Archive for December, 2009

Menopause and Women catch-up with Men

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

Happy Couple

Happy Couple

Around the age of 50, women pass a period when their menstrual period ends. This is marked as menopause. They cannot give birth any more as they lose their fertility. Some women may face this phase quite early or quite late. However when women have insufficient amount of hormones they experience menopause. Removing ovary for medical reason also brings menopause. Menopause affects woman socially as well. They try to catch-up with men during this period.

Women suffer in various ways by menopause. During these years their hearts and circulatory diseases become common, because they lose protective effects on these diseases. They feel a drop in estrogen and progesterone levels.  They need to get complete check-ups by a qualified physician. Women of pre-menopause years can also do that.

Women passing menopause period need to eat a healthy diet. Their diet must contain low salt, low fat but rich in calcium. They must seek for natural remedies to avoid side effect of menopause. They must be careful to do physical exercise. At least they should find a minimum time for physical exercise while planning for a daily routine. Physical exercise will help them to avoid heart and circulatory problems. So they need to think and analyze their daily life to become healthy and free from diseases.

Though women pass menopausal years, they try to catch-up with men. That means their career ambitions remain high while passing menopause period. One reason is that they have a lot of time to think because their children move out of the family nest by this time, which means they do not need to take care of their adult children. Women passing pre-menopause period gets better facilities in their job field because they can spend more time and become professional in the company.

But they should be careful. They must not smoke or drink alcohol. These are the example of unhealthy habits. If they have these unhealthy habits, they need to remove this in order to catch-up with men.

During menopausal years, they can get a great relationship with their spouse with a great maturity. While passing through menopausal phase, women become conscious about their personal needs like their spouses. They think that their needs are also important. So men should discuss it and be sympathetic about their changes. Men need to fulfill women’s demand and help them  with their catch-up role. Effective and serious discussion is needed between women passing menopause period and their spouse.

But all women may not realize that their spouses are paying attention to her. They do not need to feel isolated. Discussing with other women can be helpful to fulfill their demands. As a result women can make relationships with other women who are passing this period or have already passed.  Thus they can feel that they are not the only one who is suffering from menopause. This is a great power for them.

Women of pre-menopause can also go to a support group. Nowadays information technology is very much advanced. So if they cannot attend meetings physically, they can join the group by internet.

Menopause and Weight Gain

Water Retention and Ways to Relieve

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Menopause is the last part of fertility for women. When they pass a period where they stop ovulating, we can refer to it as Menopause. Usually women experience it at the age of 50 but some may experience it quite early. However it does not have the same affect on all women. In this time, production of some hormones like estrogen and progesterone become less in the body. So it affects women in different ways to fill the reduced estrogen and progesterone.

One effect is that they try to fill during menopause by taking estrogen. While doing this, their body is filled with excessive amount of fluid which is harmful to important internal organ’s like kidneys, circulatory system, heart etc. This situation is called Water Retention. As this is harmful, women must avoid this in order to stay safe and save their heart, kidneys etc. They must set a limit to the intake of fluid.

It is very pleasant news that Water Retention can be reduced. There are several ways to reduce Water Retention. Women can follow some simple rules:

Physical Exercise

Physical Exercise

Physical exercise is necessary for a healthy life. Accumulating fluid in the body becomes a serious problem with menopause.  Physical exercise is helpful to reduce this problem. Walking, swimming, riding bicycle are good examples for physical exercise.

We know that salt contains sodium, so eating excessive salt means excessive sodium in the blood which increases the amount of water in tissue. Thus water Retention occurs. It is wise to avoid salty food, junk food, pepperoni pizza. It is important to know the salt level before taking food.

Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) removes much water from the kidneys. So kidneys become stressed. It also threatens Water Retention in the future.

Another way is to apply “Dong Quai”. It is one kind of oil which has a diuretic and mild sedative effect. Diuretic effect increases the discharge of urine and mild sedative and smooth’s the intestines and bladder. It is good idea to apply this oil regularly to avoid this problem.

Eating useful food is important. Some foods are diuretic in nature such as coffee, black tea, celery etc. These kinds of foods increase Water Retention.  Avoiding them is helpful. But some foods are really useful against this problem such as watermelon, corn, grapes. These foods can be eaten without any hesitation.

It’s another way to use “Tincture of Dandelion”.  Usually it is used to free cells from excess fluid. It also keeps toning kidneys, the liver and the adrenals. By applying some drops (10 to 20) of it, water levels are reduced, menopausal change become flexible with this treatment.  Ability of digesting food is also increased.

Other suggestions are also needed. Let’s think about oils which we use in our everyday life, such as while taking bath or using it as mouthwash, gargles also we use it with messages. Actually it helps by preventing excess fluid from the body. The names of this type of oil are juniper, rosemary, geranium, cypress etc.

The above points are supposed to prevent Water Retention / bloating. The main purpose is to avoid accumulating excess water in the body.  Staying conscience of this problem is very much important for women. However by leading a disciplined life following those points can give relieve from Water Retertion.

Menopause and Weight Gain

Progesterone and Its Usage

Monday, December 21st, 2009

ProgesteroneThe ovaries of women produce the main two hormones. They are estrogen and progesterone. While menstruating, these hormones are produced. These two hormones play a very important role. Adrenal glands hide some of its amount. However fertilized ovum is depended on it. It also works to help fetus during gestation. It is a metabolic process. Usually ovaries of women ovulate about 24 mg of progesterone per day. This is not the highest number. The highest amount can be 30 mg of progesterone per day. This statistic is needed because it creates problem when there is an imbalance between estrogen level and progesterone level. Taking some steps to balance these two levels is also a good idea.

Progesterone is actually a fat soluble. It is also a matter that women’s fat reservoirs of progesterone are totally depleted.

Progesterone does some important jobs. It acts as an indicator to testosterone and estrogen. It also protects against fibrocystic breasts, endometrial and breast cancer. Uterine lining is maintained by it. Thus it aids in gestation. Fat for energy is depended on it. It restores proper cell oxygen levels, sex drives. It normalizes blood clotting, blood sugar, zinc and copper levels.

Lack of progesterone is believed to be the main thing responsible for menopausal symptoms, heart diseases etc not due to lack of estrogen. A synthetic chemical called Provera is an HRT drug; this does not affect much as natural progesterone. Rather it causes side effects such as cervical erosions, stroke, blood clotting, depression, water retention etc. No one has found any side effect of progesterone, rather it is found as helpful in case of PMS, hot flashes and preventing osteoporosis. PMS is a very good option when it frequently creates stress and higher cortisol levels. It may be required to take higher dose, because if cortisol tries to compete with progesterone, it will create a great problem. So here women should be very careful. Some doctors suggests patients to follow symptom responses and try to use progesterone cream (discussing later), in a crescendo pattern. It is proven that women find a lot of success using this way.

Nowadays a cream with low-dose, natural progesterone is available in any  market. Many doctors are prescribing to use it during menopause. This cream is useful and the body absorbs it well. So using it into thin-skin areas such as the breasts, neck, belly and inner arms is very effective. Thus it is released into bloodstream. But it should be used in a limited level. The level is about 20 to 30 mg. Doctor’s advice is needed while planning to use it.

It is notable that women, who are still facing menstrual bleeding, need not try to take estrogen. Actually it is not needed for them.

Thus progesterone can play an important role while menopausal times. Women can think about it and use it in order to protect all harmful effects. In this case there is no problem with estrogen deficiency but progesterone. In this case women can use progesterone according to doctor’s prescription.

Menopause and Weight Gain

Natural Gifts For Estrogen Supplement

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

As menopause is an obvious event for women, fortunately they have some options regarding this phase, which boosts their low estrogen and progesterone levels. As they look for a remedy, some menopause natural remedies are available, which can help them much by supplying estrogen.

Angelica Herb

Angelica Herb

A good option is “Don Quai”. It is one kind of herb, named Angelica. This herb contains plant estrogen naturally. Women’s menopausal hormones are balanced by natural plant estrogen. Chinese women are getting benefited by using this for menstrual and menopausal issues. This herb also helps women to get rid of some problems that appear as symptom of menopause. Night sweats, vaginal dryness, digestive problem and hot flashes are common example. It also helps to avoid non-menopausal symptom. It can prevent high blood pressure and osteoporosis.  This herb is not uncommon in Europe and Asia.

Licorice root is also helpful in this case. Though it can cause hypertension, it helps to cure some problems like fatigue, irregular periods, vaginal dryness, depression, breast tenderness, headaches, constipation etc. If any woman is not pregnant or is not suffering from high blood pressure, this herbal remedy can be used. It helps to balance hormones because it contains the plant estrogen with anti-inflammatory effect. This herbal remedy is not new, rather it has been used by Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks and Hindus. Egyptians used this herbal remedy to make sweet drinks in the after world. They buried their kings with this root.

Another remedy is black Cohosh. It helps to cure night sweats, vaginal dryness, depressions, hot flashes and menstrual cramps. It supplies estrogens to the body. It should be used with caution. It is not appropriate for women who have breast cancer. Pregnant women are advised to avoid this. It is better to use it for six months, and then should have a break for a few months. This remedy is familiar to Native Americans and Chinese women.

Chaste berry helps the body to produce more progesterone and less estrogen. Thus it helps to balance the levels of estrogen and progesterone levels in body. It works for pre menopause phase when progesterone levels become low. For this purpose, it is useful. It also causes night sweats, depression, hot flashes and breast tenderness. However pregnant women should avoid this. It is very common to Chinese. It is interesting that we find the usage of this herbal in Homer’s “The Iliad” book, which was written many centuries ago. The then monks used this for cutting down their sex drive.

Feverfew is another plant which can treat only one ailment that is migraines. It means “drive away fever”. But it is not limited to remove fever; rather it can also help blood circulation because it contains parthenolide, which is an active ingredient. As mentioned earlier that it can prevent migraines, actually it also helps to stop progressing migraine.

Eventually it is clear that nature has gifted some remedies regarding menopause. Using these gifts any one can enjoy a happy life. It is better to solve natural events with natural remedies.

Menopause and Weight Gain

Gifts From Nature for Menopausal Women

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

Herbs

Herbs

We know that menopause is natural. Many people want to face this problem naturally. So women prefer natural menopause treatments. This is becoming popular day by day. It is a safe treatment because it frees them to suffer from nasty side effects of steroids and synthetic hormones. It also provides the same facilities of hormone replacement therapy treatments. It is great to be safe. These treatments are also popular among pre-menopausal age groups. So this is a good selection.

If we ask a question about the leading way of taking hormones, the answer would be Homeopathic bio identical hormones. This way is approaching with fantastic result because it contains natural alternatives to synthetic steroids. There are also surprises. The real beauty remains in this way of treatment.  The beauty is that they are creams. If women rub these creams in a tiny bit in their body, they start working. Actually the  body absorbs these creams and thus cream is mixed up with the blood stream. Blood carries these remedies and fulfills the hormones.

Another factor is that women do not have to go to any medical center. If they pass menopausal period, they can easily buy a cream from a nearby shop. In addition the cost of the medicine does not cost much. They can also buy these medicines using online service. But there is a problem with the anti aging medical center. These shops demand much from customers. So it is wise to buy from manufacturer to reduce unwanted cost.  Here a question may arise in the mind that if those medicines contain drugs or not. The answer is those medicines does not contain drugs.  As a result we can buy it from online.

There are some differences between usages of this homeopathic cream. Men and women do not use same type of cream, thus there may be a little bit of confusion. Women use the homeopathic progesterone cream and estriol cream. On the other hand, men use the Testosterone creams and the HGH creams. These creams are made for different purposes.

Now there is a question about the procedure of its benefits. Actually these products make the body get nourishment and help the organs to make them healthy. There are also some features regarding this point.  These creams have the ability to get rid of women’s menopausal symptom by producing the normal and required amount of hormones. So this is nice thinking that natural things are being used naturally.

Actually this is the rule of nature. Every treatment is in nature. If any problem is caused naturally, nature is blessed with the solution.  It is the best way to use natural product to use against natural problem.  In the recent times, natural products are becoming popular. People are buying natural products more and more because they are getting too interested in natural products. Artificial products are being produced in a fully controlled way but natural products are perfect for all. Menopausal women should try to rely on natural product.

Menopause and Weight Gain

Menopause and Its Effects on Behavior

Friday, December 18th, 2009

The Greek word “meno” which means month and pauses which means cessation or pause combine the word Menopause. It is a period when women at the age of around 50, experience that their ovaries produce less estrogen hormones. Thus this period makes reproductive system slower day by day. It can be experienced when women of around that age have irregular menstrual bleeding.Menopause Effect

Certainly menopause has its effect on women’s mental side. As it is a stopping point of fertility, many of them cannot take it easy. Some vasomotor symptom occurs in this period. Anxiety, mood swings, irritability, diminished concentration are common psychological changes for women. They also suffer from hot flashes.

As mentioned earlier, menopause is the end point of fertility, women feel great grief of losing something in this time. They reach the time when they cannot give birth. So depression is being increased day by day, because women do not have any possibility of pregnancy. This is a change that comes in this period of life. They feel like some valuable things are being missed. Some kinds of physical change are experienced such as urinary urgencies and atrophic symptoms like vaginal dryness due to lack of hormones.

The truth is that no woman can avoid menopause. Every woman at this phase has the ability to live this experience well depending on their choice. Keeping their body healthy is not a very big problem. They must control weight and have a proper diet which is rich in vitamin D, Calcium and other nutrients. Taking physical exercise regularly can help them to control weight. It should not be avoided.

Menopause is also time for realization that they have done in their life for all. Now the time has come to spoil herself. Many of them feel emptiness. They can mark these events as a starting point and realize her dreams. Certainly they get some free time due to this period. This time can be utilized by making a lifelong plan or starting a new thing. Life cannot be stopped but goes according to its way. This period comes to every woman at certain age, so a woman has her friend who is suffering from this problem. They can discuss about their problems, feelings etc. This discussion can gift them ease of grief and also give an opportunity to make friendship more meaningful. It is also a good idea to join in a group of women who are suffering from this phase. Social life would be developed by this attempt.

Nowadays many organizations help women to overcome this period successfully. These organizations help them by travelling or involving them in some activities, no matter if any woman is passing this period without a spouse being divorced or widowed. Many forums for discussion are also working for them. Here women can also join and share their experience and get sympathy. They are not the only ones today to feel alone; rather others are there to share their grief. Women are supposed to be selfish in this phase, but by using opportunities, they can lead a simple life, and that is not very hard.

Menopause and Weight Gain

Menopausal Symptoms And Safe Hormones

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Treatment

Treatment

Menopause has its direct impact on women. It changes their behavior and creates some symptoms which are very uncomfortable to them. Hot flashes and dryness are very common when they face menopause. Recently it is found that women feel some unpleasant effects later if their packets at hormones are thrown away.

Actually women are not free from absolute risk factors while taking hormone replacement therapy. Women want to have their hormone under control, but many women are successful to pass through menopause without any problem like dropping sweat from hot flashes. Some of them have felt more or less the same amount of discomfort. The common problems with menopause are hot flashes, night sweating, depression, vaginal dryness, insomnia, moodiness, heart palpitations, fear about memory losing etc. It is notable that women of age 30 to 40 are seen to have some of these problems.

Many women are trying to treat it as a natural part of aging by using medication. But they are still in confusion about their future. However they need to maintain some rules. They must be careful about doing physical exercise, learn about the ways to reduce to stress etc. These would help them to suffer less. Why should they suffer anymore because of their ignorance? Nowadays many facilities to remove symptoms have been discovered. They can accept any way, but the notable thing is that, they must do physical exercise, eat healthy foods regularly that may be small in a amount, drinking a lot of water. These things must not be avoided.

Women prefer to take estrogen and progesterone. Actually these things are used when women have little of them.  Many doctors are suggesting using progesterone as creams. The body absorbs this cream and lets it to mix with the blood stream. But these hormones should be taken within some limitation. Taking too much is risky.

Menopause Acupressure is another way that women are trying to remove symptoms. It has no side effect. Actually this works by using fingers. Some parts of the body are pressed by fingers. It can help to increase metabolism, fight fatigue etc. It does great against hot flash problems.

Natural treatment is very effective. Nature has also provided hormones for them. Black Cohosh, Licorice root and fever few etc are very effective against these problems. Natural remedies are the best solution but some of them should be used with great cautions. Especially pregnant women, they should consult with a doctor before using these.

There is no confusion to state that hormones should be used with care as it works for a blessing. But using it as harmful is not expected. Hormones may be bio-identical or not, that is not a factor. Women must take them in appropriate ways. Nowadays many healthcare providers are available for discussion about women’s concern regarding these problems, though some of healthcare providers do not have proper knowledge about herbal and nutritional preparations. The best way is to understand these things seriously and always work to find pleasure from it.

Menopause and Weight Gain

Menopausal Symptoms And Things To Do

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Menopausal Symptoms

Menopausal Symptoms

Menopause is a stressful time for woman. It usually occurs when women reach the age of around 50. So it is easily understandable that women face this only one in life and forever.

As it is not a common phenomenon, most of women cannot understand whether their menopausal period has started or not, though they can diagnose themselves easily.  But there remains some confusion. It is always best to go to doctor and check for this problem. It is the best way to understand whether menopause has started or not.

As mentioned earlier that menopause occurs when women turn the age of around 50, but some may experience it between the age of 46 and 55. It is a natural phenomenon. So women should be positive. Certainly this is a fearful or uncomfortable matter for women. Here is a matter for thinking. They should realize that though it is a great grief, they need to think of it as natural event. They should educate their mind. Menopause happens to all women around the age of 50, so every woman at this age face this trouble. So challenges should be taken and learned from others who have passed that time. Discussion is very necessary here. Thus they can feel and take it easier and can continue their daily life.

Discovering menopausal symptoms in the body does not mean menopause has started. Actually when any woman’s period is missing for about a year, then she experience menopausal period.

To prevent this mentally, education is so very important. Education brings light. So women should know and learn much about menopause. Thus light will clear all of the grief. It is notable that superstition is not education and believing superstition is harmful. Education can also help them to prepare mentally. This brings a change to the life. With menopause, some menopausal symptom may come as painful and disgusting. But changing the mind to feel happy is great. However menopausal symptoms can be cured. So they need not worry about that. They should take all hormonal changes as easy and natural.

Women should take care of their health. Too much worrying reduces defense system of the body as a result diseases can easily attack. Thus they become sick.  To make this period easy, they can look for some helpful things such as a natural progesterone cream made from natural element can improve their symptom. But they must remain conscious of the usages rule. It is better to check whether that product is appropriate for them or not.

Some herbs are very useful. The herb red clover brings many benefits. It contains vitamin B and Gamma oryzenol.

Let’s not think about it too much. If any problems occur, nutritionists and doctors can help them a lot. But they should look for a qualified person.

Eventually it is clear that there is no factor for women passing menopausal periods to fear. There is lot of women, who have passed that time and with a lot of natural elements near at hands. Now is the time for understanding these.

Menopause and Weight Gain

Insomnia and Prevention

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

InsomniaMenopause is the time when women lose fertility. So it is a very difficult period for them. This brings changes to their life. Thus they start to believe that they are getting older very quickly. Due to menopause, they experience some common effects. They also worry about these issues. As a result they suffer from insomnia. Hopefully this problem can be solved. This is also treated as a common side effect of menopause.

Women feel a lot of grief in this period. They suffer from depression too. So they cannot sleep well at night and always worry about this. Physical symptoms, caused by menopause, are also responsible for this problem. Interruption while sleeping becomes disgusting and boring. However trying to take some steps to prevent these problems can help them. This attempt helps them to compare notes with other women who are also experiencing this problem.

Insomnia can easily destroy the defense system of the body. As a result, virus, bacteria etc can easily attack the body. Getting sick become common phenomenon. It causes not only sickness, but also reduces thinking speed and productivity. In this time driving is not recommended, because women fall asleep easily. In order to avoid accident, they must be careful when they are affected by insomnia. Driving while drunk is similar to driving while tired. It is a serious problem. To avoid, this problem it is better to get a sleep remedy. Medication and natural, both types of sleep remedy are available. But it is better to use a natural remedy. One of the reasons is that natural remedies help to prevent insomnia as well as other symptoms that are caused by menopause. Another reason is that menopause insomnia is a natural problem. Nature is also enriched with remedies to cure these problems.

There are some ways that help women to feel and sleep better. They should think about changing habits. They should eat healthy food because it is problem for health issues. Vegetables and fruits are very good for them. They should eat them regularly. Thus improving their diet will help them. Processed foods are not suitable for them. Avoiding these foods is a good idea.

Women should not eat all the time. They must not eat before going to bed. This can cause interrupted sleeping.  They can maintain a note of what they are eating in their daily life. They are allowed to have herbal tea and milk before bed.

Physical exercise is very important. To lead a healthy life no one should deny physical exercise. Doing physical exercise is not hard. Women should do physical exercise by walking, riding on bike etc. They should make a plan and spend a little time for physical exercise.

Most importantly, women have a lot of scope to improve their daily life to prevent insomnia.  They will find new dimension by analyzing their daily life. If they can detect faults that go against the condition of keeping good health, they can avoid them easily.  A little change of their life can bring happiness while reducing insomnia.

There is no need to take drug or pill to sleep with insomnia. “Natural Sleep Made Simple” can help them in this case. Trying to sleep naturally is the best for women, nothing else is needed.

Menopause and Weight Gain

Healthy During Menopause: Some Secrets

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

Healthy Menopause

Healthy Menopause

Menopause brings certain changes in a woman’s body. This affects a woman directly. So it is wise to be healthy. There are some rules to be healthy. Women should follow those rules and enjoy their lives.

Women should eat plenty of vegetables and fresh foods every single day. Brightly colored varieties should be chosen. Fruit juice is also helpful to control diet. These foods carry high level of nutrients. Choosing carrots, snack on apples, salad leaves to sandwiches, dip strips of fresh sliced pepper into hummus for healthy snack is a nice thing. If anyone likes simple and sustaining soup, she can prepare it from fresh vegetable and fruits. Many people consider canned and frozen fruits as harmful for menopausal period. But this idea is totally wrong. Women can eat them. But canned vegetables with added sugar and of course salty foods are harmful.

During menopausal period, women should eat regularly. They can take small meals but they must not skip a meal. When a woman misses a meal, her body assumes that it is in danger of starvation. As a result body slows down metabolism and stores fat. On the other hand eating regularly ensures proper energy all the time.

Avoiding a large amount of carbohydrate blesses them a lot. We find high amount of carbohydrates in cakes, breads, biscuits, cookies, pastry, ice cream, sweets, alcohol etc. High amount of carbohydrates increase blood sugar which creates imbalance in body.

It is not important to count calorie during this period. They only need to concentrate on smaller meals. They should eat more frequently. This is enough of an approach for them to be strong. There is an advantage that if they eat unhealthy food, it will not create major problem. So eating smaller amount is enough for them.

Choosing unrefined wholegrain foods like whole meal bread or whole-wheat pasta are allowed. But they should avoid white and refined varieties of these foods.

Another way to become healthy is that they should choose high quality, lean protein while eating foods. Nutritional experts suggest for these types of foods. Thus they can get 40% of protein from these foods. Many foods contain these proteins such as beans, pulses, tofu, soya beans etc. It is notable that they must be able to digest them. Adding them in every meal will help them a lot.

Many people think that eating fat is harmful for women who are passing menopausal periods. Actually this idea is not true. They can eat fat healthily, that means fat should be very minimal amount in foods. Fat increases weight. They can eat pumpkin, oily fish, sunflower seeds, and nuts. But cakes, cookies, snakes are not allowed.

A routine with an eating plan is a very important issue. They should include the following rules while eating and set to their daily routine. Maintaining those rules is not difficult rather easy and useful. They must do physical exercises daily. Thus physical exercise and useful foods will be a blessing for them. Thus they will be able to reduce some weight.

Menopause and Weight Gain