Menopause on the Menu:

The Soybean Connection

The fact that Japanese women don’t suffer from the menopausal complaints of American women has been linked to their diet, wihich is high in soybean foods. Soybeans contain compounds known as isoflavones, which are converted during digestion to phytoestrogens or plant estrogens. Preliminary evidence suggest that these plant estrogens may be useful in relieving the discomfort of hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness.

Herbs such as fenugreek, gotu kola, sarsaparilla, licorice root and wild yam root are also said to contain estrogen like substance. but there are little evidence to confirm or challenge the usefulness of these therapies.

Healthy Eating Tips: Help for the Symptoms of PMS and Menopause

* Adopt a healthy eating pattern
* Include more vegetarian dishes in your meals, especially more soybean based products such as tofu
* Avoid Caffeine if you are experiencing sleep problems or breast tenderness
* Limit your salt intake. Recent evidence concludes that water isn’t retained premenstrually but simply shifts around, a phenomena unrelated to the influences of salt. However, eating less salt is still a healthy choice.
* Avoid alcohol, especially red wine, beer, rum, rye, brandy and sherry if you suffer from headaches and depression. These symptoms may also improve by avoiding chocolates, aged cheese, nuts, aspartame, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, nitrites and monosodium glutamate.
* Eat smaller and more frequent meals
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Other Nutrition related therapies

* Vitamin B6: this vitamin can cause nerve damage. Long term use of 50 to 100mg daily is likely safe; never take more than 200 mg daily
* Vitamin A: Vitamin A is relatively safe upt to 8000 Retinol eqauivalents except during pregnancy. Excess Vitamin A causes birth defects and should never be taken if there is any chance of pregnancy occurring
* Vitamn E: Vitamin E in dosages of 300 IU is relatively safe but should not b taken when on anticoagulant (blood thinner) medication. Never self medicate with amounts in excess of 800 IU
* Calcium and magnesium: both calcium and magnesium are relativley safe when taken sensibly. For premenstrual and menopausal symptoms, calcium supplements of 1000mg daily are common. If you take magnesium, limit the supplement to 300 to 600 mg daily.
* Oil of evening primrose: oil of eveing primrose is safe but costly and sometimes causes diarrhea
* Dong quai: the active ingredientss in dong quai are coumarins, naturally occurring chemicals that are harmful in larger doses. For this reason, it is not advisable to use dong quai
* Ginseng: some types of ginseng can increase the risk of the very symptoms women are trying to avoid, nervousness, sleeplessness, diarrhea, hypertension, even urine bleeding