Natural Treatment For Menopause
By J. Erika Dworkin, Certifi ed Lifestyle Educator
Rather than use estrogens to artifi cially counteract the symptoms of menopause, the natural approach focuses on improving
physiology through diet, exercise, nutritional supplementation, and the use of botanical medicines.
- Michael T. Murray, ND, & Joseph Pizzorno, ND The Encyclopedia of
Natural Medicine (3rd Ed.2012)
to address those changes? No two women experience menopause in exactly the same way, and very often other health issues are present that can complicate treatment. If you prefer to rely on holistic means of ad- dressing your body’s natural signs of aging, the information below can help you start moving in the right direction.
A What is Menopause?
Menopause is a normal physiologi- cal process that can be narrowly defi ned as the cessation of menstruation for 6-12 months. On average, it sets in around age 51, but can also occur as early as age 40. Perimenopause, the time before menopause defi ned as the shortening of the menstrual cycle, can produce various symptoms for as many as 10-12 years, but more commonly for 4-7 years.
Declining gland function (hypothala-
mus, pituitary, adrenal, thyroid, and ovary) is viewed as the root cause of peri/meno- pause. Genetics, age, diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors also contribute to onset. Menopause generally occurs when the ovaries no longer produce viable eggs, and the absence of active follicles (the cel- lular housing of the eggs) causes reduced production of estrogen and progesterone.
34 Natural Nutmeg - April 2018
re you over age 40 and noticing that your body has been chang- ing? Are you confused about how
Menstruation ceases when the reduction in estrogen production stops thickening the uterus lining. Estrogen levels drop 40-60% (the ovaries, adrenal glands, and body fat continue to make it), but progesterone lev- els can drop to near zero in some women. Surgical removal of the ovaries, or uterus and cervix (hysterectomy), along with chemotherapy and drugs designed to shut down ovarian estrogen production, can also induce menopause.
Menopause Symptoms Every woman’s menopause transition is unique, and some have minimal-to-no symptoms. Within the fi rst 4 years, howev- er, roughly 75% of women can experience, with varying degree and frequency, various physical, mental, and emotional symptoms, including: (1) irregular menses (frequency/ fl ow); (2) night sweats and/or daytime hot fl ashes (the most common symptom; dila- tion of the peripheral blood vessels that leads to increased skin temperature and skin fl ushing); (3) headaches; (4) atrophic vaginitis (vaginal thinning/dryness that can cause painful intercourse and vaginal infection, itching or burning); (5) cosmetic changes (skin dryness/wrinkles/acne, head hair loss, facial hair growth, gum disease, dry eyes, weight gain); (6) fatigue; (7) de- creased libido/arousal/orgasmic response; (8) emotional changes (depression/irrita- bility/ anxiety/feelings of overwhelm); (9) reduced memory/cognition; (10) insomnia; (11) heart palpitations/increased heart rate; (12) dizziness/nausea; (13) UTIs/inconti- nence; (14) frozen shoulder syndrome and joint pain; and (15) voice changes. Ac- cording to John R. Lee, M.D., the pioneer- ing researcher and proponent of natural progesterone cream, “estrogen dominance” (the existence of excess estrogen relative to progesterone) is a key cause of menopausal symptoms. (See Progesterone Cream next page)
The Conventional Approach Any practitioner-devised menopause treatment plan should begin with the review of a woman’s complete medical history and a physical exam. Rather than treating both hormonal changes and at- tendant, related other health issues sepa- rately, mainstream doctors commonly treat all symptoms of menopausal imbalance with a 1-to-4 year prescription of hor- mone replacement therapy (HRT), various high-dose natural and synthetic estrogens and progestin (synthetic progesterone). The 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study showed that synthetic PremPro (a combina- tion of Premarin, conjugated estrogen made from pregnant mares’ urine, and progestin) increased the risk of breast cancer, blood clots, strokes, and coronary heart, liver, and gallbladder diseases. Moreover, Dr. Lee has maintained that there are, “reams of evidence that synthetic estrogens are highly toxic and carcinogenic,” particularly when unopposed (i.e., taken without any proges- terone). Michael Murray, ND, has asserted that the synthetic versions of progesterone used in HRT “are likely to be even more problematic than the conjugated (synthetic) estrogens.”
Tori Hudson, ND, has maintained that,
while HRT poses in most women (those without estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer genes, family histories of breast can- cer, or current breast cancer issues) only a slight risk for breast cancer, blood clots, and stroke; natural bio-identical hormone treat- ment decreases these risks. She also cau- tions that women who start HRT 10 or more years after menopause may have a slightly increased risk of heart disease. Moreover, although HRT often is not necessary to treat menopausal symptoms, some experts argue that it may be indicated for women with osteoporosis or at high risk for this disease, especially if they cannot tolerate osteoporo- sis medications.
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