Recently, two separate federally funded medical studies
reported that a woman's risk of a first bout of depression
rises sharply with the onset of menopause. Both studies,
published in the April issue of the Archives of General
Psychiatry, looked only at women with no prior history of
depression. One of the studies measured hormone levels in 231
Philadelphia- area women over eight years. The results
directly linked depression to the onset of menopause. Women
with a history of premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, were found to
be at even greater risk for shifts in emotional and mental
functioning. Unfortunately, neither study identified the true
underlying cause of this menopausal depression. What's really
going on?
As a physician who has treated literally tens of thousands
of peri-menopausal and menopausal women, I am confident in
asserting that the underlying cause of this depression is
estrogen dominance. If you are a regular reader of my
newsletters, you already know that estrogen dominance occurs
naturally with age. The reason: progesterone production begins
to decline in the mid- 30's and the decline in progesterone
production occurs 120x more rapidly than the sloughing off of
estrogen production. The resulting imbalance between estrogen
and progesterone levels is the underlying culprit that fosters
a depression in both mental and emotional functioning.
In my opinion, the following quote from my colleague Erika
Schwartz, M.D. sums up the real issue:
"No, you are not losing your mind. You are just losing
your much needed progesterone. When you don't have enough
progesterone circulating, estrogen is the dominant hormone.
Estrogen in overabundance makes you angry, edgy,
short-tempered and anxious. At the same time, estrogen
increases the water content of your brain making you groggy,
fuzzy and unfocused."
So what can you do? The most important thing is to, first,
re-establish your body's hormonal equilibrium and, then
provide your brain with the nutrients and vitamins needed to
support optimal cognitive functioning. Here's how:
- Add bio-identical progesterone back into your system.
Try Dr.
Randolph's Natural Progesterone Cream.
- Supplement your system with Calcium
D-Glucarate. This particular supplement helps the body
excrete excess estrogen through the bowel.
- As a multi-vitamin, I also recommend Dr.
Randolph's Meno-Support to support a woman's health
changes that may occur in association with peri-menopause or
menopause. This dietary supplement is specifically
formulated to help ease many of the uncomfortable symptoms
associated with shifts in hormone production, e.g. hot
flashes, night sweats, insomnia, irritability, heart
palpitations and headaches.
- Finally, to support optimal cognitive performance, I
recommend Dr.
Randolph's Brain Flex as a premier formulation to
support superior cognitive enhancement. This natural product
is for individuals who want to improve or maintain cognitive
performance and reduce the effects of stress and aging on
memory and mental functioning.
If you have anything in common with the women and men I
treat every day, you should now feel some relief that your
depression does not have to characterize or define your middle
years. You have a choice. Choose WELL!
It is my privilege to be a resource to you,
C.W.
Randolph, Jr., M.D., R.Ph.
