Winter Maladies: Natural Approaches
June Russell's Health Facts
Alcohol - Menopause
[About Menopause] [Effects of Alcohol on Menopause]
Menopause (Article)
Menopause is the cessation of the monthly female menstrual cycle, usually when a woman is in her late forties or early fifties. Menopause is not a disease, and cannot be prevented, and those women who have gone through menopause are no longer fertile. Currently, about 40 million American women are menopausal, and the number will grow dramatically in the next decade as the baby-boomer generation reaches the age of menopause. At the turn of the last century, 1900, menopause and death occurred at roughly the same ages, but now the average woman who reaches menopause will live 30 more years. Menopause is the cessation of ovulation; that is, the ovaries no longer release eggs, and after menopause the ovaries no longer secrete two critical steroid hormones in the same amount: estrogen and progesterone. The average age for menopause is 51, and perimenopause, the transition from regular functioning of the ovaries to its absence, can take from one to ten years.
For many women, menopause brings relief from monthly periods, freedom from unplanned pregnancy, and excitement about entering a new phase of life. For many others, menopause brings physical and emotional upheaval linked to changes occurring as the female body makes its transition out of the child-bearing years.
The loss of female hormone production can cause both acute and chronic consequences in hormone-dependent tissues, such as the brain, bones, heart, blood vessels and skin. Some of the symptoms of menopause may include; insomnia, depression, stiff joints, bloating, vaginal dryness, sore breasts, hot flashes and night sweats, changes in mood and sexual desire, a decrease in memory or concentration, changes in body or scalp hair or skin tone. Hot flashes, which are characterized by a sudden increase in heart rate, peripheral blood flow, and sweating, are for many women the most uncomfortable aspect of menopause, and about four to five million women currently are severely affected by hot flashes.
The National Institute on Aging says menopausal women are at a higher risk of developing six chronic health conditions; diabetes, heart trouble, osteoporosis, cancer, hypertension (high blood pressure) and arthritis - hypertension and arthritis being the most common. Researchers were surprised to see that women who had surgically-induced menopause report a strikingly higher frequency of all conditions. It is also possible that millions of American women with menopausal-like symptoms may actually be suffering from undiagnosed thyroid disorders, according to a statement from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). Depression is common in both menopausal and premenopausal women, but not scientifically linked to menopause.
One of the fears of women about menopause is that it will cause a gain in weight, and although many women do gain weight, lifestyle choices play a big role. A recent study in the journal Menopause found that menopausal women who participated in healthful eating and regular exercise were much less likely to gain weight than women who did not. However, the body has a tendency to deposit fat around the waist as estrogen levels fall, so clothing could feel tighter even though a woman's weight may not change.
For the past several decades, conventional medicine has treated menopausal discomforts with estrogen or progestin hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Studies now show that HRT increases the risk of cancer, blood clots, gall bladder disease, and insulin resistance, and many choose to forego HRT because of the cyclical bleeding, and reduced cognitive decline in older women. Progestin (synthetic progesterone) also has unwanted and hazardous effects. There are physicians who can prescribe natural hormones, which are safer to use. Ideally your health care practitioner should monitor your salivary hormone levels and tailor the dosage to fit individual needs, says Shari Lieberman, PhD, a professor at the University of Bridgeport School of Human Nutrition in Connecticut. "Natural hormones work because they are absolutely identical to human hormones," say John Lee, MD, author of "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause." (Contact www.acam.org -The American College for the Advancement of Medicine for a referral}.
There are many natural approaches that may help with the symptoms of menopause:
- Shifting from a diet high in meat and dairy products to a more vegetarian diet tends to normalize estrogen hormones.
- Because of differing reports as to the effectiveness and safety of soy, black cohosh (over-the-counter Remifemin) is recommended for premenstrual or menopausal symptoms. Because of a lack of long-term studies of this product it is recommended that it not be taken for more than six consecutive months, and it should be used with caution in individuals with high blood pressure, or those on HRT. Also it should be avoided by those who are pregnant or breast feeding.
{American Cancer Society, 2002} Editor's comment: Dr. Susan Love, author of "Dr. Susan Love's Hormone book," and Dr. Andrew Weil also recommend "Remifemin." Herbs such as red clover, and black cohosh, are better alternatives to soy, until studies confirm its safety.- To avoid vaginal dryness, avoid alcohol and caffeine and take 500 mg twice a day of an essential fatty acid supplement like borage or primrose oil to moisturize tissues. Taking vitamin E (800 IU's/day) can help with hot flashes as well as vaginal dryness, but check with your doctor about this amount if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or breast cancer. Vitamin E can also be applied topically to the vaginal area for the relief of dryness. Drink plenty of water.
- St. Johnswort at 300 mg, three times a day can be helpful, but check with your doctor if you are taking any other medications.
- Alcohol can intensify almost every type of menopausal symptom, and hot flashes are most severe after stress or alcohol consumption. Even moderate alcohol use may increase estrogen levels in postmenopausal women receiving HRT, potentially affecting their risk for various adverse health effects.
- There are effective ways that have been reported to be helpful to relieve menopausal symptoms, such as acupuncture, homeopathy, yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine, meditation and relaxation techniques.
Alcohol's Effect on Menopause
Approximately 30 percent of American women are older than age 50, the average age of menopause, and approximately 50 percent of these women consume at least moderate quantities of alcohol. Therefore any adverse effects of alcohol among this population could have a significant effect on public health. Approximately 25 percent of postmenopausal women take supplemental estrogens to alleviate unpleasant symptoms of menopause. Even moderate alcohol consumption may increase estrogen levels in postmenopausal women receiving HRT, potentially affecting their risk for various adverse health effects.
{"Alcohol, Hormones and Postmenopausal Women," NIAAA, 1998}
During midlife and beyond, alcohol and sugar can actually intensify almost every type of menopause symptom, and I recommend that women with active symptoms limit their intake or avoid alcoholic beverages and sugar entirely. No artificial sweetener is without drawbacks or potential health hazards, so if you feel you must use something, it is better to use natural sweeteners in small amounts.
{"Foods to Avoid or Limit," excerpted from "The Women's Health Companion," Susan Lark, MD, healthy.net - Feb. 2002}
A study in the journal Menopause found a stronger link between weight gain and lifestyle, particularly alcohol consumption and physical activity, than between weight gain and menopause itself. "Estrogen loss does not equal fat gain, according to Michelle Warren, MD, of the Center for Menopause, Hormonal Disorders and Women's Health at New York City's Columbia-Presbyterian Eastside. "Women gain weight as they age because their metabolic rates slow down," she explains.
{Arizona Cooperative Extension, Dept. of Nutritional Sciences, Feb. 2002}
Women who are experiencing menopause should restrain from alcohol use.
{"Menopause," Alternative Wellness Centre, www.alternativehealthmagazine.com - Feb. 2002}
Eliminate triggers such as alcohol when having menopausal symptoms.
{Family Health Information, Women's Health, azfamily.com - 2002}
For menopausal symptoms avoid things that trigger hot flashes.
{HRT,
Focus on Healthy Aging, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Dec. 2002}