Today's topic
Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I'm taking a look at more strange symptoms of menopause. As I mentioned above, a few weeks ago I did a blog about some strange symptoms of menopause and it turned out to be very popular.
There are many of you out there who have what may be seemingly very strange symptoms and you just don't know if they're connected to menopause.
Some of the stranger symptoms of menopause and what to do about them
So, I thought today that I would go through a few more that women have been asking me questions about.
1. Tinnitus
Tinnitus is ringing or noise in the ear that tends to be constant. It can be extremely disconcerting, very uncomfortable, and it can make life very unpleasant.
This can be caused by several factors. It can be poor circulation going up to the neck and the head. It can be an aging process where there can be problems with the jaw joints. And this could also be due to the fact if you've had an awful lot of dental work done because you would have been sitting in the dentist's chair with your mouth forced wide open for quite a long time.
It can also be due to injury to the neck, and the head, and the shoulders, and also due to some kind of infection. If you've had a very bad cold, if you've had the flu, then very often, the tubes to the ear get completely blocked with mucus and catarrh and that can affect your hearing.
What can help?
One of the best things for this is a herb called Ginkgo biloba. And it's also a good idea to avoid stimulating foods, so that would be things like dairy products, caffeine, high-salt and sugar foods, and spicy foods. Dehydration can be an issue as well, so remember to drink plenty of water.
However, with this particular symptom, if you have this ongoing and nothing seems to help, it is best just to get it checked out by your doctor.
2. Strange things happening to your hair
We know that thinning hair and brittle hair is a really common symptom during the menopause. But other things can happen, too. Some women find that their once lovely straight hair has now gone curly.
For other women, they find that their hair has gone very wiry, very unruly, and there's absolutely nothing they can do about it. And for a few women, their hair can change colour. And I don't mean just going grey, but it can go from very dark brown to light brown to even ginger.
How does this happen? It tends to be falling oestrogen that they know that it can affect the hair follicles. So, if you have straight hair, then your hair follicles are very straight. If you have curly hair, your hair follicles tend to be in a little bit of a spiral shape.
And they found that falling oestrogen can turn straight follicles into curly ones, hence the curly hair. Falling oestrogen can also affect the size of the hair follicles and that, in turn, can affect the hair thickness and the quality of the hair, too.
What can help?
There's nothing much you can do about it once your follicles have changed shape, but you can look at trying to balance your oestrogen levels so it doesn't deteriorate.
Also, a good hair supplement can sometimes make a bit of a difference. Your local health food shop will be able to recommend one that they find is very popular with its customers.
My Self-Care Tip: How to help your hair during menopause
Menopause can play havoc with your hair, but there are a few simple things you can do to care for your hair during menopause. I explain what you can do to help yourself in this self-care tip:
Other hair problems
Other things that can happen with the hair is as well as losing it from the head, we can lose it from other parts of the body. So, hair can disappear from under the arms. It can disappear from the legs, and it can also disappear from the pubic area, too.
Another area is the eyebrows. They can go as well. In this instance, especially if you find that the last quarter of your eyebrow seems to completely disappear or you lose your eyebrows altogether, this can indicate low thyroid function. So, if this happens, then it's best to ask your doctor for a thyroid test just to rule it out.
3. Going off certain foods
It's a little bit like pregnancy where you find that you just feel completely nauseous thinking about certain food groups. This can happen in menopause, too.
You may find that foods that you once really loved, now, just even thinking about them makes your stomach turn. It can also be due to low oestrogen, but it can also be due to mouth and tongue dryness.
As we go through menopause, mucous membranes can be affected by low oestrogen. So that can affect your taste buds. Your taste buds can shrink. They can also diminish in terms of the number of taste buds. So, things that tasted one way, now, you're only possibly picking up certain notes of the smell and taste, and it can just taste completely different.
Also, the nasal passages can dry out and our sense of smell is very much connected to our sense of taste. So, if you're smelling things differently, you can also taste things differently.
What can help?
If you are getting mouth or tongue dryness or dryness of the nose, then you can try a Sea Buckthorn oil supplement.
4. A metallic taste in the mouth
This usually indicates low zinc. Zinc is really important in menopause. Low zinc can affect your taste and it can cause this type of metallic taste.
What can help?
For this, usually, a zinc supplement will put this right. And I would normally recommend 15 milligrams of zinc a day, ongoing just to get rid of the metallic taste.
It could also be due to problems with your teeth and gums. We know this can happen in menopause, too. So, in which case, if the metallic taste is accompanied by bleeding gums, then I would just double-check with your doctor.
It can also mean that your liver is a little bit sluggish. So, if the metallic taste is also accompanied by lower down bloating, possibly constipation, then maybe doing a little bit of liver work will help in that case.
I hope you found this one helpful. If any of you have any other strange symptoms that you would maybe like a little bit of advice on, then please ask in the comment section below.
Until next week, take care.
