Women in their 40s to 60s who are going through menopause often experience various problems. Symptoms such as dizziness, headache, hot flashes, swelling, laziness, irritability, and anxiety vary from person to person.
Menopausal symptoms can affect your life, both physically and mentally. This time, we will focus on "swelling", which is one of the symptoms that appear during menopause, and introduce its causes and how to deal with it.
Find out in this article- what is menopause
- Causes of swelling during menopause
- How to relieve swelling
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What is menopause
Menopause is defined as the five years before and after menopause. During this period, the secretion of female hormones greatly decreases or fluctuates, causing various changes in the body and mind.
Examples of these changes include physical symptoms such as swelling, hot flashes, dizziness, palpitations, sweating, stiff shoulders, malaise, and lower back pain, and mental symptoms such as irritation, depression, emotional instability, and sleep disturbance.
These symptoms are said to be related to disturbances in the autonomic nervous system caused by fluctuations in female hormones.
The same part of the brain called the hypothalamus is responsible for the secretion of female hormones and the autonomic nervous system. I'm here.
Causes of swelling during menopause
The cause of swelling that occurs during menopause is poor blood circulation due to disturbance of the autonomic nervous system. When the autonomic nervous system is disturbed, it affects the constriction and expansion of blood vessels, which makes it easier for blood flow to stagnate and waste products to accumulate .
In addition, it is said that the deterioration of muscle strength due to aging, the deterioration of the elasticity of blood vessels, and the poor flow of lymph are also related. Due to these factors, water metabolism cannot be performed smoothly, and water easily seeps from the blood into the cells, resulting in swelling.
How to relieve swelling
We'll show you how to reduce swelling. As mentioned earlier, swelling is mainly caused by poor blood circulation. Therefore, in order to eliminate swelling, it is important to improve blood circulation and properly circulate nutrients and water throughout the body. Symptoms of edema include feeling heavy and lazy hands and feet, looking fat, and feeling uncomfortable.
The methods I'm going to show you are the ones that everyone can do right away. Please try the method introduced by all means so that it will be a little better.
warm the body
It is effective to warm the body to improve poor blood circulation that causes swelling. For example, it is recommended to soak in the bath instead of taking a shower, adjust the air conditioner so that the wind does not hit you directly, and prepare something that you can put on, such as a throw or stole.
Warming up the body, in other words, it is also important not to cool the body. Of course, it is important to keep warm in winter, but it may not be a good idea to keep warm in hot seasons like summer. In such a case, rather than warming your body, try to keep your body cool.
Massage
Massage is also recommended to improve blood circulation. Massage not only promotes blood circulation, but also promotes the excretion of waste products . In addition, you can expect to improve muscle tension and stiffness. Muscle tension and stiffness not only cause swelling, but also fatigue and muscle cramps (spasms).
Massage can be done at any time and place, so when you suddenly notice, lightly rub your legs, arms, shoulders, etc. Also, when your body is warm, such as after taking a bath, it is easy to loosen your body by gently massaging it.
motion
Exercise is also effective in improving swelling. Exercise increases blood circulation by increasing heart rate and muscle contraction, which helps reduce swelling. Exercise doesn't have to be strenuous. It's okay to move your muscles moderately and get your heart rate up slightly. For example, light walking, yoga, radio calisthenics, and stretching are recommended.
If you are too busy to take time to exercise, simply lifting and lowering your toes alternately while working at your desk will promote blood circulation. Moderate exercise can be expected not only to prevent swelling, but also to prevent lifestyle-related diseases, so it is recommended that you acquire exercise habits.
meal
The contents of the meal are also important for the improvement of swelling. It is good to have a well-balanced meal and use ingredients that warm your body. Eat warm vegetables instead of raw vegetables, make hot soups rather than cold ones, and incorporate ingredients that warm your body (onions, cacao, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers).
In addition, it is recommended to drink lukewarm water or warm drinks rather than ice cold ones, as they warm the body and promote blood circulation.
Kampo
Taking herbal medicine is also effective for swelling. Chinese herbal medicine is effective for various symptoms of menopause and gradually improves the constitution. There are various types of herbal medicines that are effective for menopause, but the ones that are particularly effective for swelling are:
- Kamishoyosan: First Choice for Menopausal Symptoms
- Toki Shakuyakusan: For those who get cold hands and feet easily and get tired easily
- Chibaku Jiougan: Those who are prone to hot flashes and hot flashes
- Keishibukuryogan: Those who are hot in the upper body and tend to get cold feet.
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If you want to improve as soon as possible
Next, I will introduce how to respond if you want to improve as soon as possible. The swelling can be improved with the method I mentioned earlier, but the effect will be slight and slow.
In addition, massage and warming the body can be effective at that time, but it may return to its original state over time. If you have a difficult daily life or have an important event coming up, there are probably many people who want to improve quickly.
For such people, I will tell you what you can do to improve swelling faster.
try herbal medicine
For early improvement of swelling, it is recommended to take Chinese herbal medicine. Since Kampo improves the physical condition from the inside, it may be effective for various symptoms other than swelling.
In particular, if you use the herbal medicine kit prepared according to the symptoms, you can easily select and use the herbal medicine that suits you. In addition, it is not a temporary improvement such as a massage or a warm-up method, but it will gradually improve over time.
However, one thing to keep in mind here is that even if Kampo medicines are said to be effective in an early stage, they are not effective immediately after taking them. It is important to understand that the purpose of Kampo medicine is to slowly adjust the condition from within the body, so it does not have an immediate effect like cold medicine or pain reliever.
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How long does it take for herbal medicine to take effect?
Seek medical attention if symptoms are severe
If the symptoms of swelling do not improve, or if you are worried about other symptoms, consider visiting a medical institution. Currently, treatment methods such as hormone therapy have been established to alleviate menopausal symptoms, but these treatments can only be received at a hospital. recommended.
Also, by talking directly to a specialist about your symptoms, you may find ways to improve your lifestyle habits and treatment methods that you may not have noticed yourself.
summary
This time, I explained the causes and amelioration of the symptoms of "swelling" that occur in menopause. Swelling is caused by poor blood circulation caused by fluctuations in female hormones and autonomic nerves. Therefore, it is most important to improve the blood flow to relieve the symptoms of swelling.
How to relieve swelling- Warm the body (do not cool down)
- Massage
- moderate exercise
- Balanced meal (food that warms the body)
- Use of herbal medicine
There are many methods that you can start working on right away, so please try them out in your spare time.
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