Menopause Relief

Did you know that taking conventional hormone replacement therapy increases your risk for stroke?  In fact, preliminary studies show that in younger females, estrogen actually protects brain tissue traumatized by stroke, but after menopause estrogen becomes neurotoxic: It takes the area of the brain damaged by stroke and actually enlarges it.

It is important to remember that conventional hormone replacement therapy does not cure menopause symptoms, it only postpones them. For the majority of women, menopause symptoms come back when they discontinue hormone therapy, whether they quit cold-turkey or gradually wean off. But alternative therapies, such as supplements and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, actually target the causative hormonal imbalance, rather than the symptoms.

Review all my menopause-related entries in this blog, and my Web site, for more information about natural solutions for menopause relief.
 

Considering how much news comes out on the consequences of taking conventional hormone replacement therapy, I think it is important to stay abreast of the latest research on the subject. Ovarian cancer and asthma are just two more reasons to choose natural hormone therapy methods, like bioidentical hormone replacement.

A study of nearly a million women showed that even if hormone replacement therapy is taken for less than a year, and even if it’s low dose, it brings a significant increase in ovarian cancer risk. That’s irrespective of dosing frequency (daily vs. cyclic), mode of delivery (skin patch, pills, vaginal preparation, or hormone intrauterine device), and whether the formula’s estrogen is countered by progesterone. The cause-and-effect relationship between hormone replacement therapy and ovarian cancer was confirmed by the finding that after a woman has been off of it for two years, her increased ovarian cancer risk drops back to her original risk level. Ovarian cancer remains the deadliest of a woman’s hormone-sensitive cancers.

As for asthma, it has been known for several years that conventional hormone replacement therapy significantly increases a woman’s odds of developing asthma after menopause, even if she has no respiratory allergies. In a recent study of nearly 60,000 asthma-free women entering menopause, taking conventional hormone replacement not only increased their risk of developing asthma by 20 percent, but that risk rose to 54 percent if the hormone therapy consisted of estrogen without progesterone. And, if a woman already had some form of allergies before starting estrogen replacement therapy, her risk of developing asthma went up by a whopping 86 percent.

All the more reason to use natural hormone replacement therapy, or safe, effective alternatives for menopause releif, like black cohosh and the many other nutrients I discuss in this blog!

 

Vaginal dryness and loss of tone in the vagina are some effects of menopause that many women don't like to take about. In fact, a reader of my newsletter recently wrote in asking for my opinions on vaginal rejuvenation, which is a procedure that surgically tightens up the vaginal muscles to enhance sexual pleasure.

It is true that vaginal muscles can become stretched after birthing babies, and also due to age and fluctuating estrogen levels. However, libido and sexual pleasure are influenced by many factors, not just the "tightness" of the vagina. If you feel you need to enhance your sexual pleasure, I suggest trying natural methods first before resorting to risky surgeries like vaginal rejuvenation.

Some of the best nutrients to try include Mucuna pruriens, a concentrated natural form of L-dopa (300 mg per day in capsule form, standardized to 60 mg L-dopa; L-arginine (500 mg one to three times daily); and maca (2 to 10 grams per day). 

To learn more about how to achieve menopause relief naturally, visit my Web site.

• It does not reduce a woman's risk of heart disease. While it can improve HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, these improvements are not associated with fewer heart attacks or other heart problems.
• It increases a woman’s risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots.
• It does not reverse pre-existing heart disease.
• It raises levels of C-reactive protein, an indicator of inflammation that is a strong predictor of a future heart attack.
• It increases the risk of invasive breast cancer.
• It increases the likelihood of an abnormal mammogram after just one year of use.
• It increases risk of gallbladder disease by 40 percent.

Research shows that watching what you eat--and, in particular, eating certain types of foods--can help relieve and prevent menopause symptoms. Today and in the coming days, I will give you my top 3 food recommendations for menopause relief. Let's start with the first:

#1 Food for Menopause Relief: Beans and Legumes

Soybean-based products actually help reduce and prevent menopause symptoms. Soybeans are loaded with plant-based phytoestrogens  called isoflavones. These compounds bind to estrogen receptors in the body and act as a substitue form of estrogen in estrogen-deficient women.

Legumes are also excellent foods for menopausal women. Common types are garbanzo beans, kidney beans, lima beans, black beans, and lentils. These foods provide essential nutrients needed by women in menopause, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, and zinc.

For more information on diet and foods for menopause relief, visit my Web site. 
 

Acupuncture (usually a minimum of six treatments) reduces the frequency and severity of hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and sleep disturbances by about 50 percent. An impressive 80 percent of people who try acupuncture significantly benefit—which makes it more than worth your while to give it a shot if you suffer from difficult menopause symptoms. Consider these statistics from recently published studies:

• A Swedish university study found that electroacupuncture reduced hot flashes by half.
• In Norway, individualized electroacupuncture reduced hot flashes by 77 percent.
• At Harvard and Stanford medical schools, university clinicians of Chinese descent collaborated on a study of acupuncture for nighttime hot flashes. Compared to placebo’s 6 percent improvement, acupuncture reduced nighttime hot flash severity by 28 percent.
• In another Stanford study by clinicians of Chinese descent, women who averaged seven moderate to severe hot flashes per day were randomized into seven-week sham versus real acupuncture treatment. The sham group had only a 4.4 percent reduction in severity of hot flashes, versus 24.5 percent in the real treatment group.

This exercise helps relieve menopause hot flashes by stimulating the entire endocrine system. It involves a very powerful point for the pituitary gland, the master regulator of your ovaries. This point also helps relax the emotional tension that you may feel as an effect of menopause. Finally, you may also experience relief from eye strain and headaches using this pressure point.

1. Sit upright in a chair.
2. With your right hand, hold the point directly between your eyebrows, where the bridge of your nose meets your forehead.
3. Hold for one to three minutes.

This acupressure exercise relieves menopause hot flashes and night sweats.

1. Sit on the floor with your knees bent. With your right hand, hold the point below your little toe (on the underside of your foot). Hold for one to three minutes.
2. With your right hand, hold the point above your middle toe, on the top of your foot. Hold for one to three minutes, then move your hand to the point behind your ankle bone. Again, hold for one to three minutes.
3. With your left hand, hold the point on your right hand on the outside of your fourth finger.

Repeat this sequence on the left side of your body.

For more information on menopause relief, effects of menopause, or menopause related problems, visit Dr. Lark's Web site. While there, you can also sign up for Dr. Lark's FREE eLetter or monthly newsletter.