Natural Menopause Therapy

Millions of women in the planet are having perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms, due to hormone imbalance, hysterectomy or simply because today woman can be so stressed. This stress is causing women to get menopausal symptoms much earlier than they would normally expect.

Hormonal balance is our normal state. When we have menopausal symptoms, we are suffering from hormonal imbalance, an abnormal state. Today statistics show that about 80% of women experience symptoms of hormonal imbalance, more than ever before, because of the extraordinary demands made on their bodies without inadequate support, such as a nutritious diet. Fortunately, nearly all women can find relief from the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause by restoring that balance without drugs through natural menopause therapy.

Perimenopause

Physical signs of menopause can begin many years before the final menstrual period. This transition phase is called perimenopause. It can last between 5-15 years with the last part extending one year after the last period. Some early symptoms can include the following, plus others listed below in the menopause section:

- Worsening PMS
- Cravings for sweets and Carbohydrates
- Low Libido
- Headaches
- Increased facial hair
- Urinary dysfunction
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Digestive Problems

Menopause

Menopause is a natural and normal event that every woman goes through. It is defined as the second year after the last menstrual period. It is caused by and associated with a reduction in the ovaries' functions due to age or other causes. The reduction of the level of hormones is considerable and can cause some of the symptoms mentioned in the perimenopause list as well as those listed below:

- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Diminished sexual desire
- Vaginal dryness
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Insomnia or restless sleep
- Fuzzy thinking (difficulty concentrating, memory problems)
- Weight gain, especially around the middle
- Stiffness and joint pain
- Heart palpitations
- Thinning hair
- Dry skin
- Dry eyes

Here are some solutions to treat these symptoms.

1- Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT. HRT is done with synthetic hormone replacement which can be associated with dangerous side effects and consequences. Synthetic hormones are patentable, the most widely used being Premarin, Prempro, and Provera.

2- Bioidentical hormone replacement Therapy (BHRT) has been an option adopted by many women today. There are many different forms of BHRT that work in different ways, and each woman responds according to her unique physiology. It's also important to understand that while BHRT can provide amazing results in some women, others need more support.

Bioidentical hormones are manufactured in the lab to have the same molecular structure as the hormones made by your own body. The great appeal of bioidentical hormones is that they are natural, and our bodies can metabolize them as it was designed to do, minimizing side effects.

3- The newest approach to hormonal balance is Hormone Chronotherapy. Many of our body's internal processes are cyclical. There are daily patterns, like waking and sleeping; monthly patterns, like a woman's menstrual cycle; and even seasonal patterns, like those that cause seasonal-affective disorder (SAD) during the winter months. But doctors are only recently beginning to understand the impact of these rhythms on other conditions well enough to more effectively treat their patients.

The idea that medical treatments can be improved based on when they are given to a patient is called chronotherapy. And by making use of this good timing, doctors are finding that they are more effectively treating a wide-range of diseases such as asthma, arthritis and cancer, all while reducing side effects.

Even tumor-removing surgery may benefit from some clever timing. While the idea is still fervently debated, some small studies have shown that women's menstrual cycles are important in breast tumor removal. One study in particular, presented at the 1996 International Conference on Breast Diseases, showed that removing a tumor during the week following ovulation improved the five-year cancer-free rate by 13 percent over patients whose surgeries occurred earlier in the menstrual cycle. It is assumed that the differences in hormone levels produced in the latter stages of a woman's cycle play a role in inhibiting the spread of cancer after surgery.

One example of hormonal chronotherapy has been accomplished by Bent Formby, PhD, who is a co-author of Sex, Lies, and Menopause, by TS Wiley. Bent Formby, PhD, was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark and where he was awarded two doctorates in molecular biology and one in medical biochemistry. He served on the faculty of the University of Copenhagen Medical School as professor in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics until 1979 when he moved on a sabbatical to University of California in San Francisco, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics where he served as visiting professor.

Dr. Bent Formby has developed a hormonal treatment system based on the body's rhythmic pattern and the way it goes up and down like any other things in the body. Dr Formby said: "You can not give a flat dose; you have to cycle it just like it is in the natural regulatory system." He developed this system, cycling the phytoestrogens in a pattern similar to what we see in the menstrual cycle. This product is now available as another alternative treatment for women who want to treat their symptoms with natural menopause therapy.