cial answer that really explains little or nothing to you?

Do you feel that the practitioner sees your patient/practitioner relationship as a partnership?

Or does it seem more like this practitioner would expect you to follow a course of action she or he chooses without question?

Below are some of the natural ways you can deal with the symptoms of menopause.

Read the list slowly, paying attention to how you feel as you think and read about any of these solutions. Do some research on each of them, and pay attention to how what you read makes you feel.

If you feel good as you read about a certain option and comfortably see yourself partaking of that particular solution, then bring it up during your interviews with the health practitioners.

Yoga: check out yoga studios in your area for classes specifically designed to alleviate symptoms of menopause. There are still too few of these available, but there are some. Call the studios in your area and ask about such classes. Yoga teachers need to know that there's an interest.

Acupuncture: there are acupunc

Does the thought of hot flashes and memory loss make you shudder?

Are you nervously trying to turn back time? Instead of using it for what it was meant to be? A time to reassess, introspect, and intuit your way to the second glorious half of your life?

Menopause-it happens to ALL women.

Thing is, many women never understand that they don't have to suffer from this natural phenomenon.

You have a right to celebrate and, yes, even enjoy this rite of passage, not agonize over it, or deplore it!

And with just a few tweaks, and with the use of natural products to control those hormone fluctuations we all fear, you'll rejoice in this really special time of your life, rather than suffer through it.

Everyone now knows that there's a variety of natural remedies available to treat symptoms of menopause. But did you know that in many cases, they work BETTER than traditional prescriptions?

What does "natural" mean, anyway?

Alternative medical practices usually stress how natural they are for your body, but rarely does anyone explain why or how this benefits you.

When all is said and done, a natural treatment is one that works with your body to restore balance to your system, rather than "forcing" it to go another way by the use of chemical prescriptions.

A natural remedy gently restores balance without the harmful side effects that always seem to accompany medical prescriptions.

More women have become aware that emotional equilibrium and other symptoms of menopause can mostly be gently treated with alternative health therapies.

Consequently, you'll find a slew of natural products available on the internet and at your local health food store, or vitamin store. So many, in fact, that it creates an "alternative problem."

Manufacturers of natural and homeopathic remedies for menopause market many of their products directly to the public. This gives you the impression that you should make the decision of whether or not to use a remedy on your own. Not so!

In the not so distant past, your choices were to either take hormones or not take them and suffer.

Now your poor addled brain is expected to make a choice between way too many alternative solutions - when in many cases, making decisions is exactly one of the things that cause you difficulty at this stage of your life.

The solution?

Rather than spending hours browsing the web or the shelves in stores for ways to alleviate your symptoms, spend that time looking for a good naturopath, homeopath, or Ayurvedic practitioner in your area.

Look for one who specializes in the symptoms of menopause. Make this person your ally for the next few years as you navigate through what I call the "Menopause Tunnel Ride."

You may already have a favorite practitioner, and if so, this should be the first person you speak with. She or he could be the right person to see you through this transition period of your life. If not, you might come away with a referral or two as a place to start your search for your "menopause partner."

Because you'll have many delicate issues to address...

Be sure you feel comfortable discussing any and every subject with this individual.

If you can afford to do so, make an appointment with two or three health practitioners, and ask them questions that particularly concern you. Look at it as an interview for a job you need filled: after all, you're "hiring" this person to help you navigate one of the most important and fabulous portions of your life!

Pay close attention to your heart region when you meet the different practitioners.

How do you feel in his or her presence? Imagine yourself asking this person a question on a subject that you find particularly difficult to talk about out loud. Could you ask this person that question?

Remember. You're likely to visit this health practitioner several times a year as you make your way through the "Menopause Tunnel Ride." Be sure.

How does the practitioner respond to your questions?

• Do you feel like you're being "handled" by the practitioner's response?
• Do you feel like s/he really cares about your feelings behind the concerns you raise?
• Does s/he give your concern validity by answering in depth, or is s/he just giving you a superficial answer that really explains little or nothing to you?
• Do you feel that the practitioner sees your patient/practitioner relationship as a partnership?
• Or does it seem more like this practitioner would expect you to follow a course of action she or he chooses without question?

Below are some of the natural ways you can deal with the symptoms of menopause.

Read the list slowly, paying attention to how you feel as you think and read about any of these solutions. Do some research on each of them, and pay attention to how what you read makes you feel.

If you feel good as you read about a certain option and comfortably see yourself partaking of that particular solution, then bring it up during your interviews with the health practitioners.

Yoga: check out yoga studios in your area for classes specifically designed to alleviate symptoms of menopause. There are still too few of these available, but there are some. Call the studios in your area and ask about such classes. Yoga teachers need to know that there's an interest.

Acupuncture: there are acupunc

is benefits you.

When all is said and done, a natural treatment is one that works with your body to restore balance to your system, rather than "forcing" it to go another way by the use of chemical prescriptions.

A natural remedy gently restores balance without the harmful side effects that always seem to accompany medical prescriptions.

More women have become aware that emotional equilibrium and other symptoms of menopause can mostly be gently treated with alternative health therapies.

Consequently, you'll find a slew of natural products available on the internet and at your local health food store, or vitamin store. So many, in fact, that it creates an "alternative problem."

Manufacturers of natural and homeopathic remedies for menopause market many of their products directly to the public. This gives you the impression that you should make the decision of whether or not to use a remedy on your own. Not so!

In the not so distant past, your choices were to either take hormones or not take them and suffer.

Now your poor addled brain is expected to make a choice between way too many alternative solutions - when in many cases, making decisions is exactly one of the things that cause you difficulty at this stage of your life.

The solution?

Rather than spending hours browsing the web or the shelves in stores for ways to alleviate your symptoms, spend that time looking for a good naturopath, homeopath, or Ayurvedic practitioner in your area.

Look for one who specializes in the symptoms of menopause. Make this person your ally for the next few years as you navigate through what I call the "Menopause Tunnel Ride."

You may already have a favorite practitioner, and if so, this should be the first person you speak with. She or he could be the right person to see you through this transition period of your life. If not, you might come away with a referral or two as a place to start your search for your "menopause partner."

Because you'll have many delicate issues to address...

Be sure you feel comfortable discussing any and every subject with this individual.

If you can afford to do so, make an appointment with two or three health practitioners, and ask them questions that particularly concern you. Look at it as an interview for a job you need filled: after all, you're "hiring" this person to help you navigate one of the most important and fabulous portions of your life!

Pay close attention to your heart region when you meet the different practitioners.

How do you feel in his or her presence? Imagine yourself asking this person a question on a subject that you find particularly difficult to talk about out loud. Could you ask this person that question?

Remember. You're likely to visit this health practitioner several times a year as you make your way through the "Menopause Tunnel Ride." Be sure.

How does the practitioner respond to your questions?

• Do you feel like you're being "handled" by the practitioner's response?
• Do you feel like s/he really cares about your feelings behind the concerns you raise?
• Does s/he give your concern validity by answering in depth, or is s/he just giving you a superficial answer that really explains little or nothing to you?
• Do you feel that the practitioner sees your patient/practitioner relationship as a partnership?
• Or does it seem more like this practitioner would expect you to follow a course of action she or he chooses without question?

Below are some of the natural ways you can deal with the symptoms of menopause.

Read the list slowly, paying attention to how you feel as you think and read about any of these solutions. Do some research on each of them, and pay attention to how what you read makes you feel.

If you feel good as you read about a certain option and comfortably see yourself partaking of that particular solution, then bring it up during your interviews with the health practitioners.

Yoga: check out yoga studios in your area for classes specifically designed to alleviate symptoms of menopause. There are still too few of these available, but there are some. Call the studios in your area and ask about such classes. Yoga teachers need to know that there's an interest.

Acupuncture: there are acupunc

r poor addled brain is expected to make a choice between way too many alternative solutions - when in many cases, making decisions is exactly one of the things that cause you difficulty at this stage of your life.

The solution?

Rather than spending hours browsing the web or the shelves in stores for ways to alleviate your symptoms, spend that time looking for a good naturopath, homeopath, or Ayurvedic practitioner in your area.

Look for one who specializes in the symptoms of menopause. Make this person your ally for the next few years as you navigate through what I call the "Menopause Tunnel Ride."

You may already have a favorite practitioner, and if so, this should be the first person you speak with. She or he could be the right person to see you through this transition period of your life. If not, you might come away with a referral or two as a place to start your search for your "menopause partner."

Because you'll have many delicate issues to address...

Be sure you feel comfortable discussing any and every subject with this individual.

If you can afford to do so, make an appointment with two or three health practitioners, and ask them questions that particularly concern you. Look at it as an interview for a job you need filled: after all, you're "hiring" this person to help you navigate one of the most important and fabulous portions of your life!

Pay close attention to your heart region when you meet the different practitioners.

How do you feel in his or her presence? Imagine yourself asking this person a question on a subject that you find particularly difficult to talk about out loud. Could you ask this person that question?

Remember. You're likely to visit this health practitioner several times a year as you make your way through the "Menopause Tunnel Ride." Be sure.

How does the practitioner respond to your questions?

• Do you feel like you're being "handled" by the practitioner's response?
• Do you feel like s/he really cares about your feelings behind the concerns you raise?
• Does s/he give your concern validity by answering in depth, or is s/he just giving you a superficial answer that really explains little or nothing to you?
• Do you feel that the practitioner sees your patient/practitioner relationship as a partnership?
• Or does it seem more like this practitioner would expect you to follow a course of action she or he chooses without question?

Below are some of the natural ways you can deal with the symptoms of menopause.

Read the list slowly, paying attention to how you feel as you think and read about any of these solutions. Do some research on each of them, and pay attention to how what you read makes you feel.

If you feel good as you read about a certain option and comfortably see yourself partaking of that particular solution, then bring it up during your interviews with the health practitioners.

Yoga: check out yoga studios in your area for classes specifically designed to alleviate symptoms of menopause. There are still too few of these available, but there are some. Call the studios in your area and ask about such classes. Yoga teachers need to know that there's an interest.

Acupuncture: there are acupunc

If you can afford to do so, make an appointment with two or three health practitioners, and ask them questions that particularly concern you. Look at it as an interview for a job you need filled: after all, you're "hiring" this person to help you navigate one of the most important and fabulous portions of your life!

Pay close attention to your heart region when you meet the different practitioners.

How do you feel in his or her presence? Imagine yourself asking this person a question on a subject that you find particularly difficult to talk about out loud. Could you ask this person that question?

Remember. You're likely to visit this health practitioner several times a year as you make your way through the "Menopause Tunnel Ride." Be sure.

How does the practitioner respond to your questions?

• Do you feel like you're being "handled" by the practitioner's response?
• Do you feel like s/he really cares about your feelings behind the concerns you raise?
• Does s/he give your concern validity by answering in depth, or is s/he just giving you a superficial answer that really explains little or nothing to you?
• Do you feel that the practitioner sees your patient/practitioner relationship as a partnership?
• Or does it seem more like this practitioner would expect you to follow a course of action she or he chooses without question?

Below are some of the natural ways you can deal with the symptoms of menopause.

Read the list slowly, paying attention to how you feel as you think and read about any of these solutions. Do some research on each of them, and pay attention to how what you read makes you feel.

If you feel good as you read about a certain option and comfortably see yourself partaking of that particular solution, then bring it up during your interviews with the health practitioners.

Yoga: check out yoga studios in your area for classes specifically designed to alleviate symptoms of menopause. There are still too few of these available, but there are some. Call the studios in your area and ask about such classes. Yoga teachers need to know that there's an interest.

Acupuncture: there are acupunc

cial answer that really explains little or nothing to you?

Do you feel that the practitioner sees your patient/practitioner relationship as a partnership?

Or does it seem more like this practitioner would expect you to follow a course of action she or he chooses without question?

Below are some of the natural ways you can deal with the symptoms of menopause.

Read the list slowly, paying attention to how you feel as you think and read about any of these solutions. Do some research on each of them, and pay attention to how what you read makes you feel.

If you feel good as you read about a certain option and comfortably see yourself partaking of that particular solution, then bring it up during your interviews with the health practitioners.

Yoga: check out yoga studios in your area for classes specifically designed to alleviate symptoms of menopause. There are still too few of these available, but there are some. Call the studios in your area and ask about such classes. Yoga teachers need to know that there's an interest.

Acupuncture: there are acupuncture treatments specific to menopause. You'll find many of these just browsing the web.

Reflexology: this is a form of acupuncture without needles, and you'll also find many of these browsing the web.

EFT: another form of acupuncture without needles, you can do this one yourself after easily learning how.

Herbal supplements: many women have found relief using ginseng, dong quai, black cohosh, motherwort, chickweed, licorice root, sage, lavender, St. John's wort, and chaste tree.

Sensory therapy: this includes color therapy, with blue, green, and yellow the first choices as healing colors for menopause symptoms. Aromatherapy is also sensory therapy. It's best to see a professional though, as mixing the wrong essential oils can have adverse effects.

Progesterone cream: a natural hormone replacement you can buy without a prescription.

NEVER use a herbal supplement, or hormone alternative, no matter how natural the manufacturer claims it to be, without first consulting with a health practitioner experienced with menopause. Just because an herb or other remedy is labeled as "natural" does not guarantee it can do no harm.

Herbs can be very potent!

Yet, despite their potencies, herbal remedies tend to target the ailment it's used for with very few, if any, side effects compared to traditional prescription medication.

When your hormones are out of balance, they affect all parts of your life, so it is essential for you to rectify the situation immediately if you want to enjoy optimum health during your menopause.

Once you find a health practitioner with whom you feel comfortable, it's time for you to work together and decide on a course of action that is right for you personally.

Care for your body! Rejoice in your menopause!

By keeping yourself healthy during this life transition, you pave the way for a happy future.

The thing to remember most about this article is that with the right health practitioner, and the right natural remedies supporting you, you can soar rather than sink during menopause!

For specific information on sensory therapies to alleviate the symptoms of menopause, read Menopause, Depression Color and Scent, Oh My!: http://www.totallysavvywoman.com/articles/health/menopause_depression_color_scent.htm