Hormone Replacement Therapy - The Truth at Last

Evidence for serious risks associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has left women struggling to interpret conflicting advice from their doctors and the media. A series of large studies over the past two years has shown that HRT doubles the risks of breast cancer and makes those who suffer from such a cancer less likely to survive. It also significantly increases the risk of blood clots, strokes and heart attacks, and doubles the risk of dementia in women over the age of 65. . More...

The Mid-life Challenge (from Mid-life Energy and Happiness)

“Let us go forward into dancing and laughter, assuming a longer and better life”
Rig-Veda

Somewhere around the forty-eight to fifty year mark, many women find themselves experiencing a deep internal shift and it can stop them in their tracks. Without warning their previously predictable bodies take on off-beat primal rhythms, and emotions often follow suit. Their comfortable world appears to be disintegrating as a major life transition begins. more...

Suggestions for relief of common symptoms of menopause

There are many simple and effective ways to help manage the symptoms of menopause including eating well, exercising regularly and finding time for sufficient rest and relaxation.

The majority of the following suggestions do not have clinical evidence to verify their effectiveness. Most are traditional remedies that women have reported to be useful. There will always be a small percentage of people who have allergic or other reactions to even the mildest of herbs or supplements and for this reason it is advisable to go by the stated dose and to start with the lowest dose. All menopause treatments whether hormonal or otherwise are best used in the lowest doses for the shortest time possible. It is recommended to review treatments 6 monthly. more...

Natural Hormones - Are They a Safe Alternative?

by Amy Allina and Adriane Fugh-Berman.
An article from the website of the Canadian Women's Health Network

In the wake of the recent news about the risks of oestrogen/progestin hormone replacement therapy (HRT), many women are looking to so-called "natural" or "bioidentical" hormone preparations in the hope of finding a safer alternative to the synthetic hormones contained in conventional regimens. "Natural" may refer to hormones made from natural substances; "natural" or "bioidentical" may also refer to hormones that match those in the human body. Manufacturers of these alternative products have leaped into the fray to promote their hormone preparations as better and safer than HRT. . More...

Black Cohosh Not Estrogenic Says New Study

Black cohosh, a medicinal herb increasingly used by women as an alternative to estrogen replacement therapy, may reduce hot flashes by targeting serotonin receptors — some of the same receptors used by the brain to help regulate body temperature — according to a team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The finding, the first to demonstrate a possible mechanism of action for the herb other than estrogen, increases the likelihood that the herb is safe to use, they say. More...