Managing Your Menopause Type^® Educational Class

Session Two - Your Quality of Life

Interpreting Symptoms

Have you ever wondered why in some women hormones don’t get rid of all the symptoms of menopause? Or have you wondered why some women find that exercise, a healthy diet and nutritional supplements do a great job in controlling their symptoms?

Many of the symptoms that begin, or intensify during and after menopause respond to exercise, a healthy diet, nutritional supplements and homeopathy. You, or someone you know may have found non-hormonal answers to menopause.

There is a growing body of healthcare professionals who have found that the wear and tear, stress, lack of exercise, nutritional deficiencies, and build up of toxins have played a significant role in how a woman will experience menopause. The additional hormonal changes that accompany menopause appear to compound these symptoms, maybe becoming the "last straw" in a body already overstrained by the passage of time. Hormones are not the only cause of these symptoms.

More About Symptoms

The very nature of symptoms needs to be closely looked at. Symptoms may be due to an accumulation of many causes and not always the effect of a single imbalance or deficiency. The depression seen in some women of menopause age may be due to a combination of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid imbalances or deficiencies. Inadequate sleep, excessive use of depressants such as alcohol or stimulants such as caffeine may be contributing causes. Nutrient deficiencies brought on by dieting, and interpersonal stress may all build up to bring on the depression. No hormone acts completely independent of other hormones and nutrients.

This brings up the question, "Is a depressed woman suffering from an antidepressant deficiency?"

I'll let you decide the answer to that one. Here is something to consider. Estrogen replacement therapy may lead to vitamin B6 deficiency. In addition, oral estrogens may increase proteins in the blood that bind to testosterone (SHBG) or to thyroid hormone (THBG), making those hormones less available to the cells of the body, so they feel "lower". So, when a woman is started on estrogen, then develops depression, is she suffering from an antidepressant deficiency? (Hint: low vitamin B6, low thyroid and low testosterone can all cause depression in women.)

Low testosterone and low thyroid function can also take place by themselves, and may have nothing to do with estrogen pills in some women. The point here is that we need to continue to reject the "one-size-fits-all" approach to healthcare, and realize that there are many factors to consider.

Questionnaires, Intake Forms and Medical History

As valuable as questionnaires, intake forms and medical history are in gathering and revealing information about symptoms, they have their limitations. The fact remains that they only reveal the symptoms of a condition or disease. They say nothing about the signs of the disease.

This is very important because many of the "silent killers" such as heart disease and osteoporosis are called silent because they do not have symptoms - until it’s too late and the damage has been done. As we discussed in Slide 9 of Session One, Subjective data says a lot about your quality of life, but we need objective data to determine your risks for diseases.

Hot Flashes

When we talk about symptoms in menopause, hot flashes (hot flushes) usually comes to mind. This symptom has traditionally been considered a symptom due to estrogen deficiency. As more women reported lack of relief from estrogen therapy (even at some pretty large dosages) other causes have been considered.

We now know that the vasomotor instability and hot flushes that have traditionally been associated with estrogen deficiency may also be due to testosterone deficiency. Blood glucose imbalances, food allergies & intolerances, stress induced neurotransmitters and nutrient deficiencies brought on by dieting may all bring about vasomotor instability and hot flushes. There are always other causes of symptoms. Hormones may not be the first choice. It is always a good idea to consider non-hormonal choices as well.

These non-hormonal causes of symptoms respond well to lifestyle choices, nutrients, proper elimination, herbs and homeopathy. As noted, these foundational therapies are appropriate on the first visit.

What this means to you

Symptoms provide valuable information about your quality of life. As discussed previously in Menopause Choices, foundational therapies such as lifestyle, nutrition, herbs and homeopathy can be started on the first visit to your doctors' office. More advanced therapeutics such as hormone precursors or natural hormones should wait until more objective data such as lab tests are available.

What's Next?

We now realize that the menopause symptoms, that we usually think of as just due to hormone imbalances may actually be due to other causes as well. Let's look at these other causes of symptoms.

The Managing Your Menopause Type® Educational Class is provided to the public without charge. This information is provide for education purposes only, and is not intended to prescribe treatment. Consult a physician, pharmacist or other healthcare professional regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or medical condition.