Women are used to dealing with hormonal shifts in their bodies: they go through puberty and many years of monthly menstrual cycles, eventually experiencing complete cessation of their periods resulting in menopause.

And don’t forget the immense changes that occur during pregnancy.

But what about the years leading up to menopause? What happens then?

Many women begin to notice strange symptoms, such as brain fog, fatigue, irritability and mood swings after age 30. These may be just some of the symptoms of this time in a woman’s life which we refer to as perimenopause (meaning the time around menopause).

Other symptoms may include:

• Hot flashes
• Breast tenderness
• Vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex
• Urine leakage when coughing or sneezing
• Worsening premenstrual syndrome

For a lot of women, the frustration centers around their image—and their weight, plus the inability to lose weight, specifically. For others, it’s sleeping soundly through the night as many women will experience difficulty with falling asleep and/or staying asleep.

But not everyone has to go through these negative changes in their health and happiness. And not all women will–how much you are affected does depend on genes to some degree, as well as your lifestyle and current level of health.

Lifestyle factors that can worsen your chances of experiencing the negative hormonal symptoms of aging include:

• Alcohol consumption
• Smoking
• Poor diet
• A lack of exercise

Stress also plays a vital role. Stress drains your hormones and raises the likelihood that you’ll sleep poorly, gain weight and struggle to lose it, and experience mood swings.

As we age, the female body naturally produces less progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone which are responsible for our brain function, sex drive, and even skin texture.

Because of these drops in hormones, and the symptoms that come along with their decline, some women chose to pursue synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, this type of HRT has been deemed to be unsafe, which is why its use is restricted. Only the smallest amount for the shortest amount of time is recommended.

I recommend and use a safer alternative to synthetic hormones called bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.

This type of treatment uses hormones with the same chemical structure as the hormones that are naturally found in our bodies. The hope is that the body will recognize these hormones more efficiently and will be able to use them in precisely the same way. Bio-identical hormones are often taken in transdermal, transvaginal, oral, sublingual, and pellet form. They have been shown to be safer than the substances used in synthetic hormone replacement therapies.

However, before you consider taking bio-identical hormones, or any other type of HRT, to alleviate the symptoms associated with aging and menopause, caution must be taken.

Be sure to work with a doctor that is well-schooled in this type of therapy. Get baseline blood and/or urine and saliva tests to evaluate your body’s natural hormone levels, and make sure you get all your hormone levels tested regularly if undergoing HRT of any kind. Hormones work together in your body and they are in a delicate balance, therefore all hormones including adrenals and thyroid should be checked.

Doctors should also advise you on appropriate lifestyle changes to support your body’s natural ability to produce and synthesize hormones and this should be your first-line treatment.

Certain types of hormone problems can point to nutrient deficiencies, so make sure you’re getting enough of everything you need. Particularly important nutrients are magnesium, vitamin D, B-vitamins, selenium, iron and zinc.

So, what’s the key to moving into the second half of your life?

Taking good care of yourself, and seeking out help to make sure you can keep your hormone levels as balanced as they can be so that you can sleep better, move without pain, eat without gaining weight and feel energized and ready to begin your day each morning.

Keep reading the blogs as I’ll continue to post helpful tips on how to accomplish all of this and more.

I welcome comments and suggestions on topics you’d like to hear more about.

Get in touch by responding to this post below!

The post How Hormone Imbalance Affects Women’s Health appeared first on Kimberly Glow.

It’s amazing how many stories women out there have about these types of problems, even in this age of technological advancement and supposed improved levels of gender equality.

It has been found that 40% of women who are eventually found to have serious autoimmune diseases, for example, have been told by a physician that they are “complainers.”

The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association’s president and executive director, Virginia Ladd, said the number one concern among women with autoimmune conditions is that their doctor doesn’t listen to them.

One woman was still in the hospital recovering from complicated brain surgery when she suddenly experienced muscle spasms. A young male doctor watched her convulse and then said: “We don’t know what’s wrong with you — but we think the problem is all in your head.” She was later told that she may have been having an adverse reaction to the post-surgery steroids she had been given to reduce brain swelling.

Senior women may have ageism to contend with on top of this kind of treatment. One woman in her 80s began to experience severe abdominal pain and went from doctor to doctor before eventually seeking out alternatives. At one clinic, the doctor made a note of her age and asked, “Well, what do you expect?”

Some doctors also refer women for psychological evaluations before they have even addressed their physical symptoms. One of the reasons thought to be behind this is that historically, medical research focused on men and unfortunately still does. Another reason is that the average office visit is 7-15 minutes in length and the doctor simply doesn’t have the time to listen and figure it out.

Have you experienced treatment like this? I know I have. Wouldn’t you agree that it’s time for a new type of patient care altogether?

Discovery Call

That’s where my practice is different. I spend between 60 and 90 minutes per visit with each patient. Sometimes, even more!

It’s amazing how much you can learn from a patient when you take the time to listen to her concerns.

If you’re sick and tired of traditional medicine and feeling like a number and not a person, take a moment to fill out my discovery call application and experience what it’s like to be with a doctor who truly listens.

The post Have you gotten the diagnosis…”It’s All in Your Head?” appeared first on Kimberly Glow.

The flavor of this tea is somewhat interesting. You’d be able to taste the original sweet tea flavor but the acidic, vinegar-like flavor definitely kicks in.

It is available at most health food stores but if you are interested in making kombucha tea at home, read the tips below:

1. Some people prefer using low-grade teas as they end up tasting better than more expensive teas. Do not use teas containing oils (E.g. bergamot oils in Earl Grey) because they can harm your bacterial host: the kombucha fungi. The kombucha culture is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). Some of the best teas to use are echinacea, green, black, oolong, red, white and herbal tea.
2. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you can use decaffeinated tea. You can also try this trick: let your regular tea steep in the cup of hot water for 60 seconds then discard the water. Use the teabags to make your kombucha tea. About 80% to 90% of the caffeine will be released by doing this method.
3. DO NOT wash your hands with an antibacterial soap before making kombucha tea. Doing so can destroy the good bacteria produced by the culture. Just wash your hands with hot water or use plain vinegar to wash your hands as well as the materials you’ll be using. You may want to use non-latex gloves when touching the culture directly.
4. For kombucha tea, refined white sugar works great but you can also use organic evaporated cane juice. Raw sugars are not recommended because they are difficult for the SCOBY to digest. Do not use raw honey either; its anti-microbial properties can kill the culture.
5. Use a big mason jar or any wide-mouthed glass jar as your brewing container. Most people like using a sun tea container. Stay away from plastic containers because they can leach into the kombucha. Metals are not good either because they can corrode or damage the SCOBY.
6. You don’t need to sterilize the jar. Just wash the container with dish soap, hot water and a little white vinegar or ACV. Don’t use bleach to clean your jars.
7. When adding culture to the tea, put the jar somewhere warm and dark. The temperature should be between 70F and 86F. Colder temperatures will make the culture grow slowly.
8. Kombucha tea is healthy for everyone in the family. Yes, even the kids can drink it! You can flavor the tea by adding strawberries, lemons, peaches, apple or pineapple or whatever fruit you prefer.

Recipe

Here is a recipe given to me by my dear friend, Nancy Linsley. She is an expert kombucha maker and hers tastes delicious. Better than any store bought you can find. I was fortunate as she has SCOBY that she has been using for many years and she shared her SCOBY with me so that I can make my own.

Place SCOBY in large jar and get to room temperature. Meanwhile, boil 16 cups of water. When it comes to a boil, take off the burner and add 1 cup sugar (not raw, brown or honey) add 4 bags of tea (she uses 2 green and 2 black). Stir and bring to room temperature.

Pour into jar with SCOBY and cover with cheesecloth or dish towel & rubber band.

Leave in pantry or cool place for 3 weeks- less for warmer temperatures.

At that time, take out the SCOBY and put it in the fridge with a little bit of liquid for the next batch.

Pour the kombucha into jars with flavor/fruit of your choice and place lids onto the jars.

Leave 5 days in the pantry, or whatever cool place you have available.

Then remove the thick layer from the top and place jars of kombucha in the fridge, ready to enjoy.

Let me know how yours turns out!

Where to buy SCOBY if you don’t have a friend like Nancy…

Fermentaholics: fermentaholics.com
Iherb: iherb.com
Amazon: look up scoby kombucha starter

The post Tips For Making Kombucha Tea appeared first on Kimberly Glow.

How Hormones Work

Hormones are special chemical messengers that control most of the body’s processes. The endocrine glands create these special messengers and our body relies on them to function properly.

How we treat our bodies and the substances we surround ourselves with makes a difference in how these hormones are able to help us. By learning what they do and how we can assist them in doing their job, we will be closer to our goal of happiness.

What Hormones Are Related to Happiness?

There are several hormones that can boost one’s happiness. The main ones include serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine.

Serotonin has become quite well known in recent times. It is a neurotransmitter, which takes messages from one part of the brain to another. Serotonin is crucial in preventing depression and other mental illness, and problems occur when you have either a shortage of this hormone or when it is unable to do its job.

Oxytocin is known as the “love hormone” and has a variety of jobs, which include helping people improve their social skills and minimizing fear.

Dopamine is another neurotransmitter, and it is activated when a positive and unexpected circumstance happens – which is why it is known for its role in helping the brain learn about rewards.

Natural Ways to Balance Your Hormones

Hormones need to maintain a fine balance in order to allow you to function at optimum levels. Too much or too little of any hormone will cause short- and long-term problems healthwise. Because our happiness is dependent on this, we are wise to do our best to find a healthy balance for all the hormones in our body, in order to create an environment that supports feeling good.

Some important ways to keep your hormones in good balance and working order are to get sufficient sleep each night, exercise regularly and eliminate toxins from your daily life. Minimize stress in your life as much as possible, and avoid birth control pills if possible.

Foods to Balance Your Hormones

Food plays an important role in the balance of hormones. There are many foods that you should make a point of eating on a daily basis, and many you should strive to avoid.

Foods and nutrients that help your body balance hormones and keep you happy include healthy fats such as those found in coconut oil, avocados, nuts and wild salmon. Vitamin D is an important supplement, as is magnesium. A sufficient amount of clean proteins should be eaten, as well as plenty of vegetables.

Your hormones play an essential role in your feelings of happiness. Keeping them balanced and working for you properly is important in order to ensure feelings of mental wellness. By following the guidelines above, you will be able to balance your hormones and live a life of happiness and satisfaction.

The post The Link Between Hormones and Happiness appeared first on Kimberly Glow.

While it has Buddhist roots, the practice evolved based on research regarding the mind-body connection’s influence on good health. This meditation method does not have religious or philosophical dogmas attached to it.

The practice may be accessed by anyone of any background with beneficial outcomes. Mindfulness encourages and cultivates the art of paying attention without engaging with or attaching meaning to the events, thoughts, and emotions in a manner, which causes conflict or anxiety.

Why Practice Mindful Meditation

In various studies, participants who practiced mindfulness meditation for eight weeks to six months experienced a reduction in anxiety, depression, and physical pain symptoms.

A study conducted by Mass General Hospital and Boston University found these effects presented even when the participants were not actively meditating. The study also found other long-term benefits of meditation practice:

• Practicing meditation trains the brain to process emotion differently lending stability to an individual’s emotional state as well as decreasing depression and anxiety.
• Participants learned to process information without immediate reaction or by responding differently.

The study employed two forms of meditation, compassion meditation and mindfulness meditation. Compassion meditation focuses on teaching practitioners to observe experiences, themselves, and others through a lens of loving kindness and compassion. Mindfulness meditation teaches practitioners to observe thoughts and experiences without attaching meaning, to simply observe what is.

Brain scans were taken while participants viewed positive images, negative images and neutral images. This was repeated during and after their participation in the meditation program.

The results indicate that people who participated in the study showed less activity in the emotion and memory center of the brain, the amygdala.

• The compassion meditation participants presented lowered activity in the amygdala when shown positive and neutral images; the activity in the amygdala increased when they were shown negative images, which showed some form of human suffering.
• The mindfulness meditation participants showed an overall decrease of activity in the amygdala to all images, positive, negative, and neutral.

The results from the two groups support the study’s hypothesis. Based on the mindfulness meditation results, meditation improves the emotional stability and stress response.

Participants in the compassion meditation group returned lower depression scores.

How Does It Work

Gaëlle Desbordes, PhD, a research fellow at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at MGH and at the BU Center for Computational Neuroscience and Neural Technology, who shared authorship of the study reports, explains the study results, “We think these two forms of meditation cultivate different aspects of mind.

Since compassion meditation is designed to enhance compassionate feelings, it follows that it does increase the amygdala response in the brain to watching people suffer. Increased amygdala activation correlated to lower depression levels in the compassion meditation group, which could mean that having more compassion towards others certainly benefits oneself.

Overall, these results are consistent with the overarching hypothesis that meditation may result in enduring, beneficial changes in brain function, especially in the area of emotional processing.”

How Long Do The Benefits Last

The follow-up observations for the Mass General Hospital and Boston University study were conducted three weeks following its conclusion. This study shows meditators experience the benefits of emotional stability and decreased depression and anxiety when not meditating.

The results of this study also indicate the benefits of meditation extend beyond immediate participation in a meditation program. Whether or not the benefits are sustained beyond this period requires further study. The effects of meditation on emotional stability without a program environment as well as the level of independent practice by participants necessary to experience the same benefits seem to be the next avenues of inquiry.

How This Benefits You

The fact that mindful meditation involves exercising compassion, patience, and acceptance for all things can serve us in a variety of ways. Obtaining emotional stability is a benefit in itself, but it can further serve us in many ways.

In mindful meditation and emotional stability, one can achieve a higher understanding and appreciation of self, which makes for a more positive attitude towards life. Several studies have shown positive thinking to be of benefit to our health.

Positive thinking is known to have a wide reach in serving our health, both physical and emotional. Optimists have better immunity, less depression and anxiety and better heart health. Positive thinkers are also better able to deal with stress because they are more resilient and have the ability to face challenges and adversity with a positive outlook. This makes them more resistant to and better able to avoid the harmful effects that stress hormones have on the body.

Mindful meditation can help with developing a strong positive attitude, which in turn can greatly improve our health and wellness.

The post Obtain Emotional Stability That Supports Positive Thinking Through Mindful Meditation appeared first on Kimberly Glow.

Progesterone production is high during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and low during the follicular phase as well as being low before puberty and after menopause. Women who suffer from PMS, peri-menopause, post-menopause, vaginal dryness, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, uterine fibroid tumors, and endometrial carcinoma may benefit from progesterone therapy.

How do you choose the right natural progesterone supplement?

Supplemental sources of progesterone are available in:

• oral and cream forms
• lozenges
• suppositories
• injectable forms

“Natural” progesterone refers to the type that matches exactly the substance produced in a woman’s body, as opposed to related synthesized molecules. The natural forms are preferred to the synthetic forms of progesterone by some doctors.

According to John R. Lee, M.D., the well-known proponent of supplemental progesterone, transdermal progesterone (Progesterone Creams) can help achieve a more normal hormonal balance in the body.

When a woman takes progesterone she may experience, improved cholesterol levels, improved sleep, mood, concentration and memory, reduced risk of depression, reduced risk of endometrial cancer and breast cancer, reduced risk of senility and cognitive decline, and finally enhanced libido.

If you’re unsure about progesterone cream there is always the alternatives such as soya (isoflavonoids), Black cohosh, Dong quai, and Licorice to help bring your hormones back into balance naturally without synthetic medications.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you feel there is a physical problem like hormone decline always consult your local physician before doing anything.

The post Progesterone to Help Balance Hormones appeared first on Kimberly Glow.

Recent research suggests that menopause can be treated with bioidentical hormones, a natural replacement for a woman’s body, with no reported side effects.

In the past, menopause has been treated like a disease – primarily with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) including Premarin, which is made from pregnant mare’s urine, Prempro and Provera – which meant ingesting synthetic chemicals on a regular basis. Now we know that these drugs are causing the very problems we’re trying to avoid including breast cancer and heart attacks.

Bioidentical means the hormone molecule in the product. For example, progesterone cream, acts exactly like the molecules produced by the female body. They function in your body in a natural and normal way unlike synthetic chemicals. A “natural hormone” is really a compound synthesized in the lab from a natural source (such as soybeans used for estrogens and testosterone; or wild Mexican yam in the case of progesterone and sometimes testosterone).

Synthetic hormones are typically only available in oral form, but bioidentical hormones come in a variety of delivery systems such as oral, transdermal patch, cream, lotion, sublingual drops, orally dissolvable troches and implanted pellets.

Typically a successful approach to dealing with a woman’s menopausal symptoms is to begin with laboratory tests of hormone levels called a “hormone panel.” The doctor can then prescribe a precise dosage of bioidentical hormones that can be made for you at a Compounding Pharmacy. This is contrary to HRT treatments that are typically “one size fits all.”

Most doctors prescribing bioidentical hormones find that a large percentage of women find some relief by using medical-grade supplements, over-the-counter bioidentical progesterone, and dietary and lifestyle changes (including the proper nutrition and exercise). And, for the percentage of women who need a little more help, most doctors don’t support the idea that bioidentical hormones should be used indefinitely as some kind of fountain of youth.

Is it right for you to treat your menopause with bioidentical hormones?

First you need to see a doctor well versed in bioidentical hormone replacement, get tested and figure out your next steps.

If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment with me, schedule a discovery call today!

The post Menopause and Bioidentical Hormones appeared first on Kimberly Glow.

I would love to share with you an article written by natural hormone expert, Susun Weed. Please enjoy the article and if you have questions, I’m here to help.

MENOPAUSE IS ENLIGHTENMENT

The energy aspects of menopause are of special interest to me.

As a long-time student of yoga, I was struck by the many similarities between menopausal symptoms and the well-known esoteric goal of “awakening of the kundalini.” Though the ideas presented in this section may seem strange or difficult to comprehend, they contain powerful messages about menopause, which lie at the heart of the Wise Woman approach.

Kundalini [is] the root [of] all spiritual experiences … Kundalini is a special kind of energy known in many cultures, including Tibetan, Indian, Sumerian, Chinese, Irish, Aztec, and Greek. Kundalini is said to be hot, fast, powerful, and large. It exists within the earth, within all life, and within each person. Psychoanalyst Carl G. Jung called kundalini anima. Kundalini is usually represented as a serpent coiled at the base of the spine, but women’s mystery stories locate it in the uterus – or the area where the uterus was, if a hysterectomy has occurred. During both puberty and menopause, a woman’s kundalini is difficult to control and may cause a great number of symptoms.

East Indian yogis spend lifetimes learning to activate, or wake up, their kundalini. This is also called “achieving enlightenment”. When they succeed, a surge of super-heated energy goes up the spine, throughout the nerves, dilating blood vessels, and fueling itself with hormones. As kundalini continues to travel up the spine, it changes the functioning of the endocrine, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. Not just in yogis, but in any woman who allows herself to become aware of it. Menopause is a kind of enlightenment. Hot flashes are kundalini training sessions.

TAKING HORMONES? THESE HERBS ARE FOR YOU

More and more American women are using herbal remedies to help them with menopausal problems. Those who do take ERT (estrogen replacement) or HRT (hormone replacement) may be surprised to discover that herbal medicine has a lot to offer them as well.

Herbs for women on ERT/HRT include those that alleviate side-effects as well as those that counter problems caused by the hormones.

Herbal Helpers Counter Side-Effects

Water retention is the symptom most often cited for dissatisfaction with hormone replacement. Herbal tinctures and tea, such as dandelion or cleavers, and ordinary foods can not only relieve the distress, they will go to the root of the problem and help prevent recurrences.

Dandelion root tincture (Taraxacum officinale) strengthens the liver and helps it process out the excess hormones you are taking. When the liver works well, the kidneys work better, and tissues no longer bloat. A dose is 10-20 drops in several ounces of water or juice 2-3 three times a day. If you have any digestion problems, take your dandelion before meals; otherwise, anytime is fine. You can safely take dandelion daily for months or years if you need or want to.

Cleavers herb tincture (Galium molluga) tells the lymphatic tissues to get moving. Relief from edema is usually rapid when 20-30 drops are taken in several ounces of water or juice. Repeat up to six times at hourly intervals if needed. Cleavers is especially helpful for easing swollen, sore breasts.

Foods that relieve water retention include (in order of effectiveness): asparagus, nettles, corn (and corn silk tea), grapes, cucumbers, watermelon (and watermelon seed tea), parsley, celery, black tea, and green tea.

Headaches are the second most common side-effect of hormone use. Unfortunately, they are common among menopausal women not taking hormones, too. Herbs that help relieve headache without a drug-like action – such as dandelion, yellow dock, milk thistle, burdock, garden sage, skullcap, and St. John’s/Joan’s wort – are generally considered safe to take with hormones.

Chinese herbalists say headaches are caused by liver stress. My favorite liver-strengthening herbs are dandelion, yellow dock, milk thistle seed, and burdock. I use one at a time, a 15-25 drops of the tincture several times a day, for two weeks. If symptoms continue, I switch to a different herb.

A strong tea of garden sage leaves (Salvia officinalis) offers immediate relief from headaches and helps prevent future ones. It also reduces night sweats. Tinctures of skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) and St. Joan’s/John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) ease pain and relieve muscle spasms. Use 5-20 drops of skullcap and a dropperful of St.J’s at the very first sign – no, the very first thought – of a headache. Repeat the doses every five minutes until pain free. Skullcap can be quite sedative, especially in large doses.

Herbal Allies to Prevent Problems Caused by Taking Hormones

Breast cancer risk is increased 20% in women who use ERT for five or more years. Use of HRT for five or more years increases breast cancer risk by 40%. Each five years of continued use increases the risk. In addition, women who take ERT are far more likely to get uterine or endometrial cancers. All women on hormones increase their risks of lung and ovarian cancer, too.

Nourishing herbs such as red clover, and foods such as beans and yogurt, offer easy ways to stay cancer-free.

Red clover blossoms (Trifolium pratense), when dried and brewed into a strong infusion (one ounce herb steeped an a quart of boiling water for at least four hours) prevent cancer by providing phytoestrogens that counter the cancer-promoting effects of oral hormones. Usual dose is 2-4 cups a day. The infusion tastes like black tea and can be flavored with mint if you like.

Since uncooked beans and unfermented soy contain anti-nutritional factors that may promote bone loss and dementia, soy “milk” and tofu are not recommended. Miso and tamari definitely help to prevent breast cancer but soy isoflavones may promote it.

Yogurt helps build powerful immunity. Women who eat a quart of yogurt a week have 700% less cancer than women who eat no yogurt.

Dry eyes afflict more than 9% of women using ERT and over 7% of those on HRT. Risk increases by 70% for every year of continued use. And the longer a woman uses hormones, the greater her risk. Herbs such as oatstraw, chamomile, and chickweed can help relieve and prevent this problem.

Oatstraw infusion (Avena sativa) cools and moistens your eyes from the inside out, builds strong bones too. Use one ounce of dried herb in a quart jar; fill to the top with boiling water and cap tightly. Let steep four or more hours. Dose is 2-4 cups a day. Refrigerate after straining.

Cucumber slices ease dry eyes; so do chamomile tea bags.

The ultimate ally for women with dry eyes is fresh chickweed (Stellaria media), applied as a poultice to the closed eyes. Leave on for five minutes, or until the plant material feels warm (it will heat up). Repeat as needed.

Stroke and heart attack are actually increased by use of ERT/HRT, though modern medicine has long proclaimed the opposite. Every major double-blind study done to date has created a larger and larger gap between ERT/HRT’s supposed ability to help cardiovascular health and its actual results. Protect your heart with nourishing and tonifying herbs and foods such as motherwort, hawthorn, and cherries.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) tincture helps the heart. The Japanese claim it is their secret of longevity. A dose is 5-15 drops, twice a day. Motherwort also relieves hot flashes, calms tachycardiia, and eases anxiety. It’s an all-in-one remedy for menopausal women.

Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha) flowers, leaves, and fruits are all used to maintain heart health and control fluid build-up in heart tissues. A dose is 20- 30 drops of tincture 2-4 times a day, or a cup of tea with meals. This widespread shrub is considered one of the finest heart tonics in the world.

Cherries are even better than apples at keeping the doctor away. Dried cherries and cherry juice, even tincture of cherries.

More than three-quarters of the women in America over the age of fifty have refused ERT/HRT. If you want to join them, taper off your dosage slowly, while continuing to use nourishing and tonifying herbs such as dandelion, motherwort, red clover, oatstraw, and seaweed.

THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF ESTROGENS

• Women make estrogens.
• Plants make estrogens and estrogen-like compounds.
• Chemicals, especially organochlorines, act like estrogens (xenoestrogens).

Pharmaceutical companies make estrogens from substances such as horse urine, wild yam roots, and petrochemicals. Tamoxifen, used to treat and prevent breast cancer, is a type of pharmaceutical estrogen.

Women make at least thirty types of estrogen, including estradiol, estrone, and estrace. Estradiol is the strongest; it is turned on at puberty and turned off at menopause. Estradiol is positively linked with breast cancer; other human estrogens are not. Anything that reduces the amount of estradiol a woman produces (such as pregnancy, lactation, early menopause, and late puberty) also decreases her risk of a breast cancer diagnosis.

Phytoestrogens counter the detrimental effects of estradiol by competing for the same receptor sites.

Estradiol is a strong estrogen and is metabolized by the long path. The other estrogens our bodies make are weak estrogens and are metabolized by the short path. Alcohol turns off the short path. Phytoestrogens are weak hormones and hormonal precursors. Phytoestrogens in foods are metabolized by the short path. Phytoestrogens appear to protect tissues from the cancer-causing effects of estradiol, xenoestrogens and pharmaceutical hormones. Phytoestrogens in foods prevent cancer and promote health; phytoestrogen supplements and processed soy fake-foods may do the opposite. Breast cancer occurs four times more often in women whose urinary output of phytoestrogen by-products is low compared to women whose urinary output is high.

Phytoestrogens are common in food. They are concentrated in seeds (grains, beans, nuts, berries) and roots. The exceptions to the rule that plants don’t contain human hormones: French beans, rice, apple seeds, licorice, and pomegranate seeds contain the “weak” estrogen estrone.

To get the greatest benefit from phytoestrogenic foods and herbs remember:

1. Isolated phytoestrogens are not as safe as those “in matrix.”
2. To make use of plant hormones, you need active, healthy gut flora.
3. Herbs and foods rich in phytoestrogens need to be used in different ways.
4. Phytoestrogens may have different effects on women who do not have their ovaries.

Plants contain many types of phytoestrogens; additionally, they contain minerals and other constituents which help our bodies modify the phytoestrogens and so we can use them safely. Red clover is mineral-rich and contains all four of the major types of phytoestrogens: lignans, coumestans, isoflavones, and resorcylic acid lactones. It is the world’s best-known anti-cancer herb. In general, foods and herbs rich in phytoestrogens, with the possible exception of licorice, show anti-cancer abilities. Isoflavone, however, when isolated (usually from soy) has the opposite effect: in the lab it encourages the growth of breast cancer cells.

Plant hormones, including most phytoestrogens, can’t be used by humans. But we can convert them into ones we can use – with the help of our gut bacteria. When women take antibiotics, their excretion of phytoestrogens plummets. Get your gut flora going by eating more yogurt, miso, unpasteurized sauerkraut, homemade beers and wines, picked-by-your-own-hands-and-unwashed fruits and salads, sourdough bread, and whey-fermented vegetables. (See Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon for whey-fermented vegetable recipes.)

Plants which are exceptionally rich in phytoestrogens are regarded as powerful herbal medicines. Plants which are good sources of phytoestrogens are regarded as foods. While food can certainly be our medicine – a practice I advocate – it is also true that medicines are more dangerous than foods. Foods rich in phytoestrogens are different than medicinal herbs rich in phytoestrogens. They have different places in my life.

• I eat phytoestrogenic foods daily in quantity.
• I use phytoestrogenic food-like herbs regularly (not daily), in moderate quantity.
• I take phytoestrogenic herbs rarely, in small amounts, for a limited time.

Phytoestrogenic foods are the basis for a healthy diet and a long life. The first food listed is the highest in phytoestrogens. The best diet contains not just one but many choices from each list:

• Whole grains (rye, oats, barley, millet, rice, wheat, corn)
• Edible seeds (buckwheat, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, amaranth, quinoa)
• Beans (yellow split peas, black turtle beans, baby limas, Anasazi beans, red kidney beans, red lentils, soy beans)
• Leafy greens and seaweed (parsley, nettle, kelp, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, lamb’s quarter)
• Fruits (olives, cherries, grapes, apples, pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, salmon berries, apricots, crab apples, quinces, rosehips, blueberries)
• Olive oil and seed oils. Garlic, onions and their relatives leeks, chives, scallions, ramps, shallot

Phytoestrogenic food-like herbs are generally considered longevity tonics. For optimum effect, use only one from the list below and to stick with it for at least three months.

Citrus peel, dandelion leaves and/or roots, fenugreek seeds, flax seeds, green tea, hops, red clover, red wine.

Phytoestrogenic herbs are usually too powerful for long- term use. From the list below (which is in alphabetical order), it is safest to use only one herb at a time, and use it only when needed, although that may mean daily use for several months. More information about these herbs, including specific dosages and cautions, is in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way.

Agave root, black cohosh root, black currant, black haw, chasteberries, cramp bark, dong quai root, devil’s club root, false unicorn root, ginseng root, groundsel herb, licorice, liferoot herb, motherwort herb, peony root, raspberry leaves, rose family plants (most parts), sage leaves, sarsaparilla root, saw palmetto berried, wild yam root, yarrow blossoms.

Most of the warnings about phytoestrogenic herbs center on their proven ability to thicken the uterine wall in animals who have had their ovaries removed. This could encourage cancer, just as taking ERT encourages cancer of the uterus by stimulating cell growth. Women without ovaries are probably safe eating phytoestrogenic foods, but may want to use phytoestrogenic herbs – especially ginseng, dong quai, licorice, red clover, and wild yam – in small amounts and only for short periods.

NEWS NOTES ON PHYTOESTROGENIC PLANTS

Recent studies indicate black cohosh does not suppress luteinizing hormone, has no estrogenic effect, and contains no compounds related to estrogen. Red clover flower heads contain many hormone-like flavonoids, including isoflavone, daidzein, genistein, formononetin, biochanin, sitosterol, and coumestrol, a particularly strong phytoestrogen (six times more active than the one in soy). Red clover contains all four major estrogenic isoflavones; soy has only two of them. A cup of red clover infusion (not tea) contains ten times more phytoestrogens than a cup of soy beverage, is richer in calcium, has less calories, and contains no added sugars.

Researchers in Australia report a million lambs a year are aborted after sheep eat clover on pasture. Yet red clover is renowned as a fertility enhancer. What’s up? Stephen Buhner, author of The Secret Language of Plants, says clover plants make blood-thinning compounds (which cause abortion) when overgrazed, but don’t otherwise. Plants, it turns out, can fight back.

When unfermented soy takes the place of animal protein (meat and milk), its anti-nutritional factors can create brittle bones, thyroid problems, memory loss, vision impairment, irregular heartbeat, depression, and vulnerability to infections. Unfermented soy is high in hemoglutin, which causes clumping of red blood cells and may increase risk of stroke. It is also impressively rich in aluminum (up to 100 times more than is found in the same amount of real milk). Eating tofu more than once a week doubled the risk of Alzheimer’s in a small group of Japanese men studied for thirty years.

Human gut bacteria can cleave a sugar molecule from wild yam’s steroidal saponin, producing diosgenin. Labs make progesterone from diosgenin, but our bodies can’t. Diosgenin itself has a weak estrogenic effect. According to Australian herbalist Ruth Trickey: “A more probable explanation [for the observed effects of wild yam] … is that [diosgenin] interacts with hypothalamic and pituitary hormones and … initiates ovulation.”

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

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