The Natural Alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy

by Dr. Richard Firshein

Joyce, a forty-seven year old art director had been experiencing hot flashes. After a trip to her gynecologist, she was told that she was experiencing symptoms of menopause. "My gynecologist started telling me what would happen to me next," Joyce said. "The menstrual decline that would occur. The bone loss, heart disease, sexual dysfunction. She wanted to start me on hormone replacement therapy right away."

Joyce came to me looking for an alternative. She had heard of treatments for a variety of ailments, from cancer to diabetes and asthma. She was glad to learn that there are a number of alternative choices for women seeking to avoid prescription medication for post-menopausal symptoms. In fact, natural estrogen alternatives are beneficial for a variety of conditions, including PMS and irregular menstrual cycles.

When I started Joyce on her natural estrogen program, she was skeptical. But a change in her diet, along with a supplement program, did the trick. After six weeks she was relieved of her hot flashes and most of her other symptoms. "Why doesn't anyone know about this treatment?" she said.

Hormone replacement therapy became popular about ten years ago after numerous studies showed that it may prevent osteoporosis and reduce the risk of heart disease in women. Estrogen replacement therapy has been sold to the public as an elixir of youth, making synthetic estrogen the number one drug sold in America. (Estrogen replacement therapy uses estrogen alone; hormone replacement therapy is estrogen combined with progestin - a synthetic that acts like progesterone). However, synthetic hormones come in a package along with potential risks. A landmark study of over 70,000 nurses published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that women taking estrogen replacement therapy for longer than five years had a forty percent increased risk of breast cancer, a percentage that increased steadily the longer estrogen was taken.

There is much debate in the medical community on whether every post-menopausal woman should take estrogen replacement, or hormone replacement. While there are certain women who may benefit from synthetic estrogens, most women would be better off using natural alternatives.

Menopause typically begins by the age of fifty for most women. However, it can start as early as the thirties. When the body's production of estrogen and progesterone decreases, menstruation stops. After one year without a period, a woman is said to be going through menopause. This can be confirmed through laboratory tests, and is not to be confused with other syndromes where a normal cycle ceases. Symptoms of menopause often include hot flashes, sexual dysfunction, as well as impaired daily functioning due to pronounced vasomotor reactions.

One of the most insidious messages that women receive is that menopause is a medical condition. This classification has allowed "treatment" protocols to be developed. These treatments, as mentioned above, may be harmful. Most women can probably avoid estrogen replacement therapy altogether if they take other protective measures, including a high calcium intake, regular exercise, and a diet rich with foods containing natural estrogens and progesterones.

GOOD VERSUS BAD ESTROGEN

You've probably heard of "good" and "bad" cholesterol by now. Just as there is good and bad cholesterol, there are "good" and "bad" estrogens. Bad estrogens are responsible for the promotion of tumors, and are found in high proportions in synthetic estrogen used in birth control pills or prescribed for the "treatment" of menopause. (Bad estrogens contain a low amount of a substance called estriol, and a higher amount of estradiol. The ratio of estriol to estradiol determines whether estrogen is harmful or not.)

Good estrogens (containing a high amount of estriol) are found in a surprisingly wide variety of foods, including raspberries, strawberries, soybeans, sweet potatoes, yams and eggplants. Genistein, for example, is one of the good natural estrogens, found in soy, a staple of the Japanese diet. Incidentally, Japanese women have one fifth the risk of breast cancer as do their Western counterparts. Genistein appears to block angiogenesis - the process by which new blood vessels are formed. The blockage of angiogenesis hinders the growth and spread of tumor cells.

Japanese women experience very few menopausal syndromes. At one time, this was believed to be due to the stoical nature of the Japanese. That view has now changed, and the absence of symptoms is attributed to the Japanese diet, where the main ingredient is soy. A cup of soy contains approximately the same amount of estrogen as the body produces in one day. Different types of soy products, such as soy milk and tofu have different amounts of natural estrogens, tofu being among the highest. Tofu is best consumed from closed packages to ensure freshness.

Other weapons in the fight are IC3s. IC3s - or Indole 3 Carbinols-present in broccoli and cabbage, are now the subject of intense research at the Strang Institute. IC3s appear to prohibit estrogen to break down into harmful metabolites.

Natural estrogens are "weak" estrogens, meaning that they bind to receptors but produce minimal side effects. Unlike what is commonly believed, weak estrogens are not beneficial to women alone, and appear to serve both sexes. Studies in Japan, where plant estrogens are consumed extensively, indicate that prostate cancer is nearly non-existent among Japanese men, and that the incidence of breast cancer in Japan is among the lowest in the world. The same goes for heart disease, since natural estrogens present in many plant foods appear to act as powerful antioxidants, preventing free radical damage to lipids. They therefore help in preserving the lining of the arteries.

Natural Estrogens are present not only in food, but in supplements as well, offered by many pharmacies.

AND WHAT ABOUT PROGESTERONE?

Estrogen replacement therapy is now usually prescribed only for women who have had hysterectomies, since estrogen alone has been shown to increase the risk of cancer of the uterine lining. Progestin (a synthetic that acts as progesterone), is added to prevent endometrial cancer. But synthetic progesterone may also cause adverse side effects, including breast tenderness and skin sensitivity. Progesterones can be vastly found in many of the foods containing natural estrogens, so alternatives need to be considered. Furthermore, natural progesterone has been shown to raise HDL cholesterol - the good cholesterol - more than synthetic progesterone. Natural progesterones are also available in some pharmacies.

An important meeting of the American Heart Association raised the possibility that plant estrogens and possibly progesterones might be reasonable alternatives to the synthetic ones, which are currently in vogue. When a usually conservative body such as the AHA considers this possibility, the time has come to pay attention. __________________________

For a much more indepth look at plant estrogens, phytohormones and their benefits, read The Nutraceutical Revolution by Dr. Richard Firshein.

by Dr. Richard Firshein