Staying healthy at every stage of your life is the aim for those seeking optimal health. The menopause is a particularly challenging time of life when great changes can cause considerable discomfort. It is important to remember that this is just a phase in your life and not a disease. The tendency to pathologise the menopause has led to the widespread use of synthetic hormone in the form of Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT. It has become clear in the past few years that this practice is not only wrong, it significantly increases risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The Million Woman study was one landmark study which showed up these risks and also that the expected protective effect on heart disease was infact a myth. HRT actually increased heart attacks and strokes rather than the reverse.