Menopause and its vast array of symptoms can drive some women mad, but it’s not until you’ve actually experienced them first hand, that you can truly appreciate the disruption to your everyday life. Menopausal symptoms typically begin for women in their late 40’s to early 50’s, usually with the advent of hot flushes and night sweats. Severity of symptoms can vary between women and may last anywhere from a few months to ten years or more.

Hot flushes and night sweats – an early sign of hormonal changes

Hot flushes and night sweats herald early signs of hormonal changes taking place. The severity and frequency of hot flushes and night sweats can vary from woman to woman on a day to day basis. They can come and go, leaving you feeling hot and sweaty, drenched in perspiration or feeling uncomfortably hot and red faced with intense heat affecting your face and body. Hot flushes can leave you feeling irritated and on-edge while night sweats interrupt the quality of your sleep, leaving you feeling fatigued and less able to cope with menopausal symptoms. It can be a vicious circle.

Declining oestrogen levels

There is a significant relationship between declining oestrogen levels and hot flushes or night sweats. Decreasing oestrogen production by the ovaries triggers your hypothalamus/pituitary gland to raise follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in an attempt to ‘jump-start’ the ovaries back into producing appropriate levels of oestrogen. This shift also influences the release of luteinising hormone (LH), with a surge in LH implicated in the initiation of hot flushes and night sweats. Your body’s thermostat lies in the hypothalamus area of your brain, and when these unpredictable hormone fluctuations occur, it leads to changes in your normal body temperature, where your blood vessels suddenly dilate, creating sudden heat and perspiration.

Night and day support for menopausal symptoms

There are a few key herbs and nutrients that can help to reduce the frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, stress, insomnia, low libido and fatigue.

• Sage is traditionally used to relieve excessive sweating so helps to moderate the symptoms of declining oestrogen levels by reducing hot flushes, night sweats and profuse sweating associated with menopause. Sage also improves mood and mental clarity.
• Zizyphus is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to relieve night sweats, abnormal sweating, anxiety, irritability and insomnia
• Shatavari is traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine as a female rejuvenating herb with adaptogenic properties to help relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and associated stress. Shatavari means ‘she who possesses a hundred husbands’, indicating its use for improving libido
• Chaste tree or Vitex alters FSH and LH production, helping to relieve hot flushes and night sweats. Chaste tree maintains dopamine activity, a neurotransmitter involved in maintaining normal body temperature and healthy moods Rehmannia is associated with conditions of ‘internal heat’, night sweats and supports your adrenal glands, helping you ‘resist and adapt’ to stress. Stress places an additional load on your adrenal glands, which are responsible for producing small amounts of oestrogen once ovarian levels decrease.
• B vitamins play an essential role in producing energy for your body and reducing the impact of stress, helping to relieve fatigue.

Mr Vitamins recommends

Herbs of Gold Products for Menopause Relief

• Menopause Relief
• Mega B Complex
• Sleep Ease
• Stress Ease Adrenal Support

Find out more about Herbs of Gold for Menopause Madness here References Bone K, 2003, A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs: Herbal Formulations for the Individual Patient, Missouri, Churchill Livingstone. Braun L & Cohen M (2010), Herbs & Natural Supplements: An evidence-based guide, 3^rd Edition, Sydney, Elsevier. Deecher DC & Dorries K, 2007, Understanding the pathophysiology of vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes and night sweats) that occur in perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause life stages, Arch Women’s Ment Health, 10:247-257. Pizzorno JE, Murray MT & Joiner-Bey H, 2002, The Clinician’s Handbook of Natural Medicine, Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone. Trickey R, 2011, Women, Hormones & the Menstrual Cycle, Melbourne, Trickey Enterprises Pty., Ltd.