MENOPAUSE                                                                 

 

What is menopause?

http://www.menopause-online.com/herbther.htm

Just as spring is a transitional from winter to summer, menopause is a transition period in a woman's life. While the menstrual cycle functions to renew the system on a monthly basis, menopause offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for renewal. This period begins with hormonal fluctuation in her forties and culminating in the secession of menstrual periods around age fifty.
The menopausal transition involves many psychological and physical challenges. "Empty nest syndrome" or care of an elderly parent can make this a time of introspection. While hot flashes and vaginal dryness will bother some women, all women face an increasing risk of bone loss and heart disease. Medically we work to overcome some of the stumbling blocks that may be encountered. This is accomplished by a three-step process: preparation, alleviation of symptoms and prevention of disease.
Traditionally this has been done with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Over the years, we have come to find that most women will not take HRT and many may not need it. This prompted us to implement a more comprehensive approach.
Integrative medicine is a new field that seeks to take the best from traditional medicine and "alternative" practices. We use established preventative health interventions such as nutrition, exercise and life style changes. These are combined with proven alternative methods of treatment including naturopathy, homeopathy, herbs and acupuncture. Added are mind/body or behavioral medicine and spirituality. The end result is a complete package individually tailored to fit each patient.
The benefits of the integrated approach are clearly illustrated in a more sophisticated three-step process. The preparation phase includes working through feelings that can arise during the pre menstrual days each month. These feelings will return with greater intensity in the perimenopausal period if not dealt with in advance. Alleviating symptoms can take many forms. Some women with irregular bleeding may benefit from natural micronized progesterone. This therapy can help counter balance high estrogen levels and regulate bleeding. Micronized progesterone is now widely available by prescription in capsule or cream. Increasing ones consumption of "Phytoestrogens", or plant estrogens in the diet can mitigate hot flashes. Phytoestrogens found in soy foods and other legumes and can smooth moderate estrogen fluctuations and decrease hot flashes. The herb black cohosh, another phytoestrogen has been the subject of several German studies. Also, evoking the" relaxation response" through meditation, yoga, or focused breathing has been shown to decrease the frequency and severity of hot flashes.
Next month we will go into the integrative approach to preventing diseases associated with menopause.