Menopause Therapy

In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration in conjunction with other Health and Human Service agencies sought to provide women with a better understanding of the high risks associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - used for the past half century to treat symptoms related to perimenopause and menopause.

In September of that year, the FDA Commissioner as well as several members of Congress announced the implementation of a menopausal hormone therapy awareness campaign.

The goal of the collaborative campaign was to heighten awareness of the inherent risks and possible benefits of menopause therapy as to the most current information related to the efficacy and safety of FDA-approved drugs used to relieve menopause symptoms.

As part of the announcement, the standing Commissioner determined that postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy was a major personal decision for women and that they should be forewarned of the alarming facts related to HRT, though FDA approved.

Due to well-documented concerns related to HRT risk levels, Congress (in 2003) directed (not advocated or suggested) the FDA to develop and execute this vital and potentially life-saving information campaign, and this, in conjunction with and partnership of various health organizations, worldwide.

Alarmingly, it was estimated that more than 10 million women were using HRT to treat perimenopause and menopause symptoms.

The then Congresswoman from the State of Connecticut recognized that the choice of whether to undergo HRT (or not) was among the most critical that a woman would make in advancing years. This initiative was given the highest priority for this reason and so that women might have the information they needed in order to make the best informed decision possible.

The campaign was designed to clarify the findings of the research studies conducted by the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) which was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Due to alarming concerns related to increase health risks, one arm of the WHI was halted in July, 2002.  Ultimately though, the WHI study did lead to a new and more comprehensive understanding of the severe health implications linked to both short and longer term HRT use.

As a result of this study conducted over a period of years and involving hundreds of test subjects, the FDA warned women and health care professionals of the incontrovertible evidence directly linking HRT with heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and breast cancer.  The warning also emphasized the fact that these laboratory concocted remedies were not approved for heart disease prevention.

Due to the belief (held by many health care professionals at the time) that few alternatives for the relief of hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings existed, HRT options were viable.

However, the then FDA Commissioner recognized that while some aspects of HRT might be useful in treating menopause and perimenopause symptoms, women needed to be aware that HRT bears significant risks.  The Commissioner further recommended (in spite of the acknowledged, recognized, and documented risks to the contrary) that women only undertake HRT at the lowest dose and shortest duration possible.

In an effort to provide additional clarity, the FDA required manufacturers to modify their HRT product labeling in order to state that these drugs should only be used when there is unmistakable evidence that the health benefits of the proposed treatment plan outweigh the risks.

It was determined that as new information became available affecting women's health (related to HRT), that the FDA would forward this information to consumers to insure that FDA-approved products would remain as safe and effective as possible.

In relation to HRT treatment plans, it was recommended that the following questions be asked of one’s doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or health-care professional:

Is HRT right for me and why?  What are the benefits and risks?  How long should I use HRT?  What is the lowest dose that will work for me?  What are the side effects? When should I be checked for high blood pressure, bone density, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, endometrial cancer, high cholesterol, uterine cancer, and arterial disease?

Following the 2002/2003 clinical trials and subsequent FDA warnings and mandatory HRT product warning labeling, additional research has determined that even short term and low-dose use of HRT treatments (including bio-identicals) are just as harmful as full-blown HRT treatments.

Why the medical community advocates and the FDA endorses the use of HRT fully fifty years following its original introduction, is one of today’s big mysteries.

Due to the recommendations of so-called medical authorities and the rubber-stamp approval of the FDA, millions of women have been lulled into a false sense of security (to their own detriment), by embraced HRT.

The two questions that should be asked are – “if the majority of menopause symptoms are only minor annoyances and do not (in and of themselves) threaten health, why do medical professionals routinely advocate life-threatening HRT treatments, especially if subscribing to the Hippocratic Oath – First, do not harm.”

The second and perhaps more important question ought to be – “What safe and effective menopause therapy solutions are there other than HRT?”

Women everywhere are beginning to question the much maligned HRT treatments. There has to be something better out there.

Beginning in 2007, clinical research became available supporting the curative properties of phytoestrogens found in flax hull lignans (produced from whole ground flaxseed) in relation to safely and effectively managing common symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause.

The active ingredient in FemFlax™ is one of the most potent sources of phytonutrients found in nature.  To learn more about FemFlax, please visit our website at: www.femflax.com.

Prostate Cancer and Flaxseed Hull Lignans

Prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland itself.  Most of the patients with this type of cancer can live for years without any problems. Traditionally, men are less likely to seek medical attention than women, especially for minor problems which often serve as warning signs for more serious underlying illness. The second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the U.S. is from prostate cancer.

Evidence indicates that many patients detect cancer at an earlier stage because of annual screening.  Just about all men with prostate cancer survive at least five years after their diagnosis, 93% survive at least 10 years, and 67% survive more than 15 years. Once diagnosed you may be want to join a support group whose members share their experiences and problems.

Like other cancers, the cause of prostate cancer is not known; it appears to be more common in African American men and men with a family history of the disease. Prostate cancer is simply a malignant tumor of the prostate gland. In most men, prostate cancer grows very slowly; most men will never even know they have the condition.

Most prostate cancer symptoms, although associated with prostate cancer, are more likely to be connected to non-cancerous conditions. There are other symptoms (associated with prostate cancer) that may not be mentioned here. Blood in the urine or semen and frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs can be symptoms of cancer.

Weak or interrupted flow of urine and painful or burning urination can also be symptoms.  One of the most common symptoms is the inability to urinate.  If caught during the early stages, most men (with prostate cancer) will not experience any symptoms.

A urinalysis may indicate if there is blood in the urine, which may or may not be related. A chest x-ray may be done to see if there's a spread of cancer. CT scans may be done to see if the cancer has metastasized (spread).

There is a newer test called AMACR that is more sensitive than the PSA test for determining the presence of prostate cancer. Another test usually used when prostate cancer symptoms are present is a digital rectal exam (DRE) performed by the doctor, proctologist or oncologist. A false-positive PSA test (with a high level) can also result from a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.

Hormone manipulation is mainly used as a treatment to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has metastasized (spread). In patients whose health makes the risk of surgery unacceptably high, radiation therapy is often the chosen conventional alternative. Some drugs with numerous side effects are being used to treat advanced prostate cancer, blocking the production of testosterone, called chemical castration; it has the same result as surgical removal of the testes.

An oncologist, a cancer specialist, will usually recommend treating with a single drug or a combination of drugs. Anyone considering surgery should be aware of the benefits, risks and the extent of the procedure. Medicines can be used to adjust the levels of testosterone; called hormonal manipulation.

Medications can have many side effects, including hot flashes and loss of sexual desire.  Surgery, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy can interfere with libido on a temporary or permanent basis. The best advice is to always thoroughly discuss all of the potential treatment options and concerns with a doctor or other health-care professional.

It should be noted that some men chose natural treatment options and forgo any surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Urinary incontinence can be one of the possible complications of surgery. Like HRT (hormone replacement therapy) for women, the conventional treatment of prostate cancer is often controversial due to elevated risk factors.

Recent clinical trials have concluded that the phytonutrients contained in flaxseed hull lignans are as effective as some conventional (pharmacological) means of combating benign prostate cell growth, but without the incumbent risk factors.

Reporting the June, 2008 Journal of Medicinal Foods, a joint study (Tumor Hospital and Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China) concluded that flaxseed hull lignans not only improved LUTS (lower Urinary Tract Symptoms) of the 87 test subjects with enlarged prostates (over a 4-month period), but were also as effective as traditional intervention agents (aopha1A-adrenoceptor blockers and 5alpha-reductase inhibitors) at retarding aberrant (possibly cancerous) cell growth.

Additional studies have shown that the powerful phytonutrients in flaxseed hull lignans not only slow the growth of tumorous lesions, but also keep these cells from metastasizing in other parts of the body.

For more information related to the amazing health benefits of the phytonutrients found in flaxseed hull lignans, please visit our website at: www.femflax.com.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

The scientific medical community has evolved and changed its attitude toward menopause and possible preventatives related to associative symptoms.  The HRT portion of the Women's Health Initiative in July of 2002 was prematurely halted due to findings that hormone replacement therapy's risks outweighed its benefits, but more importantly, so that additional thousands of otherwise healthy menopausal test subjects would not be put in jeopardy of developing heart disease and cancer.

As a result, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is now simply referred to as Hormone Therapy (HT).  This, in recognition of the fact that replacing estrogen is no longer perceived as at natural process and brings with it dangerous side-effects.  Following the extensive and damning studies concluded in 2002, HRT or HT are no longer lauded as the fountain of youth (as they once were) but are now recognized as the life-threatening procedures that they always have been.

For years, women’s health activists urged caution in the use of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, arguing that the long-term benefits and risks had not been sufficiently documented.  The results of the massive clinical trials were announced in July of 2002.  These were the first major clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy by healthy women of menopausal age.  Unfortunately, and as many activists had feared, the test results clearly showed the serious health risks directly linked to HRT and that these risks dwarfed any perceived benefits.

The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) was a 15-year national health study formulated to resolve the age-old questions related to the poor quality of life, disability and eventual death of postmenopausal women, these being cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis.

Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), The Women’s Health Initiative began in 1991 and followed the progress of more than 160,000 generally healthy post-menopausal women. The WHI clinical trials tested the effects of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, as well as diet modifications, as well as the implementation of Calcium and Vitamin D supplements, as they related to heart disease, fractures, and breast and colorectal cancer.

The Women’s Health Initiative focused on just two hormone replacement therapies.  The first set of trials involved estrogen plus progestin testing on women with an intact uterus.  The second series of trials involved estrogen only experiments of women without uteruses.

The estrogen with progestin branch of the study was curtailed in July of 2002, fully three years before its scheduled conclusion.  Alarmingly, investigators found dramatic increases in the incident breast cancers, heart disease, strokes, and blood clots in the unfortunate group of women victimized by the estrogen/progestin bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Additional data analysis showed unequivocally that the estrogen/progestin concoction did nothing to relieve depression, or help sexual function, vitality, or cognitive performance. As if the threat of developing Alzheimer’s disease with advance age were not enough, the study further concluded that the estrogen/progestin test subjects (guinea pigs) were twice as likely to develop dementia.

Thankfully, this arm of the study was put to bed before thousands more innocent and otherwise healthy postmenopausal women could be put at risk of developing heart disease, cancer and dementia.  Unfortunately, this conclusion came 12 years too late for the previous thousands of WHI test subjects in this group and 30 years too late for the millions of women who had previously enthusiastically embraced this particular brand of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Two years later, the estrogen-alone study was halted.  By then, researchers had discovered that estrogen only treatments did not slow the onset of heart disease, ameliorate the risk of stroke or decrease the risk of bone and hip fractures.

While media coverage of the study and the damning results was originally extensive, subsequent coverage on the topic can best be described as sparse.  Additional research, especially in-depth research into bio-identials has not been forthcoming.

Much like the horrors of 9/11, the horrors associated with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy seem to have all but disappeared.  In spite of the damning and incontrovertible evidence, the medical, medical insurance agencies, as well as the FDA all continue to embrace the use of HRT, though in smaller doses and for a protracted time period.

This is akin to saying that if you decide to walk on hot coals that you ought to do so in shorter intervals and that the coals ought not to be quite as hot.

The big question remains – How did an unproven treatment become the standard of care for millions of healthy women, fully 50 after its introduction?

Fortunately, several resources explore this question in depth.

• In her book, The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth - Barbara Seaman examines how and why hormones were manufactured, marketed, and prescribed, despite a lack of evidence, efficacy and safety,  and in spite of the mounting evidence of risk.  Her book indicates that consumers have developed a lemming-like mentality and clearly shows that the widespread belief that artificially injecting hormones as good preventive medicine was actually a triumph of marketing over science.
• In her book The Medicalization of Menopause, Kathleen O'Grady discusses the risks of viewing menopause as a disease rather than as a natural stage in a woman’s life.  Her analysis of the hormone therapy fiasco highlights the necessity of revision guidelines necessary for the large pharmaceutical companies and emphasizes the importance of basing medical recommendations on evidence-based research, and not profit-motivated pharmaceuticals.

Are Bio-Identicals any Safer?

As noted in the September, 2004 issue of The Journal of Health & Sexuality bio-identicals have the same associative risks as the products they are identical to namely, an elevated risk of developing heart disease, cancer, and dementia.

There have to be safer alternatives.  Postmenopausal symptoms in and of themselves are not life-threatening.  Incontrovertible evidence shows that bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can be life-threatening.  Why embrace a treatment plan with this high level of risk, especially if the symptoms one is attempting to thwart are not life-threatening?

Plenty of safe, effective and effically responsible treatments abound.  For more information related to the safe and effective management of common postmenopausal symptoms, please visit our website at: www.femflax.com.

Post Menopause Symptoms

Menopause is a single day event which can be calculated by counting backwards twelve consecutive and uninterrupted months from the time of a woman’s final menstrual cycle. Post menopause is the time of life between this date and eventual death.  The time leading up to menopause is termed perimenopause, which can last for several years.

Menopause, perimenopause, pre menopause, and early menopause are all terms used to describe time-lines or naturally occurring events in a woman’s life and should in no way should be construed as medical conditions, diseases or maladies.

Some physical symptoms may be congruent in post menopausal women, or none at all.  The veracity of symptoms and length of individual bouts does not infer that a woman is more or less post-menopausal.  Again, post menopause only has to do with identifying a specific portion of, or time-line in a woman’s life.

The most frequently noted post menopause symptoms are hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings.

Hot flashes have been described as warm sensation building in intensity in the upper chest, neck and facial areas.  Individual bouts can last from just a few minutes to longer than 20 minutes.  Individual bouts may occur as frequently as every hour or two.  Warm flushes are considered to be a milder version of hot flashes.

Night sweats are the evil twin of hot flashes.  The actual symptoms are nearly identical.  However, night sweats have the capacity to be ultimately more destructive due to the fact that they can be sleep disruptive.  Following a single night of night sweats, women have described their condition the following day as a raw nerve.

Sleep deprivation can be one of the most destructive ancillary results of night sweats and can lead to mental and physical exhaustion (to the point of hospitalization) depression, mind fog, forgetfulness, irritability, fatigue, and short-term memory loss.

While mood swings have a link to night sweats, they can be considered as a possible condition of post menopausal women.  The reason for this and all other associative symptoms, is that women loose estrogen prior to (but especially following) menopause.  Loss of estrogen equates to imbalanced hormones.  Imbalanced hormones are directly linked to mood swings.

Mood swings can take various shapes and the following conditions have been described: Sudden mood shifts, irritability, depression, short-tempered, forgetfulness, short-term memory loss, etc.

Various treatments, supplements, treatments plans, pharmacological drugs, holistic, herbal, and all-natural treatments have been used over time, some thousands of years old, to manage common post menopause symptoms.

As it might be imagined, the safety, effectiveness and efficacy of some of these have been called into serious question.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has proven to be one of the most enduring and effective (upward to 70%) treatments available to manage common post menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats and moods swings.

Though warmly embraced by the FDA, medical insurance companies, and the medical community for the past 50 years, HRT is associated with catastrophic safety concerns, including heart disease, cancer, dementia, as well as other life-threatening health issues.

Some medical professionals claim that the decision to use or not use HRT is among the most important that a woman will face in her entire life.  What did women do prior to the introduction of HRT in the 1960’s when HRT was not even an option?  For thousands of years women have been managing post menopause symptoms without the aid of HRT.  Due to the serious health concerns shrouding the use of HRT, many women are reverting to a pre-HRT mentality.

Herbal, holistic and all natural post menopause symptom treatments can be as effective as HRT in managing hot flashes, night sweats and other associative menopause type symptoms, but without the horrifying health risks.

Additionally, mild hot flashes can be managed with light-weight wicking clothing and sleepwear, the augmentation of a personal cooling device, and a better understanding of hot flash triggers and catalysts.

Similarly, night sweats can be managed with wicking type sleepwear, and lightweight layered bedding.  Personal cooling devices that can comfortably be worn in addition to battery operated fans on the nightstand can help to insure a better night’s sleep fewer wakeful hours.

It is important for a night sweat sufferer to cool off before becoming fully awake.  REM sleep is an important factor in achieving a restful night’s sleep.  The aforementioned measures can help to quell minor night sweat bouts before the sufferer can come fully awake.

As previously noted, direct hormone replacement (HT) using estrogen and progestin cultivated from equine urine can have devastating health effects, whether used long or short term.

On the other hand, some supplements rich in either isoflavonoides or lignans have extremely potent phytoestorgens which have been proven to naturally rejuvenate female estrogens (within the body) and have a hormonal balancing effect.

FemFlax™ is an all-natural plant based post menopause symptom management supplement containing the full-spectrum of flax hull lignans (derived from whole ground flaxseed) and proved safe and effective at managing hot flashes, night sweats and other post menopause symptoms.  To learn more about the post menopause symptom stopping power of FemFlax, please visit our website at: www.femflax.com.