My GP just told me I going through the menopause. She didn't do any tests just went on my symptoms. Can you tell me are extremely sore breasts and very painful hands & feet anything to do with the menopause?

Sore breasts and pains in joints and muscles are both regular symptoms of the menopause. However, they are also signs of other issues.

Painful hands and feet can be caused by an excess of uric acid, for example, which is often experienced if you are not drinking sufficient water and/or are drinking heaps of coffee or tea or fizzy drinks (fizzy drinks containing artificial sweeteners are a particular culprit for causing joint pain in the hands and feet). Taking Urtica tincture, drinking Golden Rod tea, and changing your drinking habits will help sort this out. It will reduce the pain even if you do happen to be menopausal.

You're quite young for the menopause though, so I'd be inclined to do a big detox and see if the problems resolve. The sore breasts can be caused by too many toxins as well, as the liver has to process them and an over-burdened liver can contribute to breast pain.

So my advice overall is to try cleaning up your diet, drinking heaps of water and Golden Rod tea, and then seeing how you feel.

As you are only early 40s the chances are you will feel a great deal better and more able to face your menopause when it really arrives.

Let me know how you get on. 

Eileen Durward