Digestive aids are of great value and I recommend patients supplement Swedish Bitters or Betaine HCL , as well as digestive plant enzymes with each meal. Herbal teas are good replacements for coffee. Peppermint, Ginger, and Chamomile are excellent. Many patients require probiotics. This refers to the supplementing of good bacteria such as acidophilus that may have been destroyed by antibiotic or other drug use.
Stress reduction is also important to heal up the digestive tract.
I feel one of the reasons is that women are more susceptible to hormonal imbalance. Environmental toxins such as pesticides mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. The use of birth control pills or synthetic hormone replacement can also lead to imbalanced hormones. In addition, a sluggish liver leads to inefficient hormone metabolism in the body. For women in the pre-menopausal and menopausal transition I recommend formulas composed of hormone balancing herbs.