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Menopause comes with uncomfortable symptoms like hot flushes, mood swings, insomnia, and anxiety that can last for several years after a woman ceases having her period. These symptoms are not only unpleasant but can even disrupt one’s daily functioning.
Menopausal women are usually presented with two options so that they can find relief from these challenging symptoms, either take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or rely on natural remedies for menopause. HRT works by replacing female hormones that were lost because of the onset of menopause through medication. Natural solutions, on the other hand, are non-drug strategies that rely on plant sources and the body’s innate healing process to address menopausal symptoms.
If you are going through menopause and thinking about the best option to manage the discomforting symptoms, here are some of the reasons why you should choose natural remedies over HRT:
Natural Remedies are Safe for Women with Medical Conditions
Natural remedies for menopause usually involve dietary and lifestyle changes as well as therapeutic approaches that are safe even for women with medical conditions. These strategies can also be useful in managing medical problems, given that it works by improving the body’s health condition.
Taking hormone replacement therapy, however, can be detrimental for women with the following condition or history:
- History of cancer, particularly cancers of the breast, ovary, or uterus
- Blood clotting disorder or history
- High blood pressure
- Liver disease
- History of vaginal bleeding
- History of stroke
- Allergy to hormonal medications
Natural Remedies Prevent Your Chances of Getting Breast Cancer
One of the most common remedies for menopausal symptoms is consuming food rich in phytoestrogens that similarly affect the body as estrogens, such as soya beans, lentils, and grains. Apart from addressing the symptoms of menopause, plant-based estrogen has also been found to deter the growth of breast cancer cells and to lower the mortality rate and recurrence of breast cancer among patients.
When you take HRT, on the other hand, you will experience the opposite effect. Instead of helping you prevent breast cancer, you will be more at risk. A new study revealed that hormone replacement therapy significantly increases the risk of breast cancer with just a year of use. Note that the same research found that the elevated risk remains even if the woman stopped taking HRT for over a decade.
Natural Remedies Support Cardiac Health
Eating a well-balanced diet, quitting smoking and drinking, exercising regularly, and practicing relaxation techniques are just some of the primary natural solutions for addressing the unpleasant symptoms of menopause. Notice that all of these strategies do more than only offer relief from menopausal symptoms since they are also useful for improving the health of your heart.
With hormone replacement therapy, however, your cardiac health would be at risk considering that it has been found to increase the risk of stroke, particularly among women over 60 years old. Imagine the danger you will be in if you have undiagnosed heart disease and started taking HRT.
Given the reasons above, it is evident that you will be better off relying on natural remedies for menopause than HRT. Apart from being a safer alternative, natural solutions can improve your overall well being while managing your menopausal symptoms. Why take risks linked with HRT when you can experience safe relief using natural means, right?
