Menopause
The onset of this phase of life is marked by a decline in the production of Estrogen – a hormone that serves as a chemical messenger in the body which regulates the menstrual cycle, controls breast development, and helps maintain healthy bones and a healthy heart. From puberty to menopause, the ovaries produce estrogen. Once menopause sets in, the ovaries no longer make estrogen, and body fat becomes the primary source for estrogen.
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.
Estrogen is a vital key to healthy aging. But when a woman’s body undergoes this important change, the accompanying symptoms can be severe enough to disrupt her life – and affect the lives of those around her.
Hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and thinness, and frequent bladder infections are common complaints.
Women also report chronic fatigue, weight gain, joint pains, bone loss, hair loss, insomnia, mood swings, memory loss, decreased libido, and a decrease in arousal and orgasmic response.
Perimenopause also marks the beginning stages of increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis.
Menopause is not a disease. It is a natural stage in a woman’s life, and one that should be embraced and celebrated as a freeing and wondrous time – not looked upon with disdain and fear. Over the years, prescription and various herbal remedies have come and gone. Most have proven either too ineffective or too dangerous to be worth the risk. Sadly, many women continue to suffer needlessly due to the mainstream media’s scare-tactic reporting about the serious and sometimes fatal side effects caused by hormone replacement therapy. It is true that most women will not enjoy optimal health after menopause or reach their maximum intended lifespan without hormonal support, and far too many physicians are under-informed about estrogen supplementation and the risks of heart disease and breast cancer.
However healthy ageing is possible with all-natural, safe and effective hormonal support .
For example in Thailand, women have been finding relief from the symptoms of menopausal change for hundreds of years. They have found this relief in preparations from the root of a flowering plant that grows in abundance in their region. That plant is Pueraria mirifica, or Thai Kudzu. The native people have been using Pueraria mirifica for centuries, as both a food and as a part of their traditional medicine. Thailand's norther region has the lowest rate of breast cancer in the world – the only place in the world where Pueraria mirifica grows. Dozens of scientific studies have documented the beneficial and protective effects of this amazing plant.
Other traditional herbs like Black Cohosh, Red Clover, Soy, Sage, Dong Quai, Hops, Flax seeds, and others as described below are also used for the treatment of menopausal symptoms alongside a healthy diet and supplements.
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 observation, 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.
Phytoestrogens can include soya (fermented is best), hops, dandelion, red clover, sage, alfalfa, flaxseeds.
Bioidentical Hormones
These are hormones that are chemically similar in structure to the hormones your body would produce naturally, so this could include oestradiol, oestriol, testosterone, progesterone or even other hormones like DHEA. In this way, they are considered more ‘natural’ than the synthetic versions used in many HRT drugs. These hormones are still made in a laboratory in the same way that conventional HRT would be made and from the same sources.
Adding back these hormones requires a judgement as to which hormone you need and in what dose or combination with other hormones. Hormone levels would still need to be adjusted as you go through the different stages because of their individual nature.
It could be assumed that bioidentical hormones may carry a lesser risk of breast cancer and other risks than conventional HRT but there are no randomised controlled trials to show this.
Also in Australia a number of cases of womb cancer from using bioidentical hormones have been noted.
There is no scientific agreement on the dosages, combinations, and length of time that you use these bioidentical hormones. These are not natural products, these are drugs and they are unlicensed.
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.
Although most women fear breast cancer, our biggest killer is heart disease. There is now such a wealth of information on the beneficial effects of nutrition on heart disease and unfortunately HRT has been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. 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.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Signs of an Omega 3 fatty acid can include dry skin, lifeless hair, cracked nails, fatigue, depression, dry eyes, lack of motivation, aching joints, 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. It is now estimated that we are getting ten times more Omega 6 fats from our diet than Omega 3 and over the last century there has been an 80% decrease in the consumption of these Omega 3 fatty acids. When you eat Omega 3 fats they are converted to substances that have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body.
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.
Calcium
Not only do we need good levels of calcium for our bones, teeth, nails and hair, but also for healthy heart rhythm and blood pressure. It is also needed for normal blood clotting, for muscle contraction and relaxation and proper functioning of the nervous system. For Calcium to be absorbed from the gut into the blood, Vit D3 is needed.
Bone thinning during and after Menopause is not so much a lack of calcium in the blood but calcium being delivered to the bone for which Vitamin K2 is needed.
Osteporosis is also related to thyroid function and can be due to hyo or hyper function of the thyroid.
Vitamin D
We know that Vitamin D is required for calcium absorption, but it also plays many other important roles including prevention of cancer, especially breast cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. As well as all of these benefits, it is now thought that having good levels of vitamin D can help slow down the ageing process and low levels have been implicated in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease. To check whether you have sufficient levels of Vitamin D please click Vitamin D Deficiency Test (at home finger prick blood test) Furthermore, by adopting a healthier lifestyle you will be more likely to go through the menopause comfortably which is discussed in detail in the rest of this ebook which you can read by clicking on Understanding the Menopause ebook at The Natural Health Practice
Herbs
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.
Pueraria mirifica
It belongs to the same family of legumes that includes soybeans and peas, and contains a bounty of natural chemical compounds that foster good health. Most fall into a category called “phytoestrogens.” These naturally occurring chemical compounds have structures which are similar to estrogen.
Pueraria mirifica is unique in that it is the only plant to contain a special phytoestrogen called miroestrol.
Miroestrol is extraordinarily similar in structure and function to a type of estrogen called estriol. There are three types of estrogen in humans: estradiol, estrone and estriol. Of the three, estriol is the weakest. Its weakness, however, is actually its strength. Clinical trials have shown no links between estriol and cancer, and women who have taken it reported few side effects compared with those who took estradiol or estrone as hormone replacement therapies.
What was once just a promising plant that Asian women whispered about, Pueraria mirifica is now refined and formulated to the highest standards and is called Puresterol. Puresterol is available from Longevity Plus International, as H.R.T. Plus (Herbal Remedy from Thailand). H.R.T. Plus has been documented in extensive research to safely eliminate all menopause related symptoms while actually providing anti-cancer protections for the breast and other tissues. It is a S.E.R.M. Beta (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator of the Beta receptor), and provides favorable effects throughout the entire body. It protects against bone loss, depression, insomnia, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and loss of memory.
Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)
This is the herb of choice for the menopausal symptoms of hot flushes and night sweats and there have been a number of good clinical trials that show its effectiveness. Also if you are getting mood swings and anxiety then black cohosh can also be helpful for these symptoms of the menopause.
Black cohosh does not increase oestrogen levels and has no effect on the cells in the vagina or womb. This is important because this is where the risks are with HRT in that it increases oestrogen levels and stimulates tissue in various places in the body including the womb and breast and therefore can increase the risk of cancer. You can therefore be assured that it offers relief from menopause symptoms without oestrogen-like effects.
So how is black cohosh working on the menopausal symptoms if it is not having an oestrogenic effect? It is actually working as a SERM (selective oestrogen receptor modulator). These are substances that can stimulate oestrogen receptors in some parts of the body and not others. So they can block stimulation in places like the womb and breast where it would be unsafe to have cells over-stimulated but they can stimulate oestrogen receptor in other places where you would want stimulation such as the bones and brain. These SERMS are then able to target cells appropriately rather than the HRT approach, which is just to replace hormones.
SERMS are the new drug alternatives to HRT but nature already supplies us with SERMS in the form of black cohosh and foods like phytoestrogens.
And what about some adverse effects on the liver that you read about in the press a while back?
A couple of years ago there were concerns about black cohosh and liver disease. This problem is extremely rare and there have only been four complaints compared to the estimated 9 million treatment days (as it is termed) purchased each year.
When the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), reviewed all the evidence worldwide, it concluded that it was not clear whether black cohosh caused the problem. The National Institutes of Health in the US believes there’s no case to answer and they have stated that black cohosh has few side effects and that ‘liver damage has been reported in a few individuals using black cohosh, but millions of people have taken the herb without apparent adverse health effects. There is no scientific evidence to show that the herb causes liver damage.’
Agnus Castus (Vitex agnus castus)
This herb is classed as an adaptogen as it has a balancing effect on your hormones. It works on the pituitary gland which is the gland that sends the message down to the ovary to release hormones. Agnus castus can help increase certain hormones if they are too low and decrease them if too high. This is particularly helpful in the perimenopause years because your hormones can be fluctuating widely and this herb helps to create a kind of stability. It is also the best herb to take if you are getting mood swings, anxiety and tension.
Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis)
Dong quai is a herb from Traditional Chinese Medicine and is helpful for both the hot flushes and night sweats. It has a long history of traditional use. Research has shown that it not only starts to help reduce the hot flushes and night sweats in one month but it is also helpful for fatigue and disturbed sleep.
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
This herb,which is also easily used as a tea, is helpful in controlling both the hot flushes and night sweats.
Milk thistle (Silymarin marianum)
Again in any situation where you are aiming to balance the female hormones it is so important to add in herbs which can improve liver function. It is your liver that is doing the hard work of detoxifying your hormones so you want to make the job as easy as possible.
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. Caution You should not take any of the above herbs if you are taking, The Pill, Fertility drugs, HRT or any other hormonal treatment or other medication unless they are recommended by a registered, experienced practitioner.
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.
Estrogen is a vital key to healthy aging. But when a woman’s body undergoes this important change, the accompanying symptoms can be severe enough to disrupt her life – and affect the lives of those around her.
Hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and thinness, and frequent bladder infections are common complaints.
Women also report chronic fatigue, weight gain, joint pains, bone loss, hair loss, insomnia, mood swings, memory loss, decreased libido, and a decrease in arousal and orgasmic response.
Perimenopause also marks the beginning stages of increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis.
Menopause is not a disease. It is a natural stage in a woman’s life, and one that should be embraced and celebrated as a freeing and wondrous time – not looked upon with disdain and fear. Over the years, prescription and various herbal remedies have come and gone. Most have proven either too ineffective or too dangerous to be worth the risk. Sadly, many women continue to suffer needlessly due to the mainstream media’s scare-tactic reporting about the serious and sometimes fatal side effects caused by hormone replacement therapy. It is true that most women will not enjoy optimal health after menopause or reach their maximum intended lifespan without hormonal support, and far too many physicians are under-informed about estrogen supplementation and the risks of heart disease and breast cancer.
However healthy ageing is possible with all-natural, safe and effective hormonal support .
For example in Thailand, women have been finding relief from the symptoms of menopausal change for hundreds of years. They have found this relief in preparations from the root of a flowering plant that grows in abundance in their region. That plant is Pueraria mirifica, or Thai Kudzu. The native people have been using Pueraria mirifica for centuries, as both a food and as a part of their traditional medicine. Thailand's norther region has the lowest rate of breast cancer in the world – the only place in the world where Pueraria mirifica grows. Dozens of scientific studies have documented the beneficial and protective effects of this amazing plant.
Other traditional herbs like Black Cohosh, Red Clover, Soy, Sage, Dong Quai, Hops, Flax seeds, and others as described below are also used for the treatment of menopausal symptoms alongside a healthy diet and supplements.
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 observation, 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.
Phytoestrogens can include soya (fermented is best), hops, dandelion, red clover, sage, alfalfa, flaxseeds.
Bioidentical Hormones
These are hormones that are chemically similar in structure to the hormones your body would produce naturally, so this could include oestradiol, oestriol, testosterone, progesterone or even other hormones like DHEA. In this way, they are considered more ‘natural’ than the synthetic versions used in many HRT drugs. These hormones are still made in a laboratory in the same way that conventional HRT would be made and from the same sources.
Adding back these hormones requires a judgement as to which hormone you need and in what dose or combination with other hormones. Hormone levels would still need to be adjusted as you go through the different stages because of their individual nature.
It could be assumed that bioidentical hormones may carry a lesser risk of breast cancer and other risks than conventional HRT but there are no randomised controlled trials to show this.
Also in Australia a number of cases of womb cancer from using bioidentical hormones have been noted.
There is no scientific agreement on the dosages, combinations, and length of time that you use these bioidentical hormones. These are not natural products, these are drugs and they are unlicensed.
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.
Although most women fear breast cancer, our biggest killer is heart disease. There is now such a wealth of information on the beneficial effects of nutrition on heart disease and unfortunately HRT has been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. 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.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Signs of an Omega 3 fatty acid can include dry skin, lifeless hair, cracked nails, fatigue, depression, dry eyes, lack of motivation, aching joints, 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. It is now estimated that we are getting ten times more Omega 6 fats from our diet than Omega 3 and over the last century there has been an 80% decrease in the consumption of these Omega 3 fatty acids. When you eat Omega 3 fats they are converted to substances that have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body.
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.
Calcium
Not only do we need good levels of calcium for our bones, teeth, nails and hair, but also for healthy heart rhythm and blood pressure. It is also needed for normal blood clotting, for muscle contraction and relaxation and proper functioning of the nervous system. For Calcium to be absorbed from the gut into the blood, Vit D3 is needed.
Bone thinning during and after Menopause is not so much a lack of calcium in the blood but calcium being delivered to the bone for which Vitamin K2 is needed.
Osteporosis is also related to thyroid function and can be due to hyo or hyper function of the thyroid.
Vitamin D
We know that Vitamin D is required for calcium absorption, but it also plays many other important roles including prevention of cancer, especially breast cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. As well as all of these benefits, it is now thought that having good levels of vitamin D can help slow down the ageing process and low levels have been implicated in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease. To check whether you have sufficient levels of Vitamin D please click Vitamin D Deficiency Test (at home finger prick blood test) Furthermore, by adopting a healthier lifestyle you will be more likely to go through the menopause comfortably which is discussed in detail in the rest of this ebook which you can read by clicking on Understanding the Menopause ebook at The Natural Health Practice
Herbs
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.
Pueraria mirifica
It belongs to the same family of legumes that includes soybeans and peas, and contains a bounty of natural chemical compounds that foster good health. Most fall into a category called “phytoestrogens.” These naturally occurring chemical compounds have structures which are similar to estrogen.
Pueraria mirifica is unique in that it is the only plant to contain a special phytoestrogen called miroestrol.
Miroestrol is extraordinarily similar in structure and function to a type of estrogen called estriol. There are three types of estrogen in humans: estradiol, estrone and estriol. Of the three, estriol is the weakest. Its weakness, however, is actually its strength. Clinical trials have shown no links between estriol and cancer, and women who have taken it reported few side effects compared with those who took estradiol or estrone as hormone replacement therapies.
What was once just a promising plant that Asian women whispered about, Pueraria mirifica is now refined and formulated to the highest standards and is called Puresterol. Puresterol is available from Longevity Plus International, as H.R.T. Plus (Herbal Remedy from Thailand). H.R.T. Plus has been documented in extensive research to safely eliminate all menopause related symptoms while actually providing anti-cancer protections for the breast and other tissues. It is a S.E.R.M. Beta (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator of the Beta receptor), and provides favorable effects throughout the entire body. It protects against bone loss, depression, insomnia, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and loss of memory.
Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)
This is the herb of choice for the menopausal symptoms of hot flushes and night sweats and there have been a number of good clinical trials that show its effectiveness. Also if you are getting mood swings and anxiety then black cohosh can also be helpful for these symptoms of the menopause.
Black cohosh does not increase oestrogen levels and has no effect on the cells in the vagina or womb. This is important because this is where the risks are with HRT in that it increases oestrogen levels and stimulates tissue in various places in the body including the womb and breast and therefore can increase the risk of cancer. You can therefore be assured that it offers relief from menopause symptoms without oestrogen-like effects.
So how is black cohosh working on the menopausal symptoms if it is not having an oestrogenic effect? It is actually working as a SERM (selective oestrogen receptor modulator). These are substances that can stimulate oestrogen receptors in some parts of the body and not others. So they can block stimulation in places like the womb and breast where it would be unsafe to have cells over-stimulated but they can stimulate oestrogen receptor in other places where you would want stimulation such as the bones and brain. These SERMS are then able to target cells appropriately rather than the HRT approach, which is just to replace hormones.
SERMS are the new drug alternatives to HRT but nature already supplies us with SERMS in the form of black cohosh and foods like phytoestrogens.
And what about some adverse effects on the liver that you read about in the press a while back?
A couple of years ago there were concerns about black cohosh and liver disease. This problem is extremely rare and there have only been four complaints compared to the estimated 9 million treatment days (as it is termed) purchased each year.
When the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), reviewed all the evidence worldwide, it concluded that it was not clear whether black cohosh caused the problem. The National Institutes of Health in the US believes there’s no case to answer and they have stated that black cohosh has few side effects and that ‘liver damage has been reported in a few individuals using black cohosh, but millions of people have taken the herb without apparent adverse health effects. There is no scientific evidence to show that the herb causes liver damage.’
Agnus Castus (Vitex agnus castus)
This herb is classed as an adaptogen as it has a balancing effect on your hormones. It works on the pituitary gland which is the gland that sends the message down to the ovary to release hormones. Agnus castus can help increase certain hormones if they are too low and decrease them if too high. This is particularly helpful in the perimenopause years because your hormones can be fluctuating widely and this herb helps to create a kind of stability. It is also the best herb to take if you are getting mood swings, anxiety and tension.
Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis)
Dong quai is a herb from Traditional Chinese Medicine and is helpful for both the hot flushes and night sweats. It has a long history of traditional use. Research has shown that it not only starts to help reduce the hot flushes and night sweats in one month but it is also helpful for fatigue and disturbed sleep.
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
This herb,which is also easily used as a tea, is helpful in controlling both the hot flushes and night sweats.
Milk thistle (Silymarin marianum)
Again in any situation where you are aiming to balance the female hormones it is so important to add in herbs which can improve liver function. It is your liver that is doing the hard work of detoxifying your hormones so you want to make the job as easy as possible.
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. Caution You should not take any of the above herbs if you are taking, The Pill, Fertility drugs, HRT or any other hormonal treatment or other medication unless they are recommended by a registered, experienced practitioner.