Menopause Symptoms

Uterine fibroids affect 30–40 percent of women by age 50. However, fibroids rarely cause symptoms, so they’re often overlooked. Their growth is triggered by estrogen dominance, since estrogen is a growth-stimulating hormone. Estrogen dominance is a common hormonal imbalance during perimenopause, and fibroids often disappear on their own after menopause.

The problem with fibroids occurs when they get big enough or numerous enough to cause pain or increased bleeding during or between periods. Some women also experience more frequent urination or changes in bowel habits because of the enlarged fibroids pressing against the bladder or colon.

Many doctors recommend a hysterectomy to remove fibroids and prevent new ones from forming—after all, if you don’t have a uterus, you can’t have uterine fibroids. But hysterectomies can cause so many other problems in the long term, that I truly believe that they should be reserved only for extremely severe cases that cannot be resolved with any other treatments. Today and in the days to come, I am going to give you my top 5 recommendations for safely, naturally, and effectively dealing with uterine fibroids. 

#1: Eat for hormonal balance. One key to bringing estrogen levels back into balance is to avoid foods that stimulate estrogen production and raise estrogel levels, such as alcohol, sugar, and saturated fats. Let your meals revolve around phytoestrogens—substances that are chemically and functionally similar to a woman’s own natural estrogen, except that natural plant estrogens are much weaker and less potent. Phytoestrogens soften estrogen’s effects. Fibroid tissue is studded with estrogen receptors, and phytoestrogens bind to those receptors, displacing the more potent estrogen.

Colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains such as buckwheat and ground flax meal are great phytoestrogen sources that are also rich in the vitamins and minerals needed to balance estrogen levels, strengthen capillaries, and reduce uterine bleeding. As for supplements, I recommend 4–6 tablespoons of ground flaxseed, or 700–3,000 mg of bioflavonoids taken in divided doses.

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.
 

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. 
 

• Eat organic as often as possible, especially when it comes to animal-based products such as meat, eggs, dairy, etc.
• Limit (if not avoid) caffeine and alcohol consumption. Aim for no more one or two caffeinated or alcoholic beverage per week.
• Use natural beauty care products.
• Choose natural, chemical-free household products as often as possible.

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.

• Wheat Contributes to False Fat. When you think of inflammation, you most likely think of swelling around a knee or bruise. The fact is, no matter where an injury occurs, the physical manifestations are the same—pain, stiffness, and swelling. When injury occurs in the intestinal tract, the abdomen and midriff can swell, which in turn can cause puffiness of the upper body, face, and extremities. This is what Dr. Lark refers to as “false fat.”
• Wheat Injures Your Liver. When liver function is impaired and cannot fully detoxify certain compounds of your diet, toxic byproducts will accumulate in your body. When the liver stores too much glucose, it must work harder to produce bile and essential digestive enzymes. Over time, this maltreatment takes its toll on the liver, resulting in damage to the liver cells, which in turns manifests as inflammation.
• Wheat Worsens Chronic Fatigue. Women with chronic fatigue have difficulty digesting wheat, which is highly allergenic and difficult for the body to process. Because allergens stress your adrenals, you end up increasing your susceptibility to stress of all types, which can lead to fatigue and low energy.
• Wheat Worsens Mood Disorders. Mood-related menopause symptoms are worsened by wheat, especially in nutritionally sensitive women. Menopausal women seem to be more at risk for wheat-related mood shifts, due in part to their growing inability to produce enough enzymes that are needed to digest wheat properly and easily.
• Wheat and Migraines. Studies indicate that an astounding 80 to 93 percent of women suffering from migraines also suffer from food allergies that trigger their headaches, and wheat is one of the most common allergens that affects migraineurs. This means that removing wheat from your diet may possibly be the single most important steps you can take to eradicate migraines once and for all.