Need some help with Menopause

[McBane]

Hey this isn't for me, but my mother She's going through menopause right now and as many of you know estrogen levels drop during this time which can create a lot of problems such as cholestrol, decreased ability to absorb calcium resulting in increased chances of osteoporosis, plus a whole other mess of problems.

Any ideas on how to up estrogen levels naturally? Hormone replacement therapy doesn't really strike her fancy, she'd rather do it naturally. I know soy protein can increase estrogen levels, that's all I could come up with. If you can't think of natural ways post drugs you know of, whether they are prescription and any information you have on them or experience you have with them. Thanks for any help you can provide ladies!

 

[evilqueen]

I suggest your mom get the book WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT MENOPAUSE by John Lee, M.D. He lays out a whole program for women who don't want to mess with synthetic hormones. In a nutshell, there is natural estrogen (phytoestrogen) found in soy foods, natural progesterone cream, and specific supplements (Vitex, dong quai) that can help.

Get the book--it's great.

Good luck to her!

 

[McBane]

Thanks a lot evilqueen! That's exactly what she is looking for. Hmm....looks like I found a Mother's Day present

 

[The_Monster]

... but supplements are usually not what theyre cracked up to be. If they were there would be no hormone replacment therapy.
In the end she may want to try and research the truth about hormone replacment therapy, and sort through the media propoganda and news stories designed to bring in viewers and not actually care about the truth.
Both of my aunts tryed the herbal route for fear of estrogen replacemtn therapy and after struggling for months waiting for the herbs to "kick in" they realized that they werent going to.
Herbs may help bring a slight defecit back to where it should be, but when you are dealing with something like the tremendous hormonal change during menopause, it may not be enough.

Otherwise doctors would treat hypogonadal men with Tribulus Terrestris...

 

[MS]

I agree with The Monster. Stick to pharmaceutical grade stuff, but insist on pure progesterone cream rather than herbal stuff. Also look into testosterone supplementation and diindolylmethane (DIM), pregnenolone and DHEA. What ever you mom decides to do she needs to do it under a doc's supervision so they can monitor circulating levels of sex hormones and SHBG as well as other markers of health (cholesterol etc.....). Don't guess at what she needs because every women is different!

 

[Suzr]

Just went to a sports nutrition seminar today put on by Tom Incledon PHD. There was a small amount to information supported by research about a few things that may help. They were of course the soy products but better than soy are phytoestrogens that come from a mixture of soy, legumes, chickpeas, and beans. Or it was recommended to take a total of 40 mg of a mixture of the isoflavones, genestrin, biochain, daidzein, and formononetin. These isoflavones are in the phytoestrogens which are in the foods mentioned above. Or they can be taken in a concentreated form. These phytoestogens really act like estogen modulators because they bind to the estrogen receptors and by doing so are able to stimulate the effects of estrogen if estrogen is low or protect from the effect of too much estrogen if it is high.
Also mentioned was the herb, red clover, which has been proven to help with hot flashes. It contains all 4 isoflavones. Flax oil also binds to estrogen receptors so may help with menapause symptoms.
Other things not mentioned in the seminar but which may help is an herbal supplement call Remifemin which has a standarized amount of black cohash.