Nutritional Approaches to Hormone Rebalancing Therapy

Menopause is a natural part of a womanÃÆ'¢â‚¬â„¢s life. However, our current diet, lifestyle and culture have created distinct hormonal imbalances that often times produce unpleasant symptoms during this natural transition. Several drugs have been used to alleviate some of these symptoms. Unfortunately, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been getting a lot of press recently, mostly regarding potential long-term detrimental health effects for those using these drugs. We will briefly review the theory behind conventional hormone replacement therapy and clinical evidence on the effectiveness and side-effects of these drugs. We will then move on to teach participants how they can use diet, nutrition, and select botanical medicines to rebalance the root causes of imbalance in the body. We will look specifically at the use of phytoestrogens, essential fatty acids and various foods and drinks to help the body regulate hormone balance. In addition, we will discuss several of the most popular herbal medicines used today, including black cohosh, and discuss clinical evidence supporting their use as a first line of therapy for hormone rebalancing.

The target audience for this presentation is women interested in maintaining proper hormone balance through the menopausal transition as well as health care practitioners that work with these women. The purpose of the session is to teach the participants why conventional hormone replacement therapy has so many potential detrimental long term health effects, and how woman can use the foods they eat & drink everyday to help obtain and maintain hormonal balance. In addition, participants will learn about select botanical medicines that are showing clinical promise for the alleviation of many of the symptoms associated with the menopausal period in a womanÃÆ'¢â‚¬â„¢s life.