With all the recent bad publicity
surrounding hormone replacement
therapy, many women are searching for a
different approach to deal with
menopause and related issues.
First, it is important to keep in mind that
menopause is a natural stage in life and
not a disease. Menopause per se does
not need to be treated. What does need
treatment is a person who is out of
balance - mentally, physically and/or
emotionally. The hormonal changes that
occur before, during and after
menopause have a tendency to
exaggerate those imbalances, leading to
discomfort by way of any number of
symptoms.
So, ?treating? menopausal symptoms
basically falls into two categories:
addressing the underlying imbalances
that are exposed during menopause and
smoothing out the hormonal changes
occuring around that time in life. The
former is a more fundamental ? in
homeopathic terms, a more constitutional
treatment, while the latter is more
symptom specific.
In homeopathy, we have the opportunity to
analyze and choose remedies focusing
on either the constitutional or
symptomatic level. For instance, a
woman who complains of very intense
hot flushes with an accompanying
throbbing head might do very well with a
dose of Glonoine - homeopathically
prepared nitroglycerine.
Read a description of the relevant
symptoms written by J. T. Kent, one of our
great 19th century masters: (She)
complains of a surging in the head, a
warm glowing sensation in the head or a
feeling of intense glowing from the
stomach or from the chest up into the
head, attended at times with loss of
consciousness. There are also wave-like
sensations in the head, as if the skull
were being lifted up and lowered, or as if
it were being expanded and contracted.
Glonoine is in fact of great use in many
cases of intense menopausal symptoms
- as well as a frequently needed remedy
for sunstroke, angina pectoris, arrythmia,
hypertension, convulsions, headache,
and meningitis, amongst other
conditions.
Another similar remedy Sanguinaria,
commonly known as ?Blood Root? and a
member of the poppy family
(Papaveraceae), is also a useful
menopausal remedy. Although there are
similarities with the symptom picture of
Glonoine, it is not the same. For instance,
while we read that the flushes of heat in
Glonoine move from the abdominal area
upward, the flushes of Sanguinaria move
from the head downard into the stomach.
Parenthetically, it is interesting to note
that an awareness of similar exact details
related to the complaint are often the key
to the selection of a successful
homepathic remedy. That is why
homeopaths often seem to revel in
seemngly inconsequential minutiae of a
patient?s symptoms.
N.M. Choudhuri, a high regard
homeopath in India during the early part
of the 20th century described the use of
Sanguinaria in the treatment of
menopause as follows: ?It is specially
indicated in climacteric disorders (an old
term for menopausal problems) such as
hot flushes, burning of palms of hands
and soles of feet, fetid corrosive
leucorrhoea, enlargement of the breasts,
vertigo, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, and a
host of similar ailments that generally
make their appearance at this critical
age.?
Notice that the ?picture? of both remedies
described above narrowly focus only on
the symptom level of menopause itself.
In contrast, there any number of remedies
which look at the broader, constitutional
level.
For instance perhaps the most common
remedy used constitutionally in
menopause is a preparation of snake
venom known as Lachesis. The picture
of this remedy is very distinct and
multi-faceted. When choosing this
remedy, there are many clues and
characteristics that have little relationship
to hormonal or gynecological systems.
One contemporary writer describes the
Lachesis nature as follows:
?Sharp-tongued, witty, bright, censorious,
jesting, satirical [very entertaining but
tiring]. Fascinating and charismatic, or
ruthless, remorseless, tactless
directness. Overactive mind. Great
command of language. Learns foreign
languages easily, or loquacity [wants to
talk all the time; jumps from one idea to
another; one word often leads into
another story], bombastic, exaggerating,
loud, rambling. Strong-minded,
opinionated. Haughty, fanatism[especially
about religious issues].
Suspicion, jealousy. Intense,
passionate. Goes to extremes. Vivid
impressions, fanatic disapproval.
Warm-blooded, left-sided aiments;or
left extending to right.
... Worse Menopause [cessation of
menses]. "Never well since menopause."
Circulatory disturbances. Purple, bluish
discolorations.
Choking from clothing around neck,
from slight pressure or touch.?
(from Vermeulen?s Synoptic Materia
Medica, vol. 1)
Another leading ?female remedy? is a
preparation of the ink of the cuttlefish,
known as Sepia. The same writer
characterizes this remedy as follows:
?Mental stasis: confusion,
absent-minded, dullness, thinking
difficult.
Desire to be alone. Indiffernece to
loved ones. Negative attitude. Inability to
give love and affection. No attachment, no
commitment.
Iincommunicative; defensive. Weeping
when telling symptoms; or just
uncontrollable weeping without giving any
information [overwhelmed by sadness,
no ability to think clearly.
... Better when busy. Fault-finding, fretful,
sarcastic, spiteful, striking, worse before
menses.
Very chilly. (Feels) better with physical
exertion.
Ailments related to hormonal changes
[menses, pregnancy, menopause,
puberty, postnatal, the pill]... No sexual
desire, no orgasm...
Physical stasis: circulatory
disturbances; constipation; bearing-down
sensations; emptiness in stomach; great
lack of energy. Never well since the pill.
Raynaud's disease.?
Although Lachesis and Sepia are
commonly used for the same disorder,
menopausal symptoms, clearly they
pertain to two very different natures. They
will only be effective as ?menopausal
remedies? if the overall picture of the
person matches that of the remedy.
It is on the differences between our
patients ?that is, their individual natures
? that homeopaths place the greatest
emphasis and from which homeopathy,
as a healing art, derives its greatest
strength.
