Of course an herbalist is writing this so most things will be somewhat natural and may not work for you , but I am sharing soem info I have read that has been researched by other herbalists.

I had no idea that menopausal women are prime for this issue. But often menopausal women are dx more with it. And I was thinking of one of our regulars here that battles it and wanted to jot these things down.

Herbal infusions(which means those steeped for a long time...like hours or overnight, then strained)
Most favorable are Oatstraw, Nettles and Comfrey leaf.

Eat yogurt regularly

Avoid Omega 6 fatty acids (vegetable oils esp)

Olive oil is Ok

If you like sardines, eat them or take cod liver oil for Omega 3.

gentle excercise like Tai Chi, yoga, etc... is good in small increments if you cannot do a long workout.

Magnesium helps moderate the muscle and connective tissues response to pain. legumes, whole grains, lefy greens, infusions of oatstraw and nettles.

Moxibustion helps some for up to 12 hours.

Willow Bark or Spirea tinctures in 1-2 dropperful in 1/4 cup water can help. The Salysic acid is the active ingredient as aspirin.

St Johns Wort Tincture is a muscle relaxant 25-30 drops in 1/4 cup of water can help.

Light stroke massage and heat therapy can help

(I wonder if there is a Migun massage center near you-My parents own a store and they offer 1 week free-if one near you does the same you could see if that woudl benefit you since it works with moxibustion, chiropractiv, acupressure, acupuncture and far infrared rays to assist the body to heal itself.)
Grate several oz of fresh ginger into simmering water and cook gently for 10 minutes. Soak a cloth in the tea and apply to sore areas.

Acupunture has been successful in relieving pain and suffering.

Dilute a bit of lavender Eo in jojoba or olive oil and rub on the sore areas.

Hugs to you mama's that battle this

Thank you! I would also add that doing whatever it takes to get the best sleep one can, is right near the top for priorities.

:heart: I love you KR!

These things definately do help to some degree. The sleep that I am getting now with hypnosis is freakin' A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. - like new life amazing.

Interesting about the menopause thing. I don't get periods because of my hysto, but I still have ovaries. I suspect, however, by symptoms of hot flashes and some other issues that I am in pre-menapause. My fibro symptoms got worse about 18 months ago which is when the hot flashes started.... veddy veddy interesting....

:wah: It is a rough Journey isn't it, Katie.
After hysterectomies, our overies start to peter out adn women usually go into menoause YEARS earlier than if the womb was intact. But not to be down about those things, because what is done is done in hopes for a healthier life.

I am so glad you are finding soemthing that helps you. Thanks for adding that. I may sticky this.

Sue, THANK YOU , you are right -hTP-5 and SAMe (both are precursors to seratonin-they are tryptophans) are said to help as well as melatonin.

Also, in case this is for soemone that needs to hear, Susun Weed is a HUGE advocate of sleeping in total darkness. No clocks or tv or nite lites. She feels that is a huge issue with offsetting our balance and she also feels it can cause disease. I dont recall her explaination of that at the moment, but that is her motto it seems. Sleep in the dark. :)

It makes good sense to me, KR! If we had to work to obtain the oil to burn lamps, for sure we would be more conscientious as to our sleep and wake hours.

Interesting!

The Sleep Well (http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/index.html)


The following snippet from the site is easy enough to implement.



Use sunlight to set your biological clock

As soon as you get up in the morning, go outside and turn your face to the sun for 15 minutes.

Katie, Mary, and other mama's I can empathize with you even more this week.

I had a crash of sorts with physical discomfort tightness muscle and bone pain that was pretty difficult to work through. Made me cranky too.

I think I got a glimpse of fibromyalgia as well as the symptoms of hypothyroidism some mama's suffer from.

I hope I can grow from this experience now that I have a bit more understanding. :hug: