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[BrightLight]

So many misunderstandings around this topic and Dancing Girls initial thoughts to be wary are right I think.

Natural medicine isn't just an assumption that the ingredients are natural, or in some way harmless. Using 'natural' medicine is as much about the approach to health being holistic. The approach to treat the whole body, for instance a naturopath might treat the liver or gut with high estrogen to progesterone ratio so that estrogen is flushed from the body more readily. Accupuncture might stimulate the pituitary gland to aid balance.

Bearing this in mind it makes even more sense to stop expecting an over the counter herbal preparation to cure all ills and seeking a professional might be more effective. But it will never be as direct as HRT which is, in simple terms the addition of hormones. The two approaches are completely different.

One thing that 'natural' medicine adheres too is that minimal dose should be used to stimulate the body to achieve balance, I've read a lot that HRT should be used this way too , minimal dose to achieve results.

Natural medicine for menopause is, I believe quite complicated and if an over the counter remedy doesn't work, then a professional should be sort for stronger and more personalised treatment.

Both approaches are valid and as time goes on, integration of the best of 'natural' and pharmaceutical treatment will no doubt increase. No fear needed in my opinion, just education on the uses and potential dangers of any medicine.

[Dancinggirl]

Good post Brightlight - thank you. DG x

[CLKD]

My problem is that I forget to take any Vit. Supplements etc. 

[Dorothy]

If only there was a supplement that would improve our memories, we'd ALL be taking it 

Though how to remember taking it in the first place is another matter... 

[honeybun]

Ginkgo Biloba is supposed to be very good for memory issues are fish oils.


Honeybun
X

[CLKD]

Or where I've put the canister ……….

[Greenfields]

I take fish oils - I use a brand called Eskimo which is expensive but is very high quality.  I was reading a book called Unstuck by James Gordon recently and he sites a lot of medical papers which back up the use of fish oils as a good supplement for depression (along with exercise and a few other things).

Another book I read recently was Healing without Freud or Prozac by David Servan-Schreiber and he also cites fish oils and the research around them.

I'm open to taking traditional Western medication as well as alternative treatments but what I wish is that the Western model of treatment would treat people holistically with respect to emotional, mental and hormonal issues ... of course that would cost a lot more in time and money than a Dr doling out a drug prescription in the 10 minutes that are allotted to patients but in the long run, I think it would be much more effective to treat people in other ways as well as with drugs.  For example, I recently found out that in Finland they rarely use drugs to treat people with severe psychosis - they use talking and support instead and it's just as effective but it costs more - whereas the UK and North American models for such illnesses are primarily drugs.

When I ended ITalk recently - because I'm now seeing a nice but private and expensive therapist - I pointed out to the ITalk lady that while ITalk was free, in the 20 minutes I got to talk to the counsellor on the phone, I spent 10 minutes doing rating scales and I only got these appointments every 2 weeks.  If I wanted to see somebody via ITalk there was a 3 month wait list (which I was told was better than it used to be).  But I also made the point that it's difficult to get well when you're worried about being homeless and making ends meet ....if they just invested in decent social housing in the UK and made sure everyone had enough of a basic income to cover buying and eating healthy food then I'm sure that an awful lot of the health and emotional issues people experience would decrease ... which would save money all round with respect to the cost of medical treatments and psychological treatments.

My therapist made an interesting point to me recently ... she said menopause is a natural process ...at which point I started to feel my hackles go up (thinking that here is someone who has not suffered a bad menopause experience!) ... but then she went on to say that my body was just doing what it needed to do and when as a culture we lived on the earth in a way that followed the earth's rhythms it wouldn't have been an issue but the problem is that we no longer honour the rhythms of the earth in the way that we live - instead the earth has been commodified.  So the issue then becomes how does one manage one's menopause when you have to deal with the demands of the economic system that you live in - which doesn't allow for feeling ill, taking time out from work etc - because the focus in our culture is on constant production, growth and making money ..

Not sure whether these points are relevant but just thought I'd put them in ... in the past i've paid for acupuncture (which has helped), massage (which has helped) and I pay to go to a sports centre for exercise classes (which has helped) ... but I wish these things were freely available to everyone rather than being based on whether people can afford such things.

[CLKD]

I agree!  We are so tied into the alarm clock; in having to please others; in having to be at work by a certain time …… that the ethic of going to bed at dusk and up with the dawn have long gone.  Plus we are now a World Wide environment  .

Since DH retired several years ago I sleep better than I ever did - because I don't have 1 ear on that alarm clock, we don't have to get out of bed until we have slept 'enough' and we don't have to keep pleasing others 

[Dancinggirl]

The reason I believe in Omega Oils is because many years ago I attended a conference given by a charity that helps children with communication difficulties.  My son has Semantic/Pragmatic Disorder and is loosely on the autistic spectrum and his language development was and still is slightly impaired. At this conference there was a talk given by a scientist from Oxford University who had done some extensive research into Omega oils.  She had found some old research done some 20 or so years earlier in America - this research hadn't been continued, probably because there wasn't any money in it for the drug companies. Anyway, without going into details, the trial they had done showed really dramatic improvement in behaviour and a range of other aspects that many children have difficulties with.  The controlled trial involved a normal class of children, half were given Omega oil supplements and the other half a placebo.  The parents of the children who were on the Omega oils were quickly reporting improvements in their children's behaviour, sleep and learning abilities. The benefits were so positive that the parents whose children clearly weren't on these oils started to demand to know whether their children were getting the placebo and if so could they please have these supplements for their kids. 
After hearing this talk I put both my children on Omega oil supplements every day - I certainly noticed significant improvement in both of them.  Shortly after this I noticed that many other highly eminent medical professionals also advocating the use of Omega oils and this has led to so many food stuffs having added Omega oils.
I don't consider taking Omega oils as a 'Natural remedy' supplement but I see it as just adding a vital aspect of my diet that I'm lacking - I'm afraid I hate eating fish!!!! I do make sure I get the best quality supplement though and recently I have been taking Krill oil which seems to be great - my joints have definitely been better.
I often wonder if my son might not have had his problems if I had taken Omega oils while I was pregnant.
DG x

[Greenfields]

DG don't beat yourself up re: whether you should have taken fish oils while pregnant - I'm sure if we all knew we could prevent something happening, we would do everything we could to make sure that it didn't happen ...

The books I read about the value of fish oils with respect to depression made the point that unfortunately there isn't any big money in it for drug companies which is why things like fish oil get overlooked but that there is really good research out there showing that these supplements make a difference. 

Mind you I wish they weren't so expensive - I take Eskimo 3 Advanced EPA - but, until I saw a nutritionist recently I didn't know that not all fish oils have the same high levels of EPA - and this was the one she recommended.

[babyjane]

I agree with the points made that we are not designed for 21st century living.  I was only thinking about it this morning when watching a programme involving Sir David Attenborough about how we need to harness the resources the world gives us and stop destroying things and replacing them with unnatural commodities (but that's a totally different discussion).  Anyway I started thinking along the lines that Greenfields made, so it is interesting to log in this morning and read her comments.

when as a culture we lived on the earth in a way that followed the earth's rhythms it wouldn't have been an issue but the problem is that we no longer honour the rhythms of the earth in the way that we live - instead the earth has been commodified.  So the issue then becomes how does one manage one's menopause when you have to deal with the demands of the economic system that you live in - which doesn't allow for feeling ill, taking time out from work etc - because the focus in our culture is on constant production, growth and making money ..

Also CLKD's reply

I agree!  We are so tied into the alarm clock; in having to please others; in having to be at work by a certain time …… that the ethic of going to bed at dusk and up with the dawn have long gone. 

By the way does anyone think Glucosamine is helpful for joints, what is the thinking on that?

[Limpy]

By the way does anyone think Glucosamine is helpful for joints, what is the thinking on that?

OH had been having knee problems (meniscus). The surgeon he saw recommended Physiotherapy and Glucosamine to see if the problem could be sorted without the need for surgery. The Glucosamine did appear to help but OH had to stop using it as the type he was using was derived from shellfish and he's allergic to shellfish in large doses.

I know of several people who find Glucosamine very helpful for joint problems.

[babyjane]

Thank you for replying so swiftly.  My husband also has knee problems and I have a family history of arthritis.

[Limpy]

Might be worth a go.
Sadly, I've no idea as to what doses are required.
But I'me sure google or your local health food shop will be able to help.

[CLKD]

It won't do any harm.  As long as you don't start burping fish oil breath 
I tried my cats on cod liver oil, they turned up their noses 
As long as the body excretes any excess then the body will 'use' what it requires.  There are certain 'additives' that the body doesn't get rid of but meno-brain and after a long journey I can't remember