God’s Word reveals an alternative approach to dealing with menopause. We must keep in mind an incredible revelation: God provided estrogen in the plant kingdom for women to use as their bodies cease producing it.

Menopause, or the permanent end of menstruation and fertility, is a natural biological process, not a medical illness. Nearly 60 million women in the United States are post-menopausal; by the year 2015, almost 50% of American women will be in this category!

But there are a number of challenging symptoms that accompany menopause, as well as increased health risks for postmenopausal women, such as osteoporosis and heart disease. However, the conventional methods for handling the symptoms of menopause has led to even more uncertainty, questions and concern about their potential long-term health dangers.

There are alternatives to traditional estrogen therapy and medication that can be found in God’s natural kingdom. A comprehensive natural approach to menopause can provide relief for the distressing symptoms and also help combat bone loss, protect your heart and maintain general health. Doesn’t that sound like the way God would do it?

At the center of this approach are plant hormones, or phytoestrogens. They can benefit the lives of millions of women, as some of the greatest medical challenges facing modern medicine are the direct result of hormone levels decreasing as women grow older.

Over 300 different plants that contain phytoestrogens have been identified, reminding us how God stated in Revelation 22:2 that “the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

Plant estrogens are different from the steroidal estrogens that are produced by a woman’s ovaries from puberty until menopause, and are also different from the estrogens that doctors normally prescribe (such as Premarin, from pregnant mares).

Plant estrogens can actually modulate the effect of a women’s own estrogen; they can bind to estrogen receptors in our bodies and have either pro-estrogenic effects, or anti-estrogenic effects on the target tissues. How it affects the tissues depends in part on how much estrogen our bodies are already producing and how saturated our receptor sites are. If our estrogen levels are low, as in menopause, empty estrogen receptor sites can be filled with phytoestrogens, which can exert a weak pro-estrogenic effect.

While most plants contain several different types of estrogen, there are five major categories of phytoestrogens:
- Isoflavones (legumes such as soy, lentil, beans and chickpeas)
- Lignans (flaxseed and cereal)
- Flavones and Flavonols (red and yellow fruits and vegetables)
- Flavanones (citrus fruit)
The highest estrogen activity is in the isoflavone group, and among that group, soy, kidney beans, lima beans and chickpeas are the highest.

Women in Asia and Latin America eat plant estrogens – specifically soy and legumes – on a daily basis and do not suffer from the severe menopausal symptoms often experienced by women in the United States, who tend to consume fewer phytoestrogens. (Women in Asia and Latin America also have significantly lower rates of heart disease and breast cancer.)

In addition to plant estrogens, women who are menopausal or postmenopausal should include foods in their diet that address their bone and heart health. The Mediterranean Diet contains many of the food sources rich in the vitamins and minerals needed for consumption during and after menopause, and provides a healthy framework for general healthful eating. Read more

Specifically, here are foods to add to your diet during menopause:

1. Soy, from soy milk (also high in vitamin D) or miso, tofu, soy protein powder
2. Legumes, such as lima beans, kidney beans, split peas, lentils
3. Flaxseed, whole or ground (better than flaxseed oil)
4. Yogurt with live acidophilus or lactobacillus cultures to enhance the absorption of the estrogen compounds, and also provides calcium
5. Fiber, such as a high-fiber cereal and whole grains
6. Coldwater fish for the omega-3 fatty acids that protect your heart as well as calcium and vitamin D for bones
7. Calcium rich foods such as green leafy vegetables and low or nonfat dairy,
8. Fruits and vegetables to provide antioxidants as well as plant estrogens
9. More water consumption and less soda, alcohol and caffeine

God’s Pathway to Healing for us involves living a long, satisfied life, which includes feeling comfortable, healthy and active during the transition years of menopause.

In Part 2 of A New Pathway for Menopause , we will look at the herbs and nutrients that address the most common and distressing symptoms of menopause.