The Journal of the American Medical Association recently announced findings from a study that shocked the medical community and has sent many of the nearly 20 million American women who use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) searching for answers. The large federally funded trial known as the Women’s Health Initiative, enrolled 16,608 post menopausal women ages 50-79 years to settle the debate over whether HRT holds benefits for this population. The study was abruptly halted when overwhelming evidence concluded that HRT combined therapy with estrogen and progestin raises a woman’s risk of breast cancer, stroke and heart disease. For millions of women who relied on HRT to protect them from these conditions as well as to relive symptoms such as hot flashes, fatigue, mood swings and night sweats there are growing concerns about what choices are available to safely and effectively assist them.

The AMA published the findings of a study done by Dr. Carmen Rodriguez of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Rodriguez studied 211,581 postmenopausal women from 1982-1996 and found that those who used estrogen for more than a decade had an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Women who used estrogen for less that ten years had no increased risk and those who did use it for long periods and then stopped saw the risk decline with time.

National Institutes of Health Lists the Pros and Cons of HRT

Pros

• Reduces the risk of osteoporosis
• Relieves hot flashes
  
  May reduce the risk of heart disease, but some studies suggest the opposite effect
• May improve mood

Cons

• Can cause unpleasant side effects such as bloating or irritability
• May increase the risk of breast cancer
• May be dangerous in women with blood clots
• May increase heart risks in some women

The practitioners at FirstHealth of Andover have experience in educating and helping to guide women through menopause. We offer herbalists and homeopaths to prescribe customized formulas to help relieve the symptoms of menopause including hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety, mood swings, night sweats, fatigue and unquenchable thirst. Our Naturopath will review your entire lifestyle and metabolism, while designing food choices that better fit your goals. The personal training department has years of experience teaching women the latest core strengthening exercises that are both safe and effective. You’ll love the way you look and feel when they get you going on a program that you can incorporate quickly and inexpensively into your normal day. No memberships or expensive equipment. Just the knowledge and motivation that you need to get results.

Solution Thinking

We often find ourselves being asked to assist women who are trying to bridge the medical gap between a condition such as a cough or chronic sinusitis and the symptoms of menopause. While the typical medications that are prescribed for the sinuses and lungs do work to dry up those passages, the end result is that the patient begins to suffer from over drying with increased thirst and body heat. Fortunately for us, Oriental Medicine has been contemplating medical quandaries like this for thousands of years and has developed strategies to aid patients through this normal yet stressful time of their lives. After a comprehensive visit, your herbalist will access your condition using both conventional and oriental medical diagnostics and develop a treatment plan, which may utilize Chinese herbal medicine. The advantage of this system is that we can customize each prescription to your exact needs. If you’re experiencing a wide range of menopausal symptoms, but night sweats and insomnia are the most troublesome, then your prescription can be focused to relieve these complaints, while aiding your general condition. Flexibility has always been the key to good herbal prescribing. Choosing herbs that multitask. We have been getting our herbs made from a local Chinese herbal pharmacy that has won Boston Magazine’s Best Herbalist. We have a long standing relationship that ensures the best quality and accuracy in the formulas that we prescribe.

Homeopathy can be also be used in many cases. We start to think of employing this treatment when there are marked symptoms of anxiety or depression that have accompanied menopause. Because homeopathy is a non-chemical catalyst for your body’s natural healing potential, these treatments will not react with any medications that you may be taking. Homeopathic prescribing also takes into account a women’s mental, emotional and physical well being, while focusing on the most limiting symptoms.

During the upheaval that has followed the recently released studies on HRT many concerns and questions still remain unanswered. The practitioners at FirstHealth of Andover are ready to work with your medical doctor and other allied health professionals to find the best available solutions for assisting you during this demanding time of your life.


- David Sollars, M.Ac., Lic.Ac., H.M.C.