From hot flushes to headaches and exhaustion, the menopause can bring on a whole range of unwanted symptoms.
For decades, women have turned to more traditional remedies such as HRT (hormone replacement therapy), which comes in different forms including patches and tablets.
But a site is now offering a quirky alternative to menopausal women, in the form of a magnet which is clipped into their underwear, a product championed by singer Belinda Carlisle.
However top health expert Dr Jen Gunter has slammed the so-called ‘natural remedy’, claiming that all it will do is ‘lighten your wallet’, and says that the true causes of hot flushes are ‘not yet understood’.
LadyCare is offering a quirky alternative to menopausal women, in the form of a magnet which is clipped into their underwear- but it has been slammed by a top health expert
Ladycare magnets retail for between £35 to £50, and clipped to the front of underwear to be worn throughout the day, designed to refocus the body’s energy.
The makers claim the magnetic therapy has relieved the symptoms for 70% of women by re-balancing their autonomic nervous system.
A statement on site reads: ‘We believe the technology helps by reducing excessive sympathetic nervous system activity and increasing parasympathetic activity, thus restoring equilibrium and creating a healthier balance between the two parts of the ANS.
‘Menopause symptoms are the result of diminished natural hormones, which then cause an imbalance of the ANS.’
And singer Belinda, now 59, was so impressed with the product back in 2014, that she talked to MailOnline about the instant effect it had for her.
Singer Belinda, now 59, was so impressed with the product back in 2014, that she talked to MailOnline about the instant effect it had for her
After hitting the menopause in her late forties, she experienced extreme symptoms, admitting: ‘I was getting around 40 flushes a day. I would sweat so badly it would be visible on me and I had to get into the habit of taking a change of clothes with me because my blouse and jeans would be wet through.’
But this changed when she stumbled across the little-known magnet, admitting: ‘Within 48 hours, I went from having 30 to 40 hot flushes to having none at all. I felt like the old Belinda again — in fact better than that.
‘Before I started getting the menopausal symptoms, I had suffered with really bad PMS: really bad depression and I had no energy.
The makers claim the magnetic therapy has relieved menopausal symptoms for 70% of women by re-balancing their autonomic nervous system
‘It would happen each month and I was on Prozac on and off over the years. Suddenly, I was free of all of it.’
However health expert Dr Jen Gunter has rubbished these claims, explaining that we haven’t sufficiently understood the cause of hot flushes to treat them.
Writing on her blog, she said: ‘The LadyCare experts claim that an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system (which their magnet can conveniently rebalance) is the root of hot flashes.
‘However the pathophysiology of the hot flash is not fully understood. Hot flashes are the end result of multiple factors that narrow the thermoregulatory zone increasing sensitivity to subtle changes in core temperature.
‘While there is evidence to suggest the autonomic nervous system plays a role, so do the serotonergic, noradrenergic, opioid, and adrenal systems,’ she continued.
‘Patients should be advised that magnet therapy has no proved benefits.
‘If they insist on using a magnetic device, they should be advised to buy the cheapest – this will at least alleviate the pain in their wallet,’ she concluded.
Top health expert Dr Jen Gunter has slammed the so-called ‘natural remedy’, claiming that all it will do is ‘lighten your wallet’, and says that the true causes of hot flushes are ‘not yet understood’