The Magic of Menopause

Health Notes is the leading provider of science-based information on healthy living. Gathered from scientific studies published in over 550 peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals. Visit Health Notes for drug interactions

Health Care Directory Our Approach Contact Us

What is menopause and how should a woman approach this special time in her life?

By Dr. Camilla Parham, MD

Starting with the basics is important. As women, we are often not told enough information about our bodies, and it is embarrassing and disempowering to lack important information. So let us begin with the actual definition of menopause:

Menopause is the time in a woman's life that begins with cessation of her menses if she is over forty years old. Menopause can occur anytime between forty and 65, and the average age at menopause in the United States is 51. If a woman stops menstruating for over a year younger than age 40, this is called "primary ovarian failure" and is treated very differently.

Primary ovarian failure is a pathologic state (an illness). Menopause is not. It is, interestingly, the third physiologic process in a woman's life to be "appropriated" by conventional medicine, and pathologized. First was menstruation, which went from being ignored by physicians to being the source of an alphabet soup of disorders: PMS, PMDD, PCOS, etc (another newsletter topic, for another issue). Then pregnancy and childbirth went from being normal processes to being illness, best managed by conventional M.D.'s in a hospital setting.

Like menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth, each woman is different and may have her own unique experience of this time of change, metamorphosis, and transformation. On average, one third of American women will go through menopause without any symptoms to speak of, and will simply experience cessation of the menses. Another one third will have mild symptoms of hot flashes, irregularity to menstruation, before it ceases completely, insomnia (often triggered by the hot flashes), vascular headaches, some "fogginess" of mind (transient-this resolves after menopause!), and vaginal dryness. The final third of American women experience more serious manifestations of the problems described, requiring more intensive health support.

When we are told what is happening to our bodies during menopause, it is often described as an "estrogen deficiency state". The truth of the matter is, our estrogen levels go down after menopause, but we still have small amounts circulating in our bodies, provided by our ovaries (if we still have them), and by estrogen stored in fat cells. What does not get discussed is the fact that our metamorphosis into menopause is also a time of sky high levels of two other hormones: follicle stimulating (FSH), and lutenizing hormone (FSH). It is a measurement of these two hormones, from blood testing, that conventional doctors most often use to assess where a woman might be, along her journey into menopause.

The Politics of Menopause

Before the mid 1980's, the support given by conventional medical doctors for women with serious menopausal symptoms was usually valium, an anti-anxiety medication. Their complaints were often not taken terribly seriously, and menopause was not seen as a disease.

From the mid 1980's through last year, conventional medicine favored treatment with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Since the advent of the drug "premarin", the most popular brand of HRT on the market today, menopause has been treated by conventional medicine is an illness, from which women must be rescued.-- all women. In marketing the HRT drugs, the media has implied that HRT will keep a woman "forever feminine", minimizing the changes of aging, sagging sex drive, and memory loss, in addition to preventing heart disease, and osteoporosis.

Conventional medicine has just gone through a bit of a flip flop.

In 2004, a National Institute of Health study underway for three years and designed to go forward into the future for seven more, recording the effects of estrogen on menopausal women was stopped prematurely. Women in the study showed a statistically unacceptable increase in the rates of breast cancer and heart disease.

Before the NIH study, women seeing conventional gynecologists, internists and family doctors were being pressured to start HRT as a preventative measure, being encouraged to use these hormones during the perimenopausal years (while still menstruating, but approaching age 50....) and to stay on these hormones for the rest of their lives. After the NIH study, these same women found themselves struggling not to be cut off of these medications "cold turkey", as the very same doctors changed their recommendations to use of HRT for serious menopausal symptoms only, and for no longer than 3 to 5 years.

Current recommendations apply to SYNTHETIC estrogen replacement therapy, which is made from the urine of pregnant horses (hence the name PREgnant MARe's urINe or "premarin"), which contain not only estrogens found in humans, but several estrogens found only in horses. Some alternative healers believe that the risks associated with use of the synthetic hormones are related to these horse estrogens, which may stimulate inflammatory processes in the human body. Some alternative and conventional healers therefore recommend BIOIDENTICAL hormone replacement therapy. This is HRT made from plants, and containing only the estrogens found in humans. At the present time, there are not "scientific, double-blind, randomized controlled studies" that speak clearly to the safety of such bio-identical therapy, relative to the synthetic HRT.

So, use of ANY HRT must be undertaken with full knowledge that the data is not clear on longer term effects of these therapies.

Tried and True Therapies

So, remembering that MENOPAUSE IS NOT AN ILLNESS, it is comforting to know that outside the storm of controversy around HRT--synthetic or bio-identical--lies a treasure trove of alternative therapies, used by millions of women, around the world, for thousands of years, for this time in our lives. Lifestyle changes are important: quit smoking, decrease alcohol use, increase exercise, stay active sexually-- meaning have orgasms regularly, alone or in relationship-use stress reduction techniques. A healthy diet is vital: eat organic, avoiding additives, reduce or eliminate red meat and increase vegetables grains, and fruit, reduce caffeine, refined sugar, and salt, and decrease carbonated drinks ( they leach minerals from our bones).

Kathleen Fry and Claudia Wingo , in "Menopause, Naturally" offer the following tips for a healthy perimenopause:

1. Quit smoking
2. Control stress
3. Meditate
4. Be positive
5. Laugh often
6. Nuture your spirit
7. Continue to grow
8. Be physical

There are many herbs from various traditions and cultures that heal, during the menopausal metamorphosis. Black Cohosh, a Native American herb, is useful for hot flashes, headaches, palpitations, sleep disturbances and irritability. Wild yam, a central and South American herb, is useful for digestive troubles, fatigue, and hot flashes. Chasteberry or vitex is very good for hot flashes and relief of vaginal dryness. Vervain, from ancient Egypt, helps with headaches and insomnia. Dong Quai, from traditional Chinese medicine, is a "yin tonic", and helps with fatigue.

Black Cohosh - (cimicifuga racemosa)

Specific symptom relief is also available through acupuncture and acupressure, homeopathic remedies, yoga and ayurvedic medicine, Maya abdominal massage, bodywork therapies, and energy therapies, such as Reiki and therapeutic touch.

The Magic of Menopause

Anyone seen the bumper stickers that say "They're not hot flashes-they're POWER SURGES"?

There is growing science to suggest that this is true. The FSH and LH hormones that go "sky high" during the menopausal metamorphosis are biochemically active on brain cells. This means that the actual chemistry of our brains functions differently postmenopause, than before menopause. Candace Pert, PhD, and Joan Borysenko, M.D. suggest a "grandmother hypothesis". They theorize that it was an evolutionary ADVANTAGE for women to stop their biological creativity around 50 in favor of becoming elders in the tribe, thousands and thousands of years ago. The post-menopausal brain is able to recall events from long term memory more easily, can problem solve more efficiently, and (most impressive?) the entire right side of the brain-our more intuitive side-lights up differently on a PET scan study.

So eat well, keep a positive attitude, use alternative therapies for symptom support as needed, and look forward to your Wise Woman days. They should be an entire third of your life!

Dr. Camilla Parham provides insight on current health care issues as a consultant for Heartspring.net. Camilla is a family doctor with 20 years experience in conventional and alternative health care. Board certified in both holistic medicine (American Board of Holistic Medicine) and in family practice (American Board of Family Practice), she enthusiastically joins the Heartspring.net team. Dr. Parham is also currently launching a new venture: "Health Care for Human Beings."

[Top]

The anti-carcinogenic activity of green tea catechins

Green Tea - (camellia sinensis)

Cancer Research. 2005 March 15;65(6):2059-64.

A naturally occurring gallated polyphenols isolated from green tea leaves, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has been shown to be an inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) activity in vitro at concentrations found in the serum and tissues of green tea drinkers (0.1-1.0 micromol/L). These data provide the first evidence that the prophylactic effect of green tea drinking on certain forms of cancer, suggested by epidemiologic studies, is due to the inhibition of DHFR by EGCG and could also explain why tea extracts have been traditionally used in "alternative medicine" as anticarcinogenic/antibiotic agents or in the treatment of conditions such as psoriasis.

Chemopreventive effect of green tea against cigarette smoke-induced mutations in humans.

J Cell Biochem Suppl, 130():68-75

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is consumed daily between the meals or after meals in Japan and other Asian countries. In recent years, green tea and its major polyphenolics have been demonstrated to prevent chemically induced tumors in a variety of experimental animal model systems. The exact mechanism(s) of its anticarcinogenic activity remains to be elucidated, but green tea polyphenolics have demonstrated antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, and antipromotional effects, including inhibition of Phase I and inducing Phase II enzymes. Enzyme activities of glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and quinone reductase, and glutathione S-transferase are also induced. However, a paucity of green tea effects in humans prompted us to investigate antimutagenic effects of green tea against smoke-induced mutation in humans. Chemopreventive effects of green tea and coffee among cigarette smokers were examined in 52 clinically healthy male subjects between 20-51 years of age. Blood specimens were obtained from non-smokers (Group I), smokers (II), smokers consuming green tea (III), and smoker/coffee drinkers (IV). The mean years of cigarette smoking ( 10 cigarettes/day) of Groups II, III, and IV ranged from 13.4-14.7 years. Daily intake of green tea and coffee was 3 cups/day/6 months (III and IV). The frequencies of sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) in mitogen-stimulated peripheral lymphocytes from each experimental group were determined and statistically analyzed. SCE rates were significantly elevated in smokers (9.46 +/- 0.46) vs. non-smokers (7.03 +/- 0.33); however, the frequency of SCE in smokers who consumed green tea (7.94 +/- 0.31) was comparable to that of non-smokers, implying that green tea can block the cigarette-induced increase in SCE frequency. Coffee, by contrast, did not exhibit a significant inhibitory effect on smoking-induced SCE.

Learn more about the effects of Green Tea Polyphenols

Pycnogenol May Offer An Alternative Method To Reducing Menopause Symptoms Without Unwanted Side Effects

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of Pycnogenol on the climacteric syndrome in peri-menopausal women. Continue

Estrogen-like effect of a Black Cohosh extract

Sept 2007, Department of Human Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Rome La Sapienza

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) is used in the treatment of painful menstruation and menopausal symptoms. Data about the nature of the active compounds and mechanism(s) of action are still controversial, chiefly with respect to its estrogenic activity. This work aimed to assess the possible estrogenic activity of a commercial dry hydro-alcoholic extract of Black Cohosh. Continue

Herbal Supplement Black Cohosh Fails to Relieve Hot Flashes

By The National Institute of Aging - Dec. 18, 2006

The herbal supplement black cohosh, whether used alone or with other botanical supplements, did not relieve hot flashes in postmenopausal women or those approaching menopause Continue

Hormonal imbalances can cause or worsen the following:

By The National Institute of Health

• Acceleration of the aging process
• Autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and thyroiditis
• Anxiety
• Breast cancer
• Breast tenderness
• Cervical dysplasia (abnormal cells on the bottom third of the cervix)
• Cold hands and feet
• Decreased sex drive
• Depression
• Dry eyes
• Fatigue
• Foggy thinking
• Hair loss
• Headaches
• Infertility
• Irregular menstrual periods
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Magnesium deficiency
• Memory loss
• Mood swings
• Osteoporosis
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Sluggish metabolism
• Uterine cancer
• Water retention
• Weight gain, especially around the abdomen, hips, and thighs
• Zinc deficiency.6

Hospital DJ spins ambient music 24/7

Don Campbell the author of the The Mozart Effect has been hired as an ambient music consultant and DJ to help improve hospital conditions at at a medical center in Colorado. He's been contacted by several other US hospitals to provide thousands of ambient music tracks to help staff and patients alike. Continue

Legal Disclaimer:
Health statements on this page have not been evaluated by the FDA. The health information on this site is for education purposes only. HeartSpring.net assumes no responsibility in treatment or cure of any disease or illness. The information provided on Heartspring.net is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician.
© 2008 Heartspring.net