Years ago, many women did not live long enough to experience menopause. And, if they did, it was often associated with dread and wariness due to the many difficult symptoms menopause can cause. As Life expectancy has increased, so has the use of hormone replacement therapy (the conventional medical treatment) to alleviate these symptoms. However, many of the benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are stilt unproven, the therapy has some serious associated health risks, and its use remains controversial. Women have had to choose between the difficult symptoms of menopause and the potential risks of HRT.
Nature, however, has provided women with scientifically studied alternatives in the treatment of the many symptoms of menopause. These supplements are extremely effective and provide women with a genuine choice in treatment.
Menopause is a natural cessation of a woman’s period for one year. It signals the end of a woman’s fertility and ability to become pregnant. As a woman enters menopause, her ovaries slowly decrease their production of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. Her periods become more and more irregular until they completely stop. Estrogen and progesterone production also eventually end. Menopause occurs usually between the ages of 35 and 58, with an average of approximately age 50.
Just as every woman’s menstrual cycle is unique, so is every woman’s menopausal experience. Some women may have all of the symptoms of menopause, while others may have just a few. Likewise, some women have relatively mild symptoms while others’ can be quite severe.
In early menopause, some women may experience mood swings, panic attacks, sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, changes in tolerance to heat or cold, joint and muscle pain, allergies, and headaches. As production of estrogen decreases, additional menopause-related changes may include irregular menstrual patterns, night sweats, fatigue, vaginal dryness, fluctuations in sexual desire or response, forgetfulness, hot flashes, and weight fluctuations.
Black cohosh, a medicinal plant used for hundreds of years, is emerging as an effective treatment. It’s backed by modem clinical research and is highly effective in treating the symptoms of menopause. Extracts from this woodland plant were first used by Native Americans and later by American colonists.Black cohosh has been demonstrated to be as effective as HRT for relief of hot flashes, night sweats, and some other menopausal symptoms, yet without its complications.
Scientific research on the specific chemistry of black cohosh has established this supplement suppresses secretion of a substance called luteinizing hormone (LH). One function of estrogen is to suppress the effects of LB.
Menopause results in high levels of LH in the blood, which in turn is responsible for associated symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, heart palpitations, and drying and thinning of the vagina. —–Dr. Marcux Laux ND Clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the herb in treating menopausal symptoms. In 1982, a German study collected data on 629 patients treated with black cohosh from 131 health care practitioners and gynecologists. The researchers found that after six to eight weeks of treatment, 80% of patients experienced beneficial effect. A 1987 double-blind study compared estrogen replacement therapy with black cohosh for three months in 80 women. Thirty women were given estrogen, 30 were given black cohosh, and 20 received placebo. The authors concluded the black cohosh preparation not only produced safe and effective results, but compared to estrogen replacement therapy, is suitable as the treatment of choice for menopausal women.
A recent article in the NY Times discussed the dangers of synthetic hormonal drugs such as Premarin, Provera and the compounded form or the two, distributed by Wyeth under trade name Prempro. Ever since the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), the FDA has come down pretty hard on companies for the manufacture and distribution of the drugs and with good reason. According to extensive studies, the use of synthetic hormonal treatments such as Premarin, although somewhat effective in treating symptoms associated with menopause, can often lead to health complications such as premature heart attacks, blood clots and breast cancer.