The great majority of women require no treatment at menopause whatsoever as the symptoms are minor and will pass without any particular treatment in a few weeks or months, or at the most, two or three years. Since the use of hormones from an outside source has been associated with serious problems, it is recommended that the administration of hormones be avoided if at all possible. An increase in breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer has been associated with the use of estrogens.

What is natural menopause? Only a few women get to experience it because of the high rate of hysterectomies, other surgery, and medications.

What happens after hysterectomy? Even though the patient has been told her ovaries were saved when her uterus was removed, whether the ovaries are in fact useful or were so badly damaged by surgery, by tying off blood vessels that nourish the ovaries, and mechanical trauma to the glands, that they no longer function is a consideration after hysterectomy.

Osteoporosis is definitely the major health concern occurring in women about the time of menopause. It is a condition of five, ten, even forty years in the making, and at the time of menopause has no recognizable symptoms usually.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE

Cardiovascular system: palpitations, high blood pressure, hot flashes (the major symptom)
Musculo-skeletal: aches and pains, (not osteoporosis as it is usually symptomless)
Genital: irregular bleeding, decreased libido, vaginal dryness.
General: dryness of skin, wrinkling of the skin
Neurological: nausea, dizziness, mood changes, irritability, depression, insomnia, numbness, tingling.

Concerning the cause of the hot flashes.
An experiment was done measuring the tightening of blood vessels in the skin after the applications of ice. Women with hot flashes tended to lack the normal tightening of blood vessels, whereas women who had no flashes or very mild flashes, tended to have a more brisk tightening of the blood vessels. There was a significant relationship between the degree of tightening and the severity of the symptoms.

AVENUES TO WORK FOR TREATMENTS

1. Hormones

The following are organs we can work with in order to optimize the physiological processes:

a. The adrenal glands secrete in women small amounts of male hormones, some of which are converted to estrogens, in the body’s fat cells. Stimulate the adrenals with vigorous tapping over them with the fingertips for two minutes, by alternating very hot water applications and very cold water applications, one minute each for 6 minutes, ending with cold. Repeat daily.

b. The liver with its system for the breakdown of the estrogens -- relieve the liver by one day of fasting each week, ending the fast with breakfast, never with supper.

c. The thyroid with its effect on metabolism -- stimulate by a cool shower each morning followed by a brisk but brief cold mitten friction for 3 minutes.

d. The hypothalamus with its luteinizing hormone -- stimulate by starting a new intellectual program, such as initiating a Bible study group in your home, or organizing a group ministry for a prison or an orphan’s home.

e. The anterior pituitary with its FSH and LH -- stimulate by being regular to bed and to rise, regular with meals, and regular with an hour of exercise daily and at the same time if possible.

2. Botanical Remedies

The General Menopause Formula, one cup three times daily, by itself about 80% effective:
3 c. boiling water
1 t. Catnip tea
1 t. Red raspberry leaves
1 t. Alfalfa leaf
1 t. Black Cohosh
¼ t. Licorice powder

Other herbs that have estrogen and progesterone precursors are hops and ginseng. All ginsengs have a lot of saponins in them, which stimulate the nerves and cleanse the bowels.

Vaginal itching may be helped by mixing angelica and alfalfa (If not already a powder, pulverize in a seed mill or blender) in glycerin from the pharmacy, and using topically.

3. Physical Activity

Exercise -- Exercise is not just a healthful thing to do; in menopause it is one of the main treatments women need. We recommend that a woman obtain three to five hours of outdoor labor daily to stimulate the ovaries and other endocrine glands. Weight bearing exercise is the ideal, as it protects against osteoporosis. Swimming one hour three times per week has been shown to increase bone mineral content.

Several times a day, at least four, rise up from your work, stand tall, hold the elbows at shoulder height, and try to touch the elbows together, both in front and behind. Maintain all day the good position you must achieve with this exercise and it will help you guard against humpback.

A deep breathing exercise will often stop a hot flash in a few seconds. Simply breathe in deeply through the nose and out through the mouth, repeatedly, until the flash stops.

4. Habits of Life

Smoking -- Stopping smoking is a treatment for menopause. Smoking itself leads to decrease in estrogen level and increased bone loss at an earlier age. Smoking a pack per day causes the loss of 1% of the bone calcium per year after menopause.

Alcohol -- It suppresses the growth of bone, is toxic to the ovaries, can cause infrequent ovulation and menstrual irregularities.

Coffee -- Coffee interferes with many metabolic processes, including those concerned with normalizing the menopausal process. Most damaging is the loss of 1.4% of bone calcium per year after menopause from drinking just one cup of coffee per day.

5. Mental Health

Emotional Aspects -- Improving one’s interpersonal relationships not only makes one more at ease but actually lessens women’s hot flashes. The twelve step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, Alanon, and Co-dependence Anonymous are very good for this purpose. Stop by a library and look up the Twelve Step Program. Study it carefully.

6. Nutrition

Diet -- Hot drinks, hot meals and hot spices can aggravate hot flashes. So can sugar or simple refined carbohydrates. Do not be disappointed if you must go through months and months trying to improve hot flashes. Use a vegetarian diet without sugar and often the hot flashes will stop promptly.

The following foods have been found to be high in naturally occurring plant sterols similar in chemical formula to estrogens. Some of these should be eaten daily in liberal quantities if you do not have sensitivities to them.

Apples, Cherries, Olives, Plums,
Anise seed, Wheat germ, Food yeast, Whole grains
Garlic, Barley, Corn, Parsley
Oats, Rice, Wheat, Sage
Coconut, Carrots, Peanuts, Yams
Soya bean, Alfalfa leaf tea, Licorice root tea

Foods of the Nightshade Family:
bell pepper, paprika, pimentos, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes.

Low Protein -- Eat a low protein diet, as the kidneys excrete large amounts of calcium through the urine to make up for the high sulfuric acid from the protein. A significant treatment, and preventative maintenance is a low protein diet. Many clinical nutritionists are now recommending the low protein diet.

Low Fat -- Eliminating almost entirely or even completely eliminating if the weight demands it, all free fat such as margarine, mayonnaise, fried foods, salad oils, cooking fats and most nut butters. This diet is most helpful in menopause, both for the hot flashes and preventing osteoporosis. Low fat Seventh Day Adventist women, who have no animal protein or animal fat whatsoever, do not have evidence of essential fatty acid deficiency and have a very low rate of osteoporosis.

Calcium -- If a calcium supplement is taken it may decrease the availability of copper and zinc and may increase cholesterol. Calcium supplement also decreases iron retention, increasing risk of iron deficiency anemia.

Flaxseed -- two tablespoons ground, at each meal has benefits in the menopausal years in prevention of stroke and blood fats. Too much salt causes the kidneys to excrete more calcium in the urine. Caffeine can cause increased calcium loss. Women should eat a low phosphate diet, which is another benefit of a no animal protein diet, as animal products are generally high in phosphates. Soft drinks and baking powder are also high in phosphates.

Vitamin E -- Vitamin E by mouth can be used for the management of hot flashes. Also puncture a Vitamin E or Vitamin A capsule and insert it high as a suppository in the vagina each night for dryness of the vagina. The Vitamin A or E suppositories have to be used daily for 6 weeks to get relief. In six weeks, drop back to about once or twice a week. Itching can also be helped by Vitamin E oil rubbed on the vulva.

Boron -- Boron supplements have been used by some to increase the deposition of calcium in the bones. It also stimulates the production of very tiny amounts of estrogen, even in women who have gone through the menopause or who have had a hysterectomy. Although the estrogen production is in small amounts, it may be sufficient to avoid the most severe symptoms of menopause. Take 3 milligrams per day.

7. Water Treatments

Hydrotherapy is useful in osteoporosis to improve absorption and assimilation of nutrients. Hot compresses to the abdomen for 20 minutes 4-5 times a week or hot sitz baths for 20 minutes 5 times a week for 3-4 weeks to stimulate the ovaries. For itching around the vagina, use the perineal pour - one quart of hot or cold water poured slowly through the low part of the pubic hair and encourage with the fingers to touch all parts of the vulva by opening all folds.

An attempt should be made to avoid irritation of all mucous membranes as these surfaces become quite thin following menopause. When the vaginal opening is cleansed, the hands should be first washed and then the hands used to thoroughly wash the area. Then more plain, clear water is used to meticulously rinse the area, being gentle and using no abrasive cloths. Drying of the non-hairy portions is done by blotting rather than rubbing. Douching is to be discouraged, as the surfaces are washed free of the light covering of shed cells. Never use soaps on the genital area.

8.Clothing

The clothing should be checked carefully for healthfulness. Girdles are taboo. There must be no band tight enough that it leaves a red mark on the skin. Perhaps the most important, yet most difficult to attain, is warm clothing for the extremities. Even though there is no sense of chilliness, the extremities should be clothed. The blood loses much latent heat from a bare skin area. In experiments, it has been noted that there is alteration of the blood flow in the pelvic organs if only one hand is chilled for over five minutes.

9. Why No Use of Hormones

To give estrogen treatment in menopause treats menopause as a disease, not a normal physiologic process. That there are symptoms associated with it in a certain percentage of people should bring us to search for physiologic and natural remedies, rather than pharmacologic.