| To the
NIH Conference on Menopausal Hormone Therapy
“Menopause is Not a Disease” –
Certified Menopause Educator Calls for
Holistic Treatment Approach for Mid-Life Women
October
29, 2002 (Washington, D.C.) – A woman psychotherapist
and certified menopause educator addressed the National Institutes
of Health and asked the medical community to stop treating menopausal
women as if they had a disease. During the NIH National Conference
on Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Lenore Pomerance, MSW, LICSW. called
for a holistic approach that includes the traditional medical model,
relieves pressure on physicians, and better serves the needs of
women.
“The raging
debate about the health risks and benefits of hormone therapy stems
from the traditional medical model in which menopause is treated
as a disease,” said Pomerance. “In the holistic model,
menopause is seen as a natural condition. Under the holistic model,
medications and lifestyle changes are given equal weight in treating
menopausal symptoms.”
“I believe
treating women holistically relieves the pressure on the physician
to solve all problems of menopausal mid-life women,” Pomerance
continued, “and offers women the services of health practitioners
with expertise in mental health, nutrition, and physical therapy.”
She noted that
many issues that women face in mid- life may not be directly related
to the cessation of menstruation and natural drop in hormone levels.
Relationships, career issues, financial matters, and “empty
nest” syndrome can all contribute to menopause being a difficult
time, but hormone replacement therapy does not solve these life
issues, she said.
For most women,
menopause is not a negative event, she noted. “Studies have
shown that if women have overall life satisfaction, menopause is
not experienced as stressful. If mid-life women are in crisis, there
may be many factors that are unrelated or only partially related
to hormones. A holistic approach treats all of these factors, and
helps a woman decide whether or not HRT is the right choice for
them.”
Pomerance’s
complete statement is available at http://www.menopausecounseling.com.
She is available for media interviews and workshops on this and
related topics.
--
return to newsroom -- return to home
page --
|
