What menopause really is
During menopause, a woman changes over from a materially fruitful (child-bearing)
phase to a materially unfruitful one. Since physical, i.e. bodily substance
exhibits material, transitory structures, it is the diametrical opposite
of the eternal spirit. Nature has, thus, seen to it that women, via menopause,
make the transition from the (child-bearing) bodily phase into the mental
or spiritual phase. As a rule, in this middle age, one's children are adults,
and a woman can follow the development of her offspring. The next generation
generally goes its own way, and thus the mother, now freed from child-rearing
obligations, has more free time in which to dedicate herself to the mental
and spiritual aspects of life. Truly liberated women admit their age freely,
seeing it as a badge of honor rather than a "punishment". These
women then acquire that "certain something", a special harmonized
aura. Their are valued for their wisdom and tact and thus wind up quite
naturally doing what they do best.
For some time now, clever ad campaigns have been constantly trying to
portray menopause as a "bad thing", as something that needs --
with treatment -- to be concealed as much as possible. It's no surprise,
then, that many women now believe that they can extend their youthfulness
indefinitely with estrogen, cosmetics, surgical "lifts" and fashionable
clothing -- but setting out in this direction puts them on a losing course
from the beginning.
They expect much and mostly get little: they neither find eternal youth
nor do they develop truly mature personalities. In the final analysis,
all that they have managed to accomplish is to improve the profit picture
of a few companies; they themselves wind up empty-handed (By the way, it's
in the hands that one can usually tell a person's true age.).
The Pill Also Leads to Estrogen Deficiency
The second group of estrogen-deficient women don't have an inborn, but
rather an acquired, deficiency of this hormone. Vertical creases above
the upper lip, which I call "estrogen deficiency creases" (see
illustration) are a give-away sign of acquired estrogen deficiency.
 |
| Vertical creases above the upper lip are a give-qway
sign of acquired estrogen deficiency. |
A majority of women under 45 with these estrogen-deficiency creases
have had abortions or miscarriages. Also, taking The Pill leads ultimately
to estrogen deficiency. Since the foreign hormone elevates the hormone
level in the body, a signal is sent to the ovaries via the diencephalon
and pituitary gland. The message "high estrogen level" causes
the ovaries to cut back on estrogen production in order to avoid overreactions.
This continuous underproduction causes the ovaries to atrophy. But since
these women have adapted to a high estrogen level from birth-control pills,
they suffer significantly more when, after the onset of menopause, they
no longer need it as a contraceptive. They then often are prescribed further
estrogen-containing preparations, thus perpetuating the vicious cycle.
No only that, but there seems to be a significant difference between
the body's own and synthetic estrogen: I have observed -- and many women
have confirmed -- that taking synthetic estrogen leads to weight problems,
unlike the body's own estrogen. Now, often the attempt is made to treat
osteoporosis by administering estrogen preparations.
I consider the use of these medications to be highly questionable, and
not merely because there is to date no proof of the effectiveness of this
kind of therapy. The excess weight puts an additional strain on the skeletal
system and the joints, and thus promotes arthritic problems.
In addition, estrogens are female sex hormones, and as such have little
to do with maintaining the body's calcium balance. The body's calcium content
is regulated by the parathyroid glands, known as the epithelial bodies.
These are four hormone glands the size of lentils which are attached to
the thyroid gland. These four parathyroid glands produce parathyroid hormone,
which regulates calcium levels. Along with vitamin D, which enables the
uptake of calcium in the intestines and its deposition in the bones, the
parathyroid glands regulate the formation of bone matter
Studies have shown that insufficient physical exertion and calcium deficiency
(due to malnutrition) are the primary causes of bone decalcification. A
good acid-base balance in the body is also important. The usual protein-rich
diet, with too much meat, sausage, fish and eggs, causes -- in addition
to its other negative aspects -- hyperacidity in the tissues. This tissue
hyperacidity undermines bone calcium. Sweets also have an unfavorable effect
on the body's mineral content.
Before routinely prescribing estrogens for women, the responsible therapist
should instead take care of the patients' mineral and vitamin balance first.
Why Copper and Vitamins Are So Important
Copper and vitamin C are important in enabling the body to produce hormones
at all. Copper is a component of the respiratory enzymes, and the body
needs 2 milligrams daily. If high doses of artificial estrogens are administered,
they will use up the copper reserves, thus depriving those women of an
important trace element. Vitamin D (mentioned above) not only influences
the uptake of calcium in the intestines and its deposition in the bones,
it also relaxes the nervous system and reduces sensitivity to pain.
If there are also deficiencies of vitamins C, E or magnesium, then the
vitamin D deficiency symptoms can be magnified considerably.
Given a good copper balance, sufficient calcium and vitamin D, hot flashes,
nervousness, outbreaks of sweat, cramps or depressions are a rarity. There
is much complaint concerning all these symptoms during the Change of Life.
One tablespoon of codliver oil, kept refrigerated, will cover the daily
requirement of 4000-5000 IU of vitamin D as well as the important vitamin
A requirement.
Specific
Therapy is the Best Remedy
Before treating osteoporosis and menopausal complaints with questionable
estrogen preparations, it is worthwhile to apply a specific therapy.
Quite aside from the fact that treatment with synthetic estrogens has no
effect on osteoporosis, one should consider the fact that two-thirds of
women make do without estrogens, since only every third woman patient is
prescribed estrogens.
If lack of estrogen were truly to be responsible for osteoporosis, then
all men would be suffering from bone decalcification, since their bodies
only contain trace amounts of estrogen.
Now, it's true that critics have countered that the male hormones, the
androgens, play an analogous role. However, since women after the climacteric
exhibit higher amounts of androgens than before it, this would compensate
for the estrogen deficiency.
Even without estrogen therapy, post-menopausal women do not have a higher
rate of bone fractures than men of the same age.
Uncounted generations of women have survived without decalcification
problems before the current fashion for estrogen came along -- and this
despite harder physical labor, poorer nutrition and having given birth
to more children than nowadays.
