I've been having all the symptoms of the menopause and I've tried many herbal remedies. Some of them work for a few months but then they become ineffective and I have to try something else. I'm feeling really down and I don't want to have to continuously swap remedies. Can you help me?

If you find that remedies don't work for very long then your symptoms may be more adrenal based rather than hormonal.

In this situation it is very important to do supportive work for the adrenals such as taking a high strength multi-vitamin with extra magnesium, (aim to work up to at least 400-600mg per day).

Liquorice tea can be helpful as well. I would also suggest acupuncture, it can be very effective for adrenal stress.

Studies have shown that daily relaxation can reduce symptoms quickly so make 30 minutes of relaxation a day a priority.

Check your diet too - avoid caffeine, and high salt and sugar foods as these can all trigger the adrenals contributing to symptoms.

Low iron and low thyroid can also cause similar symptoms so it is a good idea to ask your doctor to test for these if they haven't done so already.

Eileen Durward