Menopause

The onset of menopause signals the ending of a woman's reproductive cycle. Menopause actually begins after the women's last period. This event marks the culmination of several years of peri-menopausal changes during which hormones secreted by the ovaries (estrogen and progesterone) gradually decline. .

Peri- and menopausal symptoms vary considerably from person to person. Asians are known to have few to no symptoms other than irregular menses. Western women, however, have much higher incidences of body changes such as hot flashes, night sweats, reduced libido, forgetfulness, heart palpitations, loss of bladder control, frequent urination, and joint pains, to name a few. For some, these symptoms are like a "living hell."

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• What can you do to pass through this life stage in the most comfortable and protective manner?

Once menopause arrives, the body's internal production of estrogen and progesterone stops. Women can no longer depend on their own body to produce these two hormones to protect themselves against osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. The result to their health can be devastating.

• Symptoms of menopause:

night sweats, mood swings, depression, hot flashes, sagging breast, vaginal dryness, osteoporosis, fibrocystic lumps, night sweats, painful intercourse, memory problem. This hormone imbalance is most common in menopausal women; especially if you are petite and/or slim.

• Solution:

Progesterone is a biochemical precursor to estrogen. Progesterone cream alone is sufficient to restore estrogen balance and relief many of the symptoms. If after 3 months of progesterone cream, proper diet, nutritional supplementation of magnesium and B6 do not relive the symptoms, then low-dose natural estrogen may be considered. 2.5 mg of natural tri-estrogen cream ( 10% estrone, 10% estradiol, and 80% estriol) provides the equivalent action of 0.625 conjugated estrogen such as Premarin. Herbs like black cohash have weak estrogenic effect and may be considered as well.

Osteoporosis is the loss of bone density, leading to fractures. Post-menopausal women low in estrogen have a 25% chance of serious bone loss and fracture. The lifetime risk of hip fracture approaches 30% for those afflicted with osteoporosis, resulting in the loss of independent living. Many will die from their injuries.

Estrogen increases pliability of blood vessels, lowers "bad" LDL-cholesterol, increases "good" HDL-cholesterol, and decreases platelet aggregation that leads to blood clots. These protective properties of estrogen result in pre-menopausal women having a lower risk of heart disease than either men, or post-menopausal women. Post-menopausal women are just as vulnerable to heart disease as men of the same age. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women over 45 years of age.

• Hormonal System

Hormonal health, in addition to the sex hormones, is on the decline during menopause and beyond. The level of growth hormone declines about 14% per decade after age 20, as do many other hormones. Hormonal modulation is enhanced by Vitamin E. This is an important vitamin for anyone who is in the menopausal age or beyond. Vitamin E has the additional benefit of possessing cancer prevention properties. This has been well documented in hundreds of scientific double-blind placebo controlled studies. One catch - you have to take Vitamin E consistently for at least 1 - 2 years for it to have any effect . L-Glutamine is an important amino acid with pro-hormone properties. Studies have shown that glutamine increases growth hormone release in our body. Growth hormone has been shown to reverse our physical age by up to 15 years in a double-blind placebo controlled landmark study conducted by the late Dr. Rudman and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The above article is by : Dr Michael Lam
www.drlam.com