While hormone-replacement therapy is often recommended for women coping with the discomforts of menopause, some women may prefer HRT alternatives. These alternatives include exercise, stress management, dietary changes, skin products, vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as herbal remedies. These lifestyle changes may also be used to complement hormone-replacement therapy, and increase its overall effectiveness.

Exercise is a good alternative to HRT for two reasons: It helps protect bone health effectively, and it releases chemicals in the brain to eliminate menopausal symptoms of depression.

Better ways of coping with stress can also improve menopausal symptoms. Studies have shown that such coping mechanisms as sufficient rest, yoga, and meditation significantly decrease the fatigue and mental cloudiness often experienced by menopausal women.

Dietary changes are another natural way of decreasing the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause. Limiting the intake of caffeine and alcohol can decrease the frequency of hot flushes and sweating episodes. Increasing calcium-rich foods in the diet can effectively combat menopause-related bone loss. Finally, foods such as apples, celery, and nuts, all of which contain phytoestrogen, can help to reduce menopausal symptoms.

Lubricants and moisturizers provide effective relief of dry skin problems with no typical side effects.

Vitamin and mineral supplements can decrease the symptoms of menopause, as well. These include vitamin E, which helps reduce hot flushes, vitamin B, which helps alleviate depression, magnesium, which may help combat insomnia, and zinc, which has been shown to reduce bloating and water weight gain.

Finally, there are herbal remedies that may offer relief for mild menopausal symptoms. Three proven ones are ginger, which effectively treats headaches, flaxseed, which reduces hot flushes, and evening primrose oil, which not only combats depression and hot flushes, but also improves dry skin.

When dealing with menopausal symptoms, there is a wide array of safe remedies that can work just as well as hormone-replacement therapy, and which offer complementary aid in conjunction with hormone-replacement therapy.

If you would like help treating your menopausal symptoms, either with hormone-replacement therapies, or with non hormone-replacement therapies, please contact me for a consultation that is tailored to your needs and your lifestyle.