Soy or Red Clover for Hot Flashes
Dear Kaayla: If soy isoflavones are so deleterious to our brains, then why do menopausal women always get told to combat their hot flashes with soy isoflavones? Doesn’t this just hasten the overall aging, starting with the brain? So what should we do instead–maybe red clover?
Dear Wendy: The soy industry heavily promotes the myth that soy is safe and all-natural HRT and the ticket to a healthy and easy menopause. The truth is the studies on soy and menopause are inconsistent and contradictory at best. Soy might alleviate hot flashes in some women, but there are well proven risks to the thyroid. Red clover contains coumestans, another type of phytoestrogen. In terms of a comfortable passage through menopause, I’d recommend a Nourishing Traditions type diet perhaps with some heavy metal detoxification, adrenal support, thyroid nourishment, liver cleansing and other work as indicated by laboratory assessment and work with an alternative MD or other health care practitioner. Good luck.