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herbal alternatives to estrogen....
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Posted by Sherrie (My Page) on Fri, Apr 4, 03 at 20:08
| For the last two months I've been having heart palps and chest pain. After some bloodwork, the Dr. tells me its because my estrogen levels are very low. She suggested taking a low dose estrogen pill, but.... pretty much all my relatives on mothers side have died of cancer. For the time being I'm researching progesterone cream and am taking herbal Estro-logic. Ingredients are black cohosh, soybean isoflavones, wild yam root, sage leaf, chastetree berry, vervain leaf, astragalus, and motherwort. Hopefully I will get some relief soon, but I would appreciate any comments, good or bad, from you women who have or are experiencing the same problems. I can live with the hot flashes and insomnia, but this is really troublesome to me, feeling a little anxious which is only making matters worse. Thanks, Sherrie |
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RE: herbal alternatives to estrogen....
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| Sherrie, I had good results with a combination of hawthorne and motherwort. I believe it's sold by Solaray, although others probably make the same thing. Hawthorne regulates heartbeat, and should be taken regularly over a long period to be most effective. I took this combo for a couple of years at least. Before, my heart symptoms were a real problem. I also gave up caffeine and sugar, and once I identified foods that I reacted badly to (dairy products and eggplant, of all things), I ceased having PVCs ("skipped" heartbeats). Another thing that helped with the chest pains was Dr. Andrew Weil's breathing exercise for anxiety. It's described on his website. Relaxation CDs helped, too. I still use both of these techniques on occasion. Hope this helps. Susan |
RE: herbal alternatives to estrogen....
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| Susan, thanks for all the info - I will check out the website for breathing exercises, sometimes I notice that I'm sort of holding my breath when its really bothersome. Its a tense-thing so maybe some relaxation exercises are in order. I broke down and bought the progesterone cream and am using it along with the herbal supplements. I can feel a difference already. Also just realized this morning that my sleeping habits are improving. Thank goodness, some relief! Caffeine seems to be part of the problem for me, as well. I have cut down drastically, can't quite give it up totally yet. Maybe soon. I'm down to 2 cups a day, and that is with half decaf mixed in with regular grind coffee. Will pay more attention to sugar intake as well. Thanks Susan! Sherrie |
RE: herbal alternatives to estrogen....
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| Sounds like you're on the right track, Sherrie. I forgot to mention that taking magnesium, Vitamin E, and a B-complex (like B-50) help with heart and nerves as well. I still take all of these. I'm a breath-holder, too. Being aware of it is good, so that you can make a point of breathing deeply whenever you think of it. Susan |
RE: herbal alternatives to estrogen....
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| I discussed this with a doctor and she said if the herbal treatments relieve your hot flashes, etc, it is just as dangerous as the prescription drugs. |
Jonesy....
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| That just confirms my theory that physicians know nothing about herbs. Actually, it's more than a theory—medical school simply doesn't cover such subjects. Susan |
RE: herbal alternatives to estrogen....
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| I too had heart palpitations and shortness of breath, 18-20 hot flashes a day, insomnia, and joint pain (not fun!) I started using progesterone cream twice a day and what relief!! All of my symptoms disappeared. I am glad to be back to normal (except for the bloating!) Deby |
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