Women's Health Kaneohe HI

About Women's Health

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By Tori Hudson, ND

If you’re like most women in your 40s or 50s, you probably have questions about menopause—especially now that the Women’s Health Initiative study has overturned conventional thinking on the value of hormone replacement therapy. What I’ve learned in 19 years of practice is that there is no uniform prescription; not all women need to take hormones, nor can everyone benefit from nutritional and herbal approaches.

When I meet a patient for the first time, I take a comprehensive history, do a physical exam, and evaluate risks for conditions such as osteoporosis, heart disease, and breast cancer. That way I can be sure to tailor my suggestions to each individual. That said, there’s still plenty you can do on your own. I hope my answers to the following questions can help get you started.

Q: I’m having really bad hot flashes; can you recommend something that’s safe and has some solid research behind it?

A: Fortunately, you’ve got several good botanical options. Among the best researched are black cohosh extract, red clover extract, and soy isoflavones. I suggest experimenting to find out which one works best for you.

For black cohosh, make sure the label says it contains a standardized extract and take 40 to 80 milligrams a day; symptoms should improve or go away within two to four weeks. For red clover, also use a standardized extract and take 40 mg twice a day. Take soy isoflavones in amounts of 50 to 150 mg a day—you can get it from capsules, protein powder, or soy food.

Another possible treatment is natural progesterone cream. In one early clinical trial, 83 percent of the women using a cream that contained 20 mg of progesterone per one-quarter teaspoon saw their hot flashes improve or completely disappear. Unfortunately, the most recent study conducted at the Menopause Centre of the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, Australia, did not show a significant effect. Still, you may want to try it for yourself—it seems to work for many of my patients.

Q: Ever since I became perimenopausal, my memory is just not as good as it used to be. What supplement can I use to improve it?

A: My favorite nutrient for memory is phosphatidylserine, which has shown very good results in numerous scientific studies. It’s a phospholipid that influences the health and fluidity of cell membranes in the brain. Low levels are associated with impaired mental function, especially in the elderly, and studies have shown that in supplement form it can improve mental function, mood, and behavior.

I recommend that patients take 100 milligrams of this lipid, which is derived from soy lecithin, three times a day. You’ll probably need two to three months to see any benefit, but if it works, go ahead and take it indefinitely; it appears to have no side effects. My patients generally see the greatest improvement within the first three months, and then again after six months. I suggest reducing the dose to once or twice daily over the long te...

Author: Tori Hudson

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