HRT Alternatives

As soon as you use the word ‘alternative' anything, you take the chance of sparking heated debate and discussion. In my mind, this is a wonderful way to learn new ideas and improve less than desirable situations. You may disagree. Still, I encourage you to read on anyway.

When the controversy surrounding HRT hit the media, women all over North America were left with a giant question mark. How were they going to deal with their menopausal hot flashes and wild mood swings now? Here are a few options.

• Change your perspective on menopause. Menopause is a natural life transition and not a disease.

• Seek out a qualified alternative practitioner such as a Naturopathic doctor or a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and ask them about which herbs may work well for your symptoms. Some herbs have undergone clinical trials while others have been used over the years in a more informal, home remedy style. Ask for anecdotal evidence of effectiveness.

• Make changes to your eating habits. Introduce soy and flax seed into your diet. Both are known to contain phytoestrogens (as do beans, lentils and dried peas). Research suggests that phytoestrogens helps flush unwanted estrogen from your system thereby reducing your risk of estrogen based breast cancer.

• Eat more fiber.

• Be sure you are meeting your daily requirements of calcium and vitamin D.

The following are a selection of books available on the subject. You will want to decide if any of these choices interest you and then further your research on the subject.

The book The Estrogen Alternative: Natural Hormone Therapy With Botanical Progesterone is stated as a must-read for any woman taking synthetic hormones for infertility or birth control, PMS, or menopause.

A Woman's Guide to Natural Hormones provides women of all ages a comprehensive guide to understanding natural hormones. Author Christine Conrad discusses how natural hormones work in the body and which ones should be used.