If you have a sinus infection, you might want to think twice before rushing off to the doctor to pick up a prescription for antibiotics.  Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis medical school worked with a number of doctors in the St. Louis area to test whether an antibiotic was more effective than placebo and over-the-counter supportive therapies including saline nasal washes, cough medicines and decongestants.  Out of 166 people, half the patients received the antibiotics and half the patients received a placebo, but all the patients received recommendations for supportive therapies.

The results showed that the patients who received the antibiotics did not improve any faster than those who received the placebo plus the other supportive therapies.  These findings appear in the latest issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“What was surprising was, at Day Three there was no difference,” said Dr. Jay Piccirillo, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the Washington University and the senior author of the study.

The researchers originally thought that an antibiotic would speed up relief for patients with bacterial infections.

“Patients can avoid the complications of antibiotics, and, as a society, we can delay the emergence of new resistant bacteria through the restrained use of antibiotics,” said Piccirillo.  ”What we want to break is that knee-jerk request for antibiotics, and the doctor’s reaction to give it.”

So what can you do?  My recommendations to patients with a sinus infection starts with doing a steam inhalation, boiling some water and adding a few drops of antimicrobial essential oils such as oregano, thyme, or basil to the water.  I have patients put a towel over their head and breathe the steam for at least 15 minutes twice per day.  The heat helps loosen up the mucous deep in the sinus cavities.  I recommend doing a neti pot nasal lavage following each steam session to wash out the gunk.  The trick with treating sinus infections is to make sure the sinuses can drain, otherwise you are more likely to grow bacteria and fungus.

Other supplement recommendations that I often use include high dose probiotics to optimize the immune system, N-acetyl cysteine or NAC, a mucolytic that helps keep the sinuses wet and draining (not dry and stuck), plus a strong immune support with anti-viral and anti-bacterial herbs, vitamin C, vitamin A, and immune boosting mushrooms that can help the immune system jump into high gear and fight any type of infection, viral, bacterial or fungal.  Repeated use of antibiotics only weakens the body’s overall immune system, disrupts the bacterial balance in the digestive tract, and adds to the creation of super-bugs, resistant to the antibiotics.

The next time you have a sinus infection, hit it hard with some home remedies and immune support before you pick up the phone and call your doc for a prescription.  Antibiotics may not work any faster.

Source: Got Sinus Infection? Antibiotics Probably Won’t Help by Scott Hensley, NPR Healthblog

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A new survey done in Ontario, Canada, shows Ontarians treated by naturpathic doctors report that naturopathic medicine has reduced their use of prescription drugs.  Of the participants in the survey, 4 out of 10 individuals report fewer visits to their family doctor and 3 out of 10 report less visits to the hospital as a result of naturopathic care.

The survey was conducted in August, 2011 and showed that 72% of Ontarians view naturopathic medicine positively.  An estimated 2 million Ontarians now see a naturopathic doctor.

“These results show more Ontario residents are not only increasingly using complementary therapies, but also indicating that naturopathic medicine is an effective alternative to help relieve the cost pressures on the publicly-funded provincial health system,” says Nick DeGroot, a naturopathic doctor and dean of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.

Results from this survey showed that more people are choosing naturopathic medicine as a treatment option because they desire more natural approaches to improving their health.  The survey respondents reported that they are seeking more natural approaches to health and wellness (67%) as opposed to being motivated by dissatisfaction with traditional health services.

“The naturopathic treatment for my psoriasis has allowed me to make outstanding progress, despite the fact that I’d been treated for the past three years with steroids and other traditional treatments with limited success,” says Andrew Tappin, a patient at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic. “My psoriasis gradually and consistently diminished, and I’ve also experienced a new burst of energy, clarity of thought and tremendously improved sleep patterns. The naturopathic care I’ve received has given me my life back,” adds Tappin.

Innovative Research Group Inc. conducted this survey through random digit dialing telephone interviews among a sample of 606 English speaking Ontarians, 18 years of age or older.  The survey interviews were conducted between August 17^th and August 23^rd, 2011. Up to eight call-backs were made in the case of non-response.  Using 2006 Census data from Statistics Canada, the results were weighted according to region, age and gender to ensure a sample representative of the entire Ontario adult population.

Source: Survey Finds Ontario Patients Say Naturopathic Medicine Reduces Use of Prescription Medications and Emergency Room Visits, Canada NewsWire.

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Though millions of Americans are already using integrative, alternative and natural medicine, the confirmation of the benefits is still newsworthy.  The Huffington Post recently posted an article on their top 11 integrative medicine breakthroughs in 2011.

According to Prevention magazine, we are in the middle of a “health care revolution.” More traditionally trained doctors are recommending holistic and alternative therapies.

In 2011, the top awards went to acupuncture, yoga, massage, and meditation for providing stress relief, boosting of the immune system and decreased back pain among many other benefits.  Dr. Andrew Weil, MD, the man credited with introducing integrative medicine to America was asked to comment:

“Nobody paid attention to me,” says Andrew Weil, MD, of his early efforts some 5 decades ago.

Dr. Weil was a botany major at Harvard University and studied the medicinal properties of plants and the mind-body connection.  He is the founder of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona–the world’s leading provider of integrative medicine education. He also created the first combined family medicine/integrative medicine residency in the country. Although conventional medicine is beginning to embrace his ideas, this wasn’t always the case.

“Integrative medicine is so sensible and so the right thing that I am surprised it has taken this long for the rest of the world to catch up with me,” he says.  Dr. Weil explains why he believes integrative medicine is crucial for solving America’s health care crisis in this interview.

This year integrative medicine became a larger part of conventional medical school curricula.  The University of Arizona recently created a four-year-track that allows students to supplement their traditional training with a focus on integrative medicine.

“It’s a really big step that the college of medicine was willing to say ‘This is important. This is no longer fad, and we will recognize it,’ ” Dr. Victoria Maizes, executive director at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.

Also noted was the appointment of Dr. Dean Ornish to President Obama’s Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health. Dr. Ornish is the founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.  The appointment suggests that the government is interested in the role that complementary medicine can play in promoting public health.

Dr. Ornish commented in a HuffPost blog:

“When you make healthy diet and lifestyle changes, most people find that they feel so much better, so quickly, it reframes the reason for changing from fear of dying to joy of living.”

All the more reason to incorporate a healthy diet, 8 hours of sleep, yoga, meditation, and natural medicine into your life in 2012.

Source: 11 Integrative Medicine Breakthroughs of 2011, Huffpost Healthy Living, Feb. 2, 2012.

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We have all heard the old saying, “You are what you eat.”  For many people with chronic illness, this statement can mean a lot more.  Food allergies and food intolerances can create a host of health problems–from hives and anaphylaxis, to eczema, asthma, chronic ear infections, headaches, sinus infections, celiac disease, digestive issues, depression, fibromyalgia, autoimmune diseases, and many others conditions. 

Over fifty million people–that’s one out of five people in the U.S. suffer from allergies.  According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, one out of twenty children under the age of five and one out of twenty-five adults are allergic to at least one food. The number of people affected by food intolerances is suspected to be higher.

Food Allergy or Food Intolerance

The terms food allergies and food intolerances are often used interchangeably, although they have two different definitions.  A food allergy is when the body’s immune system generates an immunological reaction when exposed to a food allergen.  The symptoms of a food allergen appear quickly, such as eating a peanut and then getting hives or a skin rash or even anaphylaxis minutes to hours later.  The term food intolerance is used to describe reactions to foods, however the immune system is not directly involved.  People with food intolerances can experience a variety of symptoms including headaches, brain fog, fatigue, depression, stomach aches, eczema, asthma, colic, joint pains, insomnia, and many other symptoms, but the symptoms are usually delayed and can occur hours to days after eating the irritating food. 

The Top Ten Food Allergies

The list of the most common food allergens includes: wheat, eggs, dairy, soybean products, corn, citrus fruits, nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and potatoes), peanuts, shellfish and alcohol. Babies and young children are most often allergic to milk, eggs, wheat, soybean products, and peanuts.  Older children and adults are most often allergic to peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews), fish and shellfish. 

Testing Methods for Diagnosis

There are several methods used to determine food allergies and food intolerances.  Each method has advantages and disadvantages; There is no simple, one hundred percent reliable clinical test available.

 The Elimination/Rechallenge Diet: The gold standard for assessing food allergies is the elimination/rechallenge diet which involves eating a restricted diet, avoiding any potential food allergen for four to six weeks, then reintroducing a suspected food allergen into the diet and observing any reaction.  The pros to this diet are that people can identify an adverse reaction to a food when they reintroduce it to the diet, allowing for easy diagnosis.  Also there is no added cost or expensive testing involved.  The cons to this diet include the difficulty of sticking to a restricted diet for four to six weeks, and the extra effort in buying and preparing hypoallergenic meals.

Scratch/Prick Skin Testing: Conventional allergists use this testing.  They place a small amount of food under the skin and watch to see if a red bump appears.  If so, you may have an allergy.  This testing gives accurate results for inhalant allergies, however poor results for food allergies. Skin prick testing only measures IgE mediated reactions, or histamine mediated reactions. It does not measure IgG mediated reactions, which often correspond to food allergies.

ELISA (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay) Testing: This testing method is done through a blood test where serum is measured for specific immune markers–IgE and IgG antibodies–to food allergens. 

The advantages of this testing include:

• Less time consuming than the elimination/rechallenge diet
• It can be safer than skin prick testing if a person has anaphylaxis reactions to foods
• The results can be very motivating for people to change their diets

The disadvantages of this test include:

• This testing is not 100% accurate or reliable
• Some people show high levels of immune markers, such as IgE antibodies, but when they eat the food they do not have adverse reactions

Kinesiology/Muscle Testing/Energetic Testing: Many alternative practitioners use muscle testing or other energetic testing to assess food allergies.  As yet, there are no “scientific studies,” however some people report that these methods do work for some people.

Having a Plan Will Help You Heal

In order to heal your food allergies, it is important to have a plan on how to change your diet.  It is helpful to know about food substitutions, such as using coconut, rice or almond milk instead of cow’s milk, or eating quinoa or brown rice pasta instead of wheat based pasta.  It is also helpful to have a variety of hypoallergenic recipes.  There are many nutritional supplements used to enhance the healing of food allergies and food intolerances.  Naturopathic Doctors specialize in treating food allergies and food intolerances.  

If you are struggling with chronic health issues and potential food allergies or food intolerances, call Boulder Natural Health today at 303-960-3920.  We provide food allergy testing, nutritional and dietary counseling, and specific supplement recommendations that can heal food allergies, food intolerances and any other chronic health issues.  Contact us today and get on the path to better health!

Written by: Dr. Julieanne Neal, ND, CMT

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I often receive phone calls from prospective patients asking about ways to measure serotonin levels.  Many people are convinced they have a chemical imbalance in their brain, and this should explain or justify their depression.  A recent article published on NPR’s health blog describes the history of how American culture jumped head-first onto the Prozac bandwagon in the late 1980′s, accepting the drug-maker’s marketing campaign that depression is merely a deficiency in serotonin.  Now scientists are saying that explanation is no longer satisfying.

“Chemical imbalance is sort of last-century thinking. It’s much more complicated than that,” says Dr. Joseph Coyle, a professor of neuroscience at Harvard Medical School. “It’s really an outmoded way of thinking.”

The antidepressant, Prozac, was first introduced in 1987 and quickly became a blockbuster.  Compared to other tricyclic antidepressants, Prozac showed very little side effects and worked specifically on raising serotonin.  The enormous success of Prozac built the framework for the idea that symptoms of depression may be due to a serotonin deficiency.

According to Alan Frazier, a researcher of antidepressant medications and the chairman of the pharmacology department at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, scientific research does not support the serotonin deficiency theory.

“I don’t think there’s any convincing body of data that anybody has ever found that depression is associated to a significant extent with a loss of serotonin,” said Frazier.

In the 1990s, Pedro Delgado, the chair of the psychiatry department at the University of Texas, carried out a study that showed if you deplete a normal person of serotonin, they will not become depressed.  He believes that this finding supports the idea that low serotonin does not cause depression.

Though the chemical imbalance theory may have helped some people to come out of the closet about their depression, researchers say that the problem is more complex than a simple biological deficiency.  Antidepressants can help people cope with depression, however many other therapies and treatments including counseling, biofeedback, acupuncture, massage, light therapy and others can work just as well.

Source: When It Comes To Depression Serotonin Isn’t The Whole Story by Alix Spiegel

View this Post here Researchers Say Low Serotonin Does Not Cause Depression Check out our website here Boulder Natural Health

I always wondered why my Mom refused to let me have fluoride dental treatments as a kid.  Now I know why.  Contrary to what most people have been told, fluoride is not good for teeth.

Fluorosis is a condition caused by excessive exposure to fluoride, in which the tooth enamel becomes discolored.  A new study in the Journal of American Dental Association found that fluoride intake in early childhood years is significantly associated with developing fluorosis.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention supports this view and warns against using fluorinated water in infant formulas.  According to their website:

“Recent evidence suggests that mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water on a regular basis may increase the chance of a child developing the faint, white markings of very mild or mild enamelfluorosis.

You can use fluoridated water for preparing infant formula. However, if your child is exclusively consuming infant formula reconstituted with fluoridated water, there may be an increased chance for mild dental fluorosis. To lessen this chance, parents can use low-fluoride bottled water some of the time to mix infant formula; these bottled waters are labeled as de-ionized, purified, demineralized, or distilled.”

Source: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Community Water Fluoridation.

 

Beyond infants, the CDC also mentions the risk of fluorosis for kids under age 8 from other fluorinated sources.

“In children younger than 8 years of age, combined fluoride exposure from all sources—water, food, toothpaste, mouth rinse, or other products—contributes to enamel fluorosis.”

Dental fluorosis is a result of excessive amounts of fluoride exposure from birth to about 8 years of age.  Fluorosis results in white and brown spots on your teeth; Those who support fluoridation say that these spots are just cosmetic.  Dr. Mercola, one of the leading experts in natural health, recently interviewed Dr. Paul Connett, a chemist specializing in environmental chemistry and the author of The Case Against Fluoride, about the dangers of fluoride.  Dr. Connett suggests that signs of dental fluorosis may indicate that the rest of your body, bones and other organs are also exposed to too much fluoride as well.

“We know that 32 percent of American children have been overexposed to fluoride because you have this telltale sign of dental fluorosis, which in its mildest form is little white specs. But when it gets more serious, it affects more of the surface of your teeth and it becomes colored; yellow, brown and orange mottling of the teeth …

The teeth are the window to the bones. If you’ve seen the damage to the teeth, what damage can you not see?”

Read more about Dr. Mercola’s interview with Dr. Paul Connett.

Dr. Mercola notes that there a number of studies showing the dangers of fluoride to your health including:

• Increases lead absorption
• Disrupts synthesis of collagen
• Hyperactivity and/or lethargy
• Muscle disorders
• Brain damage, and lowered IQ
• Arthritis
• Dementia
• Bone fractures
• Lowers thyroid function
• Bone cancer (osteosarcoma)
• Inactivates 62 enzymes
• Inhibits formation of antibodies
• Genetic damage and cell death
• Increases tumor and cancer rate
• Disrupts immune system
• Damages sperm and increases infertility

View this Post here Mom, you were right. No fluoride treatments for kids. Check out our website here Boulder Natural Health

We take for granted how important our immune system is to our health in our daily lives.  Given the number of germs we encounter in a day, it’s a wonder how rare it is that we get sick.  Dr. Andrew Weil, MD, just posted an article about the dirtiest dozen, a list of the dirtiest surfaces that we touch on a daily basis.  I think the point should be less about becoming a clean-freak and more about the power of our immune system to fight off germs.  Having said that, I do get grossed-out thinking about the number of germs in our kitchen sponge, and I cringe when my husband uses it to wipe the counter!!

If you’ve been to a gas station, the pump handle would probably top the list of the filthiest surface you encountered. A new survey from Kimberly-Clark found that 71 percent of gas pump handles tested in six U.S. cities were contaminated with bacteria and viruses capable of making us sick. You may want to pull on disposable latex gloves the next time you reach for the pump handle. Others among the dirtiest surfaces found to be crawling with germs: the handles on public mailboxes, escalator railings, ATM buttons, parking meters and kiosks, crosswalk buttons and buttons on vending machines in shopping malls. And that’s not all: at the office, your computer keys and mouse may not be as germ-laden as a gas pump handle, but if you don’t clean them, it’s likely nobody will. Other office hazards: door handles and elevator buttons. Moral of this story: wash your hands after you touch any of these surfaces.

Source: Dr. Andrew Weil’s Blog, The Dirtiest Dozen

View this Post here What is the dirtiest thing you touch in the course of a normal day? Check out our website here Boulder Natural Health

Curing Gastric Reflux

Natural Alternatives to Healing GERD

Written by: Dr. Julieanne Neal, ND, CMT 

Despite the name, heartburn has nothing to do with the heart.  It involves your stomach.  Heartburn feels like a burning sensation behind your breast bone in your upper chest.  The fire-like feeling can spread from your diaphragm up to your throat.  Some people experience a sour taste in their mouth, or a regurgitation of food.  Lying down or bending over can make the symptoms worse.  This often occurs one hour after eating large meals; Watch out for it this Thanksgiving!

GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease, affects approximately one-third of the population in the U.S. at least once per month.  Ten percent of adults experience GERD symptoms daily or weekly.   Typically after a meal, acid from the stomach moves up into the esophagus and irritates the inside lining of esophageal tissue, creating the sensation of heartburn.  Over time, the stomach acid can damage the lining of the esophagus to the extent where the cells become pre-cancerous, a condition called Barrett’s Esophagus.  Other side effects of GERD symptoms include tooth enamel decay, gingivitis, halitosis, coughing, wheezing and asthma.  Many patients often have a hiatal hernia in addition to GERD.  Heartburn and reflux can be extremely troubling for patients and some people feel as though they are having a heart attack.

The Concerns about Proton Pump Inhibitors

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States, and they are used to treat GERD symptoms. These medications include Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix, in addition to H2 blocker medications such as Axid, Pepcid, Tagamet, and Zantac.  These medications prevent reflux by blocking the stomach’s ability to produce acid, so there is less damage to the lining of the esophagus.  Patients do get relief from these medications, but often patients become dependent on these drugs.  Over the years the medical literature has raised concerns about the long term use of PPIs including gastric and colorectal cancer, gastrointestinal bacterial infections, community acquired pneumonia, nutritional deficiencies, central nervous system effects and damage to both the kidneys and liver.  PPI medications are only palliative.  They do not address the underlying cause of a person’s heartburn or GERD, or heal the condition.  Patients with GERD may be told to take PPI medications for the rest of their lives.

The Naturopathic Approach to GERD is Different

The naturopathic approach to GERD is different from conventional care.  Stomach acid is understood to be essentialfor digestive health.  It acts as a natural barrier against infection (the acid kills pathogenic bacteria, virus, and parasites).  And,  acid production allows for absorption of important nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron and calcium.  This is extremely important for people with anemia or osteoporosis.

Underproduction of Stomach Acid

Naturopathic doctors believe that the underlying cause of GERD is not an overproduction of acid, but actually an underproduction!  Stomach acid levels decline as we age, and acid is further decreased by coffee consumption and a poor diet.  Low stomach acid levels actually cause the sphincter muscle on top of the stomach to relax, allowing what little stomach acid there is to reflux and cause heartburn.  A healthy, and often higher amount of stomach acid can keep the lower esophageal sphincter muscle tight, preventing the acid from refluxing up into the esophagus.  This seems counter-intuitive, and actually opposite to the conventional medical thinking, but naturopathic doctors heal gastric reflux by increasing the person’s stomach acid.

Natural Remedies that Heal Reflux

Dietary changes as well as nutrient and herbal supplementation can completely resolve a patient’s GERD symptoms.  Before taking supplements, consider consulting with a naturopathic doctor about getting a blood test to evaluate food allergies, or doing an elimination diet to see if your symptoms improve when you remove potentially allergenic foods.  Often the avoidance of diary products, citrus fruits, tomatoes, chocolate, caffeine, pepperment, fatty foods, and alcohol can heal the issue.  Other natural products that are used to alleviate GERD symptoms include:

Betaine HCL - contrary to conventional medical thinking, adding acid to the stomach helps tighten the sphincter muscle at the stomach-esophagus juncture and prevents acid reflux.

Deglycerinated licorice - the demulcent activity of this herb is used to heal the lining of the esophagus and prevent further complications of GERD such as Barrett’s esophagus.

Digestive enzymes - various enzymes can help you digest food your food better.

Marshmallow, slippery elm, plantain, and aloe- other demulcent herbs that soothe and coat the lining of esophagus, and protect the mucosal lining against further acid damage.

Visceral manipulation - a form of gentle bodywork that can be applied to the esophagus and stomach to help alleviate GERD symptoms with a hiatal hernia.

Ways to Prevent Heartburn and GERD

• Chew your food thoroughly, a good rule of thumb is 20 chews before swallowing

• Eat bitter greens in your diet as this stimulates production of stomach acid

• Eat appropriate portions (not too much!)

• Avoid excessive saturated fat

• Do not overly drink fluids with meals (just enough to moisten the food for swallowing)

• Avoid foods that can trigger sphincter relaxation: chocolate, mint, fat, spicy foods

• Beverages that can trigger sphincter relaxation: coffee, tea, cow milk, orange and tomato juices

• Avoid cigarette smoking

• Don’t lie down soon after eating and elevate head of the bed 45 degrees if heartburn chronically interferes with sleeping

• Reduce coffee consumption if heartburn is an issue

• Consider food allergy testing to see if the foods you are eating may be contributing to your symptoms

Consult with Your Local Naturopath

GERD is a complex medical condition that requires proper work up and treatment.  Naturopathic medicine has many treatments available including botanical medicines, homeopathics, physical medicine, food allergy elimination diets and others that can offer a permanent solution to healing reflux, preventing the need for PPI medication.  Call your local naturopathic doctor today to find out how you can resolve your GERD symptoms using natural medicine.

Call Boulder Natural Health today at 303-960-3920 to find out more information about food allergy testing, allergy-elimination diets, and natural treatments to heal GERD.  You can also send us and email!

View this Post here Curing Gastric Reflux Check out our website here Boulder Natural Health

Naturopathic Approach to Menopause

Written by: Dr. Julieanne Neal, ND, CMT

More than ever before, women are educating themselves, asking their doctors questions, and discovering the variety of natural options to treat menopausal symptoms.  Diet changes, exercise, essential vitamins and nutrients, and herbal medicine can have a profound impact on menopausal symptoms and the way a woman moves through this life transition.

No two women experience menopausal symptoms the same.  Physical, mental and emotional symptoms can begin long before a woman reaches official “menopause”–the term used when a woman goes one full year without having a menstrual cycle.

Dr. Julieanne Neal provides a personalized naturopatic approach to Menopause symptoms and Menopause transitions. Contact Boulder Natural Health today at 303-960-3920 for more information about natural approaches to Menopause. You can also send us an email!

Typically symptoms begin between age 40 and 51, a time period called peri-menopause.  Signs and symptoms include:

• menstrual irregularities,
• hot flashes,
• night sweats,
• vaginal dryness,
• skin changes,
• fatigue,
• low libido,
• mood swings,
• weight gain, joint pain, insomnia, headaches, urinary tract infections, incontinence, anxiety, depression, osteoporosis and heart disease.

A woman’s age, her stress, and her body weight all play a role in a woman’s hormonal balance and her menopausal symptoms.

The naturopathic approach to treatment of menopausal symptoms is different from conventional medical care.  Naturopathic doctors view menopause as a normal transition in life, rather than a disease process.  Naturopathic doctors strive to educate women about the changes happening in their body during this life transition. Naturopathic treatments focus on the whole woman–her diet, her lifestyle, her exercise, and her mental, emotional and spiritual outlook.

Therapeutic treatment options include:

• vitamin and nutrient supplementation,
• herbal or botanical medicine,
• homeopathic medicine,
• and bio-identical hormone replacement therapy when indicated.

Here are some natural solutions used by naturopathic doctors for women experiencing menopausal symptoms:

Diet

Increasing a woman’s dietary intake of phytoestrogens or foods containing plant-based estrogen can improve many symptoms of menopause.  Adding 100 grams of tofu and 2 TB of ground flaxseeds each day to a woman’s diet can reduce hot flashes and decrease vaginal dryness.  Other recommended foods include natural sources of soy in miso, (not the refined soy in soy milk or soy cheese), tofu, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts, whole grains, apples, fennel, celery, parsley, and alfalfa.  Foods and herbs that contain phytoestrogens offer a significant advantage over the use of hormonal estrogen because phytoestrogens have not been associated with the side effects of hormonal estrogen–increased cancer rates, gallbladder disease and blood clots.

Exercise

Moderate to high intensity weight bearing aerobic exercise, high intensity progressive resistance training, and high-impact loading such as jumping, all can increase bone density by 1-4 percent in pre and post-menopausal women.  Weight bearing exercise like walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing, weight training, and cross-country skiing can reduce risk of fracture and improve bone mass.

Herbal Medicine

Black cohosh is a suitable natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms especially when hormone replacement therapy is contraindicated (conditions with possible contraindications include history of cancer, liver and gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breast disease).  Dong quai, licorice, and chaste tree berry are herbs with mild estrogenic effects and used to treat menopausal symptoms  to help with fatigue during menopause, Siberian ginseng combined with a vitamin B complex is often effective.  Herbs like Damiana, Ashwaghanda and ginseng herbs can improve libido and can be used when fatigue is the source of low desire.  For difficulty falling asleep, herbs like Valerian, Passionflower, California Poppy and Jujube can be beneficial.  For problems waking in the middle of the night, consider Ashwaghanda or St. John’s Wort if waking is associated with anxiety or depression. Jujube, Hops, Skullcap, Passionflower, Oats and Chamomile are used for night sweats and insomnia caused by flushing.

Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement

If diet, exercise, nutrient therapy and herbal medicine are not working to treat menopausal symptoms, short-term bio-identical hormone therapy is recommended.  Bio-identical estrogen is preferred over synthetic estrogen because bio-identical hormones are the exact chemical structure of the hormones in our body.  Synthetic estrogen is a mixture of different types of estrogens called conjugated estrogens, derived from horse’s urine.  Conjugated estrogens can be hard on the liver, which has to process all of estrogens that the body does not recognize.  Bio-identical hormones are sourced from either wild yam or soybeans.  The amount of bio-identical hormone required to treat menopausal symptoms is usually less than the amount required with synthetic hormones.  The bottom line with hormone replacement therapy is: use the lowest dose for the shortest amount of time to treat symptoms.  Hormone levels should be checked periodically and women should only use hormones if they are symptomatic.

References:
Trickey, R.  2003. Women, Hormones and the Menstrual Cycle.  Allen & Unwin, Australia.  Pp. 153-201.
Murray, M., Pizzorno, J. 1998. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.  Three Rivers Press, New York. Pp. 628-644.
Hudson, T.  2008.  Women’s Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.  McGraw-Hill, New York. Pp. 175-224.

View this Post here Menopause Gracefully and Naturally Check out our website here Boulder Natural Health