Menopause, Tamoxifen, Chemotherapy Symptoms:  Herbal and Natural Solutions


ESTROGEN decreases as we approach menopause (or if we are on certain medications, chemotherapy, tamoxifen and more).


For many women this drop in estrogen produces dryness, not just in the vaginal area but all over. These women begin seeing dry skin, dry eyes and dry everywhere in between. Hormones, they control so much of our body; so what can we do to in order to moisturize our vaginal area and the rest of our body.


So What’s a woman to do?


Some suggestions I have found helped myself and many of my clients. Please feel free to leave me any comments below with questions.


Increase the fat you eat. Yes eat fat! Our society tells us to go on a low fat diet because they feel that low cholesterol numbers are best. But what isn’t taken into consideration is that our hormones need fat to build themselves, our brain needs fat for the production of the myelin sheathe which is basically the insulation around the nerves in the brain and our sex hormones (what’s left of them) need fat to produce just the tiny amount that may be left. What’s the best fat for us to be including in our diets:

 

  • Coconut oil – use it internally and externally – its great as a moisturizer, I now use it as my “hair product” for my curly hair, cook with it, make snacks with it – feel free to ask me for recipes.
  • Olive oil
  • Evening primrose oil
  • Fish oil– make sure its from a clean source (Designs for Health is my favorite company and I personally use the OmegaAvail. If you purchase through here, use coupon code HEALTH20% for a 20% discount and free shipping, even if for only one item)
  • Avocado – try for one per day
  • Whole milk organic yogurt – raw or grass fed if you can find it

 

Stay away from vegetable oils like corn, safflower, canola.


Relax – stress can make this worse. There are so many ways to relax, but when you are in crisis, relaxation becomes much harder to achieve. Our brains become stuck on what is causing our anxiety, whether its something in the home, business or just this mess of vaginal dryness. What can we do?

Meditation – even 5 minutes of slow deep breathing can take you to a place of relaxationpink ladies slipper

Epsom salt baths – treat yourself to 20 minutes in a hot tub with 2 cups of Epsom salt. Epsom salt is really just magnesium that is entering the largest organ in your body, your skin, to relax and moisturize your body. I always love my bath time.

Magnesium – speaking of magnesium. I have an entire blog on magnesium click here

Herbal remedies can make a huge difference. Here are a few that may help (I love creating custom formulas so let me know if I can help.)

 

  • Motherwort – stops the panic you may be feeling and for the most part just a few drops (not droppers) will change your state within a few moments
  • Scullcap – will help turn off the mind movies – you know that time when you think of everything else when you want to be focusing on something else. Dosages vary many find 5 drops is enough, I use a full dropper.
  • Chamomile Tea – relaxes your body, especially the gut and allows you to relax. Steep your chamomile 3-10 minutes and drink a cup or two
  • Lemon balm – great alone or mixed with your chamomile. Allows the relaxation to happen very gently
  • Oatstraw infusion- my favorite. What is an infusion? Steeping oatstraw for 10 minutes will give you flavored water. If you want a mineral infused drink take 1 oz of oatstraw, add 1 quart of boiling water to a 1 quart mason jar, cover and steep on your counter overnight (4-8 hours). Many find that along with the relaxation it brings, it helps to bring moisture back to the vaginal area.
  • Calendula or comfrey salve Either of these will work to moisturize the area and alleviate the pain you may feel as dryness and tightness. Neither of these are products I use for sex but they would be great for in between. I find they tend to get a little messier than I personally like. I make an amazing healing Calendula cream that is filled with Calendula, coconut oil, aloe and that’s almost all that’s in it and its great for a day application or in the evening prior to bed but again, it may be messy and not too tasty or edible as you may want. (I’m beginning an herbal program probably in January and will teach you to make the calendula cream)
  • Chaste berry (Vitex agnes) – Chaste berry seems to help many women in re-balancing their hormones, especially during peri-menopause. However, if you are like me, watch out and stay away. Many years ago I was at an herbal conference and went to a seminar on chaste berry and it sounded to me as a perfect herb. I purchases some at the conference and proceeded to get a headache. I didn’t connect the headache to the herb, I got home and for 3 days nothing and I mean nothing would get rid of that headache. On the third night I woke up with a start and believed that I had once read something about the connection of headaches and Vitex. Right I was, I went into my office in the middle of the night, found the paperwork I had about it causing headaches in a small minority of women, unfortunately, I was one of them. Stopped the Vitex, bye bye headache. So sometimes you will find that you react to an herb, do your research, it may be that you are the iminority that reacts.

 

Organic Lube – Do you know what’s in the lube you are currently using?

This product that you apply to the tender tissues in your vaginal area, are you aware of what may be in it? So many products are filled with toxic chemicals, petrochemicals, hormones, GMO’s, synthetic perfumes, parabens and more. They are not just going on your body, they are going in your body. Make sure you know what you are using. I personally like Sex Butterand Boudoir Butter. It is an organic lubrication alternative that helps me along with many of my clients. Isn’t it time you felt sexy and pain free again?

Leave a small jar of coconut oil in your bathroom – applying just a tiny amount of the coconut oil right after you go to the bathroom, each time if you can, will keep your vaginal area moister than it was. If you are one of the women that the dryness is not just for sex but its all the time, this will be a big solution for you.

The bottom line is that there are so many herbs that help in re-balancing hormones and dryness in the body. I put a few herbs here that may help you. If you’re looking for a custom formulation, let me know as this is the best way to balance your body.


We are all different, but what you may not know is that less thank 3% of women even tell their doctor that they are living with this dryness, they feel that there is something wrong with them and they are living with this dryness. Don’t allow yourself to suffer, it’s just a part of life for many women and there is nothing wrong with you. You are Perfect just the way you are. Your intimate life should only get better as you age, there’s no worry about getting pregnant, so let’s get rid of the dryness issue for you.


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