What Natural Supplements Work Best For Severe Menopause?

What are the three categories of menopause remedies? 

Each one is related to a different imbalance or struggle your hormones are having.

Whats the big mistake?

The biggest mistake women make when using the OTC remedies for menopause is using remedies from one or even two categories - but not from all three.  

Category 1: Low Hormone Levels

The Hormonal Struggle: Hormones levels are going too low. 

The Remedy: Supplements that support your body in bringing those hormone levels back up.

This is the most common type of menopause remedy you'll see.  They're usually rich in plant estrogens, which are like raw hormone material that your body can easily turn into usable hormones.

HRT (hormone-replacement therapy) is also a remedy in this category.

Examples: Soy, Dang Gui, Black Cohosh, Pueraria Mirifica

My preferred way is to choose from among all the herbs rich in plant estrogens & other phytochemicals that can support your body in bringing your hormone levels up.

When you choose, find the one that is best for you right now.  

For example:

• Some herbs support progesterone most and are great for perimenopause, mood swings, stress, and estrogen dominance symptoms.
• Some herbs support estrogen more and are great for dryness, brain fog, and bone health.
• Some support testosterone and are great for libido and metabolism 

When you choose, make sure your choices match your temperature. 

For example:  

If you're feeling hot choose herbs that are cooling. (Dang gui, commonly used as a rich source of phytoestrogens, is actually a bit warm and drying so it's not Chinese medicine's first choice for phytoestrogen support during menopause) 

Another example:

Some of the herbs that are targeted at estrogen support are sticky and hard to digest,  so in Chinese medicine they're used in formulas with other herbs that make them easier to digest, break down, and use.

So that's my insider tip for category 1:  Supplements that support bringing your hormone levels back up when they've gone too low.

Category 2: Out of balance hormones

The Hormonal Struggle:  Your hormone levels are out of balance with each other, because your body is struggling to fine tune bringing hormone levels up or down.   Often this is due to:

• The liver not activating hormones or detoxifying used hormones well OR 
• The endocrine system not sending out the right signals at the right times to micromanage relative hormone levels

The Remedy:  Support liver function and support the endocrine system in its job micromanaging those hormone levels.

Examples:  For detox you'll often see milk thistle.   For endocrine support you'll see adaptogens, the one most often recommended for menopause is maca.

Insider Tip:  Milk thistle not my go to for menopause, because it's drying and draining to your energy - the opposite of what we're trying to do in menopause!  Also it's only stage 1 liver detox support - so it helps get toxins out of your liver.  But those toxins will float around in your blood then go back into your liver if it's not use with stage 2 detox support at the same time. 

Instead  Use herbs that support stage 1 and stage 2 detoxification and rebuild your energy levels at the same time (instead of draining energy.)

Insider Tip:  Not all adaptogens are the same.  For example, maca is adaptogenic, but it's a bit warm and hard to digest (even when gelatinized.)  It works for some women but used alone is too warm for others.  

The art & science of Chinese Tonic Herbalism is about choosing from among all the different adaptogens to find the right ones at the right times.  Adaptogens that matche your temperature and your specific needs.  It's also about combining a few of the right herbs for broad-spectrum adaptogenic support for your endocrine and immune systems!!

Category 3: High stress hormone levels

The Hormonal Struggle:  High stress hormone levels are interfering with the balancing of your female hormones. 

This may seem a little off label or not directly related to menopause... But because lower progesterone levels mean we're more sensitive to stress once perimenpause starts, stress is often a significant factor holding you back from feeling better during & after menopause.

In fact multiple studies have shown that meditation or deep breathing exercises, which regulate stress hormones levels, can cut hot flashes by about 50%!

For some women high stress hormone levels are a 10-20% factor holding them back from feeling better during menopause.  For others stress can be 80% of what's holding them back.

What about meditation to manage stress?  YES.  Meditation and deep breathing are really important to do.   BUT if hormonally and energetically you're wired for stress, it's like you're trying to walk through a door that's closed and locked.

Herbal support for stress on a hormonal and energetic level is like opening that door.  Once the door is open, in your meditation you just put a little intention into walking through, and you're there.  You get huge results with much less effort.

Without that herbal support you can meditate a whole lot and still be staring at that closed door.

The Remedy:  Many OTC remedies can help with stress.  

Examples:  Many herbs for stress, like valerian, are sedating, so they can make you tired or groggy.  This is fine at bedtime - but it's not what you want all day long.   Others like magnesium, B vitamins, or l-theanine might be better daytime choices to take the edge off stress.