Re hot flushes, I understand that there are some really good and effect homeopathic treatments - heard of good results from Bristol Homeopathic Hospital.
I think re phyto-oestrogens that you need to consult an up-to-date nutritionist and draw the line between natural sources of these cancer fighting factors and concentrated extracts and avoid any source of info which comes from a shop or an organisation who sells supplements!
Phyto-oestrogens in their natural state exist in infinitesimal amounts in plants to protect them from fungal and viral disease attack. In a varied and plant-based diet you cannot possibly overdose on them and all the research on tomatoes, for an example, or on most of the 20 different phyto-oestrogens which occur in 300 different plant foods and also in smaller quantities than bovine oestrogen, in milk. The amount in a serving of fruit, seeds, herbs or vegetables is only 1/500 -1/1000 of the oestrogen in a serving of dairy or animal based food.
Of these, Red clover concentrations of phyto-oestrogens are 10 times higher than in soya, so if you belive the advice to avoid it, despite many cancer nutritionists’ advice to include it, I guess you’ll avoid red cloveras the plant itself is a relatively concentrated source (50-100 times more than in dairy or meat).
There are now scores of scientific papers which explain that phyto-oestrogens compete with the xeno-oestrogens (potent, man-made oestrogen-mimicking chemicals in the environment found in cleaning products, some cosmetics and many pesticides) and animal origin oestrogen from dairy and meat products, for space on breats cancer oestrogen receptors.
The phyto-oestrogens once installed block these receptors in a manner similar to Tamoxifen, reducing cancer cell activity, so the research goes. This applies at normal levels of phyto-oestrogens as they occur in nature, though not perhaps at the abnormal levels as they occur in extracts, such as soya EXTRACT or green tea EXTRACT or red clover EXTRACT or LYCOPENE or BETA_CAROTENE EXTRACT.
These are to be avoided as the research on these has been mostly in test tubes and not in living systems and supplement companies are going to push them as a way of increasing profits by manipulating otherwise healthy food substances.
There is good reason to believe that our bodies have evolved over millions of years to make the best of these food ingredients in their complex biological forms in food and not extracted into a concentrate, devoid of the accompanying enzymes and minerals and other elements which make them effective.
Check out this website:phytoestrogens and consult a nutritionist who is up to date with and can quote to you the latest research. Unfortunately cancernet cannot be considered as a completely independent source of information as it is sponsored by a wide range of major pharmaceutical companies, but not food supplement companies, but it has a heavy duty medical staff and ethical editorial committee which has a strict policy on publishing only proven research online which you can read for yourself and does not sell food supplements.
Their site supports all the mass of evidence that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and whole grains and pulses protects us best against hormone-driven breast cancer.
Wishing you well,
Jenny