Put A Stop To Menopause Symptoms Naturally

This is probably one of the most informative articles I have read on menopause. Every day, in hundreds of doctors’ offices, the same conversation takes place between women going through menopause and their doctors. The doctor writes out a prescription for estrogen pills or patches, saying they will replace the hormones her body ought to be making. They will cure her hot flashes and slow her bone loss. The patient asks if the pills cause cancer. The doctor acknowledges that there is an increased risk of uterine and breast cancer, but argues that the benefits are worth taking the chance. Other risks enter into the discussion, such as heart disease, strokes, and blood clots. Women who have seen friends or relatives die of these conditions might not find this very reassuring. They may have menopausal symptoms, and they would like a solution. But they are looking for something safe, something that doesn’t cause more problems than it solves. Take heart: There are dietary steps and other lifestyle changes that can make menopause much more manageable. They are better for your bones than estrogen prescriptions could ever hope to be, and they accomplish these things without the side effects of estrogens. Premarin is a commonly prescribed estrogen preparation from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Although doctors sometimes describe it as “natural” for women, it is actually a horse estrogen. On farms in the United States and Canada, mares are impregnated and then confined from the fourth month through the end of their 11-month pregnancy so their urine can be gathered in a collection harness called a “pee bag.” After they give birth, the mares are reimpregnated. Their foals usually end up as horse meat and the urine estrogens are packed into pills. The trade name “Premarin” is simply a condensation of the words “pregnant mares’ urine”—hardly a natural substance for human beings to swallow. While Premarin contains estradiol and estrone, two types of estrogen that are made in humans, it also contains an enormous amount of equilin, a horse estrogen that never occurs at all in humans. In 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), which was studying the effects of combined estrogen and progestin use in postmenopausal women, was halted three years early. Researchers had observed an increased risk of breast cancer, potentially deadly blood clots, strokes, and heart disease in women taking hormones (compared with those in the placebo group who remained drug free).1 Again, in 2002, the nearly seven-year-long Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS) confirmed that hormones did not reduce the risk of heart problems in postmenopausal women with heart disease. In fact, their risk of blood clots doubled and their need for gallbladder surgery increased as well.2 Estrogen supplements not only increase the risk of breast cancer, blood clots, strokes, and heart disease, but also appear to increase the risk of dementia3 and uterine and ovarian cancer (when taken without progestin).4,5 These hormone supplements may also cause high blood pressure, gallstones, vaginal bleeding, nausea, weight gain, breast tenderness, skin discolorations, headaches, and depression. Fortunately, hormone replacement therapy use has decreased since the release of the WHI study in 2002,6 and more women understand the risks of HRT.7 Unfortunately, however, some doctors continue to prescribe these hormones. Fortunately, there are healthier solutions for the problems associated with menopause. Please read the entire article here: PCRM | A Natural Approach to Menopause