Menopause and Diet Supplementation
-By Martha Serrie Benedict

• Drink pure water. Small frequent sips beat big tall glasses and there's no need to run to the bathroom so frequently. A short hot tub or sauna once or twice a week is another restful way to cleanse the skin, lymph, and blood. As the chi declines there may be more digestive and elimination problems. Using more vegetables, and fruits, prune juice or dried prunes, kefir, acidophilus, colostrom, and digestifs are enjoyable. If bloating and gas are problems reducing simple carbohydrates or using digestive enzymes increases comfort.

• Use appropriate supplementation not to replace food, but truly as a supplement to good quality food. As necessary include vitamins A, B, C, D, E, essential fatty acids, minerals, and protein. Of course my personal preference is to use a lot of herbs such as Ginko and Memory Tonic for memory, Foti for hair color and general anti-aging concerns, Vitex , Black Cohosh, Blessed Thistle, Chinese herb mixtures appropriately selected to compliment your correct estrogen-progesterone profile, Blue Vervain for hormonally related skin eruptions, Herbal Mineral Tonic, Yoni Oil for vaginally thinning and dryness, California Poppy for insomnia, Mega Ginseng tonic for fatigue, Yew for breast discomfort, Xiao Yao Plus for irritability, and other herbs as necessary.

• Read the Hormone Book by the Women's Health Network.

• The gift of the women who wrote this book is to separate industry and independent research on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Clearly the conclusions of these two bodies of research are at polar opposites in their conclusions vis-a-vis the health consequences of HRT. It is a very strong condemnation of the use of artificial hormones and enumerates the drastic consequences of their use based on current independent scientific literature. This book is a MUST for women of menopausal age and their best friends. Better yet, join the Women's Health Network (www.womenshealthnetwork.org or phone 202-347-1140) and support continued access to information of this caliber.