Does hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for your menopause makeyour blood run cold? Many women are faced with the potentialrisks associated with HRT. First, let's take a quick look at thethree stages of menopause.

Menopause begins in your early 40s as your ovaries graduallyproduce less and less of the hormone estrogen. Your periodsbecome erratic sometimes skipping a month or alternating betweenlight and heavy.

The next period of time is the transitioning to actual menopause.During this time you may continue to have erratic periods andthe "fun stuff" begins to settle in for a long visit. Yes, funstuff like hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings and insomniaare some of the symptoms.

The final and actual onset of menopause usually occurs in yourearly 50s and is represented by the absence of your period for afull 12 months. It's those in between years that can wreak havocin your life.

Are there natural alternatives for chemical HRT? The good newsis yes! It's a sad fact that less than two percent of doctorseven mention alternative therapies and that most of them feelthere is no benefit. Thousands of women would disagree. Hereare just a few of the many natural alternatives:

Try adjusting your diet to include vegetables and fish that arehigh in Omega-3 as they contain nutrients that can help your bodydeal with menopause naturally. Conversely, there are foods thatcan make your menopausal symptoms worse. Caffeine, sugar, fattydairy products, salt, alcohol and saturated oils can aggravatethe symptoms.

Be sure and take a daily multivitamin making certain that thevitamin contains 100% of the daily allowance for nutrients. Justbe aware that vitamins are no substitute for following a healthydiet.

If menopause causes mood swings, it only makes sense that it'spossible to experience extreme responses for stress. Try usingdeep breathing techniques, meditation or some other methods ofrelaxation that works for you and practice the technique for 10to 20 minutes per day. You will be left feeling calmer, moreable to cope and more in control.

Exercising regularly can also help alleviate menopausal symptoms.Scheduling at least 30 minutes of exercise three times a weekwill relieve hot flashes. You will be able to think more clearlyand reduce your risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

Some women have found relief through yoga and acupressure. Bothare mainstays of practitioners of eastern medicine.

Last, but not least, we come to herbal treatments. Beans andcertain other plants have a mild estrogenic activity in theirmakeup thanks to "phytoestrogens." These are compounds thatinclude isoflavins, lignans, phytoseterols and saponins. Inadditional to helping your body through menopause, animalexperiments show they are significantly effective in preventingtumors of the breast tissue.

Without sending you off for a medical dictionary to understandthe compounds listed above, here are some of the foods and herbsthat contain healthy compounds: Soy, black cohosh, licorice,alfalfa, chasteberry, Chinese angelica, red clover, strawberry,celery stalks, dates, elder, false unicorn root, fennel, Honduransarsaparilla, lady's slipper, liferoot, Mexican wild yams,passion flower, pomegranates and sassafras.

The foods, of course, are available from your local grocery. Visit your local health food store where you should be able tofind the herbs and methods to include them in your daily diet.

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any health care program.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health News where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on
many medical, health and lifestyle topics.