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Solutions to your tough problems: some women's health issues are difficult to treat. We found the natural answers you've been waiting for - Annual Women's Health Guide

Natural Health, Dec, 2002 by Julia Tolliver Maranan

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Fibrocystic Breasts

Most women have fibrocystic breast tissue, or dense connective tissue, and its presence may be more noticeable before menstruation. "Lumpy breasts are normal," says Adriane Fugh-Berman, M.D., medical advisor to the National Women's Health Network, a Washington, D.C.-based consumer group. If you have fibrocystic tissue that causes painful pressure, try the tips that follow.

Whether your breasts are lumpy or not, you should know their topography so you can detect potentially cancerous changes. Do a self-exam a few days after every period. Although it can be difficult to distinguish between fibrocystic tissue and cancer, cancer is usually fixed and hard, whereas fibrocystic lumps are easy to move around and have a rubbery or softer texture, says Fugh-Berman. It is crucial to see your doctor for a yearly breast exam, since practitioners are trained to distinguish between benign and possibly cancerous lumps.

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Control Pain with Diet. Naturopath Hudson has seen patients greatly reduce breast tenderness by eliminating caffeine, reducing dietary fat to 20 percent of calories, and increasing their fiber intake. Caffeinated drinks and foods like coffee and chocolate contain a chemical that overstimulates breast tissue in some women, causing pain. A high-fat diet raises your body's estrogen levels; too much estrogen can also overstimulate breast tissue. Fiber helps your body excrete extra estrogen. To get more fiber, Hudson suggests eating five to nine daily servings of fruit and vegetables and one to four daily servings of whole grains like amaranth, barley, brown rice, millet, oats, quinoa, and whole wheat.

Let Supplements Soothe Symptoms. Evening primrose oil (Oenothera biennis) has eased breast discomfort in studies. Hudson adds that it has relieved pain and even lumpiness for some of her patients. She recommends taking 3 to 4 g of evening primrose oil daily. You should feel relief within three months. Some women ease pain by taking 400 to 800 IU daily of natural vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol), which may also reduce tenderness, although clinical evidence is conflicting. For cases that don't respond to evening primrose oil or vitamin E, Hudson prescribes aqueous iodine supplements, which can reduce breast sensitivity to estrogen and actually shrink the dense connective tissue, usually within three months. Supplemental iodine is only available by prescription; talk to your doctor.

Incontinence

Healthy pelvic floor muscles prevent urine flow when you're not urinating; weak muscles can result in urinary incontinence, the involuntary loss of urine. The most common form is stress incontinence, in which a few drops to about a tablespoon of urine leak out during coughing, sneezing, or physical exertion. Urge incontinence occurs when your bladder is full and you barely make it to the bathroom (or don't make it). Both forms of urinary incontinence respond well to self-care. (You should see a doctor first to rule out serious health problems like a nerve injury, stroke, or multiple sclerosis.)

Solutions to your tough problems: some women's health issues are difficult to treat. We found the natural answers you've been waiting for - Annual Women's Health Guide

Natural Health, Dec, 2002 by Julia Tolliver Maranan

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