• Joint and muscle aches and pains
• Changes in libido (sex drive)
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Weight gain
• Hair loss or thinning

Many of these symptoms could start during premenopausal, and they can continue until after menopause has actually started. The rest of these symptoms will manifest only during post menopause.

What is premature menopause?

Most women begin menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. Early menopause usually refers to onset before age 40.

Anything that damages ovaries or stops estrogen production can cause early menopause. This includes chemotherapy for cancer or removal of the ovaries. In these cases, doctor will help to prepare for early menopause. But woman can also go into menopause early even if her ovaries are still intact.

If there’s no obvious medical reason for early menopause, the cause is likely genetic. Woman age at menopause onset is likely inherited. Knowing when her mother started menopause can provide clues about when woman start her own. If mother started menopause early, woman more likely than average to do the same.Some lifestyle factors may have an impact on when you begin menopause. Smoking has anti estrogen effects that can contribute to early menopause.

How to diagnose a woman in suffering from postmenopausal symptoms?

A woman is considered to be in postmenopausal phase when she has not had her period for an entire year. Measuring through a blood test called the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level is another way to determine if woman is in postmenopausal phase. FSH is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. However, the routine use of the FSH test is not needed to help the vast majority of women. Sometimes, the levels can be misleading since the levels go up and down during the transition into menopause.

What are the long-term health risks associated with menopause?

• Women have a lower risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
• Process of aging gets faster.
• You have an increased risk of heart disease.
• Women are at a higher risk for bone fractures for a longer time.
• There is an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer.

What are the life style changes helps to deal with post menopause phase?

A healthy lifestyle can minimize the effects of the menopause, helping to keep the heart and bones strong. Here are some tips to give your body comfort to deal with changes:

• Diet: The fall in hormone estrogen level , accompanies the menopause can increase the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. A healthy diet is essential at this stage. Hence keep it low in saturated fat and salt to reduce blood pressure, and rich in calcium and vitamin D to strengthen bones. Women can take dietary supplements to help get the balance right
• Exercises: Some women experience increased anxiety during the menopause. Regular exercise helps to convert stress into positive energy, while guarding against heart disease. A regular, work out plan is best. Try cycling, swimming, running or aerobics
• Stop smoking: Smoking has been shown to lead to an earlier menopause and trigger hot flushes. If you smoke you also run a higher risk of developing osteoporosis and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), which is the most common form of death in women
• Limit alcohol intake: The combination of excessive alcohol and hormonal instability is a risky. Alcohol increases flushes and is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Try not to drink daily and keep it for occasion.
• Regular health checkups: Studies have shown that a late menopause leads to an increased risk of breast cancer. The NHS offers screening, but one should also keep a check on any changes in your breasts, and seek advice if they occur
• Meditation & Yoga: Hormone imbalance during the menopause can result in added stress and even depression. Relaxation techniques and yoga and meditation can be very helpful in coping with anxiety.

Our Ayurvedic approach is, to make a woman to achieve a healthy and easy menopause with post menopausal care.

Menopause is a natural transition that does not require dangerous hormone replacement therapy, as the side effects of this type of method have proven to be much more dangerous than beneficial.

According to Ayurveda, the best way to ease menopause symptoms is a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Further, the key to the prevention of major health problems after menopause is also a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Many of the symptoms of menopause are similar to the dosha aggravation and dhatu kshaya (depletion of body tissues) symptoms.

• Anxiety, nervousness, panic, palpitations, mood swings, vaginal dryness, chilly sensations, irregular periods, insomnia etc are the symptoms of Vata dosha imbalance.
• Anger, irritability, hot flashes, night sweats, heavy periods, excessive bleeding, urinary tract infections, skin rashes etc are the symptoms of Pitta dosha imbalance.
• Weight gain, sluggishness, lethargy, depression, fluid retention, lack of motivation, slows digestion etc are the symptoms of Kapha dosha imbalance.
• If we talk about dhatus or body tissues then most of the symptoms are seeing of Ras, Rakta, Asti and Majja dhatu kshaya, like palpitations, intolerance, dullness, dryness, tiredness, loosing of joints, thinness, weakness and lightness of bones etc.

We at Ketav’s Ayush Health Paradise, work on correcting the dosha imbalance and taking care of affected dhatus, by classical Ayurvedic detoxification and rejuvenation therapies called Panchkarma.

The treatment depends on Prakrity (constitution) predominant dosha or dosha imbalance. The following are general symptoms and recommendations according to the predominant dosha, and women with dual doshic constitutions will have mixed symptoms. Individualized approach of the treatment helps to reset the dosha balance easily and rejuvenates the depilated dhatus.

Panchakarma is a unique technique in Ayurvedic science for detoxification and rejuvenation of the body and mind.

Here in this case of  Menopause both body and mind are affected in many ways, and Pachkarma takes care of it very smoothly.

We recommend 21 days Panchkarma detoxification and rejuvenation program for Menopause. In which we work on clearing your body’s channels and taking out the toxins which gets accumulated by imbalance of doshas. The dosha imbalance deviates the dosha to do normal physiology which may cause more chronic and serious conditions later on. Hence this detoxification and rejuvenation Panchkarma therapy plan cleans the body and heal the damaged tissues. Also prevent further complications and lower the risks factors.

Each woman experience different symptoms during the period of transit to menopause. We explain it as every woman is deferent from another in respect to her body and mind constitution Prakruti.

So considering the prakriti or constitution of the individual, we plan the herbs for the oral medicines, specific Panchkarma therapy, yoga poses and kind of meditation for a woman to deal with Menopause.

This scientific and focused approach at Ketav’s Ayush Health Paradise helps you to heal completely your Body, Mind and Soul.

With Panchkarma a woman can be move healthily, spiritual minded and happily for the transition into a wiser stage of her life with the proper guidance and understanding.

Panchkarma roots off all the toxins from body and mind, fight aging and gives longevity of life

Supplements to take after and during menopause

• Ashwagandha Ds capsules
• Hadjora capsules
• Shilajeet forte capsule
• Elegfem Capsules
• Fem tone capsule
• Neuroforte syrup