MENOPAUSE AND PERIMENOPAUSE

There are various treatment options available to manage perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms in conventional and naturopathic medicine. It is important to have a thorough discussion with your healthcare provider regarding the benefits and risks of different options for reducing symptoms and health risks associated with menopause.

1. Conventional Treatments
2. Naturopathic Treatments

1. CONVENTIONAL TREATMENTS FOR MENOPAUSE

• Hot flashes and other symptoms that may occur during the menopausal period are often treated with hormone replacement therapy.


• Hormone replacement therapy adds back the hormones that the body no longer makes


• Hormone replacement therapy has long been believed to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease in post-menopausal women. Recently, however, studies have reported that hormone replacement therapy may not help prevent these conditions after all. In addition, the use of hormone replacement therapy may increase the risk of uterine and breast cancer

CONTRAINDICATIONS TO HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

Current or past breast or uterine cancer, chronic or acute liver disease, endometriosis, current blood clots or a history of blood clots, a history of stroke, recent heart attack, pancreatic disease, gallbladder disease, fibrocystic breast disease, familial high cholesterol, high blood pressure migraine headaches uterine tumors, and undiagnosed vaginal bleeding.

COMMON SIDE EFFECTS OF HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPIES:

• Breast pain, vaginal bleeding, nausea, leg cramps, weight gain, depression


• Increased risk of ovarian cancer ,endometrial cancer, breast cancer after 4 or more years of hormone replacement therapy


• Increased breast density, making mammograms more difficult to interpret and possibly increasing breast cancer risk


• Increased risk of blood clots


• Increased risk of gallbladder disease


• Increased risk of heart attack or stroke


• Bloating and fluid retention

Given all this, it may be best for many women to seek alternative treatments for hot flashes.

2. THE NATUROPATHIC APPROACH FOR MENOPAUSE

At the Nature's Intentions Naturopathic Clinic, our focus is geared toward treating the root cause of the problem naturally. Our naturopath will do a comprehensive assessment of your health symptoms at the initial visit, and you will be required to do some blood and urine testing. She may also suggest additional hormone testing and other laboratory tests in order to assess any imbalances in the body that may be affecting your health. She may recommend some natural treatments for menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms * such as:

1. Diet, exercise, lifestyle, stress management and counseling
2. Nutritional supplementation
3. Herbal Medicine
4. Homeopathy
5. Traditional Chinese Medicine / Acupuncture
6. Natural Hormone supplemention (creams or supplements)
7. Bio-identical hormone therapy and desiccated thyroid for women who are also suffering from hypothyroidism

NATUROPATHIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PERIMENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSE

Increase intake of the following foods:

• Cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel and halibut
• Flaxseeds
• Soy foods*
• Legumes
• Whole grains and seeds
• Sea vegetables
• Wild yams


• Avoid spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol as can trigger hot flashes
• Decrease animal and saturated fats
• Regular physical activity – stretching, aerobic exercises : walking, jogging, yoga and weight bearing exercises
• Relaxation for stress management

SEA VEGETABLES

Although flaxseeds are much higher in lignans, sea vegetables, including dulse, hijikis, and arame, also contain lignans that may be helpful with those hot flashes. Throw some hijiki on that salad, right on top of the flaxseeds, and eat your way to a symptom-free menopause.

WHOLE GRAINS AND SEEDS

The lignans found in high levels in flaxseeds are also found in a number of other foods. In particular, they have been found in rye, oats, barley, and wheat germ. Sunflower seeds and bean sprouts also contain other types of phytoestrogens that may be helpful. Including some of these foods in your diet may not only help with this natural stage of life, they will also add wonderful variety.

YAMS

Reports seem to indicate that yams (those of the Dioscoreae family) may be helpful during the menopause. Some cultures believe that eating yams can be beneficial, especially around this time of life.

NUTRIENTS IN FOOD THAT MAY HELP MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS

• Vitamin E
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Omega 3 fatty acids

VITAMIN E

Several studies have reported that Vitamin E reduces the frequency of hot flashes in some women. Vitamin E is especially recommended for treating the hot flashes of women with a history of breast cancer who cannot take hormone replacement therapy.

It is unknown exactly how vitamin E prevents hot flashes, though it is known that vitamin E is very good for stabilizing blood vessel function. It may therefore prevent hot flashes by preventing the blood vessels from dilating so much and causing flushing. In addition, vitamin E is also excellent for preventing atherosclerosis and heart disease. Mustard greens, chard, turnip greens, and sunflower seeds are a few excellent sources of vitamin E.

MAGNESIUM

Magnesium may help decrease stress and promote normal sleeping patterns through its ability to relax and calm the nervous system. Chard and spinach are two excellent food sources of magnesium.

CALCIUM

Calcium has been found to reduce bone loss that accompanies the drop in hormone levels caused by menopause. Excellent sources of calcium include spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, and collard greens.

OMEGA-3

Omega-3 Fatty Acids have been found to reduce risk of heart disease and may help regulate hormone levels. (When estrogen levels drop, women become at greater risk for heart disease). Some food sources of omega-3 fatty acids are flax seeds, walnuts and cold water fish, like salmon, cod, and halibut.

PREVENTIVE CARE

The following preventive measures may help diminish symptoms and reduce the risk of serious complications (such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease) associated with menopause:

• Quit Smoking - smokers tend to begin menopause 1 to 2 years earlier than non-smokers; smokers are also at an increased risk for heart disease and osteoporosis


• Taking calcium supplements—helps protect against bone loss


• Exercising—slows the rate of bone loss, reduces hot flashes, and improves mood


• Consuming low-fat diets—helps prevent cardiovascular disease by decreasing LDL "bad" cholesterol and by lowering the chances of weight gain


• Avoiding caffeine—some studies suggest that caffeine consumption may be a risk factor for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Please come in for a naturopathic consultation before starting on any supplements. Its is better to first identify the root cause of your menopausal symptoms and then treat it with the right remedies, based on your specific assessment of health and hormones even though those mentioned above have minimal side effects.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an initial naturopathic appointment, please call us at 416 913 4325 or email us at [email protected].

* DISCLAIMER: The information on this page is the property of Dr. Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, and is not intended to treat, diagnose or cure any diseases or promote any services or products mentioned on the website.

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