The Right Approach
Everybody is Different

Published May 6, 2002 in the North Island Weekender

Peri-menopause is the time of life when many women experience hormonal symptoms ten years before they are diagnosed with menopause. Their periods are unchanged but during these years they go through the worst PMS they have gone through in their lives! Mistakenly they are prescribed prescription medications for anxiety, mood swings, depression and insomnia and many of these symptoms can be readily treated using naturopathic medicine. One of my colleagues always begins her treatments of these women with a detoxification program and many of them get better immediately. This is explained by the important role of the liver in metabolizing hormones. When the liver is so overloaded it cannot do this properly hormone imbalances occur resulting in many of the above symptoms as well as fatigue, weight gain, bloating, headaches, general aches and pains and low self esteem.
The liver clears estrogens and this can be decreased when there are deficiencies of magnesium and B vitamins. Mild liver dysfunction may produce enough waste products to interfere with the communication between the pituitary, adrenals and ovaries. There are many xenobiotics (hormone mimicking toxins in our environment and food) that are known to occupy receptors sites on the ovaries and other glands inhibiting their function. Liver function may also be compromised with fatty infiltration which can be caused by increased alcohol consumption. Sugar, caffeine and fatty foods can also compromise liver function. More and more I am recommending that every adult take liver supportive herbs on a regular basis. Living on the planet these days is bad for our health! There are ways we can protect ourselves from the tremendous oxidative stress that we get from the air, food and water we ingest. Herbs such as milk thistle and quercitin and antioxidants such as CoQ10, and Vitamin C are tremendous support for the liver. If you want to decrease your intake of alcohol, but crave it, try inositol.
Other organs that need to be supported for the treatment of PMS are the intestines, the adrenals glands and the brain. Most of us know that the ovaries and uterus need support and many PMS formulas contain this support. But what I am finding is that in the more difficult cases more comprehensive organ support is required.
Mrs. G was one such patient. I had her on my traditional menopausal formula, mineral replacement, B complex as well as flax oil one tablespoon per day. These helped her with her overall feeling of well being however she was still fatigued, her hot flashes were better but still troubling her and she just didn’t feel her normal self. Often with these women I want to know what their estrogen and progesterone levels are so I do a salivary hormone level on them which measures the unbound levels and gives a functional evaluation. While we were waiting for these results I started her on a good detoxification program. The salivary hormone testing showed lowered adrenal function so I began her on adrenal support. When the ovaries are decreasing their output of hormones the healthy adrenal gland can easily keep up. However most women of this generation are entering menopause burned out and their adrenals are not able to bring up the slack. The thyroid is also called upon to help, and that is why many women as they enter menopause have under functioning thyroid glands. By lowering the stress on Mrs. G’s adrenal glands using pantothenic acid, licorice, cordyceps, siberian ginseng, rhodiola rosea and ashwagandha her thyroid also has less stress to deal with. These herbs are adaptogenic. That is they will increase the function of the organs but to a normal level only. They will also lower the over functioning of an organ as well. These all improve stress tolerance. Mrs. G. responded very well to this approach. I also encouraged Mrs. G. to read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron as well as Dr. Christine Northrup's The Wisdom of Menopause.  Our health issues are so multi-factoral and naturopathic physicians with their view point of health and healing have so much to offer people in helping them solve these challenges. Physicians don’t heal, the body does that!

Dr. Pincott has been practicing naturopathic medicine since 1985 and is currently practicing in Campbell River. She can be reached at (250) 286-3655 or www.DrPincott.com