Health News Blog provides coverage of current health news.

Progesterone

With the approach of menopause and less frequent ovulation, production of progesterone by the ovaries dwindles. However, the level of progesterone after menopause is similar to that of the early part of the menstrual cycle in the fertile years. This progesterone is produced by the adrenal glands.

Androgens

There are three kinds of androgen, and the balance changes after menopause. Overall, the level of androgens produced at that stage is lower than beforehand, with a more marked reduction in women who have had a surgical menopause.

Because testosterone is the most dominant androgen, and because its level after menopause is still relatively high, it plays a rather more dominant role in the sex hormone system after the menopause than beforehand.

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Bone is a living substance and, like tissues such as the skin, it is constantly being removed and replaced. Normally this process is in balance, with the amount of old bone removed being replaced by an equal amount of freshly formed bone. To keep this balance it seems that bones need mechanical stress (the harder they have to work against the force of gravity, the stronger they get), together with a dietary supply of calcium, phosphorous, and tiny amounts of various other nutrients.

The types of exercise that seem most beneficial for bone strength are the weightbearing ones, such as walking, dancing, jogging, lawn bowls, gardening, golf and tennis. Associated benefits are an increase in flexibility and an opportunity for mixing with other people. How you feel during exercise is an important guide. Try to maintain a feeling of being a little ‘pushed’ without moving to the breathless stage.

Australian health authorities say that women at and after menopause need an estimated iooo to 1500 mg of calcium a day to be in calcium balance. The Melbourne Women’s Midlife Health Study indicates that only 5 per cent of women aged between forty-five and fifty-five have sufficient calcium in their diet to meet this recommendation. The study found that about 20 per cent of women get about 250 mg of calcium a day, a quarter of the recommended daily intake, and another 35 per cent have a calcium intake of less than 500 mg.

Eating foods rich in calcium or taking calcium supplements each day can bring calcium intake up to recommended levels. Foods rich in calcium include milk, tofu, cheese, soy milk, yoghurt, green vegetables, parsley, cabbage, seaweed, almonds, hazelnuts and oily deep sea fish. Calcium-rich herbs include alfalfa, camomile, oatstraw and skullcap. For women who have cut back on dairy foods because of concerns about weight gain, low-fat alternatives are the ideal substitute. Some women have a deficiency of the lactase enzyme, which means that their bodies are incapable of metabolising dairy products. If you are one of these people you will need to get your calcium from other sources, such as yoghurt, which itself contains the lactase enzyme.

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The influence of hormone therapy on breast cancer risk is uncertain, despite numerous studies focused on this issue. The findings to date suggest the following.

- There is no increased risk of breast cancer from use of oestrogen for up to five years.

- For five to ten years of use a grey area exists, and any increase in breast cancer is probably below 30 per cent.

- For ten years or more of use, there may be a 30 to 80 per cent increase in the risk of breast cancer. This risk appears to be at the higher end of the range in women with a family history of breast cancer (including a mother, sister or daughter affected by the disease) and those using above-average doses of oestrogen.

- It is unclear whether use of a progestogen in combination with oestrogen increases or decreases the risk of breast cancer. Dosages, and hormone types and methods, are not always documented fully in research studies, and this results in unnecessary ambiguity.

- Unanswered questions remain about whether breast cancer risk is increased by the use of oestrogen alone (in women with and without a uterus). There is also debate about whether progestogens teamed with oestrogen are more likely to reduce breast cancer risk if they are taken continuously or for ten to fourteen days a month, as described in chapter 2.

Because of these uncertainties it is very important, if you are on HRT, to be particularly careful to examine your own breasts regularly for any unusual lump or thickening, to have an annual examination of your breasts carried out by your doctor, and to have a mammogram every one to three years. Regular mammograms seem to be a particularly valuable safeguard.

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Books about menopause often seem to imply that the only forms of HRT available are Premarin (an oestrogen isolated from the urine of pregnant mares) and Pro vera (a progestogen of long standing). It is certainly true that the most common mix of hormones prescribed as HRT is an oestrogen (taken in every day by pill, patch or implant), plus a progestogen (taken daily for ten to fourteen days, then not used for the rest of the month), but the numerous options available mean that hormone formats can be tailored to meet each woman’s needs.

COMBINED CYCLICAL THERAPY Many varieties of oestrogen and progestogen can be used in this combined hormone format, referred to as cyclical progestogen. The oestrogen component is the main agent for relieving menopausal symptoms, while the addition of a certain amount of progestogen puts the brakes on growth of the endometrium. A withdrawal bleed occurs when you stop taking progestogen.

There is variability in the types of oestrogen and progestogen prescribed, and these hormones may be taken together in a single pill or patch, or separately. For women taking separate hormone pills (for example, because the doctor wants to use dosages not found in the available combined-pill formats), an easy way to remember when to start the progestogen is at the beginning of each calendar month. The progestogen is then stopped on the tenth, twelfth or fourteenth day of the month (depending on the doctor’s instructions). You could, on the other hand, use a ‘calendar dial pack’, which contains ten oestrogen-plus-progestogen tablets followed by eighteen oestrogen pills.

You can expect a withdrawal bleed to begin anywhere between the tenth day of taking progestogen and a week after it is finished. If bleeding starts outside this time (that is, before day ten or after day seventeen, nineteen or twenty-one, depending on how many days the progestogen is taken), it is likely that the hormone dose is inadequate and needs to be altered. Most women taking progestogen for ten to fourteen days a month (that is, cyclical progestogen) have a withdrawal bleed each month at the end of the progestogen phase. The first few bleeds tend to be heavier than later bleeds. In about 50 per cent of women taking this cyclical progestogen, withdrawal bleeds disappear after about ten years; in most other users, withdrawal bleeds continue for however long the hormones are taken, usually becoming lighter with time.

In a small proportion of users, of whom Marita is an example, cyclical progestogen therapy never causes bleeding. The absence of bleeding after she started taking oestrogen and progestogen caused Marita some initial concern, but she was reassured by her doctor that nothing was amiss. She then wondered whether she needed to take progestogen at all, but her doctor impressed on her the necessity of continuing with this part of the therapy as she still had a uterus, which would be at increased risk of abnormal tissue growth, and possibly cancer, if she took oestrogen alone. Provera is the progestogen best documented as preventing abnormal growth of the endometrium.

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Dr Phillip Lamey, of Glasgow University, who carried out this research on dental plates, suggests a way in which tooth-grinding could produce a migraine. The continuous tensing of the jaw muscles during sleep might well produce toxins – overworked muscles do this. These toxins might then affect the blood vessels in the vicinity, precipitating a migraine attack. A misaligned vertebra can also cause migraines, as mentioned earlier – again, excess muscle tension, due to the skeleton being awry, could spark the migraine off.

Generalized muscle tension, due to psychological stresses, also contributes to migraine, probably because the tension tends to focus on the muscles of the shoulders and neck. Learning to relax can be very beneficial for migraine sufferers, even if food intolerance is the root-cause of the problem. Mental factors can also play a part in migraine by means of adrenaline production, which affects the blood vessels as described above. Feeling angry or afraid, or being under constant stress, boosts adrenaline production and can trigger migraines. An elimination diet may work wonders, but for many migraine sufferers it is only part of the solution. They also need to adopt a calmer approach to life to attain real physical health, and to protect them from other stress-induced illnesses.

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How many gifts of nature have you passed by without even looking? But look at your garden, how everything shines and sparkles. As you contemplate it, the beauty and splendour grows on you, the silence and peace take a hold of you. Involuntarily, you cast your eyes up to the sky, the Milky Way with its millions and millions of solar systems – what a tremendous, silent, quiet wonder! In fact, have you ever wondered how long the twinkling stars have already been in their places? For millions, or billions, of years they have been shining in silent peacefulness. What are you in comparison? Your life has gone on undc their light for twenty, thirty, forty or fifty years, yet you have never before seen them so beautifully still, so remote but so majestic. Slowly you begin to meditate on the meaning of life, wondering whether you actually fulfil its purpose, or even whether you know and understand what that purpose is. Perhaps hitherto you have merely let the noisy current of the modern world propel you along.

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What about modern concrete structures? Do they not represent a far greater hazard to health than buildings made of stone? If so, there are still some strong people around who, apparently, are not affected by living in concrete buildings. At least they are not aware of any disadvantages healthwise. Not everyone is so favourably endowed, however, and some people notice twinges of rheumatism and neuralgia after only a few weeks – a more accentuated stiffness of the limbs, or a stiff neck. The gouty nodes one may already have become more painful, perhaps even depression may set in, even if not experienced previously. If you notice these or other disturbances shortly after moving into a concrete building, you should experiment by spending a holiday with friends who live in a brick, wooden or stone building. If the symptoms disappear while you are there, it would be reasonable, in the interests of health and if you are able, to move from the concrete structure, despite its modern conveniences, to a healthier dwelling place.

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It was found that the plants not only grew better, but were healthier because of the addition of seaweed meal. Subsequent experiments with vegetables, fruit and berries provided good results. Mildew, fungi, scab and even pests such as greenfly were said to have disappeared when the plants were dusted with seaweed meal. It was therefore not only good for the improvement of the soil, but had the additional benefit of serving as a plant remedy, so to speak. While kelp is rich in iodine, the iodine content of the seaweed preparation ‘Lithothamne Calmagol’ is low, although the latter is rich in easily dissolved calcium.

Professor Boucher claims that one region in France escaped an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease because the farmers treated their land with seaweed meal. Since these reports come from a reliable source, one can rightly expect them to be true. It can therefore be assumed that seaweed is good not only for fertilising and improving the soil, but also for regenerating exhausted, sick soil. It would be worthwhile if more farmers and gardeners made their contribution to improving the soil by adopting the use of seaweed.

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It is quite common to spend good money on expensive tonics, so you will be pleased to learn that there is something much cheaper within your reach. I am referring to germinated cereals, whether it be wheat, rye or barley. These cereals offer us what many an over-the-counter potion promises but does not provide.

So how can we obtain germinated wheat? Well, all that is necessary to make grains sprout is moisture and warmth. Place a wet cloth on a plate, sprinkle it with grains and put it in a cupboard or similar warm place. Be sure to keep the cloth damp or germination will be retarded or even stopped altogether. When the sprouts have grown to a length of about 2-5 mm (up to about Va inch), put the grains through a mincer and use as a foundation for muesli. Or eat the mince just as it is, but remember to chew it thoroughly and insalivate well.

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Vitamin Bj, or thiamine, is considered to be the anti-beriberi vitamin. Beri is a Hindustani word referring to a sheep’s fetlock; in Sinhalese, beri means weakness. The weakness or loss of energy experienced by those whose main diet is white rice leads to a partial paralysis of the limbs, making the patients drag their feet similar to the way sheep do. For this reason the disease, which is caused by a dietary deficiency of vitamin Bb came to be known as beriberi, a reduplication of the word beri.

The anti-beriberi vitamin is contained in the aleurone layer of cereals; a good quantity is also present in yeast. The substance consists of various chemical compounds which, although not related to one another, have the same quality of being water-soluble.

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