First discovered and researched a little over 100 years ago, hormones serve as communication messengers to initiate or terminate processes all over the body. Various organs make these hormones, and many bodily functions are controlled by them. When hormones are imbalanced (meaning not working correctly), many problems can occur—from temperature regulation to blood flow, digestion to skeletal maintenance. Hormones are the balancing regulators of your body.
Hormone Imbalance and Herbal Remedies
As we age, our organs experience the wear and tear of the life that we impose on them. The effects of modern living—eating chemicals and steroids in our foods, overstimulation from sugar, caffeine, and emotional stress—have produced a more pronounced problem for us than our previous generations. The hormone-producing organs can become overtaxed as we reach our 40s and 50s. Yet even with normal use, time alone can produce a decrease in the function of these glands and organs as well. The shift from child-bearing years in women is involved with a new bodily hormonal balance. Men as well tend to experience age-related changes in the balance of hormones in their bodies. The results of this diminution of hormone secretions have been affecting humans for thousands of years, if not more.
Herbal history puts forth examples of early Mediterranean cultures and Egyptians using chaste tree berries to help balance hormones for women in their later years. Native American tradition offers remembrance of sage and black cohosh being used by women, while St. John’s wort was popular in Europe. Some cultures of Central America have relied heavily on the wild yam. There are as many instances of natural remedies as there are helpful herbs to assist.
Hot flashes are more than just annoying—they are the overt indication of a system out of balance, the very system that handles other essential bodily functions such as digestion, vasculature, skeletal maintenance, and more. To simply fan your face, strip off extra clothes, and “deal with it” is less of a solution and more of a denial. You deserve better than that, you need better than that.
How Do We Do Better than That?
No one wants to take six different capsules of herbs twice a day; that would leave very little room left for meals. Yet it would be wonderfully beneficial to have the influence of all of those herbs—and there is an easier way. All of the herbs can be combined and decocted into a water broth, which can then be sprayed on a thinned-skin area a couple of times per day. Not only is the spray itself cooling when applied, but the best part is that regular application of this herbal broth balances your hormones so that the overt adverse effects of your hormonal shift diminish in time. That translates to fewer hot flashes, and less hot in the flash. What’s more, all of the other systems in your body that are regulated by these hormones that you’ve balanced begin operating in a more normal manner.
The estrogen-like components of Mexican wild yam have long been coveted for their ability to balance the estrogen-progesterone balance in women going through menopause. Sage and St. John’s wort have been largely tested in the last decade and have demonstrated dramatic reduction in the frequency and severity of hot flashes. Black cohosh and chaste tree berries have been the subject of numerous clinical studies that all point toward improvements in hormonal systems, from bone maintenance to digestion. Balancing all of these critical bodily functions is essential to good health and a sound transition through menopause.
More Than Menopause Relief
Men, it turns out, are often given testosterone blockers when they are undergoing prostate cancer treatment, which can cause an estrogen imbalance and produce hot flashes. The very same herbs that help regulate hormones and ease hot flashes in women also help men who are on testosterone suppression. In fact, the same hormone fluctuations that are associated with menopause in women also occur monthly and can cause PMS. Regular application of these herbs has been used to balance the emotional and other disturbances caused by menstruation.
All of these herbs are blended with lavender to relax excess nervous energy in a wonderful spray decoction from Nature’s Rite. It’s called Hot Flash Relief and is available for you to try at MyNaturesRite.com.
Steven R. Frank is an innovative herbalist for Nature’s Rite. His concoctions and decoctions have helped thousands achieve more comfortable healthier lives. Mr. Frank has spent more than a decade doing medical research and has numerous patents in the healthcare arena. His products and formulations can be seen at: MyNaturesRite.com.