How to Stop Menopause Forever

You want relief from your hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, but you’ve considered it careful­ly, and decided you don’t want hormone replacement therapy. Perhaps your doctor advised against it because you’ve had breast cancer, or perhaps you just don’t like the idea of taking medicine every day, and you want a more natural alternative. The answer to your dilemma may come from the East.

Women in Far East countries like China and Japan experience menopause symptoms far less than women in other parts of the world. Research shows that the high amount of soy in the Asian diet may be responsible for this lack of hot flashes and depression during menopause. People in those countries eat about 20 to 50 times more soy than people in the United States.

Menopause

Soy contains phytoestrogens, plant estrogens which may act like a weak form of human estrogen when you eat it. Many other plants contain phytoestrogens, but soy has a particularly strong type called isoflavones. Because these isoflavones can act like estrogen in your body, they may help perform the same duties as HRT, only without the risks and side effects. In fact, while HRT increases your risk of breast cancer, soy may actually lower your risk of that disease. Among soy’s many health benefits:

  • Lowers cholesterol levels. Studies show that eat­ing six servings of soy foods a week can reduce your cholesterol by 20 percent. This reduction in cholesterol can lead to healthier arteries and a healthier heart.
  • Fends off osteoporosis. One of the biggest con­cerns women have when going through menopause is the effect of osteoporosis on their bones. The best way to fight that is to get plenty of calcium. Tofu and yogurt are the two best sources of bone-guarding calcium recommended by the Osteoporosis Foundation.
  • Cuts down cancer. Breast cancer isn’t the only type of cancer that soy can help you avoid. Research indicates that soy may provide protec­tion against other cancers as well, particularly cancer of the prostate and colon.
  • Provides protein. Everyone needs protein, but when you get most of your protein from animal sources like beef, you’re getting lots of fat as well. While soy also has some fat, it contains polyun­saturated fat, which is much better for you than the saturated fat you’ll get from a hamburger.

If you want natural relief from menopausal symptoms, try some tofu, soy milk, soy cheese, soy sauce, or tex­tured vegetable protein made from soy. The taste may surprise and delight you, and you’ll be getting lots of disease-fighting power as well.