Healthy Estrogen for a Healthy You

I didn't realize that when I developed my own line of natural remedies to help myself and other women going through menopause, I was actually taking part in a revolution in menopause awareness that is happening in the Western world. It's absurd how much women in our culture suffer during what should be a natural and smooth transition in life. At menopause, our ovaries stop producing estrogen, and our adrenal glands are supposed to take over. In an ideal world, they would produce enough estrogen to get us through the post-fertile years. But for some reason, that doesn't happen for women in North America and Europe. So I began researching the herbs and methods that traditional cultures use to treat women.

  

Women's health, and menopause in particular, is the hottest trend on the market. There are a ton of new products out there. Many of them are marketed as "natural." Some of them are, and some are developed from natural ingredients. Well, guess what? All pharmaceutical products start in nature. The problem is when they recreate the "natural" in the lab. Nature, as it is, is the best source of medicine.

   

When I started researching how to help myself, I turned to countries with a long history of natural and herbal medicine. Believe it or not, there are many countries in the world where women do not experience any of the 50 symptoms of menopause that we know of.

Take hot flashes, for example. Women in China rarely suffer from them.

Okay, that was an exaggeration. Women in China do experience hot flashes. But look at these statistics. Only 10-25% of Chinese women experience hot flashes, compared to 60-90% of women in North America and Europe. That's a significant difference! They actually turned the tables, and in this case, I would rather be on the side that doesn't experience the symptom.

And that leads to the big question - why? Why is this happening in the West, and why are regions with a long history of female herbal medicine immune to the crippling symptoms that up to 90% of the developed world experiences?

The story goes back to the 16th century, when witch hunts led to the elimination of midwives. The midwife was responsible not only for births, but was also the village's wise healer, an expert in medicinal herbs, and responsible for all aspects of women's health.

When we eliminated midwives, we lost a huge source of knowledge in the treatment of women's health. And after they were eliminated, modern Western medicine simply ignored us at best, and at worst called us "hysterics." Unfortunately, many women were hospitalized in mental institutions when in fact they were suffering from hormonal imbalances that affected their mood and behavior. What a tragedy!

But instead of focusing on the wrongs of the past, I chose to focus on how to resolve my situation and help others as well.

Simple changes in diet have helped me significantly.

• Without sugar, alcohol, or caffeine – it works wonders.

• I eat ground flaxseed every day and fermented soy products (tempeh and tofu) several times a week.

Herbal formulas

• I take herbal medicine from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctor, which has helped me a lot. I am not sharing the name of the formula here, because herbs are strong medicines and should not be taken without professional advice. It is best to make an appointment with a Chinese medicine practitioner and adjust the right medicine for you.

• Western herbs such as black cohosh, vitex, wild yam, and red raspberry can help with mild symptoms, but are less effective for more severe symptoms. In the West, we have lost the tradition of using strong herbs, but there are some stronger herbs that are still used. An example of this is St. John's Wort, which is used to treat the emotional effects of low estrogen, but should be used with caution and with the advice of a therapist.

Aromatherapy

• Aromatherapy is my first choice because it works instantly. A simple blend of fennel, clary sage, and mint works great. I keep it in a small bottle that fits in my purse. It's unnoticeable when I have to apply a little during a hot flash, which is much better than being red and sweaty in the middle of a meeting.

• Aromatherapy is an excellent solution for vaginal atrophy. Declining estrogen levels cause reduced blood flow to the intimate area, which can lead to symptoms such as dryness, itching, burning, pain during intercourse, recurrent urinary tract infections, and more. The oils in aromatherapy increase blood flow and prevent these symptoms. The oils in Hooha Serum include clove, ginger, mint, rose, fennel, coriander, and more, all of which increase blood flow and keep the area healthy.

And the best part about natural medicine? Unlike prescription drugs, there are no dangerous side effects!

And that is the biggest victory of all!