The New Natural Alternatives to HRT
The menopause is not an illness. If you subscribe to the standpoint currently held by the conventional medical profession, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was. Women in many other cultures do not experience the menopause as a crisis demanding medical intervention. Many of them simply do not suffer the physical and emotional symptoms that women in the West are programmed to accept as inevitable. In our society the focus of the menopause is one of loss. Women are programmed to dwell on loss - the loss of periods, the loss of the ability to create life, the loss of hormones, the problems of the 'empty-nest' syndrome. In other societies, this time in a woman's life is seen as one of gain, a time of great wisdom. A time when the emphasis shifts away from doing the chores, working in the fields, to the role of lawmaker and counsellor to younger couples, where maturity and experience make a significant and valuable contribution to the family and society.
What happens at the menopause?
At the menopause women literally run out of eggs. Each woman has a supply of eggs (approximately 2 million) from the moment she is born and over the years they are used up and die off. She finally reaches a certain age when there simply aren't any more. What the body does then to try to get that woman to ovulate is to release the hormone FSH. This hormone is released every month in a normal cycle but during the menopause, a woman's body registered that ovulation is not taking place, so even more FSH is pumped out.
The interesting thing is that as the ovaries decline their production of oestrogen, nature has something else up her sleeve. We are also able to produce a form of oestrogen (called oestrone) from our adrenal glands in order to compensate for the decline from the ovaries.
We also produce oestrogen from fat cells, so being ultra-slim will not have health benefits in the long run, particularly if you are going through menopause. Overweight isn't the answer, either, but from an oestrogen-production point of view, you are better off being slightly overweight than slim.
Are there any symptoms?
These vary from woman to woman. Some women sail though the menopause without any symptoms and the only thing they notice is that their periods have stopped. Some of the women I have seen in my clinic report being completely drenched in sweat day and night, and getting up to change their night clothes two or three times a night, or even taking a shower in the middle of the night.
Symptoms of the menopause can include hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, mood swings, declining libido, osteoporosis, ageing skin, lack of energy, joint pains, weight gain, headaches and changes in hair quality. Interestingly, men also experience a lot of these symptoms, with irritability, a declining libido, changes in weight, ageing skin and hair, depression and anxiety. These symptoms are apparently part of the Western ageing process for both men and women, so it's important not to blame every symptom that you experience on the menopause.
What are your choices?
For the main symptoms of the menopause, such as hot flushes or vaginal dryness, you will be offered HRT. Unfortunately, if a women around the age of 45 goes to her doctor with any of these symptoms, it will immediately be put down to 'hormones', and you can guess what the first line of treatment will be. I have seen more women than I can count who have been put on HRT because of 'hormone' problems, only to find that they were not menopausal at all. There are a variety of other health conditions that throw up symptoms that are similar to those the menopause, so don't assume - or, more importantly, let your doctor convince you - that there may not be another cause. What's important is working out what symptoms are due to the menopause, and what are simply symptoms of ageing.
The natural treatment programme below aims to encourage optimum health, so that your body can manage this natural event with ease.
Dietary changes
A well-balanced diet is essential during the menopause as it enables the body to adjust automatically to the hormone changes, naturally maintaining oestrogen from the adrenal glands and fat deposits.
Phytoestrogens
One of the questions that most perplexes scientists is why and how the menopause is experienced so differently around the world. There are other cultures where women experience minimal and often no menopausal symptoms. Also linked to this issue is the fact that in some parts of the world, notably the Far East, breast cancer is not the major killer that it is here in the West. For example, the UK seems to have a breast cancer death rate that is about six times higher than that of women in Japan. The interesting thing is that as soon as Japanese women move to the West their breast cancer rate is the same.
As a result of this theory, scientists have begun to study the benefits of a group of plant hormones known as phytoestrogens. These hormones naturally occur in certain foods such as soya. Soya contains two flavonoids, genistein and daidzein, and studies have shown that they are chemically similar to Tamoxifen, which is the drug used to prevent a recurrence of breast cancer.
These very weak plant oestrogens latch on to the oestrogen receptors in the breast and they stop the more powerful carcinogenic oestrogens getting through. So they have a protective effect, as well as helping to balance hormones, which are responsible for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes. Phytoestrogens have also been studied extensively for their effect on lowering cholesterol, so they can have protective effects in terms of heart disease, which is important around the menopause.
At the moment there are more than 4000 articles about phytoestrogens being published every year. One 1998 study published in Obstetrics and Gynaecology looked at the effects of Soya capsules against a placebo (dummy tablets given to part of the group). Within four weeks there was a significant reduction in hot flushes in women taking Soya
Supplements
Supplements are beneficial during the menopause in order to ensure that you have adequate nutrients for maintaining healthy bones. Many of the following supplements are also known to help with the symptoms of the menopause. A good quality multivitamin and mineral would form the foundation of your supplement programme to make sure that you are getting a 'little bit of everything'. You then add in the nutrients listed below in slightly higher amounts which are known to be helpful for the menopause.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is known for its beneficial effect on the immune system, strengthening blood vessels and also for its role as an antioxidant in the body. So not only is Vitamin C important for preventing illness, and for encouraging your health in general, but it also has specific benefits at the menopause. Giving women vitamin C with bioflavonoids has been shown to help reduce hot flushes.
Vitamin C helps to build up collagen which gives skin its elasticity and it is therefore helpful in the prevention and treatment of vaginal dryness (which can cause discomfort when the vagina loses some of its 'stretch'). It can also help retain the elasticity in the urinary tract and so prevent leakage or stress incontinence, which is common at the menopause. Collagen is also important for your bones.
Vitamin E
This is an important vitamin to consider at the menopause. Over many years clinical studies have shown its effect on reducing hot flushes. Vitamin E is also helpful for vaginal dryness and one study showed that just 400iu taken daily for between 1 and 4 months helped 50 percent of the women given supplemental vitamin E. It can also be used internally inside the vagina every night for about six weeks to help relieve dryness.
Although most women fear breast cancer, our biggest killer is heart disease. There is now such a wealth of information on the effects of nutrition on heart disease that taking HRT to prevent this condition is illogical and, in fact, has not been proved. In 1996 a study published in the Lancet showed that 2000 patients with arteriosclerosis (fatty deposits in the arteries) had a 75 percent reduction in their risk of heart attack when given vitamin E. At the time, researchers claimed that vitamin E was even more effective than aspirin in reducing heart attacks.
B Vitamins
These are called the 'stress' vitamins because they are enormously beneficial when you are under a great deal of pressure. Symptoms of B-vitamin deficiency include anxiety, tension, irritability and poor concentration. Therefore, supplementing them in the form of a good B-complex supplement can be useful if you have any of these symptoms of stress. During the menopause it is extremely important that you give your adrenal glands (which will be called into action to produce oestrogen) a break. B vitamins will help to do this. They can also be useful if you are suffering from reduced energy levels.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
Signs of an essential acid deficiency are dry skin, lifeless hair, cracked nails, fatigue, depression, dry eyes, lack of motivation, aching joint, difficulty in losing weight, forgetfulness, breast pain - all symptoms that could be 'blamed' on the menopause. If you have also tried to lose weight by going on a low-fat or no-fat diet , you are likely to be deficient in these essential fats. They need to be supplemented around the menopause because they can help with many of the symptoms. Furthermore, because they help to 'lubricate' the body in general, they can help with vaginal dryness.
Magnesium
This is an important mineral for your bones at the menopause so it is important that you have enough in your body. Magnesium is also known as 'nature's tranquilliser', so it will help with symptoms such as anxiety, irritability and other mood changes.
Herbs (see caution below)
There are a number of herbs that have traditionally been used at the menopause. The main ones are termed 'adaptogens', which have a balancing effect on the body.
Agnus Castus
This is by far the most potent remedy for hot flushes as it contains the chemical precursors of the sex hormones. It stimulates and normalises the function of the pituitary gland which controls and balances the hormones in our body. This is one of the most important herbs you can take at the menopause because it works as an adaptogen, generally balancing all hormone production.
Black Cohosh
Black cohosh, a herb used by the Native North Americans, is very effective in restoring female hormonal balance and helps to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and vaginal dryness.
Caution
You should not take any of the above herbs if you are taking, The Pill, Fertillity drugs, HRT or any other hormonal treatment or other medication unless they are recommended by a registered, experienced practitioner.
Ginkgo Biloba
As we get older, both men and women can find that their memory and concentration is not as good as it was. This is often a problem to do with age rather than hormones. The herb ginkgo biloba has been found to generally have a rejuvenating effect on the brain. A number of clinical trials have shown that it improves learning ability, memory and concentration. Studies are also being undertaken at present to establish whether gingko may slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Extract from Dr Marilyn Glenville
BEd (Hons), MA, PhD (Camb) http://www.marilynglenville.com/about.htm
Soy or Soya
Soy isoflavones are naturaly present in the soy bean. The soy bean (Glycine max) has been known to man kind in its original area, Asia for 5000 years. Soy was considered as one of the 5 holy crops, besides rice, wheat, barley and millet. Soy has been used in the Western world only since the 20th century.
Soya bean is a legume like peas or green beans. Soybeans can fix nitrogen from the air in the soil. Soy can be grown on a variety of soils and in a wide range of climates, ranging form tropical Brazil to the snowy island Hokkaido in Japan. The soy beans are almost spherical in shape and are light yellow coloured, although some varieties are green, brown or black.
Soy benefits
Soy has been a staple food in Asian countries for many years. This is because it is very nutritious: the beans contain about 36% protein, 18% fat, 30% carbohydrate, isoflavones and a lot of minerals and vitamins. All eight essentials amino acids are present in the soybean, which makes soybean protein a complete protein.
Soy is healthy
The increasing popularity of soy foods is mainly attributed to the large amount of health benefits which are associated with the consumption of soy. The role of soy in the prevention of chronic diseases continues to be a top priority for scientist around the world. Linking health and soy consumption give striking results: lower number of hormonal depending tumors such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, better bone stability, lower risk of developing osteoporosis and an extremely low rate of menopause symptoms for Chinese or Japanese women.
This probably explains why menopause symptoms, hot flushes, osteoporosis and cancers are less frequent in Asiatic countries.
Soy isoflavones
The main components of soy are proteins, soy bean oil and carbohydrates. These are healthy components but the soy isoflavones are responsible for many of the health benefits. Dried soy beans contain about 200 mg soy isoflavones per 100 g soy beans. The most important soy isoflavones are daidzein and genistein.
Back to Natural HRT Products