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Scares About Suspected Links Between Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer

Posted on: Saturday, 11 March 2006, 15:00 CST

By ANN FOTHERINGHAM

JUST because you decide not to go down the traditional Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) route to help you through the menopause, doesn't mean you have to accept a life of hot flushes and uncomfortable night sweats.

There are natural alternatives available - although you should always bear in mind that while some may be effective, this is not an entirely risk-free approach.

A recent study of 2000 menopausal women found that a third of those who had taken HRT had given it up within a year and almost all said that they would try alternative remedies before resorting to it again.

Main reasons for stopping were feeling unwell (33-per cent), worries over heart disease (26-per cent) and concerns over breast cancer (47-per cent).

But actress Jane Seymour, who gave up HRT after seven years only to go back to it months later, says: "Everyone was telling me different things, but I realised that each woman has to create her own way of dealing with the menopause, one that she is comfortable with."

Dr Jane Johnston, of website menopausematters. co. uk, says: "Alternative therapies is a hugely expanding market - but try to ensure that the products you take are actually doing you some good and their planned effects are not overlapping - thus wasting money."

Marilyn Glenville, author of The New Natural Alternatives to HRT, says: "The menopause is not an illness.

"If you subscribe to the standpoint currently held by the conventional medical profession, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was. Women in many other cultures do not experience the menopause as a crisis demanding medical intervention.

"Many of them simply do not suffer the physical and emotional symptoms that women in the West are programmed to accept as inevitable."

She adds: "For the main symptoms of the menopause, such as hot flushes, you will be offered HRT. Unfortunately, if a women around the age of 45 goes to her doctor with any of these symptoms, it will immediately be put down to 'hormones', and you can guess what the first line of treatment will be.

"I have seen more women than I can count who have been put on HRT because of 'hormone' problems, only to find that they were not menopausal at all.

"There are a variety of other health conditions that throw up symptoms that are similar to those of the menopause, so don't assume - or, more importantly, let your doctor convince you - that there may not be another cause. What's important is working out what symptoms are due to the menopause, and what are simply symptoms of ageing."

So how can you cope with the menopause the natural way?

DRINK SOYA MILK

Soya is a rich source of phytoestrogens, plant substances which act in a similar way to the female hormone oestrogen.

Eating natural soya is thought to help combat menopausal symptoms - in Japan, where is is an important part of the daily diet, these symptoms are rare, and coronary heart disease and breast, uterine and ovarian cancers are less common.

Soya contains two flavonoids, genistein and daidzein, and studies have shown that they are chemically similar to Tamoxifen, which is the drug used to prevent a recurrence of breast cancer.

These very weak plant oestrogens latch on to the oestrogen receptors in the breast and they stop the more powerful carcinogenic oestrogens getting through. So they have a protective effect, as well as helping to balance hormones, which are responsible for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes.

Phytoestrogens have also been studied for their effect on lowering cholesterol, so they can have protective effects in terms of heart disease, which is important around the menopause.

STOKE UP ON VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Vitamin C can help to reduce hot flushes, and zinc, which is found in seafood, and vitamin B6, which you get in eggs, fish and poultry, are especially important in hormone production and maintenance.

Marilyn says: "Supplements are beneficial during the menopause in order to ensure that you have adequate nutrients for healthy bones.

"Many of the following supplements are also known to help with the symptoms of the menopause. A good quality multivitamin and mineral would form the foundation of your supplement programme to make sure that you are getting a little bit of everything."

Magnesium is an important mineral for your bones and it is also known as nature's tranquilliser, so it will help with symptoms such as anxiety, irritability and mood changes.

HARNESS HERBAL POWER

Black Cohosh is said to outperform HRT in relieving stress and anxiety related to the menopause while sage helps to control the sweat glands, reducing hot flushes. Another remedy for hot flushes is agnus castus.

Marilyn advises, however: "You should not take any of the above herbs if you are taking, the contraceptive pill, fertility drugs, HRT or any other hormonal treatment or other medication unless they are recommended by a registered practitioner."

BOOST YOUR DIET WITH OMEGA OILS

Omega oils, which you find in fish oils and nuts, grains and some meats, can help to prevent bone loss associated with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

EXERCISE REGULARLY

As well as keeping your weight down, exercise makes you fitter and boost your energy, making it easier to get to sleep, as well as helping to prevent osteoporosis.

AVOID SYNTHETIC FIBRES

If your bedding is made from synthetic fibres it may be causing you to sweat more - try sleeping under blankets rather than a duvet.

DRESS FOR COMFORT

To help combat hot flushes try to dress in easily removable layers, wear as many natural fibres as possible and avoid very tight fitting clothes such as those made from Lycra.

RELAX

Rather than fighting a hot flush, it is always better to try and relax while it is happening - try yoga and deep breathing exercises to counter the sensation.

INFORMATION

www. marilynglenville. com/ menopause www. menopause matters. co. uk The British Menopause Society is on www. the-bms. org

Source: Evening Times; Glasgow (UK)

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