Dietary changes can go a long way in relieving symptoms. Yams and beans/legumes can help. Supplements like Evening Primrose Oil and vitamin E in dry form do too.  Phyto-estrogens can increase natural estrogen levels..these are taken in by consuming green leafy vegetables.

Chiropractic and acupuncture treatment treats both the underlying cause and symptoms by:

• Increases endorphin levels
• Increases natural estrogen production
• Increases tranquility
• Increases flow of the body’s bio electric circuity

If in the Mesa, Az. area, visit an excellent Mesa Chiropractor for a consultation.

There are five situations in a women’s life during which changes in hormone levels cause them to be more at risk for oral health problems – during puberty, at certain points in the monthly menstrual cycle, when using birth control pills, during pregnancy, and at menopause. Read more here.

What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy?

When the body enters menopause, hormone replacement therapy medicines replace the hormones the body no longer provides.  HRT is also used for treating hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause. Other benefits of prolonged use of Hormone therapy medicines were thought to be the prevention of heart disease and osteoporosis.

In 2002, when the results of a large clinical trial showed that there were actually more health risks for postmenopausal women than those without hormone therapy, attitudes regarding hormone therapy changed quickly.  Doctors across the country became cautious about prescribing hormone therapy as the health problems associated with it grew.  The majority of women that were taking hormone therapy stopped immediately..many without even the consult of a doctor.

Hormone Therapy Benefits

Normal hormone replacement therapy typically involves using estrogen and progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone.  These medications can help ease vaginal signs of menopause, like dryness, itchiness, burning and pain with sexual intercourse.

While using hormone therapy to prevent postmenopausal conditions is not normally recommended, women that take estrogen simply for the short-term relief of menopausal symptoms might be protected from the following ailments:

• Osteoporosis. Research has shown that hormone therapy can stop the bone loss that develops following menopause, which reduces the chance of osteoporosis involved hip bone fractures.
• Colorectal cancer. Research has revealed that hormone therapy can reduce the chances of colorectal cancer.
• Heart disease. Some data indicate that estrogen can reduce the risk of heart disease if taken at the start of the postmenopausal years.  The Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS) -is a randomized, highly controlled medical study researching estrogen use and coronary disease in younger postmenopausal women.  The study is taking place now but won’t be concluded for several years in the future.

For those women that go through menopause naturally, both estrogen and progestin are prescribed because estrogen alone can actually raise the risk of cancer in the uterus.  However, women who have a hysterectomy can usually take estrogen without the progestin.

Are There Health Risks With Hormone Therapy?

According to the biggest medical study on the subject, taking estrogen and progestin (Prempro) elevated the risk of some very serious conditions. After more than a year, ten thousand women using estrogen plus progestin might experience:

• 7 more cases of heart disease than women using a placebo
• 8 more cases of cancer of the breast than women using a placebo
• 8 more cases of stroke than women using a placebo
• 18 more cases of thrombus than women using a placeb
• A rise in irregular mammograms, especially in incorrect positives

Interestingly, the research showed that there was no greater risk of breast cancer or heart disease in the group of women using estrogen without progestin. Over the course of a year, however, ten thousand women taking estrogen by itself could encounter:

• 12 more cases of stroke than women using a placebo
• 6 more cases of thrombus in the legs compare to women using a  placebo
• A rise in mammography abnormalities

The impact of hormone therapy on mammograms is critical as it show that women on hormone therapy should have mammograms and additional testing more often.

Who Should Think About Hormone Therapy?

In spite of the health hazards, estrogen is still the most common treatment for symptoms of  menopauses. The total overall hazard to an individual woman using hormone therapy is very low.  This low risk may be reasonable for you depending on your menopausal symptoms.

The advantages of short-term hormone therapy could over-shadow the hazards if you:

•     Moderate to severe hot flashes or other menopausal symptoms have become a part of everyday life
• Other treatments haven’t helped or you are losing bone mass
• Experienced premature menopause (stopped having periods before 40 years old), or lost ordinary function of your ovaries prior to 40 years old (premature ovarian failure)

For women who go through premature menopause or premature ovarian failure have a whole different combination of health hazards to consider when compare with those that hit menopause around the age of fifty, the average age a woman reaches menopause.

• A decreased likelihood of breast cancer
• A higher probability of osteoporosis
• A greater risk of heart disease

Also, hormone therapy seems to lower the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease when treatment began very soon after menopause in younger women. The protection benefits of hormone therapy might surpass the risks for women who go through menopause early.

Consult with your doctor about your personal situation and the risks involved.

The drugs in question are Premarin, which is an estrogen replacement, and Prempro, which is a combination of estrogen and progestin.

Wyeth has previously been sued for Premarin and Prempro and the results of these lawsuits have been mixed.

Her oncologist blamed her death on the replacement hormone drug Premarin, which was prescribed to alleviate symptoms of her menopause.

Barbara Seaman’s first book, The Doctors’ Case Against the Pill, has triggered debate and Senate hearings, which lead to the industry’s first informational insert for any prescription drug being attached to the pill.

Helene Rush sued the company’s parent, Wyeth, in 2005, accusing the New Jersey drug maker of negligence in its Premarin and Prempro hormone replacement therapy.

In her appeal, Rush said that the jury received improper instructions and that a federal judge allowed improper expert testimony while disallowing expert testimony for Rush.

Lawyers for Wyeth said at trial that Rush likely would have developed breast cancer regardless of whether she took Premarin and Prempro because of genetic and health factors, such as weight gain and a history of smoking.

In Reno, Nev., last year, jurors awarded $99 million in punitive damages to three Nevada women who sued over the hormone therapy.

Many instead became interested in bio-identical hormones. Compounding pharmacies emerged as a preferred supply of these hormones. But then, according to the FDA, they started making false claims online.

The FDA told 7 pharmacies to stop making those claims.

The FDA began the crackdown after hormone maker, Wyeth asked the agency to take action. Wyeth makes Premarin and Prempro and saw sales cut in half after the 2002 study.

Those desiring alternatives to standard hormone replacement therapy (HRT) during menopause will find useful information in each of these books.

All explain menopausal symptoms, current HRT treatment and side effects, the importance of particular hormones, and the use of plant hormones instead of synthesized drugs.

They include an interesting historical overview of both the medicinal use of plants and the pharmaceutical industry, also detailing what the “naturals” are and how to get them.

In Germany ginkgo biloba is one of the top selling products among all medicines — not just herbs!

Purposes for which ginkgo is used include general brain insufficiency (memory, blood circulation), cold hands and feet, Alzheimer’s disease, tinnitus, depression, eye function in glaucoma, reduced sexual function — for men or women, and to help reduce free radicals, which cause damage to cells.

Another possible cause of poor memory during menopause is the effect of lowered estrogen levels at this time; but this notwithstanding, it is worth trying ginkgo anyway for poor memory in menopause because of its good safety record.

Another benefit of ginkgo at menopause time is that it improve libido for both sexes — and reduced libido is something a fairly high proportion of woman complain of at menopause time.

Cautions The only concern reported with ginkgo is that it is suggested that ginkgo may increase the chance of bleeding if blood-thinning herbs, such as Warfarin, are being taken.

Last year, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists gave warning that many herbal remedies and supplements with purported benefits have not been properly tested and may interact with other medication.

As one of the plant compounds called phytoestrogens, isoflavones are known to act in a similar way to the female hormone oestrogen in some parts of the body.

“Giving women vitamin C with bioflavonoids has been shown to help reduce hot flushes,” says Dr Marilyn Glenville, author of The New Natural Alternatives to HRT.

Maintaining a proper balance of dietary fats can help to prevent much of the bone loss associated with postmenopausal osteoporosis, according to a study by scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine last year.

Researchers found that diets with a low ratio of omega-6 fatty acids (found in grains and meat) to omega-3 fatty acids (found in nuts and fish oils) minimised the osteoporosis brought on by oestrogen deficiency.

“We found that higher fitness levels enhance the effects of shorter durations of hormone treatment and offset the mental declines associated with long-term use,” Professor Arthur Kramer, a psychologist, said.

Results of small-scale trials in the treatment of menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, fatigue and mood disturbance, appear to be helped by homeopathy.