Contrary to popular belief, a new study shows that use of vaginal probiotics after antibiotic treatment does not reduce the rate of yeast (candida) infections. However, vaginal probiotics do have a role in preventing bacterial infections of the vagina.
Most conventionally trained cancer specialists believe herbs and nutritional supplements will interfere with chemotherapy, but new studies are showing that selenium, B vitamins, vitamin C, and black cohosh can actually reduce chemo side-effects and may improve outcomes.
Our medical minds like simple answers, a tendency sometimes at odds with the complexity of biological phenomena. Take the question of soy and women’s health, for example. There’s little doubt that overall, soy is a healthy food, and a great source of protein for women. But when one looks at specific tissues, and tries to determine whether soy isoflavones enhance or inhibit endogenous estrogenic effects, the simple answers quickly evaporate.
Holistic Primary Care is pleased to welcome Dr. Tori Hudson, one of the nation’s leading experts on holistic women’s health care, to our editorial team. In this, the first of her Women’s Health Update features, Dr. Hudson looks at data suggesting that antibiotic use may increase risk of breast cancer, as well as several studies suggesting that St. John’s wort does compromise the effect of oral contraceptive pills. .
Menstrual cramps, urinary tract infections and other common gynecological conditions can often be safely and effectively managed with readily available and inexpensive herbs including Black Haw, Dong Quai (Angelica), and Cranberry. Marcey Shapiro, MD, a clinical herbalist and primary care doctor, shares her years of experience.
Medical opinion about the effects of soy in preventing and helping to treat breast cancer has been highly variable over the years. The controversy may be in large part because most researchers fail to differentiate between fermented and unfermented soy. Fermented soy contains isoflavones that are beneficial in reducing cancer, and compounds within fermented soy stimulate immune responses that may be helpful in eliminating cancer cells.
“PMS” has become a catch-all category for a wide variety of physical and emotional symptoms, some of which have nothing to do with the menstrual cycle, said Wendy Warner, MD, a holistic gynecologist. She has found that women with cyclic symptoms tend to fall into 4 distinct categories, each of which benefits from a somewhat different treatment approach.
Managing menopause symptoms without conventional hormone replacement therapy requires much more than substituting soy or Black Cohosh for PremPro. Elena Barengolts, MD, a holistic endocrinologist, describes her comprehensive approach that includes plant phytoestrogens, ginseng, calcium, vitamin D, and various herbs to promote better sleep.
Exposure to sunlight, brisk exercise, and ample supplies of B vitamins can go a long way in reducing menopausal symptoms, regardless of whether a woman takes conventional or natural hormone therapy. The LEVITY program (Light, Exercise, and Vitamin Intervention Therapy) provides women with a multi-modal, hormone-free approach to controlling midlife symptoms.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to managing menopausal symptoms. The extent of symptoms and the ideal treatment strategy depends very much on an individual woman’s endocrine patterns. Women’s health experts including Tori Hudson, ND, and Marie Annette Brown, PhD, offer insights on individualizing treatment.
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