Chemical messengers that help define you as a woman, hormones can be your friend or foe. At menopause, they can play havoc with your body and mind, causing unpleasant symptoms such as hot flashes and depression. The key to relief is keeping your hormones in balance, so that you can continue to enjoy your womanhood - whatever your age.
Significantly, in Japan and other Asian cultures, there is no term for the condition we call a “hot flash.” This is because Japanese women do not experience menopausal symptoms anywhere close to the severity that western women do.
While it is not fully understood why only 18 percent of women from Japan, Pakistan, Mexico and other non-western cultures experience hot flashes, it is believed to be partly cultural. In societies where old age is respected - even revered - menopause is seen as a positive passage. This attitude likely helps offset the physical symptoms and depression that over 80 percent of western women experience at menopause.
The non-western diet is another factor that appears to contribute to an easy menopause. Soy is one of the major sources of protein in Asian cultures, whereas beef and other meats are the primary protein source in the West. Soy and many other plants are rich sources of natural estrogens known as phytoestrogens (from the Greek phyto, meaning “plant.”) These are up to one thousand times weaker than the body’s own estrogen, yet they are capable of mimicking it.
The phytoestrogens in soy, red clover, and black cohosh have been intensively studied to determine their beneficial effects for the menopausal woman. They have been found not only to reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes, but also to inhibit the breakdown of bone, and generally improve the sense of well being.
Hormones in Balance
During a woman’s reproductive years, the hormones estrogen and progesterone maintain the correct balance to ensure that menstrual cycles occur. (At the beginning of a woman’s cycle, estrogen dominates and, towards the end, more progesterone is produced by the body.) In the years leading up to menopause, however, menstrual cycles that once were like clockwork become erratic. Erratic cycles stem from erratic ovulations, which give rise to highs and lows in estrogen and progesterone production.
To help overcome this imbalance, doctors have traditionally prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT). While this treatment has proven effective for many women, it is not without some risk. Recently concluded studies have linked use of HRT to an increased risk in breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and a number of other health conditions.
Due to these findings, many women have decided to explore natural therapies as a means of controlling unpleasant symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and anxiety.
Estrogenic Foods
Foods that contain phytoestrogens are particularly helpful for the menopausal woman. Phytoestrogens “trick” the body into believing that estrogen levels are normal, preventing the rushes of estrogen that give rise to hot flashes and other symptoms of hormone imbalance.
Soy foods such as tofu, soybeans, miso and tempeh are a source of phytoestrogens known as isoflavones. These have been shown in many studies to help balance the hormones during menopause. The most widely researched soy isoflavones are genistein and daidzein.
Flax meal and some flax oils provide phytoestrogens known as lignans, which are believed to be particularly helpful in reducing the risk of estrogen-induced breast cancers.
Other plants such as red clover, black cohosh and dong quai are also recognized for their estrogenic activity and associated ability to help manage menopausal symptoms. The phytoestrogens in these plants often form the basis of supplements formulated for menopause.
Health Supplements for Menopause
Several supplements that ease menopausal symptoms are available from your London Drugs pharmacy. These include Promensil™, Estro-Logic™ and the Holista® Menopause Kit. All are effective, yet all differ in their phytoestrogen content. Just as your doctor may prescribe more than one form of HRT before identifying the one that provides the most benefit, so you may need to experiment with two or more natural supplements before finding the “right” one for you.
Promensil™ - Promensil™ contains four phytoestrogens derived from red clover (Trifolium pratense). Each tablet contains a standardized 40 mg of plant isoflavones that are typically lacking from the North American diet - daidzein, genistein, formononetin and biochanin.
Promensil™ has undergone extensive testing among hundreds of women. In clinical trials, 93 percent of women said they wanted to continue taking the product as it helped them effectively manage distressing symptoms and feel better about themselves.
Promensil is available in a 30-day blister pack with a calendar insert.
Estro-Logic™ - This isoflavone-rich formulation is the result of the collaboration between Dr. Kathleen Fry, Board Certified Gynecologist and past president of the American Holistic Medical Association, and medical herbalist Claudia Wingo, R.N.
Estro-Logic™ is a patented formula of natural plant derivatives that supply the body with isoflavones and other herbal ingredients that help combat menopausal symptoms. In addition to soy isoflavones, Estro-Logic™ contains black cohosh, chastetree berry, wild yam, and sage to help allay hot flashes and night sweats; vervain to calm the nerves and help lift depression, and astragalus and motherwort to encourage healthy heart function. The results of Dr. Fry’s studies, presented at the Experimental Biology Meeting in Washington, D.C., last April, showed that women taking Estro-Logic™ were more likely to experience improvements in a wide variety of menopausal symptoms, than those who were not taking the supplement.
Estro-Logic™ is available in a 60- capsule (one month) format.
Holista® Menopause Kit - This product duo consists of black cohosh capsules and evening primrose oil (EPO). The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology guidelines on the use of botanicals for the management of menopausal symptoms support the use of black cohosh for up to six months to treat sleep and mood disturbance, and hot flashes.
EPO is extracted from the seeds of the evening primrose plant and is a rich source of the essential fatty acid known as GLA.
GLA helps to build healthy cell membranes and is converted to substances known as prostaglandins which help regulate many body functions. The Holista® Menopause Kit is a one-month supply consisting of 100 capsules of 40 mg standardized black cohosh and 90 capsules of 500 mg evening primrose oil.
What Causes a Hot Flash?
Hot flashes are caused by a reduction in the body’s output of estrogen. When estrogen levels are low, the body responds by producing estrogen surges. These confuse the temperature regulation centre, sending a message to the blood vessels just underneath the skin to dilate (expand). The expanded vessels produce a sensation of heat that women often describe as “intense.”
Eight in ten North American women experience hot flashes during or before menopause. These may occur as infrequently as once or twice a month, or as often as 20 times a day. Hot flashes tend to occur more frequently in the evening, and in hot weather. The feeling of heat can last from 15 seconds to 30 minutes, with the average flash lasting five minutes.
When hot flashes occur at night, they are known as “night sweats.” Nocturnal flashes can be particularly troublesome, causing a woman to kick off the bedcovers one minute, and retrieve them the next as the perspiration causes the body to cool rapidly and become chilled.