Do I NEED Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Should I Take Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Most doctors will tell you yes. The school of thought is by taking a synthetic hormone you protect your body against heart disease and osteoporosis. It will also make their job easier because the belief is HRT will manage the symptoms associated with menopause.

But do you really NEED to take HRT? How did our fore mothers get through menopause before HRT? After all HRT has only been around for about 50 years. They did it why can't we?

I believe you can do it. You may change your ideas about health and learn some new things about how your body works, but you can do it. Don't be afraid because you do have choices. Do remember that as you go through this journey you are in motion and so are your hormones so symptoms may change month to month and even week to week. Still, these can be managed with knowledge and patience.

What should you do before going on HRT?

• If you are someone who wants a more natural approach to balancing your hormones, there are many options available. The key is working with a practitioner or ND (naturpathic doctor) to find what makes sense for you. This is not the time to get a recommendation from the supplement advisor at Whole Foods. There are just too many elements that need to be factored in before going on supplements or HRT. Your practitioner may even recommend hormonal testing (not the kind your MD does) to get a baseline mark for you.
• Ask your doctor the reasons why she wants you on HRT. Make sure it makes sense to you and that your doctor has a full picture of your family history and risk factors. There may be an interim step such as compounded HRT, which is generally prescribed by an ND.

In the weeks to come I will be covering more on HRT and the female body in relation to the hormones involved in the "change" known as menopause. I will be addressing many of the more common symptoms women experience as they progress through peri-menopause and menopause and how to handle them with grace.

Do I NEED Hormone Replacement Therapy?

This is a question most women ask at least once while going through menopause.

Most doctors will tell you yes. The school of thought is by taking a synthetic hormone you protect your body against heart disease and osteoporosis. It will also make their job easier because the belief is HRT will manage the symptoms associated with menopause.

But do you really NEED to take HRT? How did our foremothers get through menopause before HRT? After all HRT has only been around for about 50 years. They did it why can't we?

I believe you can do it. You may change your ideas about health and learn some new things about how your body works, but you can do it. Don't be afraid because you do have choices. Do remember that as you go through this journey you are in motion and so are your hormones so symptoms may change month to month and even week to week. Still, these can be managed with knowledge and patience.

In the weeks to come I will be covering the female body in relation to the hormones involved in the "change" known as menopause. I will be addressing many of the more common symptoms women experience as they progress through peri-menopause and menopause and how to handle them with grace.

3 Keys to Dealing with Peri-Menopause

There is so much mis-information out there about what happens to a woman's body as she enters the new phase in her life known as peri-menopause (PM) and eventually menopause (MP). I remember when I turned 40 I received a book called Menopaws as a gag gift. I was so hurt and insulted that I never even opened up the book. Now, 12 years later and having gone without my period for 8 months most physicians will tell you I'm officially in menopause.

I wish I still had that book because I could use a few laughs about what has transpired over the past 12 years as I made the transition into menopause.

Luckily for me my partner, Chris Kahl, is an R.N. and an expert in women's health. She has been an R.N. for over 25 years. In addition, she is well trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), herbology and various other natural approaches and let me tell you that all these perspectives are important. It is having a well-trained and well educated healthcare practitioner that will make getting through this long and sometimes challenging life change easier.

Here are my three keys for dealing with peri-menopause:

Key #1: It's your body. If you are in touch with what's "normal" for you then you'll know when it's time to consult a healthcare professional if you are experiencing something out of your range of normal. Listen to your body. Notice what's different and DO stay calm. One thing is for sure, when going through peri-menopause, many bodily issues that seemed normal in the past may suddenly become “abnormal.” Stay calm.

Key #2: Educate yourself just enough to understand that you are not going crazy. There is an old saying “you have just enough knowledge to make yourself dangerous.” Learning about your body is important. Going to the Internet to self-diagnose and self-treat is dangerous. I’m pretty knowledgeable about my body, but I’m not objective and I’m not an expert in vitamins, over the counter supplements and herbs. That advice needs to come from an expert who can evaluate your individual physiology and needs.

Key #3: Find a superb practitioner who listens to you, encourages you to listen to your body, understands traditional allopathic medicine and can give you natural options to good health. There is a time and place for the benefits of traditional allopathic medicine and yet this option can be very limiting (often confined to synthetic hormone replacement therapy) or nothing at all. Explore other healthcare practitioners. Acupuncturists are considered primary care physicians and can often treat peri-menopausal issues successfully, however most of them are not trained to understand traditional allopathic medicine so you may have to find an open minded allopathic physician to work with you if you choose this path.

• Ask for referrals to a healthcare provider from friends, neighbors or co-workers who have experienced what you are going through.
• Do NOT think that what works for your friend is what you should go out and buy from the local health food store. Everyone’s physiology is different and you should be treated as an individual.
• Self-treating can often be a waste of money and time and in some cases lead to dire results.
• Invest in your health and you’ll reap the rewards

Julie Hawkins is a co-founder of NewLogic Solutions Alternative Health & Wellness, www.newlogicsolutions.com. She is a Certified NLP Trainer and Coach; Creator of Energy Grid™ Healing, a rapid, multidimentional painless approach to clearing disempowering emotions and beliefs; Huna Alakai`i, teacher of ancient Hawaiian spiritual practices for the modern mystic. Julie is known as The Breakthrough Mentor.