Dr. Robert Boydston, a Chiropractor in Fresno...elaborates on a recent bulletin about Menopause and Herbal Remedies:
According to the January 2009 issue of the Drug and Therepeutics Bulletin..."there is no strong evidence either way for several herbal remedies commonly taken to relieve troublesome menopausal symptoms, and for some, there is hardly any evidence at all."
Whether or not the evidence is there...the problem is in the approach. Traditional medicine and most alternative healthcare alike take a symptom based approach. If you have hot flashes, mood swings, or night sweats...you get XYZ drug or supplement.
It is a flawed approach. You really have to look the big picture. What do the hormone panels look like...what is the health of the adrenal glands, what about anemias, hepatic clearance of hormones, and gut infections?
Menopause is a natural change. Women begin to lose the feedback loop between the pituitary in the brain and the ovaries. As women transition their sex hormone production gets shunted to the adrenal glands. It is your sex hormone production center in the second half of life. If the adrenal glands are healthy...then most of the symptoms can be avoided.
How often is adrenal gland function measured in traditional healthcare...almost never.
How often is adrenal gland function measured in alternative healthcare...more than medicine...but their approach to fix the problem is flawed.
Adrenal problems are usually secondary to something else like a blood sugar problem, systemic inflammation, liver clearance issues, anemia...etc. Giving B vitamins and glandulars...the common adrenal therapy these days...flat out is insufficient. It definately is not going to make changes on an adrenal salivary panel.
Proper treatment...of any condition...starts with proper understanding of physiology, coupled with proper lab testing, coupled with the use of natural botanicals, herbs, and supplements that have been shown in the peer reviewed literature to have a specific effect. So to summarize...find the problem...then apply a very specific, natural intervention...and retest to see if you made a change.
So getting back to the original article. The results don't mean anything. They are measureing the wrong thing. They should be asking how specific herbs will affect a specific process...that they have already measured with lab testing...then redo the lab test and look for a change.
If you have a hormone problem, and would like to see if our natural, functional endocrinology approach is right for you...call the Boydston Institute at 559-297-9218. We are located in Clovis, CA...just 2 blocks east of Fresno. If you have questions, Contact Us.
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