Women who underwent group therapy and learned to relax halved their menopausal problems, this is the report of researchers from Sweden.
Seven out of ten women who go through menopause suffer from hot flashes and sweating. For every tenth woman, problems last five years or longer, causing discomfort in social situations and insomnia.
The reason, as you know, is that a decrease in the amount of the female hormone estrogen affects the center of thermoregulation of the brain in the hypothalamus. Estrogen medications give a good effect. But since new observations have shown that such treatment increases the risk of developing breast cancer and cardiovascular diseases, their use has sharply decreased.
The situation has sparked interest in alternative forms of treatment. Thus, Elizabeth Nedstrand, a consultant at the Women's Clinic, organized a study in which women with moderate and severe symptoms of menopause were divided into two groups. The first group was offered ten sessions of group therapy, the second group did not receive any treatment at all. The therapy was to find muscle groups in the body and allow the body to relax using the breathing technique.
The results were astounding. In women in the treatment group, the number of hot flashes per day decreased on average from 9.1 to 4.4. Moreover, the effect persisted for three months after the last treatment session. The numbers in the control group also decreased, but only from 9.7 to 7.8.
Women from the treatment group also noted improved quality of life. This concerned memory, concentration of attention, sleep, the feeling of anxiety disappeared. According to scientists, every woman can learn to use this method at home and manage her symptoms on her own.
