menopause

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A Natural Approach to Menopause

The transition from fertility to infertility, perimenopause, is a time of

wild hormone swings as a woman's body produces less and less estrogen. If a

woman's body is in balance (healthy) then as Henry Bieler, M.D., said in his

book, Food Is Your Best Medicine, " The 'normal' menopause in the healthy

woman is symptomless. The periods simply stop. That is all. "

But, you and I know that most women today are not entirely healthy because

of our modern toxic lifestyles (nutritional & emotional stress and pollution

in our food, air & water). Such stress can cause the body to be out of

balance. Thus, during menopause, women may go through a long list of

problems, among them hot flashes, dry skin, facial blemishes, insomnia,

depression, and lapses in memory.

For years, women thought they had only two choices for dealing with

menopause: avoid taking synthetic hormones altogether and suffer the

occasional debilitating effects of menopause or accept a prescription for

Premarin (an estrogen derived from pregnant mares' urine) and Provera

(synthetic progesterone) and with it perhaps an increased risk of some

cancers.

There are, however, other choices than the ones mainstream allopathic

medicine has to offer. Women should bring their bodies back to balance

through detoxification (get the liver, kidney, intestinal tract, and lungs

to do their detox jobs better). How? Detox organs will work effectively

in your body if you include superfoods in your diet. Superfoods such as

flaxseeds, soy-derived products like tempeh and miso, wild crafted blue

green algae (http://tinyurl.com/g1iz and http://tinyurl.com/a78qa),

artichokes, asparagus, apples, siberian gingseng, parsley, walnuts (raw and

unsalted), and wheat germ (raw & organic). These particular foods contain

phytochemicals that will help balance the diminishing estrogen levels a

woman experiences beginning approximately at age 30.

Each day, consume 2 tablespoons of ground organic flaxseeds (grind in a

coffee grinder) and sprinkled on soups or salads. Drink miso soup or eat

tempeh. Drink a high quality fruit and/or vegetable smoothie containing

wild crafted blue green algae. Soy sprouts added to your morning drinks

contain two of the most active phytoestrogens - genistein and daidzein.

Organic soy sprouts is in most green drinks. You could also sprinkle a

tablespoon of a green powder mix (http://tinyurl.com/6j9t5) on salads or a

sandwich. Soy sprouts are the only unheated sources of phytoestrogens. Use

a green drink mixed in a liquid of choice twice a day, once before breakfast

and again midafternoon. Add organic and raw wheat germ to your salads.

Wheat germ is abundant with Vitamin E. Vitamin E is effective in reducing

hot flashes and many other menopausal symptoms.

Enzyme therapy can also help with reducing menopausal symptoms. Dr.

Lee in her book, The Enzyme Cure, says that many women benefit from taking

extra enzymes on an empty stomach several times during the day. For

example, protease and/or lipase enzymes which are often deficient during

menopause, can be replaced by enzyme supplementation

(http://tinyurl.com/ey8l).

" Calcium is carried in blood partly as an ionic (salt) and partly as

protein-bound calcium. Protease, the enzyme that digests protein, supplies

both the required digested protein for protein-bound calcium and adequate

acidity required for the ionic or salt form. Lipase is required to carry

calcium across the intestinal wall and for the production of female

hormones. " (p.179).

What can you do for vaginal dryness and thinning? Buy unheated virgin

coconut oil and apply as a topical lubricant. The coconut oil must be

unheated to be effective. Some doctors recommend vitamin E as a topical

lubricant, but coconut oil is more natural and it doesn't oxidize as other

oils when exposed to light and oxygen.

Avoid the intake of foods known to exacerbate menopause symptoms such as

spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, sugar, dairy foods, and fatty

meat. Also avoid soft drinks, which contain large amounts of phosphates

that contribute to osteoporosis.

Women certainly have many " Natural " options other than hormone drugs for

relieving menopause symptoms. Be patient and understand that it took years

to create a toxic imbalanced body and it will take some time working with

foods to bring your body back to balance. Proper natural diet, regular

exercise and whole food supplements can certainly help women take control

of their own health.

References:

Health and Healing, Hormone Replacement Therapy: You Have Other Options - by

Jane Heimlick.

The Enzyme Cure - Lee, Ph.D.