Posted by Kath on June 26, 2009, at 10:32:48
In reply to Re: Great Book - My BIBLE during menopause » Kath, posted by Dinah on June 25, 2009, at 22:04:26
> It might just be coincidence, but things have been better since I started taking Estroven (black cohosh and soy).
~ ~ I doubt if it's a coincidence. Black cohosh (cimicifuga) was the main one I took for hot spells & it also worked for my sister-in-law, who before she started it, had to change her bedsheets once or twice a night due to such intense sweating! I think she was also taking Dong Quoi (angelica).
> I was positive it was just a placebo. The double blind study results were not positive.
~ ~ I don't put great faith in even double blind studies, as someone I know well was in one....was supposed to include a small bottle of oil in diet daily. Some people had been give olive oil, some were various omega oils (nobody knew what they had). The person complied for a bout a week & didn't use the oils for the remaining 2 1/2 months!! Went back for the blood tests regularly. I also know another person who did a study of yogurts with & without certain probiotics...same thing. So I think potentially, there's a huge margin of error in studies.
> I'm a bit annoyed that it might be working.
~ ~ I'm wondering why you're feeling annoyed that it might be working?
> Or it might be coincidence.
~ ~ If it's expensive, you could use what you have then stop & see if things get worse again. If they do, you could start it again & see if things get better. :-) (Unasked for advice - sorry).
> I also started being careful to really really hydrate. A lot. I never did drink much, and with all the sweating I think I was getting dehydrated.
~ ~ Can I be your hydration buddy? I REALLY need to hydrate myself. While I was at my daughter's (she knows I don't drink enough) we did the 'pinch-the-back-of-your-hand-&-see-if-the-skin-goes-back-down' test. The ridge caused by the pinch stayed like a fold for several seconds before going back down verrrrrryyyy slowly!! Yikes. While I was there I drank masses of water & juice - well masses for me! The skin test changed to no ridge left at all & I also noticed a definite dissapearance of facial lines in my cheeks! I woulda thot THAT would be enough to make me keep up the drinking, but NOPE. Please let me know if you're up for having a buddy.
> I'm still crabby.~ ~ I strongly recommend Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) for crabbiness due to menopause. It helped me anyhow. It's also listed among the herbs that help with hot spells (for some reason I can't bring myself to call them hot 'flashes' - who knows why). This is what is says in that book re: Motherwort regarding nerves etc:
"Motherwort calms, supports, & strengthens you........ Used regularly, M feeds your nerves & your good common sense, relaxing & unclenching any held tension. M is not sedating, but calming, leaving you ready for actions, not flying off the handle or bouncing off the walls. Ask M to be your ally in tough times, in shaky times, in enraging times, in scarey times, in depressed times, in grief-filled times. Try 5 - 10 drops of tincture as soon as you feel your nerves starting to fray or just before a stressful event."> My husband and I were laughing about it earlier today. I never really had the whole pms syndrome. I'd occasionally get a bit tearful, but that's it. So all the anger I didn't get in pms seems to be coming out in menopause. My husband is starting to do some really funny announcements "My wife is hot. Back very slowly out of the building. Do not panic."
:) He's pretty great sometimes.~ ~ Oh that is too sweet! Give him a hug for me for being such a sweetie in using humour to help you all through this!!! Isn't it wonderful when they're great! Mine is really great sometimes also. He has a lot of anger & negativity near the surface, which I find a challenge to deal with - especially the 'glass half empty' way of looking at life instead of 'glass half full'. But towards me he is so supportive & nice. I don't like that if he's grumpy about something, he doesn't bother to shift - for ex, if I smile at him he doesn't smile back (that makes me really pissed off). But it's nice when they do something that's particularly good, as with your husband's announcements!
> On the other hand, we're having a heat wave. New Orleans having a heatwave is a lot like hell having a heatwave. I think everyone is very crabby right now.
~ ~ Sounds unbearable! eeeeeeuk. Hope heatwave ends SOON.
luv & supportive energy, Kath
poster:Kath
thread:901966
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20090624/msgs/903293.html