Unlimited Opportunities in Women's (Natural) Health Care
by Galen O. Ballard
© 2000, Titan Laboratories

Women want solutions to their female health problems and they want to feel good. Chiropractic practitioners who can help their female patients achieve these twin goals are on the path to a packed waiting room and financial well being.

Today's mid-life women (age 40-55) have had a tangled relationship with hormonal drugs and their reproductive systems. They were the first to take birth control pills, the first to attempt fertility drugs, the first to take hormones for the complications of premenstrual syndrome and perimenopause, and the first to take hormones as they entered menopause. There is no question that women's health care has been a dream specialty for the medical practitioner and a financial boom to the pharmaceutical industry.

Many women are now interested in alternative methods of dealing with PMS, peri-menopause and menopause because they feel they have been unwitting participants in a grand drug experiment by the medical and pharmaceutical cartel. They may be right! "The introduction of synthetic hormones as a legitimate need of women is experimentation under the guise of standard medical practice," states Sherrill Sellman reporting in the Women's International Network.

"It is hard to believe that any woman would knowingly want to be on chemical hormones if she truly understood the potential side effects," asserts Dr. Michael Epitropoulos, D.C, Ph.D. Many women are beginning to feel uncomfortable and are desperately seeking alternatives to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other drugs.

The Chiropractic modality is ideally suited to offer such alternatives and the Chiropractic physician may be assured of a profusion of patients should he or she elect to do so. An estimated 30 million women have now entered menopause. This number is expected to rise to 36 million within the next five years. Millions more suffer from PMS and perimenopause.

A Window of Opportunity

The chiropractic practitioner now has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to educate his female patients on the advantages of natural health care as an alternative to synthetic hormone replacement therapy. To accomplish this, the practitioner must understand the three rhythmic patterns of change that a woman's reproductive system follows as she ages.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common hormone related problem which typically commences ten days prior to menses and resolves with the start of menstruation. It is most prevalent in women between the ages of 30 and 45 who may experience a variety of recurrent symptoms, including lethargy, depression, mood changes, cramping, and breast tenderness. The major cause of this condition is poor dietary habits, lack of proper nutrition, and insufficient exercise.

"PMS is essentially a lifestyle related ailment which readily lends itself to the chiropractic philosophy that the body has the inherent ability to heal itself with the proper resources and treatment procedures," explains Dr. Robert Mellon, D.C. and Clinic Director of the Mellon Health Institute. "For example," Mellon added, "Black cohosh relieves cramping, Ginkgo biloba reduces breast tenderness, and Kava kava can ameliorate lethargy and mood swings."

Perimenopause is the transition period from regular ovulatory cycles to menopause which usually begins at age 43. As estrogen levels begin to decrease in anticipation of menopause, many women experience weight gains and decreased skin elasticity and dryness. "Again, these conditions are normal occurrences until hormonal balance has been achieved following perimenopause", Mellon asserts. "The addition of zinc, chromium, vitamin P, and L-lysine supplementation assists in collagen formation and promotes healthy skin tissue".

Menopause, the cessation of menses, is defined as the absence of menstrual bleeding due to loss of ovarian function. It too is a natural part of a woman's aging process and usually begins at age 50. The physical changes of menopause arise from hormonal changes which may produce symptoms of vasomotor instability such as hot flashes, palpitations, nausea, loss of libido, and headaches until hormone levels stabilize themselves. "It is a stage of life, usually complicated by poor lifestyle choices, but not a disease," declares Dr. Mellon.

Stewart Gregory, N.D. of Stone Mountain, Georgia agrees. "The majority of problems associated with menopause are poor lifestyle choices, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, nutritional deficient diets, lack of exercise, and chemical pollutants such as hair bleaches and certain cosmetics".

Dr. Gregory believes that most of the recent hype concerning HRT (hormone replacement therapy) is hormone heresy! "Women are the focus of all medicine," he asserts. "The medical establishment has historically conveyed to women they know what's best for the female body. If a drug or hormonal fix won't cure the problem, then the offending organ will be surgically removed. The message is clear - a woman need not be responsible for her body. Many women are rightfully beginning to question that assumption and it's about time".

Dr. Susan Lark, M.D., a specialist in female health problems, agrees. "Conventional medical approaches to women's health frequently utilize invasive procedures to deal with common physiological functions," states Dr. Lark, "when therapeutic approaches such as diet, nutritional supplementation, and herbal medicine is safer and frequently more effective."

Dr. Gregory cites several examples of what he considers to be hormone heresy including the routine testing of blood for hormones when, in fact, hormones are fat based. "They are looking East for a sunset", he exclaims, "but it does give the physician an excuse to place his female patients on hormone therapy whether they need it or not."

Another concern is that the conventional practitioner, in his accustomed haste, may assume that a woman's menopausal symptoms are related to an estrogen deficiency when, in fact, such symptoms may be masking a far more serious health problem. "Hot flashes and palpitations may be related to a hormone deficiency, or they may be due to a lack of oxygen in the blood which could trigger a threatening heart condition," he worries.

The Hormonal Balance of a Woman's Body

The natural design of a woman's body is to produce the two hormones, estrogen and progesterone, in very sensitive and precise balances so reproductive ability is maximized. Estrogen fulfills its role of preparing the uterus for pregnancy while progesterone is necessary for the survival of the fertilized ovum, the resulting embryo and the fetus. Once a woman is past her childbearing years, her need for both these hormones is minimal!

"The current medical practice of utilizing synthetic estrogen to replace the hormone level experienced when a woman was in prime childbearing years is ridiculous," Dr. Gregory maintains. "One of the first side effects frequently experienced is abnormal vaginal bleeding", Gregory states, "because bleeding is exactly what estrogen is supposed to promote!"

"I find the idea of bringing a woman's progesterone levels to her prime childbearing years equally ridiculous," adds Dr. Gregory. One of the primary reasons the medical profession incorporated progestins into its hormone replacement therapy was to counter the side effects of employing synthetic estrogen! Balancing estrogen with progesterone may be indicted in specific cases but it should be yam derived, not synthetic. "

Other myths promulgated by the pharmaceutical industry to promote hormone replace-ment therapy include "osteoporosis is an estrogen deficiency disease" and "estrogen prevents cardiovascular disease", both of which have been clinically proven to be false.

Synthetic versus Plant Derived Hormones

The use of botanical estrogen and progesterone hormones is rising rapidly due to the adverse number of side effects associated with their synthetic chemical cousins. Case in point, the Hormone Foundation, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit health organization, released a consensus statement supporting alternatives to hormone replacement therapy at the 80th annual (1998) Endocrine Society Meeting in New Orleans.

As a chiropractor, you have the opportunity to educate your patients about phyto-estrogens which gently and effectively mimic the estrogen hormone produced by a woman's body and have proven to be safe with no side effects. By comparison, the most commonly prescribed estrogen (Premarin) is conjugated pregnant mare's urine, which the pharmaceutical industry regards as "natural" because it is animal-based and not synthesized in a laboratory. It is natural to horses, not to women! Horse hormones are estrone dominant while a woman's are estriol dominant. The side effects of such "natural" and synthetic estrogens include abnormal vaginal bleeding, weight gain, peripheral edema, and increased risk of endometrial and breast cancers.

Progestins (synthetic progesterone) are then prescribed to counter the side effects of the synthetic estrogen. Adverse effects of progestin include acne, decreased libido, lethargy, anxiety, and menstrual bleeding! It's a no win situation for women. The Doctor of Chiropractic can now offer his female patients a safe and sane choice.

Establishing a Women's Health Care Program

The two most important steps are patient education and word of mouth. The practitioner must provide information about natural health care for women throughout the clinic, beginning with the waiting room. Most product manufacturers offer research reports, patient education brochures, flyers, and other complimentary literature to assist the practitioner. Many women are eagerly searching for natural alternatives to hormone replacement therapy. Let them know that in your practice they have choices available.

The astute D.C. will also schedule lectures within the community and hold seminars in his office or a nearby facility focused on women's health issues. The Doctor of Chiropractic may also consider establishing a professional relationship with other health practitioners such as M.D.'s and D.O.'s who practice alternative medicine and prescribe natural drug replacement products. It is important that the practitioners share similar belief systems regarding health care. "If you establish a professional relationship with an allopathic physician, sooner or later these two diametrically different modalities will become strained and hurt your practice," asserts Dr. Clayton Hopkins, D.C. and Clinic Director of the American Health Foundation.

The Key Patient Protocols to Achieving Success

The need for alternative women's health care practitioners is tremendous and lucrative, however, for the D.C. who plans to excel in providing such health care, there are five key patient protocols to consider.

First and foremost, the medical establishment has indoctrinated women with the belief that modern medicine can cure all female problems, all she must do is submit. The D.C. must make the patient understand - and agree - that she is responsible for her own health. You cannot help her if she refuses to help herself!

Second, the D.C. must ensure that the patient understands the underlying cause of her hormonal problems are lifestyle based. He must convey to the patient that a lifestyle change is the least invasive means of balancing the body and getting to the cause of her problem. Dr. Vicki Hufnagel, an obstetrician-gynecologist, agrees. "Two of the major causes contributing to female problems are strict dieting, which deprives women of needed nutrients, and eating junk foods, which stresses body and mind."

Third, many women patients seeking alternatives to synthetic hormones and HRT will be overweight and most will be on the fad diet of the month! The D.C. must convey to the patient that there is no magic bullet for instant weight loss and that, ironically, the success of the weight loss industry depends upon the consistent failure of its products and programs!

Fourth, the D.C. must convince the patient to commit to an exercise program and a sound and healthy diet regime, with dietary supplements to off-set nutrient deficiencies and specific phyto-estrogen formulas to assist in establishing homeostasis.

Fifth, the D.C. must realize that HRT has been shown to be addictive and some women suffer withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing hormone therapy after having received long-term treatments. It may take one to three months on an every other day dosage alternating between synthetic and phytoestrogens to be weaned off them. Or the patient may be more comfortable in reducing the dosage of the synthetic while simultaneously increasing the dosage of the pyto-estrogen formula.

"If the holistic practitioner adheres to the basic steps required to establish a natural women's health care program and is diligent in observing the proper patient protocols, he or she will be rewarded with a booked waiting room," Dr. Gregory attested.