The drop in oestrogen levels which occurs during menopause leaves women more at risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, so as well as treating the symptoms, vitamins and herbs can also be useful in protecting against these two conditions.

Moderate exercise will build bone strength - just 50 skips a day can increase bone density by a small but significant 4% - and eating foods that are rich in phytochemicals which help rebalance hormones, including tofu and organic soy, will also help. (In Japanese, there is no equivalent phrase to describe the menopausal “hot flush.”)

Exercise can also reduce stress, which is another trigger for some of the worst symptoms of menopause, including those dreaded flushes. So you need to eat a diet that is rich in the B vitamins - known as nature’s stress-busters - which cannot be stored in the body but must be replaced every day. Good healthy food sources of these important nutrients include poultry, salmon, eggs, almonds, cheese, bran, brown rice, and yoghurt.

Another important nutrient is magnesium, which is the second most commonly deficient mineral in women. Known as nature’s tranquilliser and found in brown pasta, nuts, and pulses, it also plays a key role in the absorption of calcium that will help protect against osteoporosis during menopause. If you supplement either of these nutrients, you will affect levels of the other. This is known as synergy. The ideal ratio here is 2:1 in favour of the calcium. So, if you take 500mg of calcium, take 250mg of magnesium too.

The nutrients most lacking in the Western diet are the Omega-3 fatty acids, which work wonders for many women during menopause. They help the body make substances called prostaglandins, which then regulate hormones, decrease blood pressure, and reduce water retention. These chemicals also reduce the stickiness of blood platelets - which, in turn, help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

The body cannot make the Omega-3 fatty acids but must get them from the diet. They enhance the immune system, boost energy and soften the skin. You can increase your dietary intake by eating more cold water oily fish such as mackerel, pilchards, herring, and sardines.

Long before people had access to qualified doctors, the wise herb women in villages and towns (who were often the local midwives too) knew just what herbs to prescribe for everyday ailments and many of these remedies, which have an excellent track record in treating the menopause, are enjoying renewed popularity today.

The most effective herbs during menopause are those that help to rebalance hormone levels. These have what is known as adaptogenic properties and include Agnus castus, (or chaste berry) which can help prevent hot flushes for many women. Valerian is used to ease tension and Korean (Panax) Ginseng will boost the activity levels of the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys and produce adrenaline in response to stress signals from the body.

If you have to choose just one herb to ease you through what is, after all, a perfectly natural rite of passage, then take the strange-sounding Chinese herb, dong quai - which has oestrogenic properties and nourishes and thickens the thinned walls of the vagina and bladder. This thinning is perfectly natural but may, for the first time, trigger cystitis. Dong quai can also help ease menopausal rheumatism and is rich in magnesium to deepen sleep disturbed by night sweats.

There are two more excellent remedies that you can take together to help you through both perimenopause and menopause. The first is an impressive herbal formulation called Meno Herb that combines a range of natural plant oestrogens to work as a kind of natural HRT. These herbs include red clover, dong quai, black cohosh, wild yam (which is a natural progesterone), raspberry leaf, squaw vine, and nettles - in short, every herb you would have on your wish-list when trying to control the symptoms of both perimenopause and menopause.

The second remedy, which you take at the same time, is one of the powerful Australian Bush Flower Essences called Woman Essence. This is a herbal tincture including She Oak, which works to regulate the ovaries, and Mulla Mulla - which, like sage, can help control hot flushes. As with all flower remedies, these essences address the underlying emotional and psychological changes that accompany a powerful rite of passage such as menopause. To use, take seven drops under the tongue when you get up in the morning and another seven drops when you go to bed at night.
 
During times of stress and change, the liver, which is the body’s main organ for detoxification, can become overburdened. Some of the work of the ovaries is taken on by the hormone-controlling adrenal glands and these too can become overburdened. To support these systems, you should think about taking dandelion, which can help re-regulate hormones during menopause and will also act to decongest the liver. You can eat the leaves in a salad or take a herbal tincture

Kitty Campion, the medical herbalist and author of Menopause Naturally, describes hormone replacement therapy, HRT, as “the biggest medical bungle of the 21st century.” She says herbs and nutrition are enough to help a woman through the menopause.

Many women have discovered the so-called menopausal “cakes.” More like a heavy fruit loaf, these are packed with nutrients to smooth your passage through the menopause but can be expensive. For details of how to make your own, contact The Women’s Nutritional Advisory Service.

*Meno Herb and Woman essence are both available from The Nutri Centre.

*Kitty Campion can be contacted in writing at The Campion Clinic, PO Box 75, Bicester OX26 1WB, email kcampion@fsmail.net, or phone 01869 247990. The clinic periodically publishes a newsletter with various special offers on herbal remedies for particular conditions, organic or wild-crafted as far as they are able.

*Warning: If you have any underlying health problem or if you are already taking medication, consult your doctor before changing your diet or taking herbs. If you are taking antidepressants or tranquilisers, do not take Korean Ginseng. If taking HRT, do not take Dong Quai.