Menopause is one of life's great
transitions and, like adolescence -- that other great biological life transition -- it
is a change over which we have relatively little control. Menopause can pass
by almost unnoticed, with
very little fuss or trouble, with no hot flashes and an unceremonious ending
of the menstrual periods. Or it can be lingeringly difficult, with hot flashes
lasting for years, or debilitating symptoms like depression and menstrual flooding
with anemia and exhaustion.
Each person varies; each menopause will affect
each woman differently, and each woman will find their own health affected
in different ways. The following chart may be useful for selecting a homeopathic
remedy that can give symptomatic relief for some common menopause complaints.
| Remedy |
Emotional symptoms |
Hot flashes |
Other menopause symptoms |
General symptoms |
| Amylenum nitrosum |
Tremendous anxiety felt in head & chest
Feels like something bad is going to happen |
Severe hot flashes: head is hot; face flushes (deep red) Drenching sweats after hot flash |
Palpitations and headaches
Sensation of a lump in the throat Exhaustion after a hot flash (with the sweating) |
Craves fresh air (opens window in coldest weather) |
| Argentum nitricum |
Tremendous anxiety (constant agitation)
Many fears including heights, crowds; doesn't go out |
Severe hot flashes with sudden, drenching sweats |
Insomnia with agitation: gets overheated, flings covers off and then gets chilled |
Worse for heat
Craves sweets which aggravate |
| Belladonna |
Sensitive and excitable
Intense
Restless: especially in bed (with flashes) |
Severe hot flashes: head is boiling hot, hands/ feet are icy cold; with profuse sweats (or none)
Bright red flush spreads over face |
Stress incontinence when walking/standing
Throbbing headaches, nosebleeds. Menstrual flooding
Insomnia with twitching, jerking, grinding teeth, hot flashes |
Symptoms come on strongly and suddenly Tendency to dryness |
| Calcarea carbonica |
Anxious about her health Confused
Difficulty concentrating Memory weak |
none) Bright red flush spreads over face Hot flashes: with tremendous heat; with drenching sweats; followed by chills and clamminess Sweats mostly on head & feet |
Yeast infections with itching/burning discharges
Headaches with dizziness
Menstrual flooding
Strains joints easily especially ankles
Cramps in calves at night |
Sluggish: energy low Metabolism slows; gains weight easily Worse cold/damp and drafts |
| China officionalis |
Depressed & apathetic
Full of ideas but doesn't want to do anything |
Hot flashes day & night
Sweats when covered |
Menstrual flooding with anemia and exhaustion
Throbbing headaches |
Face pale
Chilly and faint Exhausted |
| Cimicifuga racemosa |
Black depression alternating with excitability |
|
Menstrual flooding: with chilliness and exhaustion: periods are painful and more frequent than usual
Pains in the small joints (in the feet/hands/wrists etc.) |
Changeable symptoms Pains that move from place to place |
| Glonoinum |
Gets lost easily (even in familiar places)
Scared when out and about |
Frequent severe hot flashes with nausea, dizziness & faint feeling
Flushes rush up or down the body |
Violent palpitations felt in whole body, even in fingertips
Heat & pressure felt in head
Hot sensation down the back Clothes feel tight |
Worse for heat
Worse for wine
Better for fresh air and anything cool |
| Ignatia |
A sense of loss
Keeps feelings to self
Sighs a lot
Moods changeable: alternate between irritability, laughing and even crying. |
Hot flashes: with headache; with sweating on the face especially |
Sleeps lightly & easily disturbed
Emptiness in stomach no better for eating |
Contradictory symptoms
Worse for coffee |
| Lachesis |
Mood swings: depressed to irritable to anxious
Wound up over little things
Much worse in the mornings on waking |
Hot flashes felt in whole body
Sleep disturbed by hot flashes (woken by them)—no sweating |
Severe, left-sided headaches. Menstrual flooding Bloating and discomfort after eating
Cannot tolerate tight clothing especially around neck |
Everything is worse in the morning on waking
Worse for heat & coffee |
| Lycopodium |
Irritable, depressed and anxious |
Hot flashes: worse when anxious; worse in stuffy places; with clammy sweat and red face—clothes feel too tight then |
Sleep disturbed by jerking or restless legs
Appetite disturbed; full after eating a little; lots of gas
Hair loss
Menstrual flooding
Headache: vice-like pain |
Worse 4--8 pm
Craves sweets and chocolate |
| Natrum muriaticum |
Depressed and withdrawn
Great sense of loss; keeps it all to self
Dwells on new and old resentments or hurts |
Hot flashes that rise from chest to head (legs are cool)
With night sweats and fluid retention |
Dry skin generally
Lips dry, cracked
Painful dryness of vagina; recurring yeast infections
Herpes at corners of mouth
Constipated with small, hard stools |
Worse for heat and sun
Better when alone |
| Nux vomica |
Irritable, oversensitive workaholics
Tend to overdo everything bad (alcohol, coffee, fat) and underdo good (exercise, fruits, veggies) |
Hot flashes with profuse sweats that are worse in bed
Feels faint with hot flash and sleepy afterwards |
Insomnia: from anxious thoughts (about work)
Hot flashes
Indigestion
Headache: burning pain on top of the head
Periods more frequent and heavier (flooding) |
Extremely chilly (hates drafts) |
| Pulsatilla |
Extremely moody: sensitive, easily upset, weepy
Generally better for company and affection |
Hot flashes, waves of heat with blushing (face and neck) and night sweats |
Frequent urination and stress incontinence
Joint pains that move about the body
Headaches and digestive problems after rich/fatty foods |
Better for fresh air Worse for stuffy rooms
Thirstless |
| Sepia |
Depressed, apathetic (not interested in anything) Irritable—snaps at loved ones (or anyone)
Weepy: doesn't want company or sympathy |
Hot flashes, followed by drenching sweats—moving up the body
With exhaustion |
Dragging down sensation in lower abdomen/lower back
Dry painful vagina and recurring yeast infections
Stress incontinence |
Worse for cold
Better for vigorous exercise |
| Sulphur |
Depressed and weepy
Becomes or feels cut off from people |
Hot flashes with painful, burningheat at top of head. With faint feeling
Burning heat of hands/feet. Uncovers feet |
Nosebleeds
Menstrual flooding
Hemorrhoids after periods stop
Insomnia—restless with the flashes. Dry, itchy skin |
Worse for heat
Better for cool fresh air
Very thirsty |
Our
health is affected by the passage of time through our lives, from conception
all the way through to death. There are adjustments and challenges, physical
and emotional, which are particular to each age.