Balancing Hormones Naturally: A Holistic approach to Women's Hormone-Related Health Concerns

Menopause... the change. As John Lee, M.D., states in his book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause: "Every adult woman in North America and other industrialized countries knows what those words refer to: the change of life that occurs with menopause. Those who have entered into menopause know it by their own experience; others know the experience of their mothers, an older sister, or a friend. They have heard the stories of the hot flashes and night sweats, the mood swings, the vaginal dryness, and the sagging breasts and fatter hips. They vow (and pray) to somehow never let it happen that way to them. They fear the loss of sexual enjoyment that menopause may portend. They see older women shrunken and bent with osteoporosis, and cannot visit an older friend in a nursing home without some dread that this may be their destiny, too.

"They also know from other older women, who are vigorous and full of life, that this deterioration is not universal with all women. What, they wonder, makes the difference and what can be done to remain vital and healthy?"

With thirty million menopausal women in North America and some twenty million baby-boomer women on the brink of menopause, it is no small wonder this is a major topic of discussion.

The medical approach to menopause involves an archaic conception of female endocrinology as purely chemical. Today, many educated women are searching for choices more compatible with their nature. More than one million women are now turning fifty each year. They include doctors, lawyers and corporate executives. Women now have an opportunity to reevaluate this natural transition with new eyes and more sophisticated testing. At the same time, the long-ignored healing powers of the plant kingdom, such as herbs, grains, fruits and vegetables, are rapidly coming back into popular use.

Competing with this natural approach, the drug companies involved in marketing synthetic hormonal products are investing massive amounts of money in trying to prove that their products are the only choice a woman has, and in downplaying their products' dangers. They are creating a standard of care among medical physicians and falsely frightening women into complying: ERT (Estrogen Replacement Therapy) or dry up and die prematurely.

Women make up more than half of all Chiropractic patients in the United States. Of this group, many are patients who are in their reproductive years (typically 13 to 45 years old, although this range may vary). As a whole-body-care practitioner and Doctor of Chiropractic, you are in an especially good position to help PMS patients. As such, you should learn to recognize the myriad symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome and develop treatment plans to help these patients.

The idea that menopause is a disease requiring medical attention is gradually becoming history. The perspective that a woman's midlife is a time of new energy and unrestricted possibilities is replacing this outdated theory. You as a Chiropractor can dispel the many myths about menopause and PMS.

As a Doctor of Chiropractic who advises in the use of natural methods and remedies whenever they are appropriate as an option, you will be heartily welcomed by women in your community. A revolution is under way! Despite lucrative incentives that sustain the present system, change will come because women demand it.

To Summarize:

PMS is a major production-related problem in the U.S. Many women who suffer from PMS try to hide it, often feeling discriminated against in a "male-dominated work society." This has been promulgated by psychiatric associations attempting to classify PMS as a mental disorder, as well as male employers viewing the condition as psychological. This labeling causes embarrassment for many women, who do not seek the help they need, resigning themselves to suffer in silence. However, unless they seek effective treatment such as Chiropractic, diet, etc., they have little hope of successful relief.

Chiropractic's respect for the healing wisdom of the body, removal of spinal stress that interferes with the flow of natural body energies, and promotion of spine, joint, muscle and nerve balance and stability make it a health care of choice for premenopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal women alike.