Menopause is an often unpleasant experience that happens to every woman at some point. Menopause is usually considered to have occurred once you have missed your monthly menstruation period for 12 consecutive months, but there are several other symptoms that can accompany this life change.
Signs of menopause:
- Irregular monthly periods
- Suffering from anxiety, depression, irritability
- Hot flushes
- Changes in your libido
- Vaginal dryness
- Pain during intercourse
- Weight-gain
- Brittle bones
- Bone and muscle loss
Different ways to use Essential Oils:
Inhalation is one of the best ways to use Essential Oils. Scent is the most powerful sense that you have. Breathing in Essential Oils can affect the limbic system in your brain. Essential Oils can actually pass the blood-brain barrier.
Ways to use Essential Oils:
- Diffuser
- Applying drops of oil to a tissue or handkerchief
- Applying drops of oil to a cotton ball and placing it next to your pillow
- Applying drops of oil to your hands and breathing it in
- Applying it topically (for example, to the bottoms of your feet)
- Ingestion
When applying Essential Oils topically, first blend 5-10 drops of Essential Oil with a couple of tablespoons of carrier oil. Some people apply essential oils directly to their skin without any carrier oil, but we highly recommend doing a ‘patch test' prior to applying fully concentrated oils.
It is important to be careful with Essential Oils. When you purchase 100% pure Essential Oils, they are considered highly concentrated medicinal products.
Top 3 Essential Oils for Menopause:
- Clary Sage Oil – This oil is particularly helpful for hot flushes. Clary Sage Oil oil is also used for minimizing hormonal issues. Clary Sage Oil is more effective than the monoamine neurotransmitters serotonin or 5-HT, and can therefore help menopausal women. Clary Sage Oil is also good for treating anxiety and depression. Apply a drop of Clary Sage Oil onto a cotton ball or on your handkerchief and keep it with you throughout the day. Research has also shown that Clary Sage Oil can help with thyroid-stimulating hormones. It decreases depression and it significantly decreases stress levels.
- Peppermint Oil – This is another oil used for hot flushes because it has a cooling effect. Blend 10 drops of Peppermint Oil with 2 tablespoons of alcohol, then add this mixture to a 2-ounce spray bottle of water. Use this as a mister to cool yourself down when you feel that hot flush coming. For headaches, apply Peppermint Oil at the base of your skull or to your temples. Peppermint Oil is also good for sore muscles and cramping. Remember that Peppermint Oil is very strong, so we recommend bending it with a carrier oil before applying directly to your body.
- Lavender Oil – This oil is considered the ‘Swiss Army Knife' of Essential Oils. It can reduce any anxiety associated with menopause, and can also help with hot flushes, headaches, and possible heart palpitations. Women who are experiencing perineum discomfort can also use a cool compress with a drop of Lavender Oil on it.
Other Essential Oils for Menopause:
- Geranium oil – This oil is specifically good for reducing anxiety and hormonal emotional issues that often accompany menopause.
- Pine Oil – Several studies have found that the chemical components in Pine Oil can help prevent bone loss. Use Pine Oil in a diffuser several times a day or apply it to the bottoms of your feet.
- Basil Oil – Basil can help the body adjust to the changing levels of estrogen. It can also help with hot flushes. We recommend applying Basil Oil to your feet or the back of your neck. You can also use it in a diffuser to help with mood swings.
- Neroli Oil – This oil is derived from orange blossoms and is great for your libido. A study in 2014 had 63 post-menopausal women inhale Neroli Oil for 5 minutes twice a day. The result was they felt less stressed and had an improved libido. They also noticed that Neroli has positive effects on estrogen, your ability to concentrate, and your blood pressure. Apply a drop or two to a tissue and inhale for 5 minutes twice a day.
Shyloe Fayad is Okanagan based and the CEO & Primary Wonderer at Radical Wondering Collective. She is also the founder of “Happiness Habits by Shyloe”, which is a unique and actionable system that helps you reduce stress, depression, and anxiety so you can live your best life. She has been an essential oil user since the late ’90s and is now an educator.
So be sure to try a safer, more natural way to treat your menopause symptoms. We hope that these suggestions help to make this life adjustment easier for you.
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