Chamomile Blend For Menopause
Menopause is a stage of life that most women dread, with hot flashes, night sweats and weight gain just some of the symptoms women experience. Menopause and the stage leading up to it, Peri-menopause are still very under talked about with most women suffering in silence unaware that the brain fog, depression, mood swings, memory issues, sleep issues and crippling fatigue are as common as vaginal dryness, loss of libido and loss of bladder control.
The good news is that there are many herbs that can be really beneficial during this time, they can help with many of the symptoms and help re-balance hormones naturally reducing the impact that this time of fluctuating hormones creates and enables many women to move through peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause without the crushing and often debilitating symptoms associated with this stage of life.
For many women the first sign of approaching menopause comes with changes with their normal monthly cycle, periods may become irregular or lighter or heavy than normal.
Most women will experience some symptoms associated with the menopause, however this varies from woman to woman, with most women starting to experience symptoms in the years before they actually experience menopause which is defined as a full 12 months without a period.
The average age of women to reach full menopause is around 51 however this can be much earlier or later again depending on the individual. Most women experience symptoms for around 4 years after their last period, however some may experience them for over 10 years.
The most common and some might argue debilitating symptom of menopause is hot flashes with 75% of women experiencing them. Hot flashes are heat that occurs over the chest, neck and face and can make you feel very overheated and sweaty. Mood swings also come high on the symptoms list with the fluctuation in hormone levels feeling like extreme and unpredictable PMS.
Try using essential oil blends such as this Chamomile essential oil blend can help relieve the symptoms caused by the menopause naturally.
THE SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE INCLUDE
Hot flashes
Night sweats
Difficulty sleeping
Reduced sex drive (libido)
Problems with memory and concentration
Vaginal dryness and pain, itching or discomfort during sex
Headaches
Irregular periods, including heavier or lighter than normal
Mood changes - depression and anxiety including panic attacks
Palpitations – heartbeats that suddenly become more noticeable
Joint stiffness, aches and pains
Breast soreness
Reduced muscle mass
Digestive issues
Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Osteoporosis
Electric shocks
Itchy skin and tingling extremities (hands feet, arms and legs)
Hair loss
Weight gain
Dizzy spells
Bloating
Stress incontinence
Brittle nails
Changes in body odour
THE FOLLOWING OILS ARE PARTICULARLY BENEFICIAL
Chamomile – Chamomile also has calming and sedative properties which can be used to lift mood, calm the mind and help sleep issues.
Cypress – is an uplifting oil that can help relieve feelings of low mood, depression and anxiety and energies and relieve feelings of fatigue.
Sage – Sage can help to ease hot flashes and night sweats both common in menopause. It can help relieve low mood, depression and anxiety.
HOW TO USE
If you have an empty essential oil bottle you can clean it out and make a blend to use when needed or you can add them individually in the following ratio.
Chamomile – 3 drops
Cypress – 3 drops
Sage – 3 drops
WAYS TO USE
DIFFUSE
Diffusing a blend of these essential oils can help to relieve the symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, night sweats, depression, anxiety and brain fog.
Diffuse 1 - 3 drops of the blend of Sage, Chamomile and Cypress essential oil in an oil burner or diffuser.
BATH
Taking a warm bath with this wonderful healing blend can help relieve the symptoms of hot flashes, lift mood, calm the mind and relieve anxiety.
Add 1 - 3 drops of the blend to a warm bath.
Note: Care should be taken not to use more than 3 drops to prevent the bath from becoming too slippery. Essential oils should be added to a carrier oil before adding as oil and water do not mix and essential oils will float on the surface of the water and if used neat can burn the skin.
OINTMENT
Mix with some carrier oil such as almond oil olive oil and rub over directly over the wrists.
Mix 1 to 2 drops of the essential oil blend (3 drops each of Sage, Chamomile and Cypress) to a tablespoon of carrier oil rub over the wrist or apply to a tissue or cloth and inhale as needed.
SIDE EFFECTS
As with all essential oils it should not be used neat on the skin, essential oils are very concentrated oils that can irritate the skin unless mixed with a carrier oil. Essential oils should not be used internally unless under the supervision of an aromatherapist.
Sage and Cypress should be avoided if pregnant or breastfeeding and in rare cases can also cause allergic reaction or skin irritation.
Avoid using Chamomile during the early months of pregnancy. Do not administer oil directly into the eye when treating conditions of the eyes such as conjunctivitis.
Pets can be particularly sensitive to the effects of essential oils and can even be toxic so where possible should either be avoided or used where a pet is able to go into another room for example Cypress is one such oil.