March 2, 1997
Host: Dearest
Guest: Dee Ito
OnlineHost: Dee Ito has entered the room. Dearest: It is with great pleasure that I welcome to Power Surge's debut chat in Thrive@Health's Women's Corner, journalist, author, women's health advocate, film maker, lecturer and herbalist . . . . . DEE ITO. Dearest: DEE ITO is the author of a book I have often recommended in Power Surge - "Without Estrogen : Natural Remedies for Menopause and Beyond" - an excellent resource for women who wish to manage menopausal symptoms without drugs. Dearest: Dee is also the author of "The Well Body Book" and co-author of "Women Talk About Breast Surgery" and "Women Talk About Gynecological Surgery." Dearest: Among films Dee has produced for TV is "What You Don't Know Can Hurt You" - a film for Lifetime Cable TV based upon a book she co-authored, "Women Talk About Breast Surgery." More information is available about Dee, and her many accomplishments on the Web site's "Expert Advisors" page. Dearest: Dee, welcome to Power Surge :) I wonder if you'd begin by elaborating on how realistic it it for any one of us in menopause today to expect to manage most, if not all, of our menopausal complaints with herbs, vitamins, and totally natural methods without having to resort to drugs. Thanks, Dee :) Dee Ito: I think it is very possible for any of us to handle our menopausal changes naturally. It is of course very different for each of us because each of us has a different body and different problems. Taking estrogen is simply taking a pill, but using natural means--herbs vitamins, hands on body work etc. requires more attention to be paid to the changes going on in your body. Dearest: Thank you, Dee :) ARC, go ahead. ARC23: I am 50 and have not yet been thru meno. I recently had a Dexa scan which showed significant bone loss. My Dr. said that after meno I must take HRT or Fosomax. Are there natural Methods I could use instead of drugs? Thanks. Dee Ito: Hi ARC23. You can certainly try natural methods to care for your individual changes. Hot flashes, for example, can be handled a number of different ways. One may work for you better than another. Dong Quai, a Chinese herb used by women in the Orient for hundreds of years is very effective for many women. It is known as a body balancer. Women usually start with 1 capsule in the A.M. and 1 in the P.M. I use Dong Quai myself and when I had hot flashes, it seemed to work for me. Vitamin E also helps many women with hot flashes. Dee Ito: I think before going further, though, I should just let everyone know that the real difference between using a natural method--herbs, vitamins, etc--and a drug approach is that each change or symptom--I like to use the word change rather than symptom because after all menopause is a natural transition for us and only recently has it been medicalized. If women have a number of different symptoms, often times they need to do something different for each. And they find it to be time consuming. Dee Ito: When I began doing the research for Without Estrogen I had already talked with a number of women who were getting through menopause without it (Ed. HRT). Mostly they were women who had a family history of breast cancer or had had breast cancer and were told by their doctors that they could not take estrogen. Their doctors, however, had not given them any alternatives because at that time the medical profession was even more suspicious of alternative--non drug solutions-- therapies. Dearest: Thanks, Dee.. DWill, go ahead now :) DWill6171: Believe I'm in meno...43: guest suggested Oat Tincture for stress..opinion? Dearest: <[]=== will take a gross of Oat Tincture, thank you. Dee Ito: I don't know Oat Tincture. Stress is handled successfully by many women by using Rescue Remedy--a Bach Flower Remedy DWill6171: thank you! Dearest: Can you explain what Rescue Remedy is, Dee? Where to get it? I think I need it :) Dee Ito: Rescue Remedy is available in most health food stores. In N.Y. I know they carry it at The Vitamin Shop. Nature's Rescue is primarily the same thing. Take 4 to 6 drops in a glass of water and sip for continuing stress. But when you really need it, just drop 4 to 6 drops under your tongue. I use it often. Dearest: Great... understood. Thanks, Dee :) Dearest: DCarlin, go ahead, please. DCarlin111: I am 45 having perimenopausal changes. Natural Method Suggestions to improve sex drive and emotional outbursts Dearest: Suggestions for improving sex drive and emotional outbursts is the question, Dee. Dearest:
:) DCarlin111: hahaaha Dee Ito: The weakened sex drive can be due to a lot of different things. Simply rebalancing your body with one of the balancing herbs-- DongQuai, Black Cohosh, Indian Herb, Vitamin E --could help. Sometimes just because you might be a little dry, sex is not easy and you could just not be interested. The emotional outbursts simply are a result of up and down hormones. Dearest: Ok, VB, go ahead now :) VBrando101: What about ST JOHN'S WORT? Is it safe for depression? What brand? How much? Dee Ito: St. John's Wort is not an herb that most of the women I know use regularly. Depression again is something that is different with each woman. Aside from herbs, you might try some whole body treatments--apple cider vinegar, 1 to 2 cups in your bath water at night. Make the water as hot as you can and let it cool down and then get into bed. Apple Cider Vinegar is one of those all around natural remedies that lowers the acidity in your body, makes it more alkaline. When you are depressed or stressed, your body tends to become acidic and you want to keep it as alkaline as possible. Drink lemon juice and water. Gargle with Glycothymoline--get at Health Food Store-- 1/2 capful , just swallow. It's also great for sore throats. Dearest: Excellent answer, Dee. Thanks :) VBrando101: Thanks Dee Dearest: CDO, go ahead. CDOXX: What can you tell me about the sub cutaneous estrogen implants <--(not FDA approved) Dee Ito: I'm sorry but I don't know much about them except that they do exist and I presume is a more natural way to allow chemical estrogen to be fed to the body. The patch also does the same kind of thing Dearest: Wonderful, Dee. WR, go ahead :) WRasmus306: What is good to use for muscle/joint problems during a peri-menopause episode? Wife has muscular dystrophy, and is on estrogen, estratest, and thyroid medication. When flashing, can't move arms or hands, and is in severe pain... what is there?? It's a great question because I think for all of us who are in menopause or out of it have, at one time or another problems with muscles and joints even if we don't have muscular dystrophy. Dee Ito: I think there are several approaches: Castor oil applied to the muscles and joints works very well. Castor oil is trans dermal and somehow soothes and heals the muscles, tendons. Apple Cider Vinegar baths again are very useful. Adjustments by a good chiropractor and also when we reach our ages it's about time that we thought about therapeutic massage as treatment rather than the luxury spas always advertise it to be. The massage --shiatsu--in particular can work wonders. Healing touch is a wonderful cure and relaxes the body. Dearest: Thanks, Dee... GET, go ahead :) GET7339: I had heavy periods for months: ended up with severe anemia. Dr. said HRT or D & C. HRT worked fine, and has for 4 yrs. What natural herb/s could have stopped heavy bleeding, and regulated it? and what herbs to take now on a long term menopausal regimen? Dee Ito: In the case of very heavy bleeding, I think herbs probably wouldn't do the job. Herbs take a while to work. They begin working right away, actually, but to notice any difference might take several weeks. As to what kinds of herbs to take it would depend on what your changes are, now. In Without Estrogen, toward the end of the book are some regimens other women have used for menopause. Also Dr. Corsello offers in the book a general natural regimen you might want to try. Dearest: (The book is wonderful. I've had it for over a year) GET7339: Thank you so much! Dearest: MDP, go ahead, please. MDP714: What is the proper dosage for testosterone ?loss of sex drive, need help? Dee Ito: I actually don't know about taking testosterone. The herbal version is Siberian ginseng. Sex drives do change with menopause as they do for men as we get older. There's no getting around it. Some people notice it more than others and that probably simply means some of us produce more estrogen or testosterone than others. But, for some women, taking Dong Quai and Siberian Ginseng and using Vitamin E-400IU A.M, 400 IU P.M. work. Dearest: Lori, go ahead. Lori4hlth: Why is it good for the body to be more alkaline, & does Vit. C cause it be more so? Dee Ito: Acidity in the body causes a variety of problems and there are many things that drive up the the acidity. It is one of the reasons we keep reading so much about vegetarianism. Meat diets tend to drive up the acidity in the body. I'm not sure Vitamin C does that, it tends to build the immune system. Dearest: GrnMgk, go ahead. GrnMgk: Can you comment on Wild Yam Creme.Pure extract vs natural progesterone synthesized in test tube. Thanks! Dee Ito: I think it works just great for most women. Dr. Corsello again uses it herself and in the book she tells what she does. Dearest: Marcey, go ahead. MARCEY B: So nice to have you here. In your opinion, how much Vit. E is safe to take daily? Dee Ito: 800 I.U. a day, 400 A.M, 400 P.M. MARCEY B: Thank you Dearest: Dee, I've always heard... anyone with high blood pressure... should avoid taking vitamin E in doses above... 200 IU at a time.. is that right? As vitamin E, itself, can cause blood pressure to rise. Dee Ito: Yes. And in fact if any woman has medical problems of any kind, she should consult with her doctor about taking any herbs or vitamins. Dee Ito: I know many doctors are against using anything non pharmaceutical, but if you want to do it don't be afraid to tell your doctor what you're doing. You don't need his or her permission but it should be on your medical record--for the record. Dearest: Makes perfectly good sense. They're against using natural vitamins, but ply us with synthetic hormones.. Dee Ito: Yes, that's true Dearest: Pinetree, go ahead, please :) Pinetree22: I know using natural methods will help relieve menopausal symptoms, but will they also help reduce the risk of heart disease... the one thing I am most interest in? Dee Ito: The complete regimen for a healthy woman who wants to use natural means to go through menopause is a 3 pronged program, and you all probably know it already. Herbs & vitamins for handling symptoms; Diet--basically low fat, lots of vegetables, small amounts of meat, fish dairy products, lots of water and fresh fruit; and, Exercise. The natural means to preventing heart disease--for a healthy woman-- is weight bearing exercise regularly. That doesn't mean heavy aerobics, walking fast is fine-- just regularly Pinetree22: thanks very much!! Dearest: Great, Dee... sound advice. Dearest: JEWELS, go ahead, please. JEWELS419: I've heard there is more risk of heart trouble if you don't take estrogen - is that true? Dee Ito: No, I don't believe it is a matter of the estrogen but it is a matter of paying attention to the total program. Diet and exercise in particular. A lot of people just don't do the hard stuff. It really is hard to keep it altogether. It's also the reason why estrogen and taking it is so popular. It fits the way we live in modern society. A quick fix. But even if you take estrogen, it's not enough. diet and exercise are still very necessary. Dearest: Ya know, I never looked at it that way, Dee. Kind of like "instant gratification" hormones JEWELS419: Thanks. Dearest: SScott, go ahead. SSCOTT5550: I have taken HRT for 9 yrs and it seems I'm more dependent now than at the beginning. Why? Dee Ito: Well, it's possible that you're one of those people for whom it's the right treatment. Not everyone is temperamentally prepared for an alternative plan And I don't think everyone should do it, either. But paying attention to one's body is critical. Just try to notice how you feel. Changing a diet at this time in life is not a bad idea. Becoming a vegetarian now is probably more useful than earlier on--easier on the body. You can have a little meat and fish--4 ounces 3 or 4 times a week--and have fruit and vegetables the rest of the time. It makes a difference SSCOTT5550: thanks... Dearest: Thanks, Dee. Norlee, go ahead. Norlee: How do I go about finding someone in my area who can help me with personal herbals? Dee Ito: What area are you in? Dearest: Norlee, you can also find that info on the Power Surge Web site..Women's Health Links. Norlee: Dallas / Ft Worth ( at the airport, actually) Dee Ito: A good way to find an herbalist is to check the bulletin board in your local health food store Often they have knowledge of that kind Dearest: Dee, if I might add, too, on my Web site there's also a page for Women's health links which includes Links where you can put in your state and locate a naturopath.. herbalist, etc. Dearest: Jaguar, go ahead, please. Jaguar1939: Hot Flashes and insomnia intolerable just started prempro your opinion please thanks Dee Ito: Hot Flashes, again: Dong Quai, Black Cohosh--herbs, evening primrose oil works for some women. Insomnia might be handled by taking Valerian--another herb--Use the liquid kind, Start with 8 to 10 drops, go up to about 15. It usually works for me in combination with 6 drops of Rescue Remedy and and apple cider Vinegar bath. I usually go to sleep immediately. Dearest: L8de, go ahead. L8dE N Red: Hi everyone, I just wanted to let everyone know that i'm 36 and just had a complete hyst, with ovaries removed I am not having any problems, for I am into weight lifting, running etc I only have the night sweats and my question was just answered. Dearest: Thanks for that comment, L8de. Lace, go ahead. Lacewing28: I have been on 2mg Estriol - got dizzy. Is Wild yam as good? It is natural from Apothecure I went off, called them and will try 1mg. later. I also have natural Progesterone. I haven't taken the Proges. yet. ***Also is there a natural to take in place of Amino-Cerv***THIS WAS NOT COMPLETED. MAYBE JUST DELETE IT?** Dee Ito: Progest cream is very effective for many women. Dearest: Oldies, go ahead :) Oldiesbg: Hello Dee º¿º I can't take hormones due to breast cancer. Have problems with a lot of fluid retention. Can you help? Dee Ito: It could be diet. After talking with your doctor and if you don't get any satisfaction, check Power Surge list and I would also suggest checking it out with a naturopath. Many chiropractors have experience with health problems other than bad backs. There are solutions, don't give up. Research it yourself. But keep your doctor informed Dearest: Well, we've come to the end of the queue, and kept you too long, Dee :( . . . Dearest: Dee, thanks so much for sharing this time with us in Power Surge tonight, and for so excellently fielding our questions about menopause, and natural ways to cope with our issues :) Dearest: Let's all show our appreciation to DEE for joining us tonight in Power Surge! Dearest: {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ DEE }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} SGETT: Thanks for coming!!!! TriciaToYu: Thanks dee DCarlin111: :::clapping hands::: Marlinluvr: thanks Dee.. ZANNASUZ: Yippee! ELLIOTT53: thanks dee, I learned a lot this evening :-) GrnMgk: Thank You!!! DCarlin111: Thank you for your time Dee SharonaR: Fabulous information. Very helpful. Thanks!!!!! Dee Ito: Thanks very much, Dearest. It was great! MARCEY B: Thank-you Dee Ito Lori4hlth: Thank you so much Dee for your very thoughtful answers! THRV Cinda: :::Clap, clap, clap:::: GET7339: THanks Dee SSCOTT5550: Yes, thanks... DCarlin111: :::throwing flower petals:::: Dearest: (sigh) DKnight396: thanks for being with us! Norlee: yeah!!!! GrnMgk: {{{Thanks Dearest}}} MBarr227: THANKS Dearest: Great answers, Dee. Dearest: Dee, was a pleasure having you :) Dee Ito: I've never done this before What a good thing! Dearest: Well, you were great, Dee. Thanks :) End of Dee Ito log - 3/02/97 Special thanks to Power Surge member, NowMony, for her invaluable and brilliant editorial assistance. Dearest aka Alice Stamm Power Surge Founder, Host, Facilitator Webmaster http://members.aol.com/dearest E.Mail: dearest@aol.com Copyright©1994-1999 by Power Surge. All Rights Reserved.