Today's topic
Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I look at three menopause burning sensations that you can experience and explain why they may happen.
Can menopause cause burning sensations?
Certain areas of the body are prone to burning sensations as you go through peri-menopause and menopause including the vagina, the tongue and the feet. This is quite a common symptom caused mainly by falling oestrogen, as well as vitamin deficiencies and some other issues.
Many women can experience these burning sensations at some point during menopause. It can be very uncomfortable and very disconcerting, especially if the symptoms just appear out of nowhere.
It can also be quite worrying, especially if you're not quite sure why this should suddenly happen.
So let's take a closer look at these three burning sensations to understand why they can occur and how you can help yourself if you experience them.
1. Burning vagina
This is one of these really horrible, uncomfortable menopause symptoms. It's sometimes known as vaginitis. As well as a burning feeling, there can also be inflammation. There can be a lot of heat generated in this area as well.
It's nearly always caused by falling oestrogen affecting the opening of the vagina and the vagina walls. They can become irritated and inflamed, and that gives rise to this burning feeling.
If you start to produce less mucus in the vagina, which happens as your oestrogen drops during menopause, this can also affect the level of friendly bacteria in the vagina. And they are so important for keeping this whole area healthy.
So if you lose the protectiveness of your friendly bacteria, then other bacteria can get in and can be a trigger for this. This can also cause infections as well, which again, can be a factor for the burning sensation.
What can help?
So the things that are really going to help here include drinking plenty of water, a Sea Buckthorn Oil supplement, and a vaginal probiotic.
You may also find if you can get a pure aloe vera gel, without any preservatives or nasty chemicals in them, you can keep that in the fridge and if things get really uncomfortable, then you can apply a small amount to the opening of the vaginal area and that can be really cooling and soothing.
If you're getting any discharge or if you're getting any different smells, then this could indicate an infection and in which case, just get that checked out by the doctor because you may need some specific treatment for this one.
2. Burning tongue
This burning symptom can be very uncomfortable. If your tongue is burning and sore, then every time that you eat or drink anything, it's going to cause a huge amount of discomfort.
This is mostly caused by falling oestrogen which affects the tiny, little hairs on your tongue. These help you to discern different tastes, but if they start to dry out, then the tongue can start to get inflamed and will start to give you that horrible burning sensation.
With this particular one, very often, the cause can also be low B vitamins and low zinc. Remember that all the hormonal changes that are going on make your nutritional needs go sky-high! B vitamins are vital for supporting your nervous system and zinc is needed for so many different processes in the body. So if your body needs these elsewhere, then very often, areas like the tongue and the mouth can be affected.
What can help?
I recommend a 50-milligram vitamin B complex and taking a zinc supplement, about 15 milligrams a day, to help with this. Sea buckthorn oil can also be really helpful and remember, plenty of water for this one too.
It may be medicines if you've just started to take new medicines. Sometimes, certain side effects can cause a burning mouth. There can also be oral thrush. So if you find that your tongue has a white coating on it, it may be an idea just to get that double-checked as well.
There is also something called a geographic tongue. And what happens there is that the tongue can get really affected. There can be big grooves and it almost looks like a map. This is why they call it geographic tongue. So again, that can be due to things like low B vitamins.
If anything is going on in the mouth that you are not sure of, it is always a good idea to get it checked out by your dentist. It could be the fact that you've got a blocked saliva duct as well and that can cause dryness, which can then lead to a burning tongue. So just get things double-checked out with this one.
3. Burning feet
This is another burning sensation that is common during menopause and it tends to happen at night. A lot of women tell me they go to bed and all of a sudden, their feet start burning. So they take the covers off and then they get cold, and then the covers have to go back on.
It can interrupt your sleep and stop you from getting to sleep, which is not good, as we need good sleep during menopause.
This can be due to several factors. It could be poor circulation which is common during menopause.
It could also be a build-up of uric acid. If you are getting joint pain and burning feet, then very often, this is a uric acid issue so you need to do some cleansing work in this situation.
It could be nerve damage. If you find that you're getting pain as well, it could be a lack of exercise. Again, that can affect circulation.
It could also be due to diabetes. And one of the things that have been found in menopause, due to hormonal changes, is that women can be more prone to diseases such as diabetes, so if the burning feet goes on and on and you have tried to help this naturally but nothing seems to work, then again, please do get this one checked out by your doctor.
What can help?
In the meantime, taking B vitamins can help with this. Nettle is great for the build-up of uric acid so you could try a nettle tincture or a couple of cups of nettle tea daily.
The other thing that can help is a little bit of exercise in the evening. Don't overdo it or exercise too late in the evening. Try in the summer when the weather's good, to go out for a little walk.
You can also do hot and cold on your feet. Again, this can help the circulation so you can have a bowl of hot water, a bowl of cold water, so you would sit your feet in the hot water until they're nice and comfortable, then put them in the cold water, and then in the hot water. Doing this hot and cold treatment can very often stimulate circulation and that can then improve the conditions at night.
So I hope you found this one helpful. If any of you have experienced burning sensations anywhere else, then it'd be really interesting to hear about that. And for those of you that have tried things that have helped, then please share them.
Key things to take away from this blog:
- Burning sensations are common symptoms of menopause, with three areas of the body primary affected including the vagina, tongue and feet
- Falling oestrogen is usually the main cause of these burning symptoms
- Other things can also cause it such as vitamin deficiencies, poor circulation, and other issues.
Until next week, take care.
