MYTH: Menopause is a disease to be cured.
FACT: Just like puberty, menopause is a natural and normal event in a woman’s life to be celebrated. It signifies a more mature stage where time once spent caring for children can now be turned inwards to nurture her.
MYTH: Menopausal symptoms such as fatigue, hot flashes, irritability, forgetfulness and vaginal dryness are found among all women and are due to a drop in female hormones: estrogen and progesterone.
FACT: Many of the unpleasant symptoms associated with menopause are not simply due to hormonal shifts, but rather to poor lifestyle habits that include high stress levels, poor nutrition, and inadequate exercise. The severity of these symptoms is directly due to the amount of estrogen we are exposed to during our lives.
In North America, women are exposed to very high levels of external estrogens (xenoestrogens) from plastic cookware, pesticides, non-organic meat and dairy, and the birth control pill. This allows for a more significant drop in estrogen levels during menopause, which causes more severe symptoms. When we are stressed-out and drinking large amounts of coffee, progesterone is converted into cortisol to help maintain our fight or flight mechanism. This causes estrogen dominance, again adding to the severity of menopausal symptoms.
It is also important to note that estrogen is stored in fat. Diets low in animal fat accompanied by moderate exercise decrease the amount of fat stored in our bodies, which liberates estrogens to be filtered through our liver and excreted, lowering menopausal symptoms.
MYTH: Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a good choice to alleviate menopausal symptoms.
FACT: HRT is designed to synthetically raise our estrogen and/or progesterone levels. During our reproductive years, estrogen causes the tissues in our female organs to rapidly divide in preparation for pregnancy. During our menopausal years, this rapid division may result in breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer. These synthetic hormones have also been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and blood clots. Synthetic estrogen (Premarin), derived from the urine of pregnant horses, is not easily recognized by the human body.
MYTH: Nothing can be done to ease the symptoms associated with menopause.
FACT: There are many safe and natural alternatives to HRT or suffering through menopausal symptoms. Plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) prevent stronger, more harmful environmental estrogens (xenoestrogens) from binding to the estrogen receptors in our bodies. Phytoestrogens are weak estrogens, easily broken down by the body, which contribute to lower overall levels. This allows for a smaller drop in estrogen during menopause, which results in fewer, less severe symptoms. Common sources of phytoestrogens include: licorice (be careful if you have high blood pressure), alfalfa, red clover, raspberry leaf, nettle, pomegranate, black cohosh, and soy.
To balance progesterone (and vaginal dryness), wild yam cream may be used externally, but please consult a knowledgeable medical or naturopathic doctor since small doses build up fairly quickly in fat tissue and disrupt other hormones.
Limit animal fat (such as meat and dairy) to a couple of times weekly, and always choose organic. High fat diets prevent the breakdown and elimination of estrogens from your body. Aim for a diet high in alkaline foods such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.
Lastly, it is important to note that menopausal symptoms result from a disrupted balance between ovaries, adrenal glands, and the thyroid gland. Blood work and/or salivary testing are recommended to determine which area needs to be addressed first.
