Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog - information on herbal medicine » Women’s Health

MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS: VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS, HERBS AND MORE

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 12:56:14 +0000

Vitamins and supplements (daily)E – up to 1,200 IU (stimulates production of estrogen)B6 – up to 100 mg.Brewer’s yeast – 3 to 4 tbsp.A – 50,000 unitsВ1 – 50 mg.Calcium lactate – 3 tabletsPABA – up to 100 mg. (natural substitute for estrogen)B-complex, natural, high potencyPantothenic acid – up to 100 mg. (can help delay menopause)Bone meal – 3 tabletsKelp – 3 tablets or 1 tsp. of granulesBetaine Hydrochloride – 1 tablet after each mealWhey powder – 2 tsp.С – up to 3,000 mg.Cod liver oil – 2 tsp. or 4 capsulesCold-pressed vegetable oils, such as sesame or olive oil
Juices Freshly made juices of fruits and vegetables, in season.
Herbs Honduras sarsaparilla, licorice (Aletris Farinosa), unicorn roots (Helonias Dioica), elder. All these herbs contain the natural female sex hormone, estrogen, which to some degree can help compensate for diminished hormone supply due to menopause.
Specifics Vitamins E, С, А, В, and B6, brewer’s yeast, PABA, pantothenic acid, mineral supplement, licorice, unicorn roots, elder.
Notes:Lately, it has become popular to take estrogen (female sex hormone) to prevent or postpone menopausal symptoms. Although hormone therapy is apparently quite successful and will, in many cases, help the patient to feel and act younger, the majority of biological doctors do not recommend it, mainly because of its possible carcinogenic effect. If, however, estrogen therapy is undertaken, it should never be administered at the same time as vitamin E therapy, which is recommended in this section – ingestion of estrogen and vitamin E should be separated by several hours. Also, generous amounts of vitamins B6, C, PABA, folic acid, pantothenic acid and Bi2 will render estrogenic hormones more effective.
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MYOMECTOMY FOR FIBROIDS (PART 1)

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:58:42 +0000

Myomectomy is the surgical removal of one or more fibroids from the uterus with the aim of providing relief from prolonged or heavy bleeding. It is an option worth considering for women who have not finished their families and who therefore want their uterus intact to preserve their fertility. Pregnancy rates of 40-59% following myomectomy have been reported. It is, however, a difficult operation which is more likely than hysterectomy to cause blood loss requiring transfusion and postoperative ill-health. For these reasons, women with fibroids are five times more likely to have a hysterectomy than a myomectomy.

In most women, myomectomy initially relieves bleeding symptoms. But, ten years after the operation, 20-30% have returned to their doctors with a recurrence of their earlier problems. The reasons for this recurrence rate are as uncertain as the reasons for the development of fibroids in the first place. There is some evidence to suggest that recurrence rates are higher when multiple fibroids are present or the initial fibroid removal is incomplete. The latter suggestion is, however, body disputed; and there is also support for the view that it is only necessary to remove that part of the fibroid protruding from the wall of the uterus to obtain long-lasting relief from heavy bleeding. It has also been suggested that some women have an inherited tendency to develop fibroids and that this has a big influence on the recurrence rate.

Abdominal or open myomectomy, where the operation is performed through a large (approximately 13 cm) incision, has been the procedure used for many years. Recently, several new approaches have been devised which make use of a hysteroscope inserted through the vagina (hysteroscopic myomectomy), or a laparoscope inserted in the abdomen (laparoscopic myomectomy). These procedures avoid the need for large abdominal incisions. (Similar techniques may be used to remove adenomyosis, a condition that is closely related to fibroids.) A vaginal ultrasound showing the position and size of fibroids is helpful in deciding which of the above approaches is advisable.

Open myomectomy is performed more often in Australia than hysteroscopic or laparoscopic myomectomy. Likely explanations for this include the suitability of open myomectomy for the removal of large fibroids and for the removal of fibroids from sites where they are often found, such as the outer wall of the uterus. Open myomectomy is also a more entrenched procedure than

either hysteroscopic or laparoscopic fibroid removal. Fibroids up to 8 cm in size can also be made smaller or destroyed using laser techniques or electrocoagulation.

Some doctors are becoming skilled in these techniques, making them increasingly suitable alternatives to myomectomy, particularly for women with heavy periods.

Whichever method is employed, the procedure should be conducted in a well-equipped clinic or hospital under general anaesthesia. During the removal of fibroids it is important that the surgeon minimises blood loss and the inadvertent formation of adhesions, and that he or she skilfully reconstructs the uterus. Some blood loss is inevitable as the uterus is particularly well supplied with arteries and veins. It is usual for surgeons to clamp blood vessels or to inject chemicals that decrease the flow of blood to certain areas of the uterus. Particular types and locations of incisions also help minimise blood loss during myomectomy as does the use of laser surgery or diathermy in experienced hands. In some cases, doctors may remove the endometrium at the same time as performing a myomectomy.

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FERTILITY PROBLEMS: TESTS FOR NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES AND TOXINS

admin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:18:51 +0000

A shortage of different nutrients can reduce your fertility as a couple. And, more importantly, a few simple changes can dramatically improve your chances of having a healthy baby. But how would you actually know if you had a nutrient deficiency?

Most of us are short of time these days. We snatch a sandwich for lunch, often on the move, and maybe have not been eating so well over the last few years. With our food being depleted in nutrients because of the way it has been processed and the impoverishment of the soil it is grown on, the chances are that many of us are deficient in some nutrients.

It is very easy to pick up a newspaper or magazine and read how wonderful zinc or selenium is, and then go out and buy some. But this is a very random approach. It is much better to be tested so that you know you are taking the nutrients you really need. The vitamins and minerals you need for your body to function at its optimum and give you the best chance of conceiving are all dependent on each other in order to act efficiently. For instance, zinc works best when it is accompanied by adequate amounts of vitamin B6 so it is better to take a combined multivitamin and mineral supplement and then add the extra nutrients that you are deficient in.

The other reason for testing is that all the chemicals and other toxic substances we absorb in our daily life can collect in our systems and damage our fertility. We need to check this out too.

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