It's been in the news often, lately. Some seem to suffer inordinately. But they do not have to suffer, nor do they have to take HRT. Many women call or come in to my office with problems associated with the end of menses. Menses in homeopathy is very close to the vital force; although we can live without reproducing (as in the decision or event we do not have children, or the loss of female reproductive organs through hysterectomy), it is part and parcel of whom we are, and changes our bodies monthly with the onset of puberty until menopause. Hormones course through our bodies monthly, and still continue to do so after the flow stops.

What are the symptoms of menopause? Frequently the most obvious are hot flashes, insomnia, dry skin, vision changes, dry mucus membranes (eyes, vagina), mood changes, and memory problems and/or confusion. Periods approaching menopause may be lighter, but more often heavier, and the interval between them may also change.

When the body changes with menopause, it is much like the teenage years; it often takes a long time for the body to catch up to the changes. The teen can’t sleep till the higher melatonin levels rise due to growth, and a woman’s body no longer needs to go through the shedding of the lining of the womb in preparation for implantation. Hormones levels can take a long time to change. In the body, hormones can act like toxins. The ways we release these toxins are normally through weeping, sweating, urinating, and others. When some women start their periods, they may become weepy, a sign the hormones had reached a level where the body needed to vent them, then the flow starts. This happens also during a hot flash, indicating an excess of hormones and the body’s way to vent. Oftentimes anger, crying, and irritability are involved, and mood swings are very common. Homeopathic remedies can help the body fine tune the system rapidly, and without side effects. Yes, you can take herbs, but often they may return when the herbs are stopped. The temperature outside can also affect some, as cold weather will inhibit sweating and retain the hormones longer, and hot weather may encourage constant light perspiration, and lessen the hormone levels evenly. Dry skin or mucus membranes may be a side effect of these symptoms.

Sometimes we can guess whether we’ll have a problem with menopause by asking our mothers what it was like for them. But it’s often like morning sickness in that each person is different, as women that have had multiple pregnancies can tell you! With six children, a woman may have had morning sickness with only one. Recently I was in Ghana, working at a malaria clinic, and had a pregnant woman that told me she only got malaria fevers during early pregnancy. But she had no fever! Turns out it was morning sickness! Easily remedied, as her first 2 of 3 children were breech, and needed a C-section, the remedy she needed was also the remedy needed to turn the position of the baby during birth.

So what can we do with these symptoms of menopause, or peri-menopause? Seek homeopathic treatment first, then add a good fish oil, don’t change your eyeglasses until the changes stop, and maybe use a lubricant. Above all, the easiest is to have the correct homeopathic remedy. Since homeopathy treats the individual, the remedy will also be individual, and will encompass the total picture the person presents with: Hot flashes night and day with profuse sweat on the head, anger without reason, will be a different remedy than the woman with daily hot flashes on the front of the body, with weeping during mood swings. So if you have a problem that sounds like these, see your homeopath!

Author's Bio: 

Training and education: AS in Aeronautics, BA in Art, BS and MS in Natural Health, and completed a 4 year course of study at the Institute of Classical Homoeopathy, with a 2 year internship at the clinic. Although homeopathy is my major focus and modality, having an MS in Natural Health helps me make many simple adjustments that can be tailored to a person's lifestyle to improve and sustain health. As a classical homeopath, I find its methods tried and true; they produce consistant and efficient results. As a world traveler, my research on sleep studies toward a PhD, as well as articles written about sleep and it's elusiveness, give insight into health problems. While also volunteering at a local clinic, my San Francisco practice is central to the Bay Area. Although a resident for over 30 years, my second office is in Willits, 150 miles north of San Francisco.

I have been certified by the Council for Homeopathic Certification, a national organization dedicated to standardizing field and the standard of care, as well as a registered homeopath with the North American Society of Homeopaths.