The FastDay Forum

I've just spent an interesting hour reading around the interweb on these things. Seems my 14 years of hot flushes etc may not just be my mature age but too much histamine production brought on by the menopause.
An elimination diet is encouraged and that could be why my avoiding gluten and sugar containing foods has helped, but also actively taking quercetin and olive leaf supplements may be of further use.

What do we think/know about any of this oh wonderful Fasters? All contributions very welcome.

Hi Azureblue, interesting thoughts there. I have been taking olive leaf for blood pressure so interesting to think it might assist with menopause too. Quercitin I haven't heard of though. I do know that there isn't a great deal of good clinical evidence for most natural therapies through good medical trials so I tend to take a lot of it with a pinch of salt. That is why I have been taking a low dose of HRT for around 8 years. I have tried to reduce sugar, gluten and caffeine to no avail so far so I figure I may as well not be doubly miserable!
I would be interested to hear from the medical minded bods here!

PMT and menopause, sorry you won't want to hear this yet - I sailed through @Azureblue@Debs. That said it's never plain sailing, tomorrow could and will be another day for the likes of me health wise. Azureblue I have been on a low (sorry no) sugar for 35yrs and gluten free for the last 14 months with 52.
Interested to see responses on this thread too

You are very lucky Lizbean, some people do go through it very quickly and easily, others suffer wretchedly. I think I'm somewhere in between. I decided to take a low HRT as I couldn't see the point of suffering in the hot weather and at work and decided that the risk was worth it. If there was a natural solution that was proven I would certainly take that in preference. There are many reasons to limit caffeine, sugar etc and I try to, and succeed 80% of the time!!

Potential link between histamine in the brain and weight gain at menopause: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19619143
Quercitin seems to affect histamine in several studies of quercitin and asthma but no mention of whether it would affect histamine in the brain.
I can't find any studies on olive leaf and histamine.
Taking an antihistamine did not affect any symptoms of menopause in this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21426232
I think that the histamine and menopause link might be rather flaky as I could find little to support the thesis in the scientific literature. Likewise, taking quercitin and olive leaf is unlikely to help (apart from via the placebo effect).

Interesting, many thanks @carorees for your input.
Back to the drawing board then, or in this case, the kitchen!

I think avoiding sugar is a great step!

I am working with people and my hot flushes alway's been there when a client came by ... One of them told me to take 1 tablespoon of MACA on a daily basis , it is a superfood wich helps a.o. by menopausal 'side effects'.
After two day's taking a tablespoon in a smoothy, my hot flushes disappeared like snow in the sun (omg and thoose at night also!!!) and also the moodswings.

Give it a try ladies, google on Maca Superfood.
I tell everyone about this wonderpowder!

*just a happy non-sweating woman*

This analysis of studies on maca shows that it may have potential for menopause symptoms but its safety is not clear. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21840656