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It is important to recognize that there are specific womens health issues that don't affect men, and it is important to learn what they are and how to treat them. Although there are many illnesses and conditions that both men and women share, there are some that women face on their own, just as men do with prostate issues.

Doctors are faced with womens health questions on a daily basis, and it is up to them to decide what is the best solution for their patients. Most medical professionals recommend OTC and prescription medications, however a growing number have been suggesting natural treatments for womens health issues.

Some of the most common women-specific health concerns are PMS, menopause, and fertility. These are all related to hormone production, which can be balanced in a variety of ways. There are prescription drugs that can help regulate hormone levels as well as help fight inflammation and other symptoms of PMS. There are pills that can help alleviate night sweats and help maintain bone density in women going through menopause. There are also fertility drugs that can help increase the chances of conception.

Unfortunately, the available womens health information is limited, and most people believe that prescribed drugs are the only way to go to treat womens health issues. The reality is, there is an alternative, and these alternatives are becoming more popular as women are learning more about them.

There are natural remedies that can effectively treat PMS, menopause and infertility, sometimes yielding better results than pharmaceutical alternatives. New research is emerging showing that herbs such as black cohosh, wild yam, dong quai, red clover and others offer a safe, effective solution to PMS, menopause and other health problems that women face. These herbal extracts are often combined with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to yield maximum therapeutic benefits.

Many womens health questions involve safety, and the good news is these herbal supplements have been shown to be much safer than their pharmaceutical counterparts, with minimal side effects with recommended dosages. Of course it's important to buy high quality supplements from a reputable company, as there are always products on the market that don't contain what they claim to.

When looking around the Internet for womens health information, either about conventional or alternative treatments, make sure you find a site you can trust, and always double check the data to make sure it's accurate. Look for a site that is kept up-to-date (an RSS feed is a good indicator, this means that there is continuous fresh content, with all of the latest womens health issues).

Whether for yourself or someone close to you, learn about womens health issues and how you can deal with them safely and effectively.

David Bloom is a health enthusiast and contributor to many fitness sites. He is the author of Womens Health Issues, a section of Herbal Supplements Guide dedicated to natural healing of specific womens health concerns.

Living life as a woman may be fun. You have great clothes, jewelry and a sublime sense of intuition. However, being a woman you may have specific problems related to health that warrant special attention. Such issues may range from obesity to breast and ovarian cancer, pregnancy to menstruation and menopause. Let us focus on three prime diseases of woman that warrant immediate attention.

Heart Diseases

Heart diseases are responsible for premature death and permanent disability in women. There have been growing incidences of death among women who are less than 60 years old from various heart diseases. Many of them may have suffered from symptoms indicating problems of heart but neglected and complicated it. As such, when the problems are detected it may be too late to provide relief. Sometime the symptoms are not pronounced as chest pain but innocuous like pain in jaw, shoulder or shortness of breath and nausea. Increasing age and heredity, smoking and sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure and high cholesterol all contribute and enhance risk of heart diseases. Periodic checks and tests recommended by doctors help in minimizing risks of heart diseases.

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the second largest killer disease for women, just after lung cancer. Fear of breast cancer is so acute in some women that they shy off from regular breast screening. Some even make crucial decisions like mastectomy where it may not be a necessity. While breast cancer may be worrying, it is not a death sentence for a woman. There are many advanced methods for treating breast cancer.

Woman having a family history of breast cancer, having an abnormal breast biopsy and those subjected to chest radiation are at greater risk of breast cancer. The disease may also rise from drug overdose, smoking, obesity and alcoholism. Women not having any children and those who have experienced early (prior to age 12) menstruation should stay alert. Controlling weight, regular breast screening, exercising and not smoking are some simple ways to prevent this disease.

Osteoporosis

Among the 44 million Americans affected by osteoporosis, about 70% are women. This is largely a preventable disease. Most of the bone mass of body is build until age of 30. After this, bone stops formation and the focus is on maintenance. As such, behavior and practices developed by women in their early childhood and adolescence play crucial roles in development of this disease. Bones of women affected by this disease gets brittle and prone to breakage.

Women with irregular menstrual cycle, those experiencing estrogen losses for menopause are more likely to have this disease. A family history of osteoporosis, diet low in calcium and Vitamin D, sedentary lifestyle and smoking increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Perhaps one of the reasons why women struggle with health issues is they tend to be caretakers of others in a family. Only when the issue gets too complicated to tolerate, do they seek medical help. Women having more risk factors should undergo regular checkups and follow routine exercises and diet to prevent these diseases.

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Acupuncture is a natural, drug free treatment option that is increasingly popular in the Western world. In the West, it is primarily associated with pain relief. However, it is often used to treat a wide range of other health conditions. One of the areas where it has been shown to be effective is in women's health concerns.

Acupuncture is a practice that involves the insertion of very fine, sterile needles into the body at certain points. This is a holistic treatment, meant to treat the body as a whole organism rather than isolating separate parts. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, acupuncture works by restoring the balance of yin and yang in the body, and enhancing or correcting the flow of Qi (energy) by removing blockages that can cause all kinds of pain and illnesses, including many problems specific to women's health.

Many practitioners of this ancient art as well as their patients claim that these treatments can successfully reduce or alleviate problems such as irregular or heavy periods, menstrual cramps, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), uterine fibroids, and even problems like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and other infertility issues. Acupuncturists utilize techniques that are thought to help regulate the ovarian cycle, stimulate egg production, improve the balance of hormones and even increase blood flow to the womb.

A German study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2008 showed that the majority of women who had acupuncture for menstrual cramps, discomfort and pain saw at least a 33 percent reduction in their pain level as compared to women who received no treatment. In addition, a Danish study found that women receiving acupuncture had a significantly higher rate of pregnancy versus a control group who did not receive this treatment.

Many more general studies have shown that acupuncture stimulates the body to produce natural steroids and release endorphins, which help to reduce inflammation and pain. All practitioners agree that their techniques enhance the mind and body's own ability to heal itself, and women's issues are no exception to the rule.

Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine often use herbs as well as dietary, exercise and lifestyle advice in conjunction with acupuncture treatments to obtain better results. Also, it is not uncommon for acupuncture to be successfully used as a complementary therapy along with more "mainstream" fertility and women's health care options. In fact, some acupuncturists have extensive schooling in both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine, which can help them better integrate different types of care for maximum efficacy.

If you're looking for a Portland Acupuncturist with experience in treating women's health problems and infertility, call on Dr. Lu Acupuncture and Massage Clinics. With over 20 years experience and extensive training in both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine, they use acupuncture, herbal medicine and Chinese tuina massage to treat many conditions. SEO 2.0 Services [http://seo-search-engine-optimization.netbiz.com/]

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While this may sound like wishful thinking, Northrup backs up her good news with solid medical expertise. As an obstetrician and gynecologist, Northrup has specialized in using a mind-body approach to women's health for decades, which means she doesn't just write about hormones, but also examines how a woman's lifestyle, emotions, and beliefs are affected by menopause. With the right diet, attitude, and perhaps some supplements along the way, women can actually look forward to a resurgence of energy and a revolutionary opportunity for personal growth--one that rivals the hormonally driven period of adolescence in its scope and urgency, she claims. And yes, at just under 500 pages, The Wisdom of Menopause does explain how to have a positive and healthy menopause in concise detail. Northrup has indeed "written the book" on menopause.

It helps that Northrup has been through menopause herself (she vowed she wouldn't write a book on it until she was on the other side). Readers have the sense that they are gleaning advice from a knowledgeable holistic doctor as well as a sage aunt whose life was radically altered by the "change of life" (Northrup divorced at the onset of menopause). After she shares her personal story of "the change," Northrup delves into a significant discussion on how self-sacrifice catches up with women in midlife. Suddenly, hormones are directing women out of the caregiver role and into an inwardly focused assessment of life and its meaning, she explains. Resentments (not hormones) are what spur the notorious surges of anger, as women reexamine the agreements surrounding their relationships with colleagues, friends, and family members.

From here, Northrup guides readers into a thorough section on menopausal hormone changes--a discussion that is scientifically informative, yet entirely accessible. While acknowledging the need for hormone-replacement therapy and the tremendous relief it can provide (helping to alleviate insomnia, hot flashes, and depression), Northrup encourages women to avoid synthetic hormones and instead consider "bioidentical" hormones (such as estradiol, estrone, and estriol). She also devotes an entire chapter to foods and supplements that support hormonal balance. By the way, she says to skip the wild Mexican yam creams: "they certainly don't provide the documented benefits of progesterone." Be warned: some readers may find the advice in Wisdom of Menopause too alternative for their liking. For example, in her discussion on insomnia, one of Northrup's recommendations is to cover the mirror at night, following the ancient Asian design principles of feng shui. (Skeptics will find Northrup's medical assertions carefully cited and footnoted in the rear of her book.)

Northrup gives a solid and practical diet plan that supports hormonal balance while countering the weight gain that so frequently plagues menopausal women ("focus on portion size, not calories," "eat protein at every meal," and cut down on refined and high-carbohydrate foods). Readers can also expect a thorough mind-body discussion in subsequent chapters that cover breast health, bone loss, and cultivating midlife beauty, along with chapters titled "Sex and Menopause: Myths and Reality" and "Creating Pelvic Health and Power."

She concludes with a list of mail-order and online resources, such as retailers for bioidentical hormones, progesterone cream, Chinese herbs, soy products, weight-loss audiocassettes, lubricants, and Kegel weights. Northrup takes a truly comprehensive approach to all the effective treatments of menopausal symptoms so that women can make their own highly informed and wise choices. --Gail Hudson

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