Page 48 - What Doctors Don't Tell You - AU-NZ (February-March 2020)

EPORT

“Only 10–15 percent will eventually reach the target
tissues, and you will need to take an oral dose that is 500
percent higher than you need.” What’s left behind as
metabolites in the liver can cause unwanted side-effectslike
those described by unhappy users. ATRULYNATURALALTERNATIVE
NATURAL
A
TRULY
ALTER
Many women are drawn in by the claims ofgreatersafety
a
h
for hormone creams and gels that are appliedtothe Many women don’t want hormone replacement—
skin—especially since these are not subject toFDAA bioidentical or otherwise—during menopause, but still
approval and marketed simply as “cosmetics.”Butt w ny associated symptoms
want relief from some of its man
es to vaginal dryness.
there are dangers with creams, too, notes Mercola from hot flashe
(see box, page 49). Among t the many herbal
“I have learned that although progesteronecreamm preparation s and supplements on
an enormously useful tool, it needs to be usedveryy offer for tha
at, Pueraria mirifica has
cautiously.” unique estr rogen-like properties.
Over-the-counter products also have wildlyva yin P. mirifica is a
a woody, climbing plant
concentrations. When one laboratory analyzed199 found in Thailand, where it
different topical creams containing progesterone,for has bee n used for its anti-aging
example, it found that the creams contained anything opert es for centuries.
h
from less than 2 mg to 700 mg per ounce. 8 Loca l folk medicine suggests
th at both women and
men can take a small
Getting it right m
l
Balancing hormones is a tricky art. These tiny moleculesact p
piece of the plant’s root,
quivalent to about 5 mg/
as powerful signals to other players in the body,trigggering e eq
cascades of action. “You have to get the right formofthe kg b odyweight, once a day at
hormone, the right dose, the right timing and therright night t o counter wrinkled skin,
delivery system,” explained Jonathan Wright, anearly arken w hite hair and increase
a
pioneer of bioidentical therapy. air
But the problem with this art, says Northrup,isthat owth, alle viate cataracts in the
t
“women are getting the wrong stuff at the wrongdose, and e ey ey eyes, help wit h memory loss, increase
d
they’re not individualizing it.” energy and vigor, provide more reflexive body movements,
Northrup recommends the Dutch 24-hourdriedurine stimulate blood circulation and appetite and alleviate sleep
test for getting the most accurate picture of the state of disorders.
fluctuating hormones. “Some women do beautifully on Many phytoestrogens that mimic human estrogen have been
bioidentical hormones,” she says, “while others have to isolated from the plant’s roots including the particularly potent
quit. Some women do very well on herbal supplements that miroestrol, which activates some estrogen receptors. A number
contain plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) and others find of animal studies have confirmed the estrogenic activity of P.
they don’t work.” mirifica on the reproductive system, and it has been shown to
Northrup says she tried bioidentical estrogen and “it influence reproductive function in both sexes, but particularly
didn’t do a thing for me.” Yet she takes herbal remedies and in females. 1
offers maca root and Pueraria mirifica (see box, right) and In a double-blind randomized controlled study of 71 healthy
has seen it help women “again and again.” postmenopausal women given a placebo or 20 mg, 30 mg
And of course, some women don’t need hormones. or 50 mg of P. mirifica supplement for 24 weeks, the herb
“There are so many ways to keep your brain and your body effectively decreased vaginal dryness. 2
healthy, and we can’t underestimate the lifestyle things,” says Another double-blind randomized controlled trial of
Northrup. These include: postmenopausal women taking P. mirifica supplements with
• Exercise the same dosages and duration showed it improved their bone
• A ‘clean’ unprocessed diet as free of sugars and excess structure and slowed bone deterioration. 3
carbohydrates as possible Toxicity studies showed P. mirifica was safe at these doses,
• Adequate sunshine to make sufficient blood vitamin D but be on the lookout for falsely labeled products, which have
levels for bone health been reported. Vaginal creams with P. mirifica are available
• Adequate sleep as well. REFERENCES
• Meditation to relieve stress 1 Front Med, 2012; 6: 8–21
• Magnesium to promote bone health 2 Menopause, 2007;14:919–24
3 Menopause, 2008;15:530–5
• Addressing underlying issues. Often, a woman’s
hormones are blamed for symptoms like low libido,
for example, when there are many possible causes from
unresolved issues in the relationship to unhealed trauma
or exhaustion

48 WDDTY | ISSUE 04 | FEB/MAR 2020 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ