Woman’s Own – 02 September 2019

ease the

menopause

Feelingfedupandfrazzled?Thesebuys

will give you somemuch-neededrelief

3 Calmitchyskin

‘Duringmenopause,theskin’sabilityto

holdmoistureis reduced, making it easily

irritated,’saysAlison.

‘We’realsolessableto

controltheproduction

ofhistamine,andthe

itchinessis exacerbated

bystress.’A fermented

isoflavonesupplement

canhelprestorebalance.

TryA.Vogel

MenopauseSupport

(£14.99, avogel.co.uk).

5 Ease

anxietyand^

flushes

Areductioninoestrogen

canalsocauseanxiety,

asoestrogenactsas

amildantidepressant.

Dehydrationexacerbatesthings,so,

ifyou’rehavingflushes,thiscouldbe

afactor.‘BlackCohoshiseffectivefor

moodswings,’saysDrDickMiddleton^

fromtheBritishHerbalMedicine

Association.‘Itcanalsohelphotflushes

andnightsweats.’TryMenoCoolBlack

Cohosh (£19.99, Holland & Barrett).

2 Increase

energylevels

Puttingonweight?Coupled

withpoorsleep,adropin

oestrogenmeansexcess

poundscansettleroundthe

waist–whichcanleadtoa

lackofget-up-and-go.‘Kelp

isrichinminerals,especially

iodine,whichisimportantfor

normalproductionofthyroid

hormones,’saysAlison.‘This

helpsyour

bodyburnup

food,giving

youenergy.’

TryNature’s

GardenSea

KelpTablets

(£5.99,

Holland

& Barrett).

6 Relieve

jointpain

Menopausaljointpaincan

startseveralyearsbefore

othersymptoms.Avoidtoo

muchsugarorsalt,caffeine

andprocessedfoods,which

canirritatejoints.‘Devil’s

clawhasanti-inflammatory

andpain-relievingproperties,’

saysDrMiddleton.’Try

FlexiHerbMuscle& JointPainRelief

Tablets (£10.49, Holland & Barrett).

Menopause

SPECIAL

*BRITISH

MENOPAUSE

SOCIETY.

WORDS:

FAYE M SMITH.

MAIN PHOTO (POSED BY MODEL): GETTY

1 Boost

thinninghair

Losingyourcrowningglory?

‘Lowironcanbeatrigger,

particularlyifyou’vehad

heavyperiodsoverthelast

fewmonths,’saysnutritional

therapistAlisonCullen.

‘Stressisalsoafactor.’

Productswithcaffeinecan

helpstimulateanessential

proteincalledkeratin.

TryPlantur^39 Phyto-

CaffeineShampoo

(£9.75, Boots).

42%

Haven’tfeltquiterightsince

enteringperimenopause?It’s

nowonder– 42%*ofwomen

saytheirsymptomsarefar

worsethanthey’danticipated.

But,seeingassomewomen

cansufferforadecade,it’s

worthinvestingina

productthat

can help.

(^4) Beatdryness
Aroundmenopause,manywomenstart
toexperiencevaginaldryness.‘The
vaginalwallsbecomethinner,dryerand
lesselastic,whichcanmakesexmore
painful,’saysDrLouiseNewsonfrom
SpireParkwayHospital.Youmayalso
have itchingorsoreness.Acreamwith
nourishinglipids(fats)
canproviderelief.Try
VagisanMoistCream
(£14.99, Boots).
6 ways to