Menopause is a condition that women face when they stop getting menstrual cycles. If you are in your 40s or 50s and miss periods for about a year, then you have probably reached menopause.
When going through menopause, you experience various symptoms such as vaginal dryness, mood swings, and depression. Many medications can help you treat these symptoms.
However, not all of them are effective, and some cause mild to severe side effects, which is why most women go for other natural alternatives nowadays. One such option is hemp.
If you are wondering how hemp helps in alleviating symptoms of menopause, then this guide is for you.
How Does Hemp Work for the Symptoms of Menopause?
Hemp’s cultivation dates back to hundreds of years however, it is only recently that most countries began the legalization.
The less strict laws allow farmers to cultivate and sell hemp as long as they meet specific requirements. Unlike some medical marijuana strains and seeds that are grown for their high THC content, hemp contains only a minimal amount of THC. As a result, the two plants are useful for different purposes.
Hemp extracts containing CBD (cannabidiol) offer many health benefits such as pain management, anti-inflammatory properties, and control of nausea, among others.
Hemp oil is the oil extracted from the hemp seeds. It does not contain CBD or THC but various other essential nutrients.
Menopause symptoms start occurring when reproductive hormones decline and can cause various health issues. What hemp oil does is that it helps to restore the essential hormones to their required levels for optimum body functioning. This way, it is able to help alleviate the symptoms of menopause.
There are various ways of consuming hemp oil to enjoy its endless health benefits. You can add it to your salads or foods that don’t require high temperature to cook or you can also take it in the form of hemp capsules.
Benefits of Using Hemp for Menopause
1. Improves Bone Health
Hormonal changes during menopause often cause your bones to weaken, which exposes you to osteoporosis.
Researchers establish a link between nutrients like vitamin D and calcium with good bone health. Therefore, a diet rich in these nutrients is essential to prevent the bone loss that occurs during menopause.
Women who can’t get much sunlight for vitamin D or calcium from green vegetables like collard greens, spinach, and kales can count on hemp oil.
Hemp seeds that produce hemp oil offer vitamins like vitamin D, E, and minerals such as zinc, iron, and calcium. Supplementing your diet with hemp oil can help you to add vitamin D and calcium to your body.
2. Treats Insomnia
Most women going through menopause find it challenging to sleep, and this further hinders their concentration and focus the next day.
You need quality sleep every night to function well, as sleep allows your brain to recharge. Hemp seeds can help you get better sleep as it helps to stabilize blood pressure and ease muscles tension allowing you to relax.
Research shows that hemp contains high amounts of amino acids that produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is the gas that causes dilation and relaxation of your blood vessels and thus lowering the blood pressure. This also reduces risks to heart diseases.
3. Hemp Knocks Out Pain
When menstruating, the follicle and luteinizing hormones are usually responsible for the regulation process and production of progesterone and estrogen.
However, when you reach menopause, the body changes hence making these hormones to fluctuate. This fluctuation can cause joint pains, breast tenderness, cramps, fibromyalgia, bruising, and migraine headaches.
Hemp oil is reputable due to its effectiveness in treating symptoms such as joint pain and can offer relief from pain and decrease inflammation in women undergoing menopause.
Hemp is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory properties. Besides, hemp seeds also have gamma-linolenic acid that is a useful anti-inflammatory fatty acid.
4. Hormonal Balance
Consuming foods rich in fiber can help menopausal women to achieve hormonal balance. According to studies, fiber increases insulin sensitivity and the hormones managing hunger, food intake, and fullness.
Whole hemp seeds are rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber. Consuming hemp helps you to maintain hormonal balance, thus ensuring that the body functions properly.
Furthermore, hemp contains Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Some of the major functions of GLA is nourishing your cells and reducing inflammation. Therefore, it is an essential fatty acid.
Menopause can cause inflammation or hormonal imbalance. It can also be both. A shortage of GLA can make these symptoms worse.
The human body also needs GLA for making other useful hormones. Therefore, taking hemp enables you to enjoy a supply of GLA that plays a crucial role in correcting the hormonal imbalances caused by menopausal symptoms.
Conclusion
Menopause symptoms can affect the quality of life. The good thing is that it’s possible to manage the symptoms using natural remedies like hemp oil. Hemp has useful features that can help in alleviating the conditions that menopausal women go through.
The only downside of using hemp is that limited research is available on the subject. More research in the future will help to understand better how hemp works in fighting menopause symptoms.
Although hemp is safe for consumption, still it’s advisable to consult an expert before you start it for the treatment of your menopausal symptoms.
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