7 Ways on How to Avoid the Risks Associated with HRTh

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Friday, 5 September 2008

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By:Emily Clark

Does hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for your menopause make

your blood run cold? Many women are faced with the potential

risks associated with HRT. First, let’s take a quick look at the

three stages of menopause.

Menopause begins in your early 40s as your ovaries gradually

produce less and less of the hormone estrogen. Your periods

become erratic sometimes skipping a month or alternating between

light and heavy.

The next period of time is the transitioning to actual menopause.

During this time you may continue to have erratic periods and

the “fun stuff” begins to settle in for a long visit. Yes, fun

stuff like hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings and insomnia

are some of the symptoms.

The final and actual onset of menopause usually occurs in your

early 50s and is represented by the absence of your period for a

full 12 months. It’s those in between years that can wreak havoc

in your life.

Are there natural alternatives for chemical HRT? The good news

is yes! It’s a sad fact that less than two percent of doctors

even mention alternative therapies and that most of them feel

there is no benefit. Thousands of women would disagree. Here

are just a few of the many natural alternatives:

Try adjusting your diet to include vegetables and fish that are

high in Omega-3 as they contain nutrients that can help your body

deal with menopause naturally. Conversely, there are foods that

can make your menopausal symptoms worse. Caffeine, sugar, fatty

dairy products, salt, alcohol and saturated oils can aggravate

the symptoms.

Be sure and take a daily multivitamin making certain that the

vitamin contains 100% of the daily allowance for nutrients. Just

be aware that vitamins are no substitute for following a healthy

diet.

If menopause causes mood swings, it only makes sense that it’s

possible to experience extreme responses for stress. Try using

deep breathing techniques, meditation or some other methods of

relaxation that works for you and practice the technique for 10

to 20 minutes per day. You will be left feeling calmer, more

able to cope and more in control.

Exercising regularly can also help alleviate menopausal symptoms.

Scheduling at least 30 minutes of exercise three times a week

will relieve hot flashes. You will be able to think more clearly

and reduce your risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

Some women have found relief through yoga and acupressure. Both

are mainstays of practitioners of eastern medicine.

Last, but not least, we come to herbal treatments. Beans and

certain other plants have a mild estrogenic activity in their

makeup thanks to "phytoestrogens." These are compounds that

include isoflavins, lignans, phytoseterols and saponins. In

additional to helping your body through menopause, animal

experiments show they are significantly effective in preventing

tumors of the breast tissue.

Without sending you off for a medical dictionary to understand

the compounds listed above, here are some of the foods and herbs

that contain healthy compounds: Soy, black cohosh, licorice,

alfalfa, chasteberry, Chinese angelica, red clover, strawberry,

celery stalks, dates, elder, false unicorn root, fennel, Honduran

sarsaparilla, lady’s slipper, liferoot, Mexican wild yams,

passion flower, pomegranates and sassafras.

The foods, of course, are available from your local grocery.

Visit your local health food store where you should be able to

find the herbs and methods to include them in your daily diet.

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes

only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any

disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any

health care program.

About the author:

Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health News
where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on
many medical, health and lifestyle topics.

Article Source: http://www.dailynewarticles.com