Carol Barnes: How alternative remedies helped me beat the menopause

For a long time, Carol Barnes epitomised the 'cool TV blonde'. Then your former ITN presenter arrived at the change of life, with hot flushes, sweating, uncharacteristic moodiness along with a significantly reduced libido.

Here, Carol, who's now 61, talks frankly to Avoi GIZOWSKA concerning the experience - and informs how alternative remedies assisted her cope:

My health insurance and levels of energy had been amazingly good - Irrrve never even required vitamins. Therefore it came as a significant shock when eventually I all of a sudden started inside a horrible sticky sweat - as though I had been decreasing having a serious bout of something.

It had been at about the time from the Gulf War, in early Nineties, and that i was at the ITN galleries on the point of browse the ten o'clock news. My then husband, a TV cameraman, was in the Gulf filming. So that as I viewed the ultimate pictures he'd shot, in the studio I felt noticeably uncomfortable.

There is the typical background chaos, adrenaline levels were high, and also the make-up women were giving me the final-minute once over before I continued air.

I possibly could feel my face eliminating, and within a few moments I had been dripping with perspiration. I looked within the mirror and my whole face was pink and sparkling. I had been scared that my make-up would run.

In some way, about half a lot of powder, the women handled to repair my flushed, sweaty face to ensure that after i was while watching cameras I made an appearance awesome and calm.

It had been the start of the change of life - however it came like a complete surprise. Although I had been within my mid-40s, I'd never really because of the menopause another thought - I had been too busy to consider my the body's hormones.

I had been working all hrs at ITN, my hubby was working away a great deal and that i were built with a the place to find run and 2 teenage children to take care of. These were at that point where these were too old for any nanny but too youthful to become left alone.

In addition, my dad acquired Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. He was going down hill quickly, therefore we needed to find him a house. This meant I additionally needed to take care of my mother, who wasn't excellent by herself.

Then my dad died, and very soon later on, so did my mother. Overall, it had been a remarkably demanding period - and feeling menopause did not help.

Along with the hot flushes and cold sweats, I developed other signs and symptoms. My libido was reduced - practically non-existent, actually, therefore it was most likely equally well my hubby was away a lot.

I'd be moody and frequently irritable with the kids. I'd sometimes snap at unnecessarily - for example, got home from try to find their sleeping rooms inside a mess, I explode with anger, which totally inappropriate. Then would feel all tearful inside my lack of ability to manage the problem.

There have been additionally a couple of times when I felt tearful in news reports room. I'd get upset easier over stuff that did not bother me before also it required my strength to have to wait the tears.

I have been a really calm, balanced person, so that all it was quite distressing. Not too anybody might have observed at the office

- I ensured I gave the look of calm.

I had been very lucky, see someone and 'get it sorted'. Following a couple of several weeks of the, I realized which i really needed to find a solution - my existence was demanding enough without needing to be worried about my the body's hormones rising the creek.

So when you are reading through this news before huge numbers of people every evening, you cannot manage to be fretting about whether you have beads of sweat dripping off onto your nose.

I visited see my physician, who put me on HRT. In individuals days, it was viewed as a little of the question drug and everybody took it onto it. In those days there were not the scares about cancer of the breast and cardiovascular disease.

HRT seemed to be designed to help make your hair and skin better - although Irrrve never observed anything like this. Initially when i first required it, I had been cautioned it might take about 3 to 4 days to start working, so it did.

Next, I observed my signs and symptoms ended up getting better. The new flushes and sweating choose to go, I wasn't so irritable and my libido returned.

There is a downside, though. I began to obtain incredibly heavy periods, which sometimes survived for 10 days approximately. Regardless of this, I remained on HRT for around six years. However weight loss reviews began to be released that elevated concerns about this, I began to feel uneasy. and made the decision in the future off it.

I had been really worried, though, that my old signs and symptoms would return. I had been still greatly in the peak of my TV career and that i did not want to return to the new flushes, cold sweats and moodiness.

Affirmed, when i came from the HRT the signs and symptoms came back, however I had been also getting evening sweats, which may leave me drenched in perspiration.

And So I did some investigation and made the decision to test various natural treatments which were said to be help alleviate menopause signs and symptoms.

I will always be thinking about alternative health - less an 'instead of' but because something which could complement traditional medicine.

I visited my local health store and it was suggested Red-colored Clover, which consists of phytoe-strogens (plant oestrogens) and may help minimise menopause signs and symptoms and sage, for that hot flushes and sweating.

'Sage really did the trick'

The sage, that we required like a daily capsule, really appeared to have the desired effect. It had been quite incredible - after only a week, the new flushes and sweating went. Additionally, it appeared to assist with the other signs and symptoms. I rested better, most likely since i no more had the evening sweats, also it appeared to place me with an even keel mood-smart.

I am well beyond the menopause now, but still go ahead and take sage capsules simply because they should be great for other activities, too, for example keeping the memory healthy.

I additionally take glucosamine supplements in my joints, like a preventative, to ensure that they're healthy ginkgo biloba, for that brain and circulation and milk thistle after i felt a little 'liverish' (it features a cleansing effect).

I am also considering some naturopathic remedies. Not long ago, I'd an issue with my elbow. I play lots of golf and developed 'golfer's elbow' (like tennis elbow, where there's painful inflammation through repeated action).

I've got a friend that has just qualified like a registered homeopath and she or he provided some remedies - I can not remember which however the discomfort and inflammation disappeared. Many people might express it would be a coincidence, but I am keeping a balanced view.

Somewhat, If only I'd attempted the choice route sooner. But initially when i first began studying the menopause, there wasn't just as much information about them as there's now.

Now, ladies have a lot of options - including conventional techniques for example HRT, if that is what they need. But you will find also many wonderful options which actually work.