Treating Menopause Naturally :: Health and Disease :: Women's Health Issues

> Health and Disease > Women's Health Issues > menopause

Treating Menopause Naturally
by author Michael T. Murray, ND

The cancer-causing potential of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a real and serious concern. More than 30 studies have been performed to determine the risk of HRT on cancer. Unfortunately, despite intense investigation, these studies have not provided clear-cut answers. The bottom line is that nobody really knows for sure what impact HRT has on cancer, but there is enough evidence to warrant concern.

Hormone replacement therapy has been linked to cancer–most closely to breast cancer, which is already the most common cancer in women. Current estimates are that one in nine women in the United States will develop breast cancer. Since estrogens play a critical role in the development of most breast cancers, it only makes sense that additional estrogens may promote breast cancer.

The benefits of HRT include relief of hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, a significant reduction in osteoporosis and a possible reduction in cardiovascular disease. Before you get too excited about these beneficial effects, it is important to note that dietary, exercise and lifestyle factors have also been shown to offer identical benefits without the risks. The bottom line is that long-term HRT is not justified in most women because the risks outweigh the benefits. A natural approach offers significant advantages.

One Natural Solution

The most widely-used and thoroughly studied natural approach to menopause is black cohosh, specifically Cimicifuga racemosa. Clinical studies have shown Cimicifuga racemosa to relieve not only hot flashes, but also depression and vaginal atrophy. The VGA, the German equivalent to Health Protection Branch in Canada, includes no contraindications or limitations of use for Cimicifuga racemosa in tumor patients.

The following is a large open study done employing 131 doctors and 629 female patients. Cimicifuga racemosa produced clear improvement of menopausal symptoms in more than 80 per cent of patients within six to eight weeks. Both physical and psychological symptoms improved. Cimicifuga racemosa was very well tolerated, as there was no discontinuation of therapy and only seven percent of patients reported mild transitory stomach complaints.

One of the most publicized effects of estrogen is its role in maintaining bone health and preventing osteoporosis. While there is experimental and epidemiological evidence that phytoestrogens prevent osteoporosis and reduce bone resorption, at this time there are no long-term studies demonstrating Cimicifuga racemosa can prevent or improve osteoporosis. However, based on Cimicifuga racemosa’s mechanism of action and long-term clinical experience, many experts believe it will be shown to positively influence bone resorption.

Mainstream medicine is just starting to acknowledge the value of complementary medicine in the treatment of menopausal symptomes. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynacologists of Canada creates a publication that sets guidelines for medical treatment of osteoporosis and menopausal symptoms in Canada. This set of guidelines is only available every five years as it requires a very large collaborative effort of many highly qualified specialists. For the very first time a herb–Remifemin (Cimicifuga racemosa)–was acknowledged in this very conservative publication. This is exciting for herbal and nutritional medicine in general as it opens the doors for other evidence-based medicines in Canada to be accepted on their scientific merits.

Dr Michael Murray is a graduate, faculty member, and serves on the Board of Trustees of Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. In addition to maintaining a private practice, Dr Murray is the author of over 20 books.

Source: alive #208, February 2000

A Consensus on Menopause
An Interview with Suzanne Montemuro, MD Taking responsibility for one's health or establishing the credibility of a product, service, or practitioner is not an easy task.

Food Strong Enough For A Woman
For the next 20 years, an estimated 40 million North American baby boomer women will experience the joys of menopause--hot flashes, dry vagina, cystitis, heavy bleeding, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, fatigue, depression, migraines, indigestion and memory lapses.

Newly-Discovered Nutrient Meets Menopausal Challenges
Menopause, with its bothersome symptoms that include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and decreasing bone density, has become the hot topic of conversation for baby-boomer women in boardrooms and living rooms across North America. It's even fodder for humor with celebrities from Gloria Steinem to Oprah Winfrey..

Understand and Take Control of Menopausal Moods
On my journey through the uncharted seas of perimenopause I encountered some rather rough sailing. My days were filled with the swells and troughs of depression, tears, mood swings, irrational angry outbursts, lethargy and fatigue..

Natural Menopause, Symptom-Free
It's estimated that some five million Canadian women have now reached menopause. We know it's a completely natural biological transition when women's ovaries begin to produce less estrogen and progesterone.

Rollin' With The Change
Does menopause mean the end of female sexuality? Absolutely not. This is the beginning of a new phase in life for many women. Physical and psychological changes do occur, however, and are often interwoven.

Hormone Heresy
The "miracle" hormone estrogen hit the marketplace in the 1960s, becoming one of the top 10 selling drugs in North America for the treatment of menopause symptoms in women. In 1968, with financial backing from Ayerst laboratories, Dr. Robert A..

Unravelling the Mystery of Natural Hormones
One of the greatest areas of confusion in complementary medicine today is the subject of natural hormones. Consumers, practitioners, educators, manufacturers and the media all contribute to misinformation and misunderstandin.

What's Your Menotype?
Menopause can be a confusing time in a woman's life.

Hormone Therapy Update
According to a poll conducted by Pollara and commissioned by Eli Lilly.

Anti-Aging Tips for Women
For decades, use of equine and synthetic hormones has been the standard treatment for common menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, depre.

Flushing the Flashes
Menopause may be a natural progression in life, but it is one met with trepidation by many wome.

Calcium
As women reach their early 50s, their bodies undergo many changes, including the beginning stages of menopause and a decrease in bone mass of 3 percent or more per year that can ultimately result in osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Prevention
The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study, which had placed healthy post-menopausal women on long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT), was suddenly .

Mastering Menopause
Menopause is the cessation of menses: a phase when hormones of the fertility cycle wind down, the ovaries stop releasing eggs, and pregnancy is no longer possible. For some it is greatly anticipated; for others it is difficult and tumultuous..

Arresting Canada's Number One Killer of Women
Heart disease among women is on the increase. This may be because its incidence rises after menopause, and women in the baby-boom generation are nearing the age of menopause. But something else is happening here.

Menopause Misery Sends Women Back to HRT

First the good news.

Life After Breast Cancer
Congratulations, you've beaten cancer! Now that you're free from surgery and radiation, with a clean bill of health, you may be pleased (or not) with the results of reconstructive surgery (if you had it).

Black Cohosh
Black cohosh Cimicifuga racemosa is without question the most popular natural approach to menopausal symptom.

The ABCs of Hypothyroidism
Thyroid hormones affect every cell in the body. In hypothyroidism, the amount of hormone secreted by the thyroid gland does not meet the body's demands.

Dysmenorrhea
Menstrual cramps, also known as dysmenorrhea, affect over 50 percent of all menstruating women worldwide. Such a painful experience leaves many relying on pharmaceuticals for relief.

Is it Hot in Here?
Sudden sweltering weather and smothering midnight heat waves - hot flashes and night sweats - are the most common complaints of perimenopausal and menopausal women.

Confessions of a Hot Flush Queen
I am a Hot Flush Queen. I've earned the title after four years of chronic hot flushes intermittently relieved by various treatments. I'm not proud of the title; in fact I'm actively looking for a way to give it up!My first hot flush started with a chill, followed by a roaming band of heat that crawled up my legs to my back, all the way to my scalp.

Horse Wishes
Still the most popular hormone replacement therapy in North America, PremarinTM is an oral estrogen replacement drug derived from pregnant mare's urine (PMU).

Hormonal Balancing Act
You might be surprised to learn that while you are still in the throes of motherhood-homework, car-pooling, and mounds of laundry-your body might already be preparing for menopause.Women can start to experience fluctuating hormones and symptoms of perimenopause (pre-menopause), including mood swings, irritability, and insomnia, as early as their thirties.

Report from a Hot Flush Queen
If you're a Hot Flush Queen like me, stress reduction and bio-identical hormone therapy may bring relief from menopausal symptoms, as I reported in the September issue of alive.

Menopause: Dreadful Affliction or Glorious Transition?

Sail Through Menopause With a Little B and E

Black Cohosh
Black cohosh is a herbal remedy that can provide relief of menstrual discomforts such as cramps, bloating, and pain, as well as menopausal distress such as hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats, and insomnia.

Managing Menopause
When our mothers and grandmothers whispered the words, "The Change, we could hear the capital letters. We could hear the dread in their voices. If we watched carefully, we could see them exchange knowing nods of sympathy and then quickly change the subject.

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy

Reducing heart toxins

Women and Testosterone
Testosterone has been called the "hormone of desire for good reason. Without enough testosterone, desire for sex all but disappears. But testosterone also plays other important roles for women-especially in helping to maintain healthy body composition. Adequate levels of testosterone also help women look, feel, and perform better from day to day.

Embracing Change
Menopause is medically defined as the 12 months after a woman's last menstrual period. It can begin when a woman passes beyond childbearing age or after surgical removal of the ovaries because of ovarian cancer or other cancer risks.

A Delicate Balance
Questions of safety have intensified with the increasing use of bioidentical hormones among menopausal and post-menopausal women. This month "Research Watch looks at the controversies and issues surrounding hormone therapy and menopause.

Estrogen Overload
Hormones, the chemical messengers of the body's endocrine system, work together in harmony to regulate many processes, from body temperature and blood pressure to governing sexual desire and fertility. We may not often think about having proper hormonal balance, yet it is essential for good health.

Menopause
The natural cycle of life for women includes the inevitable journey through menopause. Neither a curse nor a disease, menopause may feel like a major health issue for some women.

Hormonal Harmony
Irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, and nutritional deficiencies leading to heart issues and bone loss are only a few of the health concerns associated with hormonal imbalances due to menopause.