Any advice or recommendations on mood swings and hot flashes during menopause

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On Feb 28, 2008, at 1:34 PM, Marla wrote:

Hello Rhio,

I have been experimenting with raw foods now for approximately 1+ years. Being the person that I am, I jumped in with both feet but then fell off after about 8 months and started adding back cooked foods, sweets, etc, while still trying to maintain the proper combining of foods. Needless to say, I bought your book and have started back with the process, however at a slower pace. I have implemented several of your suggestions that I had never read elsewhere (i.e. I have dealt with chronic constipation and have added flax powder, with results; I have looked for a natural deodorant, other than the salt, which was to drying and harsh for my skin so I started using apple cider vinegar... It works!... now I need to get past the smell)
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Let me introduce myself and tell you a little about me. I am 49 y/o, african american female, mother of 5, non-smoker, minimalist drinker (maybe 1 drink per month). I drink 8 glasses of water a day, juice fruits and veggies daily, avoid all caffeine, exercise at least 4 times per week, am conscious of making/using natural body products, I use to have regular colonics (will try to get back to this) and I work full-time. The reason for my email is I am going through menopause (the doctors say no, but I know my body) and would like to know what you would recommend as a natural product (food/herb) for the moods and hot flashes. I am lactose intolerant and neither soy or St. Johns Wort agrees with me. I plan on ordering the Willards Water and adding that to my diet.

Any advice/recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Marla

September 26, 2008

Dear Marla,

If you had gotten into the raw foods diet a little sooner and stuck with it, you would not be asking me this question because a majority of women who eat raw food experience no "moods and hot flashes." I had absolutely nothing and the only time I ever felt a hot flash was when a friend of mine had her hands on my face (giving me a facial) and all of a sudden they got very hot and she said that she was having a hot flash. That is my only experience.

I am not a practitioner of any kind so cannot give you any advice but please accept the following ONLY as an exchange of ideas and information.

Conventional knowledge believes that moods and hot flashes in menopause are caused by a hormone problem and/or deficiency. At menopause estrogen production is reduced and causes these things. I believe that while the ovaries may cease production of estrogen, there are other parts of a women's body that kick in and make hormones, like the glands (adrenals) and the muscles and fat, but it may be possible that you need to be on a raw food diet for a longer period of time to make that smooth transition happen. It could also be that because of the stressful world we are living in, the adrenals of many women are shot, so in that case, perhaps they have a reduced ability to make estrogen through this avenue. (Just a thought).

Estrogen can be made in the fat cells, so I suggest that older women increase their fat intake a little. Of course, I'm talking about the good fats, the beneficial fats. The more muscle and fat you have the more estrogen your body will make. Muscle is of course preferential to fat (for appearances sake), but both are necessary.

If the symptoms are really bothering you, perhaps you could look into Bio-identical hormones. HRT is never a good option, because those estrogens are from horse urine and there are forms of estrogen hormones in horse urine that do not belong in a women's body and that is why there are so many problems with it, but Bio-identical hormones are something to look into. (For more information on HRT and it's negative effects, look at my website's Free Stuff section and download the free book Secrets of the Miracle Doctors.

Yoga postures balance the endocrine system, you might want to look into that.

Acupuncture has also been used for menopausal symptoms.

Flaxseed contains compounds called lignans which mimic hormones without any harmful side effects. You are already taking flaxseed powder, just make sure that you grind the flaxseeds fresh each time you use it. Buying already powdered flaxseeds is not a good idea because the fat content can go rancid in ground flax much more easily than in the whole seed. A small coffee grinder can do the job easily.

Hope I have given you food for thought.

With blessings and peace,

Rhio
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