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Menopause and Perimenopause Symptoms Holistic Approach

"I saw these patients who were on estrogen and they were getting swollen breasts and fibrosistic breast disease, they were getting fat around their middle, their hips, their abdomen, losing libido and getting depressed. When they traveled any place and they were sitting any period of time their feet would swell they'd have water retention and all that." Dr. John Lee MD

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Estrogen's Deadly Truth:
a story of deception, betrayal, hidden agendas, propaganda and misinformation

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About MenopauseLinda Page, N.D. Ph.D - "Of the women in menopause today, about half start synthetic hormone replacement, but only half of those stick with it because of the side effects or fear of cancer risk.The threat of breast and uterine cancer is dramatically increased with hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

Dr. Whitaker M.D. - "Women face unique health problems throughout their lives, and conventional medicine's approach to these health problems has been less than exemplary. Much of what conventional medicine offers women can be described as either dangerous over treatment, unnecessary surgeries like hysterectomies, and Cesarean sections, or negligent under treatment, ignoring easily managed problems like low libido, hot flashes, and stress incontinence.

Few women know and truly understand all of women's health alternatives, solutions, treatments, and practical help that is out there. Learn the latest information in medical research and alternative approaches to treating menopause symptoms. Menopause is brought on by low levels of estrogen and progesterone and can cause symptoms such as irregular periods, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, memory loss and difficulty concentrating, insomnia and fatigue, frequent urination, and mood swings. Many women going through the change of life opt for menopause natural remedies for various reasons. Most women choose menopause natural remedies because they are worried about the adverse-side effects of conventional medicine.

synthetic hormone replacement therpay hoax Natural progesterone cream can help balance hormones Natural estrogen does not exist in the body in a vacuum -- progesterone interacts with and mediates the effects of this hormone. Yet many physicians put women on estrogen replacement alone. This is a mistake. Balancing estrogen with progesterone, in concentrations similar to those of the Perimenopause state, is important for the health of your bones, heart, breast tissue and uterus.

Menopause is the point at which women stop ovulating. The menopausal period affects each woman differently. Some start early, some start and stop, but most experience the change around the age of fifty. It usually lasts up to five years. Although estrogen levels drop during the post menopausal period, the hormones do not disappear. Stress puts a burden on the adrenal glands, causing them to overwork. Therefore, the adrenals produce smaller amounts of the hormones that are needed to help reduce the side effects of menopause. Hot flashes can be the result of widespread blood vessel dilation. There’s a growing interest in the natural approach to minimizing the effects of menopause. Many women are concerned about the side effects of conventional medicine and are finding herbal solutions meet their needs remarkably well. This is something Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners have known for thousands of years.

Perimenopause, The menopause transition

With " Perimenopause: Have It, Live It, Love It! ", you can get the answers to all your questions pertaining to perimenopause. You get to understand and respect the changes that are happening to your body. And perhaps, most importantly, you’ll gain the tools you need to carve out your freedom and regain control of your body and your life once more. You'll also learn how you can treat your symptoms WITHOUT the use of drugs and pills. Over 50 home remedies - with recipes and instructions - to help you cope with various perimenopause symptoms.

Before The Change offers the first complete do-it-yourself program for managing PERIMENOPAUSE - the Period of about 10 years leading up to menopause - with proven techniques for understanding and controlling its symptoms without powerful drugs or hormone treatments. "After feeling lousy (headaches, mood swings, anxiety, depression, insomnia, etc.) since the age of 37 (now 43), I had tried everything conceivable to help myself to feel better with minimal and non-lasting results. In early January I happened to come across this book on the net. I immediately purchased this book and then devoured it in all of 2 days, practically highlighting 2/3's of it. I can't tell you how many times, while reading it, I would say to myself, "why don't doctor's and Gyn's tell you this stuff?

One of Dr. Gittleman's recommendations is to increase magnesium intake to help regulate haywire hormones. One "snack food" that is just loaded with magnesium is almonds. I hadn't eaten almonds in years due to their fat content, but I decided to give almonds a try anyway.

And guess what? They worked! And quickly too. Within one month of adding a daily serving of almonds to my diet, my periods regulated again both in frequency and in intensity. The cold flashes subsided too.

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The Hysterectomy Hoax

Women's Health, Estrogen, Progesterone, and MenopauseWhile more than 600,000 hysterectomies are performed each year in the United States, 90 percent of them are unwarranted. This vital health guide offers women the information they need to empower themselves in making critical health decisions. For example, surgery can often do more harm than good and may pose needless risks, except in situations involving a life-threatening illness such as cancer. However, surgeons often rely on hysterectomies as a panacea for everything from Perimenopause syndrome to uterine fibroids. An important step in bridging the communication gap between patient and physician are the specific questions in this book for women to ask their doctors. Included is information about various gynecological conditions with suggestions for alternative treatments, such as endometriosis, uterine prolapse, ovarian cysts, and precancerous conditions.

Read Dr Stanley West M.D book, The Hysterectomy Hoax: The Truth About Why Many Hysterectomies Are Unnecessary and How to Avoid Them before you agree to having a hysterectomy. I have had two doctors recommend that I undergo hysterectomy. I refuse. A woman's uterus is her vital female organ, and there is no reason to have it removed unless there is cancer present. Find a physician who is skilled at performing myomectomies, or consider embolization, but don't let them cut out your uterus. Dr. West gives clear, eye-opening information, and much detail to allow a woman to make an informed decision. Dr. West also gives important information about the after-effects of having a hysterectomy. This is one of the most important books that a woman will ever read."

Dr Stanley West M.D, infertility specialist, chief of reproductive endocrinology at St Vincent's Hospital, New York, and author of The Hysterectomy Hoax, says that about 90 per cent of all hysterectomies are unnecessary. Gynaecological consultants to Ralph Nader's Public Health Research Group reached a similar conclusion in 1991 in their book, Women's Health Alert.

Dr West says that the only 100-per-cent-appropriate reason for performing an hysterectomy is for treating cancer of the reproductive organs.3 However, hysterectomies are all too frequently offered as treatment for a variety of conditions including endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts , pelvic inflammatory disease and uterine prolapse. An estimated 76% of women who are hysterectomized and castrated at the same time. The removed uterus and ovaries, however, are commonly found to be perfectly normal. What is worse, some women have never consented to the removal of any of these organs. And according to the HERS Foundation Data Bank, 99.7% percent of women in an ongoing study were given little or no prior information about the acknowledged adverse effects of hysterectomy - information that is a legal requisite of consent. An estimated 76% of women who are hysterectomized and castrated at the same time. The removed uterus and ovaries, however, are commonly found to be perfectly normal. What is worse, some women have never consented to the removal of any of these organs. And according to the HERS Foundation Data Bank, 99.7% percent of women in an ongoing study were given little or no prior information about the acknowledged adverse effects of hysterectomy - information that is a legal requisite of consent.

Dr Lee, author of Hormone Balance Made Simple has compiled a list of side-effects and physiological impairments which result from taking oestrogen. They include increased risk of endometrial cancer, increased body fat, salt and fluid retention, depression and headaches, impaired blood-sugar control (hypoglycaemia), loss of zinc and retention of copper, reduced oxygen levels in all cells, thickened bile and promoted gall bladder disease, increased likelihood of breast fibrocysts and uterine fibroids, interference with thyroid activity, decreased sex drive, excessive blood-clotting, reduced vascular tone, endometriosis, uterine cramping, infertility, and restraint of osteoclast function.

With so many side-effects and dangerous complications, a woman must think very carefully about the HRT decision. Unfortunately, most doctors will tell her that there is no other alternative. While certainly most doctors are well-meaning and sincerely concerned about their patients, their primary source of education and product information comes directly from the pharmaceutical companies. Since most women also lack essential education and understanding about their options, menopause can be perceived as a rather frightening and perilous time.

An excerpt from . Dr. John Lee's Transcript
John Lee MD - "I saw these patients who were on estrogen and they were getting swollen breasts and fibrosistic breast disease, they were getting fat around their middle, their hips, their abdomen, losing libido and getting depressed. When they traveled any place and they were sitting any period of time their feet would swell they'd have water retention and all that. And it struck me that there's something wrong here.

Also I had patients who couldn't take any estrogen because they've already had breast cancer or diabetes or vascular disorders or obesity, there's all sorts of counter indications for estrogen, gall bladder disease, migraines, hypertension, it goes on and on. So I had with patients osteoporosis who couldn't take estrogen and I was wondering, "what can I do for these patients?" "I can tell them to eat a good diet, I can put them on calcium, I can put them on Vitamin D, I can try and get them off cigarettes" and all these things you're supposed to do. But we knew from the bone mineral density that this was not enough. Bones needed something or they were going to get osteoporosis.

...In my research over the years, learning about progesterone I discovered brain cells concentrate progesterone and testosterone to levels 20 times higher than the blood carries. Now, brain cells wouldn't do this unless the progesterone or testosterone has some function in the brain cell. Why go to the work of drawing that progesterone in, holding it against an osmotic gradient, getting it through the cell membrane into the brain cell unless there is some reason for it?

So now I understood why some of my patients who gave this to their elder mothers and aunts who were in nursing homes, they gave it to them for their bones or because it's so wonderful for skin, it hydrates skin again, makes skin much better, these elderly women all became much more alert and aware. Women who were content to just to lie in bed all day and couldn't keep track of the conversation with their niece or whatever, after a week or so of being on progesterone they're up leading discussions on the headlines and the latest in book reviews.

The classic bestseller that has helped nearly a million women discover the answer to menopause is now revised and updated. Hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, low sex drive, hair loss, fibroids, and osteoporosis-most women will experience these or other hormone- related problems at some point as they age. In clear, easy-to-understand language, an internationally recognized expert explains the benefits of using progesterone and other natural hormones to reduce or eliminate menopausal symptoms safely and effectively-without the harmful side effects created by commonly used synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Dr. Lee explains why conventional HRT drugs can be harmful and offers an easy-to-follow non-prescription 'Hormone Balance' program that tells readers how to stay energized, strong, and sexually vigorous during the menopausal years and beyond.

The Hormonally Vulnerable Woman

Natural Hormone Balance Relief at last for PMS, mood swings, fatigue, hair loss, adult acne, unwanted hair, female pain, migraine, weight gain, ... all the problems of perimenopause.

According to Geoffrey Redmond, M.D., a majority of the 42 million American women between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five suffer from vulnerability to their own hormones. Appearance, emotions -- and even sex drive -- may be affected. Symptoms include thinning hair, persistent acne, mood swings, low energy, loss of pleasure in sex, weight gain, irregular periods, and pain. While the media has emphasized the problems of menopause, Dr. Redmond explains that all too many women experience hormonal miseries even in their thirties. Lab tests are often normal because the problem is not the hormones themselves but how a woman's body reacts to them. Healthy, active women suddenly find that once quiescent hormones have taken over control of their lives. Because their problems are often dismissed as trivial, women who are hormonally vulnerable are frequently thwarted in their quest for help. Too often they are brushed off with remarks such as, "Your tests are normal; there's nothing wrong with you." This is tragic because, as Dr. Redmond demonstrates, hormonal balance can nearly always be restored with the treatments he details, which include individualized use of prescription medications, herbal supplements, lifestyle changes, and even spiritual practices. Many women have heard that testosterone can help sex drive, but most have not been warned about the damage that careless testosterone therapy can cause on skin and hair.

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Natural Progesterone: The Multiple Roles of a Remarkable Hormone

For the past 15 years, Dr Lee has conducted independent research into a natural, plant-derived form of progesterone. His non-pharmaceutically-funded research presents a much broader understanding of a woman's hormonal options and offers a totally safe, effective alternative that is free of all side-effects. He has found that this natural hormone-used in conjunction with a good diet and lifestyle changes-is capable of eliminating much of the suffering associated both with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menopause. Thousands of women in the Western world now use natural progesterone-generally in the form of a non-prescription cream which is rubbed into the body. They claim that they not only have relief from female symptoms but experience increased vitality, better skin and renewed emotional balance.

Natural progesterone seems to have been totally overlooked by medical science while the erroneous focus has been on oestrogen. Considering that it is non-patentable and inexpensive, it not surprising that this is so. It is important, however, to have a much greater understanding and appreciation for this remarkable hormone.

At this point, it is important to make the distinction between the natural progesterone that is produced by the body and the synthetic progesterone analogues classified as progestins, such as Provera, Duphaston and Primulut. As you will learn, there is a big difference between the two in their effect in the body, although doctors most often use their names interchangeably. Since natural progesterone is not a patentable product, the pharmaceutical companies have molecularly altered it to produce synthetic progestins commonly used in contraceptives and HRT.

Synthetic progestins, because they are not exact replicas of the body's natural progesterone, unfortunately create a long list of side effects, some of which are quite severe. A partial list includes headaches, depression, fluid retention, increased risk of birth defects and early abortion, liver dysfunction, breast tenderness, breakthrough bleeding, acne, hirsutism (hair growth), insomnia, edema, weight changes, pulmonary embolism and premenstrual-like syndrome.

Most importantly, progestins lack the intrinsic physiological benefits of progesterone, thus they cannot function in the major biosynthetic pathways as progesterone does and they disrupt many fundamental processes in the body. Progesterone is an essential hormone that also plays a part in the development of healthy nerve cells and brain and thyroid function. Progestins tend to block the body's ability to produce and utilize natural progesterone to maintain these life promoting functions."

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What About Conventional Treatment
Dr. Whitaker M.D.

Women face unique health problems throughout their lives, and conventional medicine's approach to these health problems has been less than exemplary. Much of what conventional medicine offers women can be described as either dangerous over treatment, unnecessary surgeries like hysterectomies and Cesarean sections, or negligent under treatment — ignoring easily managed problems like low libido, hot flashes, and stress incontinence.

The most common form of estrogen given to postmenopausal women is conjugated estrogen, which is made from the urine of pregnant mares, and the most popular brand of conjugated estrogen is Premarin. This type of estrogen is great for horses, but not for women. Likewise, the most popular form of progesterone given to postmenopausal women, Provera, isn't actually progesterone at all, it's a synthetic compound called progestin, and it has more than 30 negative side effects listed in the Physicians' Desk Reference, the doctors' Bible of drug information.

You can prevent the health problems associated with menopause by using the many natural hormone replacement products available that are far safer and just as effective as their synthetic counterparts. Most conventional doctors will not tell you about natural HRT as an option, so it's up to you to request natural hormones from your doctor.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Linda Page, N.D. Ph.D "Premarin, an estrogen replacement drug for menopausal women made from pregnant mare's urine, is the top selling drug of any kind in the U.S. But justifiable controversy about synthetic hormone replacement may mean that the threat of breast and uterine cancer is dramatically increased with HRT. In 51 studies covering 21 countries involving more than 52,000 women with breast cancer and 108,000 women without breast cancer, women who used Premarin for 5 years or longer had a 35% higher risk of developing cancer than women who had never been on HRT. (Good news! The higher risk for breast cancer diminished and largely disappeared after about 5 years off HRT treatment.) Most women don't know that Premarin, is made from pregnant mare's urine, and that the mares are kept in horrendous conditions - their foals are sold for slaughter. Premarin is the most prescribed of all drugs in America today. The mares are artificially inseminated and forced to spend their 11-month pregnancies in stalls so small they cannot turn. If they try to lie down, their heads are jolted upright by their halter chains. Long lines of pregnant horses stand, chained and strapped into cramped concrete and steel pens like rows of four-legged galley slaves. They shuffle uncomfortably from hoof to hoof. A forlorn look fills their eyes as they stare. Their coats are dull, their ears droopy - tell-tale signs of a horse's misery. Many get sore, swollen legs or become crippled from standing, months on end, in their tiny concrete stalls. The mares are kept constantly thirsty. They are denied water so that their urine becomes thick."

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Natural Remedies for Menopause

A number of supplements can be taken to prevent, lessen, or even reverse the symptoms of peri and actual menopause. Many work to help the body increase its progesterone levels, thus diminishing the state of estrogen-dominance. Others contain plant estrogens, which do not appear to disturb the progesterone/estrogen balance.

  • Flaxseed oil is at the top of the list for prostaglandin replenishment. It is an excellent remedy for depression and fatigue, and it is also good for the skin and the immune system. Additionally, flaxseed oil is known to lower cholesterol and to make insulin more effective.
  • Evening primrose oil can alleviate symptoms of perimenopause that surface around the time of the menstrual cycle, such as headaches, cramping, irritability, and water retention.
  • Coral Calcium Complex The natural balance of 72 minerals is important because each mineral requires other minerals to do it's job and in turn, those minerals require different supporting minerals. All minerals must be present for any one mineral to work properly. Calcium is the most plentiful of minerals in Coral Complex 3.
  • Fulvic Acid and Shilajit. Scientists theorize that mineral deficiency subjects us to more diseases, aging, sickness and destruction of our physical well-being than any other factor in personal health. A great many known aliments, around 60, are directly linked to mineral deficiency. To the science of living cells, fulvic acids are vital in bringing substantial amounts of nutrients and minerals into water solution and delivering their living energies to the living cells. Fulvic acid assists every stage of cellular metabolism and is the most powerful, natural electrolyte known. It restores electrical balance to damaged cells, neutralizes toxins and can eliminate food poisoning within minutes.
  • Other supplements which are beneficial during menopause are royal jelly and bee pollen.
  • Natural Herbal Solution just for Women: Thyroid Problems - Varicose Veins - Urinary Infections - Skin Wrinkles / Skin Damage - Sexual Desire / Fulfillment for Women - Yeast Infections / Candida / Candidiasis - Menopause and much more
  • Natural Woman Progesterone is an easily absorbed body cream containing plant based progesterone used to help relieve the symptoms of Menopause, PMS and Osteoporosis. Women along with medical experts and researchers are finding natural progesterone cream solves your menopausal and PMS related problems. Most importantly, medical researchers report that natural progesterone counteracts estrogen dominance. Dr. Lee started to use progesterone cream to treat the symptoms of PMS and menopause and achieved impressive results. Hundreds of women have written enthusiastic letters to Dr. Lee telling him how their PMS and menopause symptoms disappeared when they used progesterone cream (hot flashes, fibrocystic lumps, poor libido, mood swings and much more.)
  • Zinc also helps to increase progesterone levels and lower estrogen. Between 15 and 50 mg a day should be taken to optimize the immune system and build strong bones.
  • Goji - In Traditional Chinese Medicine, many menopause symptoms are ascribed to a deficiency of kidney yin. For ages, Goji (lycium) has been the yin tonic of choice to restore hormonal balance.
  • Vitamin B6 increases progesterone levels and enhances serotonin production to create a sense of calm.
  • Vitamin E is a mild form of hormone replacement therapy in a bottle.
  • Vitamin C, especially Ester C in large amounts (up to 5,000 mg a day taken in divided doses throughout the day) is a must for keeping the immune system in tip-top shape.
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Soy Supplements Fail to Help Menopause Symptoms

Soy is promoted as a healthy alternative to estrogen replacement for some women as a way to minimize menopause symptoms, and as a healthier, low-fat protein alternative for meats and poultry. But what all the positive stories fail to mention is that there is a very real, but very overlooked downside to the heavy or long-term use of soy products. Soy Supplements Fail to Help Menopause Symptoms and soy products increase the risk of thyroid disease. And this danger is particularly great for infants on soy formula. This is not information that the powerful and profitable U.S. soy industry wants you to know. The sale of soy products is big business, and the increasing demand for soy protein products, soy powders and soy isoflavone supplements is making that an even more profitable business than ever before.

Homeopathy for Menopause Symptoms

Homeopaths treat the menopausal symptoms by constitutional treatment. This is the process by which a homeopathic physician selects and administers a woman's own constitutional remedy based on the totality of her symptoms and her physical, mental and emotional state. This strengthen the body's vital defenses and restore a healthy balance and sense of well-being. Most of the major homeopathic remedies may be used for the symptoms of menopause.

Homeopathy is an art and a science. Consult a homeopathic physician to determine appropriate remedy for you as each case is different. At the hands of a skilled homeopathic practitioner homeopathy can do miracles. Unless you are familiar with homeopathy, it is always best to consult with a professional homeopath instead of attempting to do it on your own as you could mess things up.

Menopause and Homeopathy

Menopause and homeopathy Homeopathy is a versatile form of natural medicine that offers people the tools to take care of many different conditions and ailments. Menopause, is not an ailment, but rather, a natural milestone in a woman's life. Dr. Ikenze gives information about the hormonal changes in a woman's life as well as the various approaches that are available currently to treat the unpleasant symptoms that some women experience. nd thighs), heavy bleeding (worse than a woman's former period), PMS-like symptoms, migraine headaches, uterine and breast fibroids, and low libido are all reported by women taking hormone drugs. Unless you have specific, extenuating circumstances (only about 6% of American women do), a natural menopause may be the best way. Even women who don't have a symptom-free menopause say they feel younger and more energetic when they address their menopausal changes with natural remedies. If you are about to be confronted with the great Hormone Replacement Therapy choice, consider carefully before you agree. Once again, less estrogen production (especially estradiol), during menopause may be Nature's way of protecting women from hormone-involved diseases like breast and uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and breast, ovarian or uterine cancers.

I believe plant hormones may be the best answer. The best option, in my opinion, is a combination of phyto-hormone (estriol) rich herbs that can help a broad spectrum of a woman's needs during menopause. Around the world, in every culture throughout history, plant hormones have helped support women through the discomforts of menopause. Plants like wild yams, and herbs like black cohosh, ginseng, licorice root and dong quai, have a safety record of centuries.