7 Natural Menopause Treatments That Really Work – Inspired By Gardening

Here is a list of seven ways gardening can reduce the symptoms of menopause.

This year at the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Show at Birmingham’s NEC, menopause expert Dr. Louise Newsome has collaborated with award-winning garden designer Ruth Gwynn to create the Menopause Garden.

This year women’s health takes center stage at the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Show- “the walk-through garden reflects Newson’s health’s ethos of inclusive and accessible menopause support for every woman.” While gardening might not cure hot flashes and mood swings, it can help you through them. The Garden is designed to create feelings of connected community and bring the physical and mental benefits of plants to the forefront.

So, it begs the question: how can gardens and gardening experiences support a women’s journey through menopause?

7 Natural Menopause Treatments That Really Work

Here is a list of seven ways gardening can reduce the symptoms of menopause.

1. Eat foods rich in calcium. Plant your patio garden of fresh kale, okra, spinach, basil, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Having these healthy choices around make it easy and mindful to add this much-needed vitamin to your favorite recipes.
2. Increase your vitamin D. Gardening gets you outside in the sunshine which is a key source of vitamin D.
3. Focus on your own mental health. Find moments of mindfulness where you can slow down, grow your practice of gratitude and fight stress triggers. Gardening is known to be a benefit for mental health. The act of putting your garden together, digging in the soil, watching something you nurture grow, is good for you. Gardening and getting your hands dirty can help meet the emotional desire of accomplishments – a key to mental well-being.
4. Grow herbs and vegetables to help keep bones healthy and maintain a healthy weight. We know food can be medicine and growing you own seasonal herbs and vegetables is a good way to bring healthy foods into your daily diet. Just adding a bunch of freshly harvested basil can add extra flavor and nutrients to your favorite recipe.
5. Exercise. Evidence supports that exercise can improve energy and metabolism, healthier joints, and help to decrease stress. It is also a way to support a healthy night’s sleep. Gardening gets you outside, watering, harvesting, nurturing and feeding will get you moving, and moving is good.
6. Hydrate. During menopause, dryness can be an issue which is likely caused by the decrease in estrogen levels. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day helps with these symptoms. If water is not your favorite beverage try putting freshly harvested herbs from your garden into a pitcher of water and let the herb-infused hydration be a treat.
7. Fight the hot flashes. There are certain foods known as cooling foods like green leafy vegetables, spinach, kale, mustard greens, and broccoli. All of these healthy “cooling” foods are easily grown in a home patio garden. Research shows that when kids grow vegetables and herbs, they are more likely to eat them. The same holds true for adults. If leafy greens are not your thing, try growing your own and see if that opens up your mind and palate for adding a more diverse array of vegetables to your diet.

Digging in the dirt really does make people happier and when you are going through menopause, happy days cannot be overrated. Menopause is largely associated with a host of negatives, but now that women are thriving long past 50 it is time to revisit conversations about how to manage through “the change”. It is not the end of all things good in our life. It can instead be celebrated as the start of a new chapter.

So, we invite you to consider gardening for the fun of it and for all of the benefits. Gardens and gardening experiences are an invitation to well-being and can have a profound effect on your journey through menopause.