Some consider menopause a woman's final right of passage. Others call it her
last hurrah. Some women greet it with feelings of sadness and despair, while
others heave a gigantic sigh of relief. Whatever the response, menopause, with
all its accompanying symptoms, is an unavoidable and major event in every
women's life.
Elisa S. Lottor, Ph.D., a naturopathic physician with doctorate degrees in
nutrition and homeopathy, views menopause as a natural life transition rather
than a physical condition that requires medication. She has found that the most
effective approach in dealing with its unpleasant symptoms-such as hot flashes
and insomnia-is a multifaceted one that includes nutritional and lifestyle
changes as well as the use of phyto-estrogens and phyto-proesterones
(plant-based hormones).
"Ninety-nine percent of the world doesn't medicate for menopause," she
explained. "There are natural protocols for a host of the physical maladies that
go along with it. Menopause is not a condition, it is a transaction".
Symptoms such as mood swings, hot flashes, insomnia and weepiness are due to
fluctuations in hormones that can be controlled with herbs, natural
progesterone, homeopathics and vitamins and minerals. Lottor's treatment program
always begins with dietary modifications to make sure all nutritional
requirements are being met. Some foods even exacerbate the symptoms accompanying
menopause. Digestion of coffee, alcohol and sugar, for example, causes the body
to excrete trace minerals, and is hard on the adrenal glands. The adrenals are
responsible for synthesizing hormones during menopause, and women with
compromised adrenals trend to have a more difficult menopause, she said.
"I create an individualized program for each person that is geared to her
condition and constitution."
Lottor, a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, splits
her time between a practice in Santa Monica and one in Santa Barbara. Most of
her patients come to her through referral from other M.D.s. For the most part,
diagnoses have already been made, and Lottor is called upon to offer alternative
sources of treatment. Some, however, come to see her of their own accord, and if
Lottor sees anything suspicious, she is quick to send the patient to another
health care practitioner.
Turning to phytomedicines to treat a women with menopausal symptoms, Lottor
might recommend a course of St. John's Wort for depression, or evening primrose
oil for treatment of premenstrual-stress syndrome. Bilberry is effective in
improving eyesight and circulation, she said. Valerian is a natural
tranquilizer, Cava Cava relieves anxiety, and amino acids such as L-Glutamine
help curb food cravings. "But you have to know what to take, when to take it,
how much and in what form. You also have to know how everything works together.
Between vitamins, diet and homeopathics, there are a lot of instruments I can
play."
According to Lottor, "Women go through all kinds of changes when menopause
begins,and they need to know there are a lot of remedies out there besides those
which traditional medicine provides."
