A leading North West natural therapy centre is encouraging all women to improve their general health and wellbeing, especially if they are approaching or going through the menopause.

Cheshire Natural Health has formed the Menopause Naturallytreatment plan to help support women through this often difficult time. The clinic wants all women to become more aware of the impact of the menopause and to take steps to boost their energy.

Tracey Turton, Clinic Director at Cheshire Natural Health, says: “The menopause is a natural part of every woman’s life and should be prepared for, not dreaded.

“Sadly many women do experience terrible menopausal symptoms that can be extremely debilitating.  We want to show women they are not alone and that there is a natural way through this difficult time.

“Hormone imbalances can have a huge impact on a woman’s life and many people are disinclined to undergo hormone replacement therapy (HRT), preferring a more natural approach,” says Tracey.

The Menopause Naturally treatment plan starts with a confidential consultation to discuss symptoms, wellbeing and lifestyle. A programme is then designed for the client using a combination of the following complementary therapies:

• Acupuncture
• Bowen Treatment
• Homeopathy
• Hypnotherapy
• Medical Herbalism
• Nutritional Therapy
• Relationship therapy
• Reflexology

Acupuncture
Andreas Feyler, senior lecturer in Traditional Acupuncture says menopausal hot flushes, night sweating and irritability respond very well to acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. “It’s believed that by the age of 49 a woman’s Jing or Essence starts to decline naturally. This leads to an imbalance between Yin and Yang. With a deficiency of Yin, its moistening, cooling, and calming properties are less active leading to symptoms of dryness, hot flushes, stress and irritability.

“I am a traditional acupuncturist using specific questioning and tongue and pulse diagnosis to make an individual prescription of acupuncture point and/or herbal formulae best suited for our patients' specific symptoms. This kind of ancient therapy excels in the treatment of hormonal imbalances and deficiency,” says Andreas.

Bowen Treatment
Sheila Hind describes Bowen Therapy as a remedial and holistic form of “hands-on” bodywork with the practitioner’s fingers and thumbs making a series of precise rolling-type moves over muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Sheila says Bowen Treatment helps the body to adjust to changing hormonal levels and aids the removal of toxins through lymphatic drainage. She is refreshingly optimistic about the menopause as it strips away the masking effect of oestrogen and it can become easier to pinpoint what is not working for a patient.

Homeopathy
Homeopath Irene Roberts treats many cases of hormone imbalance which is worsened through diet and HRT.  She says: “The homeopathic process aims to trigger the body’s own healing powers so that the patient feels more in control of themselves again and ultimately regains health in a gentle and effective way.”

Irene says the homeopathic process identifies common themes which underpin a person’s susceptibility to illnesses and matches a suitable homeopathic remedy to a patient’s individual mental, emotional, physical, general and spiritual symptoms.

Hypnotherapy
The menopause for many women, says Hypnotherapist Rosemary Reeves, can be a time of great change, such as children leaving home, caring for ageing parents.  This can make it a confusing time; both physically and mentally.  Rosemary sees the knock-on effect of hot flushes, night sweats and lack of sleep on mood, on work and on family.

Rosemary treats menopausal symptoms with hypnotherapy, emotional freedom technique, counselling and neuro-linguistic programming.  Rosemary’s treatments combine very well with other disciplines such as medical herbalism.

Medical Herbalism
Medical herbalist Natalia Kerkham sees more patients for menopausal problems than any other single condition and attributes this to the fear of the effects of HRT.
Natalia recommends:

 “The one thing I’ve learned from seeing so many women for the menopause is that no two are ever the same, and no one herbal remedy will work for everyone.  For example, if you’re plagued with hot flushes, black cohosh will be really helpful.  It won’t do much to dry up night sweats though – sage would be better.   Other herbs may be needed for symptoms such as dry skin, aches and pains or poor memory and concentration” says Natalia.

Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional therapist Angela Bailey recommends an osteoporosis risk assessment test so that a diet and supplements can be tailored to an individual’s specific profile.  Angela stressed the importance of balancing blood sugar levels and hot flushes can be triggered by slumps in blood glucose.
Angela points out that women are at greater risk of cardiovascular problems at the menopause and promotes the use of essential fatty acids to protect against this, whereas saturated fats can have a detrimental effect. Insomnia is also closely related to the menopause and treatment responds well to correcting nutrient deficiencies and considering lifestyle issues, such as exercise and relaxation.

Relationship Therapy
Sex and relationship therapist Dana Braithwaite says:  “Count yourself lucky you have reached this important chapter in your life – it is not all about hot flushes and dryness.  Indeed your attitude to the menopause can affect your experience of it.  A woman who sees this as ageing and loss is likely to suffer more than someone who recognises the opportunities this can bring along.”
Dana encourages women to rejoice at the lack of menstruation.  She says: “You’ve not had this freedom since you were 10 years old. Now we can go out and buy gorgeous lingerie in lovely fabrics and feel sexy just walking up the street.  As your friends complain of PMS, moods and pain, it becomes all a distant memory.”

 
Reflexology
Clinical Reflexologist Tracey Turton says that hormonal imbalances, including menopausal symptoms, respond particularly well to reflexology. She says: “My patients report significant reduction in hot flushes, improved libido, reduced anxiety, improved sleep, more energy, better concentration and memory, and generally feeling much better in themselves.”

Reflexology involves applying precise pressure to specific areas of the feet and hands. These points, or ‘reflexes’, correspond to all parts of  the body. Reflexology aims to ‘rebalance’ the body by inducing deep relaxation, improving circulation, facilitating removal of toxins from the body, reducing pain, calming the nervous system, and increasing energy levels.

Most women seeking treatment for menopausal problems will find their symptoms are alleviated by a combination of complementary therapies.  Each client on the Menopause Naturally treatment plan is an individual and therefore each treatment will be individual.

For more information about Cheshire Natural Health, telephone 01925 730123 or visit www.cheshirenaturalhealth.co.uk

ENDS

Media enquiries: Denise Wales
Dewcom Media Services
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