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HANDLEONormones(Integrative health expert

Dr Kathleen Wills explores theissue of hormone imbalance -

ra condition which affects hugenumbers of Kiwi women - and

II suggests some natural remedies.

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July, 2015Australian Womens Weekly-NZ Edition, New Zealand

Author: Dr Kathleen Wills • Section: General News • Article type : News ItemAudience : 71,256 • Page: 108 • Printed Size: 3436.00cm² • Market: NZCountry: New Zealand • ASR: NZD 56,793 • Words: 1900 • Item ID: 427076378

Provided for client's internal research purposes only. May not be further copied, distributed, sold or published inany form without the prior consent of the copyright owner.

Natural health %

HROUGHOUT MYcareer I have comeacross a huge amountof confusion andmisconception aroundthe subject of hormones.

While we have come a long way sincethe 1930s - when in extreme caseswomen were accused of insanity andinstitutionalised for hormonal stress -there is still widespread misdiagnosis.I have seen women prescribed everythingfrom psychiatric medications to musclerelaxants for hormonal imbalances thatcould have been remedied with evidence-based natural therapies.

Women's hormones change naturallythroughout their lifetimes; consequentlyhormonal imbalances can affect us atany age, and are far more common thanpeople realise. In the past 40 years, wehave seen a dramatic rise in hormonerelated conditions - the age of puberty isdropping to as youngas 10, endometriosisafflicts 10 per cent ofwomen, premenstrualsyndrome (PMS)affects almost a thirdof us, and uterinefibroids (benigntumours in the uterusoccur in one in four women aged 35-50.

There are multiple causes of hormoneimbalance, but most cases are due toincreased amounts of oestrogen in thebody and not enough progesterone. Thisstate of oestrogen dominance, whichaffects almost half of Western womenaged over 35, is commonly triggered bystress, a low-fibre diet, obesity, lack ofexercise, and overloading the liver withtoxins such as alcohol. Consumption

Health concerns thatwomen feel they haveto 'put up with' maybe due to hormonal

deficiencies.

of non-organic animal products,environmental toxins, genetics andtumours can also bring it on.

Added to this, all women experiencehormone decline with age. Between theages of 35 and 50 - the time of pre-menopause and menopause - levels ofprogesterone reduce at more than twicethe rate of oestrogen, creating naturaloestrogen dominance.

There are many conditions associatedwith this oestrogen imbalance - suchas fibrocystic breast disease, breastcancer, endometrial polyps, polycysticovary syndrome, auto-immune disordersand low blood sugar problems. Buthormonal deficiencies can also manifestin health concerns women have longfelt they simply have to 'put up with'.In a teenager, a sign might be heavyperiods, while in a woman in her late30s it might be inability to lose weight,or perhaps irritability. A woman in her

50s might complainof low sex drive,while one in her70s might strugglewith joint pain andhigh cholesterol. Ihave had patientssuffering from allthese conditions that

we should supposedly 'bear', and I wasable to explain - and manage - everyissue by taking charge of each woman'shormonal health.

Of course it is important to always bechecked by a medical professional, as insome cases there are other underlyingcauses. However, it's helpful to knowthe symptoms and signs of hormonalimbalance, and the options available tomanage this. >•

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Teens to mid 30sSYMPTOMS OF HORMONE

From the first period up to themid 30s, hormone imbalancecan cause heavy periods,severe cramping, sore breasts,backaches, headaches,irritability and anxiety. Somewomen also grow hair on thechin, and develop facial acne.And there can be weight gainaround the hips, thighs andstomach, which may seemimpossible to lose.

Typically around this age,endometriosis - a painfulbuild-up of the uterus'sendometrial lining thatattaches to other organs - isdiagnosed. In many cases, thisis due to too much oestrogen.

Some women have troubleprocessing sugars. They mayhave ovarian cysts - oftendiagnosed as polycystic ovarysyndrome, but also partiallydue to too much testosteroneand not enough progesterone.Low progesterone can resultin a woman having difficultyconceiving, or miscarriage.

WHY YOU FEEL THIS WAYMany symptoms may be dueto progesterone deficiency,in which the calming, anti-pre-menstrual stress hormoneis too low on days 19-21 ofthe menstrual cycle. Thebalancing hormone oestrogenmay also be too high, causingoestrogen dominance.

I suggest, where possible,avoiding oral contraceptivepills for management ofhormonal imbalances.Synthetic hormones may

increase the risk of high bloodpressure, blood clots andstroke, and I often see sideeffects of weight gain, fatigueand low moods. Instead,consider bioidenticalhormones or herbal medicinesto balance hormones, and usebarrier methods for birthcontrol. Before having anyhysterectomy (removal ofthe uterus) procedure forendometriosis, ensure you getyour hormones tested!

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO

• Get a saliva or 'Dutch' hometest kit (see box below) tocheck your hormone levels.• Apply bioidentical hormonetherapy cream from the soyand Mexican yam plants tothe inner arms and backs ofknees daily for the last twoweeks of the menstrual cycle.• Try a herbal formulationthat includes vitex agnus-castus (chasteberry) andother progesterone-inducingherbs such as rehmannia,passion flower, wild yam,peony root and cramp bark.• Herbs that detoxify the liverand break down oestrogen,such as calcium D-glucarate,chrysin, milk thistle seedextract and chamomileextract may also help.• See a qualified professionalfor help with diet, exerciseand stress management.

Mid 30s to 50At this age women canexperience 'perimenopause'which means pre-menopause.Signs of this may be feelingirritable, anxious and depressed,and having trouble sleeping. Youmay also have abdominal weightgain, bloating, flushes, nightsweats and joint pain.

Some women have menstrualirregularities, vaginal dryness,lower sex drive, memory fog,heart palpitations, nausea,urinary tract infections, the earlystages of osteoporosis, andelevated cholesterol as a resultof oestrogen depletion.

WHY YOU FEEL THIS WAYYour progesterone, oestrogenand testosterone hormones arestarting to decline, which canprompt any or all of the above.

MYTOPTIPONHORMON

Consider natural hormonalbalancing before anti-

What is CL DUTCH kit?A Dried UrineTestjbrCorivprehensive Hormones tests i/our

levels of a broad spectrum of hormones: cortisol(can cause adrenal fatigue syndrome), the sleephormone melatonin. all reproductive hormones,

testosterone and metabolites. It is availablefrom integrath'c health practitioners.

depressant therapies, as oftenlow moods and anxiety may bedue to a drop in progesteronelevels with perimenopause.


• Get a saliva or 'Dutch' hometest kit (see box below) to testyour hormone levels.• Increase intake of foods rich invitamin B6, including enrichedcereals, fermented soy like misosoup and tofu, and nuts. Thyme,turmeric, and oregano supporthealthy progesterone levels.• Herbal supplementation suchas chasteberry, black cohoshand Siberian ginseng promotesprogesterone production.« Throw out any personal andhousehold products that containxenoestrogens - foreignoestrogen mimickers that canplay havoc with our delicatehormonal balance. Avoidproducts with parabensespecially for this reason.• Bioidentical hormone therapycream from the soy and Mexicanyam plants, applied to the innerarms and backs of knees, ishighly recommended.• Maintain a healthy weight. Trymixed cardio and light weight-bearing activities along with aPaleo-style diet. Oestrogen isstimulated by excess fat, whichin turn depletes progesterone. *•

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50-60SYMPTOMS OF HORMONE

W3MS3MThis is the time of menopause,when periods are typicallyabsent for a minimum of 12months. Signs of hormoneimbalance common tomenopause are sleep difficulties,urinary problems (leakage,frequent and urgent desire tourinate), vaginal dryness,headaches, depression, anxiety,mood swings, memory fog,body aches, tinnitus, fungalinfections, skin, eye and mouthdryness and fatigue.

WHY YOU FEEL THIS WAYDuring menopause, yourovaries stop producing eggsand the hormones oestrogen,progesterone and testosteronedecline rapidly.

Lower sex driveis common at thistime and can bereplenished withherbal therapies.

MY TOP TIP ON HORMONE

Menopausal women often startto refrain from sexual relationswith their partner due to painwith intercourse resulting fromvaginal dryness. It is possible tokeep relationship intimacy aliveand well with the use of anatural plant-based creamapplied intravaginally to restoremoisture. Lower sex drive is alsocommon at this time. This canbe replenished with herbaltherapies such as Siberianginseng, tongkat ali, panaxginseng, epimedium sagittatum,maca, mucuna pruriens, tribulusterrestris, ashwagandha,damiana, and muira puama,

which support healthytestosterone and stress-copingcortisol production.


• Get a saliva or 'Dutch' hometest kit (see box, previous page)to test your hormone levels.• Consume fermented soyproducts daily, such as tofu,fermented Korean soybeanpaste, miso soup from paste,Japanese natto and tamari soysauce, the Indian curry chagempomba and Indonesian tempeh.• Bioidentical hormone therapyfrom the soy and Mexican yamplants is recommended toquickly reduce or completelyeliminate hot flushes.• Have a yearly breastthermograph, which involves atrained nurse or techniciantaking a photo of your breastswith a special thermal sensitivecamera. They are radiation-freeand can detect vascularirregularities in your breasttissue prior to mammography,and are analysed by athermography qualified doctor.« Maintain a healthy weight byreducing consumption of foodswith empty carbohydrates, suchas processed foods, white bread,pastries, pasta and sugar.• Try walking, swimming,cycling, yoga or Pilates three tofour times weekly to reduce thestress hormone cortisol so thatyou don't hold onto weight.

60 plusSYMPTOMS OF HORMONE

Women at this age arepost-menopausal, so mosthave finished with themajority of menopausalsymptoms. However, somewomen continue to havenight sweats and hot flushesinto their 80s. Vaginal drynessand bladder leakage is also anunpleasant reality.

Some women also sufferfrom hip and wrist fractures.

WHY YOU FEEL THIS WAYWe can still experiencehormonal fluctuations in ourlater years. Some of thecommon predisposing factorsfor prolonged hot flushinginclude a previoushysterectomy, a history ofsmoking, and high alcoholintake. Also, depression (lowserotonin levels) or obesitymay be factors.

The depleted oestrogenhormone can lead to anincreased risk of osteoporosis(weakening of the bones),which causes fractures. Thissame depletion is responsiblefor an increased risk of heartdisease, too.

HORMONE MANAGEMENT

It is a myth that we mustaccept sore bodies, weightgain and fatigue as just anatural part of getting older.With hormone restoration youcan feel more like your oldself again, with more energy,improved skin, less joint painand stronger bones and heart.


• Replenish hormones with aplant-based bioidenticalhormone cream applied tothe backs of knees or innerarms twice daily. It can alsobe applied intravaginally torestore moisture.

• For ongoing hot flushes,consider a serotonin-boostingsupplement such as SAM-e, ortry acupuncture.• Ask your GP to test yourvitamin D and calcium levelsto ensure you have enoughof these key nutrients tomaintain strong bones. Youcan also ask to be referred fora bone density (DEXA) test toanalyse your bone health.

• Eat calcium-rich foods,such as deep green leafyvegetables, organic dairyand salmon.• Ensure that you have 10minutes exposure to naturalsunlight daily with sunglassesoff to support healthyvitamin D levels to keepbones strong.

• Choose regular weight-bearing exercise (walking,stair-climbing, using lightweights) three to four times aweek to keep bones strong. •

Dr Kathleen Wills is an Auckland integrative and natural medicinespecialist with a degree in medical anthropology and a doctoratein Integrative Medicine from the United States.

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