Menopause signals a change from the reproductive years to another stage of life. The post-menopausal stage has its rewards – no more periods – but it often comes with symptoms that make work and general functioning more difficult.
Doctors tend to prescribe antidepressants, sleeping pills and other medications with their own side effects for menopausal maladies.
Fortunately, there are natural remedies, including bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, that ease menopause systems and allow a woman to feel like herself again.
The best-known menopausal symptoms include night sweats and hot flashes, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. Other common menopausal symptoms include:
Natural remedies, including herbs, diet and exercise, can help resolve many of these issues. Some herbs act similarly on the molecular level to the body’s natural hormones. Examples include chasteberry, black cohosh and passionflower.
The most natural remedy, however, is one created specifically for an individual woman and restores the exact natural hormone levels she needs.
People may have heard of the risks of hormone replacement therapy, such as an increased rate of breast cancer and heart disease. The hormones in standard hormone replacement therapy are derived from conjugated equine estrogens, obtained from pregnant mare’s urine. Those hormones are not identical to the hormones women lose in menopause.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is biologically identical to a woman’s natural hormones. They are derived from plant sources, including wild yam and soy, and do not increase the risk of breast cancer or heart disease.
In fact, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy may lower these risks, along with the risk of dementia, osteoporosis, diabetes and other diseases associated with aging.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy takes a holistic approach to remedying menopause. Along with the skin patch, intradermal pellet or other administration choices, the doctor puts together a diet and exercise plan for each patient.
Just as each woman is different, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is never “one size fits all.” Some women may benefit from specific vitamin and nutritional supplements in addition to hormonal, diet and exercise therapy.
The goal is making each woman feel as well as possible. Reaching that goal requires a commitment to regular monitoring and adjustment of the bioidentical hormones as indicated by testing. The result is worth it – women feel younger, more energetic and possess greater mental clarity. The “new normal” of menopause may surpass the way a woman felt prior to “the change of life.”
If you want to know more about how bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can ease your menopausal symptoms, call Dr. Edward Jacobson’s office today and arrange a consultation.