THE TRUTH ABOUT MENOPAUSE - BY ANTHONY WILLIAMS

Are symptoms of menopause and premenstrual syndrome disrupting your normal lifestyle? It may not be "just hormones".

Before the middle of the last century, women looked forward to menopause, as it usually signaled an increase in energy, an increase in libido and a slowing of the aging process. From around 1950, however, the first signs of "mystery diseases" began to appear, causing women to visit their doctors in droves, complaining of symptoms that had previously been almost non-existent, including night sweats, hot flashes, fatigue, weight gain weight loss, digestive problems, headaches, irritability, depression, anxiety, memory problems, insomnia, etc. Doctors initially dismiss these complaints, telling women that it's "all in their heads," that they're just bored and attention-seeking, and that they should find a hobby or extra pursuits. The response from the women was extremely sharp and finally the doctors were forced to admit the situation. Hormones become the scapegoat, with these previously unseen symptoms being attributed to a hormonal imbalance and/or deficiency.

Since all the blame is placed on hormones, it seems logical that menopausal women would take prescription hormones to "correct" the imbalance. This is how hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was born. After it became clear that research linked HRT to an increased risk of breast cancer, heart attacks, and strokes, bioidentical HRT (ie, hormones chemically identical to those produced in the body) emerged. While some women experienced relief from this treatment, it was often temporary and/or short-lived. However, "hormonal imbalance" continues to be thought to be the main culprit behind menopausal symptoms. This might make more sense if so-called menopause symptoms only affected middle-aged women, but these days, women of all ages experience many of the same problems that used to only affect women in their 40s and 50s. The prevalence of the same symptoms in younger and younger women paints a bigger picture than just hormonal issues.

There are additional factors that can lead to the symptoms attributed to menopause. Around the same time that women first begin to experience these symptoms, three other phenomena come into play. First, people were exposed to increased radiation as a result of the bombing of Japan during World War II. At the same time, there has also been a sharp increase in exposure to DDT (ie pesticides). In the 1940s, DDT was used everywhere: on crops and food, in parks, and people even sprayed their own gardens with it. By 1950, DDT use was in full swing and countless women's central nervous systems and livers were overloaded with the toxin. The third factor is the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) . The first generation of women to complain of menopausal symptoms were born in the early 1900s, just as EBV was starting to enter the population. Usually, EBV enters a woman's body when she is young, then accumulates for decades until symptoms appear. So if a woman was born in 1905 and contracted EBV as a child, by 1950 she would begin to experience symptoms of this viral infection. In other words, the fact that symptoms appear around the age of menopause is a coincidence. Today, instead of waiting several decades for a woman to become infected until she is in her 40s or 50s, some viral strains and toxic loads are already affecting women in their 30s, 20s, and even teens.

That doesn't mean hormones can't be out of balance. When this happens, the culprits are often overworked adrenal glands (ie, adrenal fatigue) and/or an underactive thyroid, which can throw reproductive hormones out of whack at any age. The point is, however, that hormonal imbalance may be only one piece of the puzzle. The good news is that all of these things—radiation, viruses, toxic load, and reproductive hormone issues—can be overcome with healing foods that address a wide range of pathogens and toxins that may be contributing to your symptoms. Foods and herbs to focus on are those that boost immune function and support the reproductive system, such as:

• wild blueberries
• sesame tahini
• avocado
• black beans
• asparagus
• apples
• spinach
• black grapes
• cucumbers
• raspberry leaves
• nettle leaves
• Vitex fruit (Abraham's tree)
• elderberry

These foods are a simple but powerful way to deal with the "presumed" symptoms of menopause or PMS. They provide antioxidants and other nutrients that help strengthen vital organs and reduce hot flashes. They also quell inflammation and help balance reproductive hormones.

Above all, remember that menopause is a normal part of life and is not meant to be a difficult process. By nourishing your body with healing foods and addressing the real causes of your symptoms, you can return to a healthy life and enjoy life in every phase.