Hi Susun,

I've just read the latest newsletter and your article on phystoestrogens. I am now worried about the Vitex/chaste Tree that has definitely helped reduce (but not eliminate) my hot flashes. I'm 55 and have been 'pausing now for almost 5 years, and have not had a period in over 2 years.

I did reduce my dose (from 50 mg to 30 mg twice a day) a few weeks ago, and as a result saw one tiny spurt of bleeding three days ago, which I assume is from that
reduction. No real period, just one little show. I'm certain that was the cause, because a few years ago I took phytoestrogen pills, which stopped my hot flashes, cold, but
as soon as I reduced that dose, I had an extremely painful period, so I stopped it altogether.

I have endometriosis, and do NOT want to start things up again! But I would like to have help with the 'flashes. I do exercise regularly (tae-bo), and try to eat as healthy
as possible (lots of dark green salads and vegetables, very little meat, plain oatmeal with fruit or yogurt for breakfast). I also supplement with hydroxyapatite, vit. B,
vit. C, omega complex, glucosamine/chondroitin, and the Natrol "my favorite" multivitamin.

I also know that I am EXTREMELY sensitive to anything I take, so I always start with a half dose. That's why I was so interested in the Vitex, because it seems to gently
nudge the pituitary into normalizing things.

Any advice would be welcome!
Thank you!
Casandra

Susun's Response: Hot flashes are Healthy

Dear Casandra,
Normal is a hard word to use when it comes to menopause. Hot flashes are normal. I know they are bothersome, but they are normal. Hot flashes are kundalini (see page 96) and help us be healthy. Getting rid of them is not a good idea. But you could try any of the fifty or so remedies I have in my book besides chasteberry. How about motherwort?

I am very surprised that someone who says she is very sensitive is drugging herself with synthetic supplements. I am against them. There are many reasons. For instance, research found that people who take 500 mg of vitamin C a day have blood vessels that are prematurely aged, sometimes looking four times older than they actually are. Also, ascorbic acid (that is what is in the bottle that says vitamin C, not real vitamin C, but ascorbic acid, which is only one of the two dozen factors that act together in the body as vitamin C) is a favorite food for cancer cells. The hottest new way to kill cancer is to join a lethal form of zinc to ascorbic acid; the cancer eats the ascorbic acid and is killed by the special zinc. Why risk your health when this vitamin is one of the easiest to get from food?

I could go on and on. There are so many studies showing negative effects from supplements and few showing any benefit at all. If your favorite multi contains beta carotene you should know that it is implicated in heart attacks and cancer formation, if it contains vitamin A, be aware that it can cause liver damage. All in all, there is no good reason to waste money on supplements when better health can be found by buying better foods.

B vitamin pills are quite destructive as they kill the ability of the intestines to make B vitamins and usually contain only a few of the 17 or so known factors of vitamin B. Thus the supplements actually make you deficient in many B vitamin components. Do you have joint pain? That is the only reason I know to take glucosamine; the chondroitin has no effect so far as science is concerned.
Instead, drink nourishing herbal infusions. Two cups of nettle infusion has all the vitamins and minerals you need for a day. And, it's in their natural, effective, complex forms; not synthetic and broken up like in pills. To make an infusion of nettle, place one ounce of dried herb in a quart jar. Fill to the top with boiling water; cap tightly and let steep for 4-8 hours. strain and drink.

Try this. Buy two house plants. When you water them, water one with nettle infusion. Water the other with water which contains one of every supplement pill you take (or just push them into the soil). The plant given nettle will thrive. The one given pills soon dies. Seems clear to me what is healthy and what is a drug. But, advertising and fear make most people believe they have to take pills/drugs. Not true.
Hope this helps you see a new way to take care of yourself. Be gentle while you are changing. Go slow. Let yourself come off your drugs slowly. A new world of vibrant health awaits you.

Green Blessings,
Warmest regards, Susun Weed
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Dear Susun,
Question: I have been an avid reader of "Menopausal Years" for years and consider it to be the absolute most helpful book on my shelf. I am writing to see if you would be interested in receiving a copy of my new book "Hot Flashes, Warm Bottles: First-Time Mothers Over Forty" published by Celestial Arts/ Ten Speed Press.

As you probably know, older first-time moms are a huge and growing segment of our population. The book covers broad topics like :
breastfeeding while entering perimenopause;
potential conflicts for the older mom who may have spent decades cultivating her career and now has to choose between continuing to work or staying at home;
navigating the minefields of a youth-worshipping culture that may mistake her for her child's grandmother;
surviving infertility treatments;
international adoptions, and caring for elderly parents with young children at home...
the "Sandwich Generation" dilemma.

As a licensed therapist who runs support groups for older moms, I've included the stories of hundreds of first-time mothers over forty from around the country, as well as practical, and spiritual advice for nurturing oneself while raising young children as mature women. I've
even included interviews with the children of older moms, and their point of view is candid, to say the least.

I think it is safe to say that many of your web site readers are older first-time mothers who would take great comfort in knowing that there is a book that addresses the challenges and joys unique to their experience. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the book for review on your site, please let me know to whom and to what address to send it.

Nancy

                Susun's Response: check out Nancy London's newest book

When an author whose work I respect says she has written a new book, I am always eager to read it. Nancy London's newest more than met my expectations. Hot Flashes Warm Bottles is thorough, fun, and useful. Written from the heart of a mother, this book offers superb emotional help and support for the growing throng of first-time moms over forty. A perfect companion to my chapter Fertility After Forty in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way! Let Nancy London introduce you to the many midlife mothers (and their children) she has listened to. You will cry and laugh out loud. And you may even find yourself wondering if a late-in-life child may not be in your future too

Really enjoyed reading Hot flashes warm bottles. It is a rare and exquisite work.

You are welcome to use any of the words in this letter or the blurb above to help promote and publicize your book. Thank you for all the health help you have offered so many women for so many decades. Wishing you the joy of spring, the warmth of summer, and lots of green blessings.

Susun Weed
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Homeopathic Remedy for Hot flashes?

Can you please send me some information on this subject? Which herb's
to use, plus any other helpful info. Enjoyed you on WBZ Jordan Rich Show!

Thank you, Susan

                          Susun's Response: here are some remedies

Dear Susan,
From page 86 in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way: homeopathic remedies for women with hot flashes include belladonna, ferrum metallicum, pulsatilla, sanguinaria, sepia, and valeriana. Each remedy has specific indications. You need to know more before using any of these remedies.

Green Blessings, Susun Weed

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Bright Blessings, Billie

Susun's Response: don't take black cohosh and wild yam

Dear Billie,
The healthier the woman, the more hot flashes she will have. However, you may be making yours worse by your choice of herbs. I would discontinue the black cohosh and wild yam immediately; they are loaded with hormones that worsen hot flashes!!

Instead, try drinking your nettle (and the oatstraw on a different day) as an infusion. To make it, put one ounce of dried herb into a quart jar and fill to the top with boiling water. Cap and let steep for 4-8 hours.

Progesterone creams and wild yam creams are completely ineffective and may even increase the likelihood of osteoporosis. Read more about the problems with these things in New Menopausal Years, available next month in stores,
or preorder from www.wisewomanbookshop.com   

My daughter Justine copied a bunch of information on hot flashes from the book for you. We will send it to you in another e-mail.

                                Susun's Response:Re: hot flashes-2

Susun has almost 30 pages on hot flashes in her NEW Menopausal Years...She says they are synonymous with Menopause...

She says these are some things that trigger hot flashes
page 61Menopausal Years The Wise Woman Way

Spicy food (cayenne, ginger, pepper)
Acidic Food (pickles, citrus, tomatoes)
Hot drinks
Caffeine (coffee, black tea, colas)
Alcoholic drinks, including wine and beer
White sugar
Hydrogenated fats or saturated fats (meat, margarine)
Stress
Hot weather
Hot tubs and Saunas
Tobacco or marijuana
Intense exercise, especially lovemaking
Anger, especially if you can't express it

If you want to use herbs:
page 59 Menopausal Years The Wise Woman Way

NOURISH AND TONIFY

* Hot flashes deplete vitamin B, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium.
Frequent use of red clover or oatstraw infusions will replace these
needed nutrients.

* Exercise directly decreases hot flashes by decreasing the amount of
circulating LH and FSH, by nourishing and tonifying the hypothalamus,
and by raising endorphin levels (which plummet with hot flashing). As
little as 20 minutes three times a week can reduce flashes significantly.
"It is now four years since menstruation stopped; the flashes are getting lighter,
coming less often."

* Herbal remedies for women with hot flashes include plants that cool
the system, such as chickweed, elder, and violet; plants that nourish
the liver, such as dandelion and yellow dock; and plants rich in phytos-
terols, such as black cohosh. Choose one from each group and make
your own special blend for your menopausal journey (see boxes pages
63, 64, 65).

SEDATE / STIMULATE

* Indulge yourself with a beautiful hand fan (if it's old, fantasize about
the last menopausal woman who cooled herself with it) or try a pocket/
purse-sized battery-run breeze-maker .

* Cologne, which is mostly alcohol, and therefore highly evaporative,
can help you get cool, cool, cool. Pour some on a hankie; enclose
tightly in a plastic bag; off you go. When the flash strikes, you're ready
to mop it up, revive yourself, and smell great.

* Baths are so relaxing. Use menopause as an excuse to jump in. If you
are flashing hourly, try a bath with 3 ounces/80 ml of rubbing alcohol
in it. Ah. ...And there's also the "at-home ocean cure" : Pour1 cup/250
ml sea salt in a hot bath. Lounge and envision an island paradise.



IF you found this info helpful, you may want to consider ordering her NEW Menopausal Years book due hot off the press this November! You can get a copy for yourself or a loved one at www.wisewomanbookshop.com

Love,
Justine (Susun's daughter)
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Hi,

I did stop the black cohosh but the reason I started taking the wild yam and progesterone cream is because of vaginal dryness and it is helping; what should I use instead of that for vaginal dryness;

Why do you suggest drinking the oatstraw and nettle on different days? I usually drink them together; I use Alvita teas;

I just bought your book last month, but of course not the new edition , have things changed that much?

thank you for your time and feedback
Bright Blessings.
Morrigana

Susun's Response: tea and infusion are different

Dear Morrigana

There is a big difference between a tea and an infusion. Sounds to me like you are drinking tea and it just is not strong enough to give you the effect you need. Reread the instructions for making infusion: you need to use one ounce of herb, by weight, in a quart of water. One box of Alvita is usually less than an ounce!! Yes, it is important to alternate the herbs for best effect.

Is your vagina dry all the time, or just with intercourse? If the former, try eating a lot more yogurt. If the latter, any lubricant that you like will do the trick without exposing you to possible side effects such as cancer.

New Menopausal Years is 100 pages longer. It contains many new sections, including ones on the dangers of progesterone creams, the best ways to use wild yam (not as a cream), and big problems developing with the use of soy products during menopause. Since we keep the price really low, we are hoping you will get the new versionnnn with all of its important new information.

Green Blessings, Susun Weed

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