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| BALANCING HORMONES NATURALLY |
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The Change is natural Menopause transition, sometimes referred to as "the change", is a gradual process, affecting the body in modest ways, usually starting in the 40s and lasting into the 50s. For many women, it's no big deal. Some women may experience severe problems, which may be temporary. For others, changes may be enormous and affect quality of life in many ways.
The conventional medical attitude was that menopause was a deficiency disease and not a natural process. Instead of feeling confident and positive about menopause, we were being persuaded to feel anxious, fragile and threatened by a host of unpleasant diseases. But as we approach the 21st Century we are fortunate to have medications and medical technology available for those who choose it, or need it, and alternative therapies for those who want a more natural approach. We are coming to understand that menopause is not a disease but a natural change associated with the aging process and there is abundant help available to reduce its impact on our quality of life. What happens in Menopause? Alteration of the estrogen/ progesterone ratio in the years when a woman approaches menopause causes many complaints such as missed or irregular periods, increased fatigue, PMS, emotional changes such as irritability and mood swings. At the onset of menopause, progesterone production falls to almost zero and estrogen declines to about 40-50% of premenopausal levels. A woman may experience unexplained weight gain, insomnia, night sweats, hot flashes, breast tenderness, vaginal dryness, changes in sexual desire, and problems like uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breasts and ultimately, bone loss. These changes may represent an imbalance between the two dominant female sex hormones, progesterone and estrogen. A decline in progesterone can cause the wide range of problems mentioned above since progesterone is a major "precursor" to other hormones, including sex hormones and corticosteroids.
Natural Alternatives Fear of breast and endometrial cancer, unwanted menstrual periods and the side effects that sometimes accompany the use of synthetic hormones often stops women from using these hormones. More and more women are choosing natural bio-identical hormones along with herbs, minerals, vitamins, diet, excercise and lifestyle changes to achieve hormonal balance.
Adding natural progesterone during the mid-life years can help bring the body back into balance naturally. Other than the human body, the source of natural progesterone is either soybeans or wild yam. In addition to natural source progesterone, phytoestrogens, or natural plant source estrogens, are also available. Phytoestrogens can bind to estrogen receptors in our bodies and have either pro-estrogenic effects or anti-estrogenic effects on target tissue. When estrogen levels are low, as in menopause, the phytoestrogen will exert a gentle estrogenic effect (about 1/400 to 1/1000 of the commonly prescribed estradiol). When estrogen levels are high, as with PMS and endometriosis, then phytoestrogens can provide a foil to the body's own estrogen by binding to receptor sites and thus creating an anti-estrogenic effect. The most well known phystoestrogen is the soybean, hundreds of other plants also contain phytoestrogens. One of the most widely used is Standardized Black Cohosh extract (Cimicifuga racemosa.) Clinical studies have shown that black cohosh relieves hot flashes, depression and vaginal dryness, all symptoms of low estrogen that are common to menopause. Balancing a woman's hormones is more of an art than a science as every woman is different! Over the counter natural hormones are available as gels and creams when applied to the skin may help to restore hormonal balance. Many women respond to a combination of natural hormones, phytoestrogens, appropriate diet and lifestyle changes. All of these may offer an alternative to conventional hormone replacement therapy. Joanne Williams practices in Albuquerque, New Mexico |
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Articles MISC. HEALTH CONDITIONS / ISSUES BALANCING HORMONES NATURALLY Statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose or treat disease.