Natural Anti Aging

Suzanne Somers, one of the great pioneers of bioidentical hormones and healthy living came to the Metro Convention Center in Toronto a few weeks ago. I was lucky to get tickets and go with some friends.

Suzanne talked about bio identical hormones, her doctors, our toxic environment and its effects on us, her health, a little bit about her past and her new book “Knockout”. She was lucid, clear, humorous and spoke for an hour and a half without notes. How did Suzanne look? She looked fantastic, with a simple modern hairstyle, great figure, a simple black top and skirt, great legs, fabulous high heels and a few sparkly bits of jewellery. I was thrilled to be watching Suzanne Somers.

Suzanne and I share a past that goes back to 2004, when I first hit perimenopause or menopause. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. I went to my regular doctor; she gave me a blood test and said, you’re in menopause. She gave me a prescription for Premarin and that was it. I had talked to the secretary at the doctor’s office and she told me she handles menopause just by drinking a large glass or two of soya milk. If only we could all be so lucky.

So how did the Premarin work out for me? It didn’t. My symptoms still existed, I was getting all bloated up and I didn’t like that, so I halved my dose thinking that maybe the dose was too much for me. Then I went back to my doctor and asked for natural hormones. Her response was “they don’t work, that’s just some California new age idea.”

I kept reading on the internet about these natural hormones, more specifically these bioidentical hormones and Suzanne Somer’s name kept popping up. I ended up going to my local book store and bought what was to be the first book of Suzanne’s I would purchase. That first book was “The Sexy Years,” which told me everything I ever wanted to know about bioidentical hormones. I also bought a book called “What your Doctor May not Tell you about Premenopause” by Dr. John R. Lee, MD.

I had the hardest time finding a bioidentical doctor. I did find a few bioidentical doctors but they were not taking new patients and others were charging a fortune for bioidentical testing, monitoring and prescriptions. I did go to another regular doctor and she pooh-poohed the idea of bioidentical hormones too. My search for solutions was a long and complicated one.

I searched long and hard for a compounding pharmacy and finally found one and discussed my symptoms with the pharmacist and my difficulty in finding a bioidentical doctor. He ended up writing me a prescription for Bi-est and Progesterone and told me to go to a particular doctor who would sign the prescription but he would not able to monitor my hormone levels.

That is my history with bioidentical hormones and the search for bioidentical doctors. Because of the difficulty of finding bioidentical doctors in this country, three years ago I started up this website PureAgeless.com to help other women find bioidentical doctors. The site also provides background information on natural solutions to aging. Finding the doctors involved lots of research and I was able to get some contributions from our readers as well. PureAgeless.com is the first site in North America to give a comprehensive listing of bioidentical doctors in Canada and the United States.

Since then and over the years, I have been a fan of Suzanne Somers and the chance to go to her lecture in Toronto was a great opportunity.

Onto the stage walked this beautiful blond woman wearing black, a few bits of sparkly jewellery and fabulous legs and high heels. She looked maybe 39 years old. But her actual age is 63. She did not have any obvious signs of surgery – like the puffed up look some celebrities get. She is a walking example of “practice what you preach”. If we can all look that fabulous at 63, then we will be doing the right thing. What amazed me most besides her looks was the fact that she spoke without losing her place or thought for an hour and a half. She was charming and funny. She has a great hairstyle, dressed in a classy/ casual style, she’s in shape because she works at it, she takes care of her body because her body is her business. She wants to maintain optimum health as the years progress.

I believe she sees a lot of doctors who test her for everything and then give her the nutritional supplements her body needs. In her book “Breakthrough,” she discusses her personal regime – how her day begins, the supplements she takes, what injections she has, her hour long yoga session in the morning and her fabulous breakfast. She also discusses what she does on a monthly basis.

I praise her, but I don’t think all women would be able to follow this type of routine when they are working women and not able to afford all the specialists, the supplements and the tests. But we can follow her example. We can follow a hormone balancing diet, eating real foods for health, supplement our declining hormone levels with bioidentical hormones, we can exercise and do yoga and we can buy most of the supplements we think we need. We can remove as many of the toxins from our life that we can. We can even try and remove the stress in our lives that is killing us. A naturopath, a doctor can help you with supplementation doses and bioidentical hormone supplementation.

After Suzanne’s lecture, I bought her book “Knockout,” which discusses new techniques by cutting edge doctors in the treatment of cancer. It’s an interesting and informative read, especially if you or someone you know has recently been diagnosed with cancer.

My friends and I enjoyed her lecture and after it, we were in the washroom discussing her speech and bioidentical hormones . One of my girlfriends (we are in 48 – 50 year old range), said, “Doesn’t she look fantastic at 63! She looks better than all of us.” We were all laughing and one of us said “God, I hope I look that good at 63.” Suzanne, you are amazing.

Many women and men are seeking health ways to deal with menopause and andropause and, after much research, have decided to use bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to deal with the symptoms they are experiencing. Other women, I have spoken to, having read a little about the Women’s Health Study in 2002 have decided not to use hormones at all and suffer through the symptoms of pre-menopause and menopause. They will suffer the sleepless nights, the unnecessary weight gain, the night sweats, the hot flashes. Surely, this detracts from their quality of life.

I spoke with one woman who told me the heat in her house does not go higher than 17 degrees Celsius because she has been suffering from hot flashes for seven years. She says she does not travel south in the winter anymore because it is too hot in the Caribbean. She said that she had tried some herbal remedies but they take time to work and she doesn’t keep taking them. She refuses to take anything with the word “hormone” in it and refuses to even learn about bioidentical hormones. I feel sorry for her because her quality of life has decreased so much. Seven years of hot flashes would drive anyone insane.

The knowledge is out there, and one only has to read any new book on antiaging, speak with any doctor who has any knowledge on hormones and it is a well known fact now that most women and men need to use some sort of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to achieve any kind of quality of life as we age. I spoke very recently with a leading Toronto gynecologist, Dr. Douglas J. Gare, who confirms that hormone supplementation is necessary.

So many doctors in the United States are currently providing health services to women and as women demand more and more natural treatments to cure them, they are demanding bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) to treat their symptoms. Slowly doctors in Canada are catching on. However, it is still difficult to find a doctor to prescribe bioidentical hormones, and monitor your hormone levels in Canada. One of our readers sadly reported she could not find any doctor in Saskatchewan to prescribe her bioidentical hormones. She will have to travel to another province or even to the United States to get bioidentical hormones to treat her symptoms. Other readers are also writing us to ask which doctors provide this service but are covered by O.H.I.P. Regretfully, there are only a few that are not charging extra for this service. If you check out our Doctors Canada page, you will find that we have been placing the word “O.H.I.P.” after the doctor’s name.

Please email us at inquiries [at] pureageless [dot] com, if you are lucky enough to have found a doctor who prescribes bioidentical hormones and they are not listed on our pages. We will update our bioidentical doctors’ page for other women and men who desperately need to find a bioidentical doctor to help treat their symptoms.

We continue to update our pages with the names of doctors who can prescribe bioidentical hormones. We always advise women who are seeking a doctor to check with their local compounding pharmacy for the names of doctors who will prescribe bioidentical hormones. Compounding pharmacies are one of our best sources of information for this.

Keep fighting for your rights to use bioidentical hormones as a natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and stay healthy in the New Year!

Hot flashes in menopause can be severe

Hot flashes can occur at any time after middle age for 40 – 90% of women as they reach pre-menopause (also known as perimenopause) and menopause. Hot flashes can be managed by a variety of ways, from herbal solutions, to bioidentical hormones, to changes in lifestyle and medications.

What are hot flashes? Hot flashes are sudden occurrences of intense heat felt in the face and upper body. The face becomes hot and the skin red and blotchy on the upper chest, neck and face. The heartbeat increases, perspiration increases causing a sweaty feeling. When the hot flash subsides, a chilled feeling will follow.

The frequency of hot flashes will vary among women. You may have a couple a day, a few per week or, in severe cases, three to four hot flashes an hour. They can last from a couple of minutes up to half an hour. Hot flashes or “night sweats” can awaken you at night, disturbing your sleep.
Hot flashes can begin in the period of a woman’s life prior to menopause. This time of life is called perimenopause or pre-menopause. They can last for several years or continue indefinitely. Hot flashes are caused by declining levels of the hormones progesterone and estrogen production in the ovaries.

If your hot flashes are infrequent and not disrupting your life, it is not necessary to seek medical treatment. However, if your hot flashes are disturbing your sleep, effecting your quality of life and frequent, there are many lifestyle changes you can make and natural solutions such as herbal remedies or bioidentical hormone replacement. If you do not want to try these natural solutions, you should seek medical attention.

Bioidentical hormones are a valid option to consider. We absolutely do not recommend synthetic hormones such as Premarin or Progestin. If you do not want to make changes in your lifestyle or supplement with natural bioidentical hormones or nutritional supplements, there are also medications which can help with hot flashes.

Diet and lifestyle changes can help with mild occurrences of hot flashes:

• Exercise daily: During menopause years, it is vital to exercise on a daily basis. Not only does exercise increase bone and muscle strength, it improves circulation, promotes a healthy heart and produces the “feel good” hormones in your body which help fight feelings of mild depression. You must exercise for a half hour every day, whether you choose bicycle riding, walking or practice yoga. Find an activity you enjoy and stick with it.
• Diet and alcohol consumption: Reduce your alcohol consumption. Reduce your intake of spicy foods. Increase your consumption of phytoestrogens and soy protein. Add lots of healthy vegetables and fruits and a few nuts to your daily diet.
• Give up smoking: Smoking has been showin to increase hot flashes. Smoking also causes cancer, heart disease and stroke. Nicotin causes our body to convert estrogen into an antiestrogen called catecol estrogen which lowers estrogen levels and increases hotflashes.
• Stress reduction – stress and anxiety increase hot flashes. Try yoga or deep breathing or meditation to help you relax. Learn to deal with stressful situations.
• Stay cool – keep the temperature in your house at a cooler level. Use a fan or open a window. Dress in layers so you can remove a layer of clothing during the onset of a hot flash. Drink a cold glass of water when a hot flash occurs.

Nutritional supplements for menopause can help deal with mild hot flashes. Known nutritional supplements which can be purchased in your local health store can help you. Black cohosh, soy and red clover, isoflavones and Vitamin E are thought to be helpful. They must be taken with caution because some of these have mild estrogenic effects and can also conflict with other medications you may be taking. A naturopath or a doctor with knowledge about menopause and diet can assist you.

Bioidentical hormones replacement therapy is widely used in North America and Europe to balance declining hormone levels which cause hot flashes. Bioidentical hormones are plant derived extracts which are bioidentically exact to the hormones that the body produces. It is in this way that they are a healthier option for supplementing decreasing levels of hormones. After the Women’s Health study in 2002 revealed the dangers of synthetic hormones, more women turned to healthier, more natural solutions. The problem today though is that you have to find a doctor who is trained in prescribing bioidentical hormones and find a compounding pharmacy to make up your individual prescription.

Replacing your diminishing hormones with bioidentical hormones also has many other beneficial side effects of which we have discussed in previous articles on bioidentical hormone supplementation. However, as more and more doctors become aware of bioidentical hormone supplementation, it will become easier to find one and easier to find a compounding pharmacy to mix up your prescribed hormone preparation.

There are medications which have been used for the treatment of hot flashes. Medications such as Gabapentin and Clonedine have been found to reduce hot flashes. However, these drugs carry with them other unwanted side effects such as dizziness, nausea, dry mouth and constipation. Check with your medical practitioner to see if these options are for you.

Menopause is a natural event in a woman’s life and should not be considered a sickness, though some women with severe hot flashes will feel as if they are ill during this period in their life. There are many options to consider and you should explore them all to get rid of those unwanted hot flashes. Find a solution which works for you and monitor your symptoms and re-evaluate your options periodically. Remember, if you are experiencing only mild symptoms, you may not need to do anything. Work with your health care professional to help you find a solution to hot flashes if you are experiencing severe hot flashes. Balancing your hormones and life style changes are one of the best ways to help you deal with hot flashes.