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reproductive system
menorrhagia
nutrition

dietary guidelines

eating principles:
Green leafy vegetables: The patient should consume as many green leafy vegetables as possible because of the vitamin K content. (Marz, p. 433, 1997)
Decrease consumption of arachidonic acid: Avoid animal fats. Remember safflower, corn, and sunflower oils may possibly get converted to arachidonic acid in times of stress. It is best to stick with omega 3 EPA. (Marz, p. 433, 1997)
• vegan diet

therapeutic foods:
• foods rich in Vitamins A, C, K , E, and Iron
• foods that raise the Yang and ascend
• increase dark green leafy vegetables: beet, radish, mustard, dandelion, collard greens, kale, spinach, chard
• increase omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids: vegetable, nut, seed oils, salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, walnuts, flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, black currant oil

specific remedies:
• irregular menstruation: boil 3 oz. raw brown sugar, 3 oz. dried dates and 1/2 oz. ginger in l pt. of water until reduced to half. Drink per day (Butt and Bloomfield, p. 148)

avoid:
• animal products with the exception of cold water fish


supplements

Vitamin A: 25,000 IU twice daily (Lithgow, D. & Politzer, W. S. Afr. Med. J. 51:191-3, 1977)
Iron: 30-100 mg per day (Taymor, M. JAMA 187:323-27, 1964)
Vitamin C: 1g per day: decreases capillary fragility and increases absorption of iron. (Cohen, J. and Rubin, H. Curr. Ther. Res. 2:539-42, 1960)
Vitamin K: 5-10 mg per day of phytonadione (Gubner, R. & Ungerleider, H. S. Med J. 37:556-8,1944)
Evening Primrose Oil: 3 caps three times daily: promotes the production of PGE1 series.
Vitamin E: 400 IU per day: decreases capillary fragility and promotes PGE1. (Dasgupta, P., Dutta, S., Banerjee. Int J. Fertil 28:55-6, 1983).
Thyroid or Thyroid protomorphogens (Stoffer, C. Postgraduate Med. 72:75-82, 1982)


footnotes

Cohen, J. & Rubin, H. Functional menorrhagia: Treatment with bioflavonoids and Vitamin C: Curr. Ther. Res. 2:539-42, 1960.
Abstract: Supplementation with 200mg three times per day vitamin C and bioflavonoids reduced menorrhagia in 14 of 16 patients. Of the 2 that did not respond, one had endometriosis and the other had metrorrhagia.

Dasgupta, P., Dutta, S., Banerjee. Vitamin E in the management of menorrhagia associated with the use of IUDs. Int J. Fertil 28:55-6, 1983.
Abstract: Patients who had IUDs were given 100iu vitamin E and at the end of 10 weeks, all patients had improved in symptoms of menorrhagia.

Gubner, R. & Ungerleider, H. Vitamin K therapy in menorrhagia. S. Med J. 37:556-8,1944. Abstract: Crude chlorophyll preparations were used in the treatment of menorrhagia with some success.

Lithgow, D. & Politzer, W. Vitamin A in the treatment of menorrhagia. S. Afr. Med. J. 51:191-3, 1977.
Abstract: Serum vitamin A was measured in 71 women with menorrhagia. Vitamin A levels were significantly lower than in controls (healthy women who attended the GYN clinic). Forty of the women with menorrhagia were given vitamin A in doses of 25,000iu 2x/day for 15 days. Of the 40 women treated, menstruation returned to normal in 57.5%, and there was a substantially diminished menstrual period or a reduction in the duration of menses or both in an additional 35%. Thus, 92% of vitamin A treated women had either complete relief or significant improvement.

Stoffer, C. Menstrual disorders and mild thyroid insufficiency. Postgraduate Med. 72:75-82, 1982.
Abstract: It was found that patients with minimal thyroid insufficiency and menorrhagia responded dramatically to thyroxine.

Taymor, M. The etiological role of chronic iron deficiency in production of menorrhagia. JAMA 187:323-27, 1964.
Abstract: In a double blind study, 75% of those on iron improved compared to 32.5% on placebo, a significant difference. Abstract: 74/83 patients in whom organic pathology had been excluded, responded to iron supplementation. It was also noted that when initial iron levels were high, there was a decreased response to iron therapy, and there was also a correlation of menorrhagia with depleted tissue iron stores (bone marrow or ferritin) irrespective of serum iron level.