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There
is so much misunderstanding and myths regarding the
issue of menopause. Most North American women
approaching fifty see menopause as the inevitable onset
of hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia, weight gain and
osteoporosis. This definition is a cultural one, not a
medical one. Menopause is simply the cessation of
menstruation. In fact, in many Agrarian societies, this
description of menopause would sound foreign. The
Agrarian experience of menopause is often rather
uneventful, and in many cases liberating. Why the
dramatic difference?
This
brings me to the
second myth:
estrogen deficiency is entirely to blame for hot flashes
and all the other problems women often experience. This
theory, while having some bearing, is a gross
oversimplification. In reality, many organs in the body
as well as other hormones are involved in what women
experience as menopause. This includes the thyroid
gland, our adrenal glands, and hormones such as
progesterone, testosterone and insulin. Furthermore,
nutrition, stress and exposure to toxins and chemicals
have a role to play. In fact, these factors may in part
explain the dramatic difference between our North
American experience of menopause and elsewhere. For
example, when we are too stressed our adrenal glands
produce excessive amounts of a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol can decrease our brains sensitivity to estrogen
and the end result may be the experience of hot flashes.
I have patients in their thirties who experience hot
flashes, and they are definitely not deficient in
estrogen.
Many
women suffer for years during the period called
perimenopause. Often they are suffering from a
deficiency of progesterone. The role of progesterone
has been underemphasized in main stream medicine. Did
you know that while estrogen levels drop by only 40-60%
during menopause, progesterone levels drop by about
99%. Prior to menopause many women may already be
already experiencing progesterone deficiencies. A
growing percentage of women are not ovulating by their
late thirties and therefore not producing progesterone.
Since you can still menstruate without ovulating, many
are unaware of this. Some of the more common causes are
exposure to toxins called xenoestrogens (in soaps,
plastics, meats, pesticides, and many products we apply,
inhale or eat) and the use of birth control pills.
How
do we best address menopause? For starters, standard hormone blood tests are useful but by themselves
very limited. They are often misused and can be quite
meaningless in the absence of a comprehensive overview
of each person’s situation. In naturopathic circles
there is a growing use of saliva testing. A full range
of hormones is analyzed within the context of symptoms
and existing hormone supplements. You can fill out some
questionnaires to determine possible hormone imbalances
as well as find out more about saliva testing at
www.rmalab.com.
While
many women experience menopause, each is still unique,
and the processes behind their symptoms can vary
widely. Think of the body as a series of interconnected
cycles. Everyone has weaknesses in different parts of
the chain. A doctor needs to know their patient very
well in order to treat with proper emphasis, be it the
thyroid, the adrenals, and/or various hormone
imbalances. Usually there are multiple factors
involved. If you would like to inquire further about
naturopathic approaches to menopause please contact our
office. |