Hormone Replacement Therapy: How to Minimize Associated Health Risks

When the National Institute of Health suddenly ended its study evaluating the health effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) in menopausal women as a result of convincing evidence that prolonged use of synthetic hormones (in particular estrogen plus progestin) resulted in a significant increase in the risk for heart attack, breast cancer and stroke many women were left in a quandary as to how to treat post menopausal symptoms, including mood changes, hot flashes, sweating, irritability and vaginal dryness.

Most doctors who had developed great confidence in HRT as the answer to all of these symptoms had no answer for patients seeking alternatives.

Today, many women, fearing the increased risk of breast cancer, heart attack and strokes are switching from HRT to safer, natural therapies to control the post menopausal symptoms.

Researchers have learned that improving the body's ability to eliminate or to reuse hormone by-products that for some unknown reason remain in the female body after metabolism by internal organs can control many of the unpleasant symptoms experienced by postmenopausal women. The existence of these hormone by-products causes the female body to reduce its' natural hormone production resulting in the unpleasant post-menopausal symptoms.

In the absence of HRT many women have benefited from following a natural regimen to control and balance these hormone by-products without the added risk of estrogen and progestin therapy.

Some of the natural replacement approaches that have proven beneficial include the following:

High Fiber Diet:

An increased high fiber diet has been proven successful in using fiber to bind to estrogen and progesterone-laden cholesterol and in turn removing these from the body. The removal of these hormones and hormone by-products aids the body in producing the proper balance of female hormones, eliminating the need for supplements.

As part of the high fiber diet doctors recommend eating three to five servings daily of whole grain foods. One serving equals a slice of whole grain bread or one half cup of cooked cereal, pasta or brown rice.

Over the Counter Fiber Supplements:

Many fiber supplements sold over the counter in drug stores are also beneficial in binding to and flushing excess hormone by products from the body. These would include, but are not limited to supplements such as Metamucil, Konsyl or Citrucel.

Glucomannan is a medication most often used to treat high cholesterol has also been shown to be effective in removing hormonal by products.

Vitamin B-12 supplements have been proven to improve liver function and the metabolism of hormones. This improved liver function makes possible the recycling of many hormone by-products and helps dispose of the rest by flushing these from the body. Typically this can be achieved with a once daily dose of a 1000 microgram B-12 tablet.

Dietary Supplements:

Recent studies have identified dietary supplements, which mimic the effects of estrogen without the risk of the hormone.

Soy and soy based foods (tofu, tempeh, soy curd, etc) have been found to contain chemical compounds that act similarly to estrogen compounds and provide similar, though weaker, estrogen-like effects. Many women report benefit from eating one three ounce serving of soy products three days a week.

Black Cohosh may be purchased at vitamin and natural supplement stores as well as at some pharmacies. When taking a daily dose of 1,000mg tablet daily women have reported a reduction in the frequency and severity of menopause related hot flashes and mood swings.

Weight Loss:

Recent studies have shown that post menopausal women who are overweight have more severe menopausal symptoms because the estrogen produced by them is taken up in fatty tissue instead of being available as active estrogen in and by estrogen receptors.

These same studies indicate that overweight women who lose 15-20 pounds have fewer and less intense hot flashes and other symptoms.

Summary:

All of the above natural substitutes for HRT have proven beneficial to some women and less helpful to others. Doctors recommend that prior to adding any of the above supplements you should notify your doctor to ensure that the supplements do not interfere with other medications you may be taking.