Menopause and Women's HealthWritten by Cathy Taylor
Creating a “quality” menopause transition requires following certain guidelines to minimize its effects on women’s health. You probably know that this condition wrecks havoc on female anatomy creating chemical imbalances and overall discomfort for a period of time (both short and long). Bouts of anxiety, physical symptoms such as hot flashes and vibrations ripping through body, vaginal discomfort, relationship issues, and realization that women are stepping into next phase of their lives are critical changes one must face.Menopause and exercising proper women’s health can easily go hand in hand with a little extra effort. In order to lessen severity of symptoms, women need to be informed about proper nutrition including vitamin and other supplement consumption. Let’s look into some vitamins that can help. Some of physical symptoms of menopause include night sweats, itchy, crawly vibrations throughout body, and general discomfort. An excellent vitamin to take is Vitamin E. Taken in a dose of 800 IU daily, it helps prevent these conditions from happening. Make sure you take one pill with each of your meals, as capsules are best activated in body when consumed with food. A good vitamin to aid depression and hot flashes during sleep is magnesium as well (taken in a dose of 1,000 mg. daily). Another one of ¨letter¨ vitamins that is great for menopausal symptoms and immune system building is Vitamin B-6. It is a diuretic, which means it flushes out any excess liquid in body that can cause discomfort. It also aids in processing protein and fights against disease. Women suffering under this condition also experience depressive symptoms, something Vitamin B-6 can combat. Regular Vitamin B can ease anxiety and fight stress as well. Did you know menopause can cause weak bones? In a condition known as osteoporosis, bones start to become brittle and can break with ease performing simplest tasks, such as opening a car door or turning suddenly. A quality vitamin such as calcium can help. However, make sure you also take calcium with magnesium and Vitamin D together because they help absorb calcium into blood stream. Hormones are also impacted by this wonderful vitamin, as it acts as its ¨engine¨ in being spread out throughout body. Remember, if you don’t want to consume pills and capsules, you can eat foods and drink liquids rich in vitamins such as orange juice, peanuts, soybeans, broccoli, bananas, and milk (calcium loaded).
| | StressWritten by Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, Ph.D, ND, DACBN
Stress is everywhere. From taking a test to dealing with a cranky customer service representative, dealing with loss of a loved one, stress is impossible to avoid. It can be acute, such as stress that occurs in face of immediate danger, or it can be chronic when a person is dealing with a long-term stressful situation. The Three Stages of Stress An endocrinologist named Dr. Hans Selye outlined a three stage model of body's response to stress. He called his model General Adaptation Syndrome. Understanding these three stages will give you a better idea as to symptoms that occur with stress and how to manage them. General Adaptation Syndrome: 1. Alarm 2. Resistance or Adaptation 3. Exhaustion The Alarm Stage: This is "fight or flight" reaction to a particular stress. It may occur as a response to imminent danger, or it may be first stressful reaction you feel upon hearing stressful news, such as loss of a loved one. In this stage, your body physical reacts to stress by releasing adrenaline to increase your heat and breathing rate and help you move quicker in a dangerous situation. A hormone called corticotropin is also released by anterior pituitary gland to help body prepare for danger. Other physical responses to stress include butterflies in your stomach, a rise in blood pressure, dilation in eyes, dry mouth, tensing of muscles, and difficulty concentrating. The Resistance or Adaptation Stage: During this stage, your body is still on alert for imminent danger. If this stage of stress becomes prolonged, such as when dealing with a long-term stressful situation, your body will become taxed by physical responses. Over time, your immune system may become compromised, leaving you more susceptible to illness. It only takes a few days in resistance and adaptation stage for immune system to become weakened. The Exhaustion Stage: The final stage in General Adaptation Syndrome is exhaustion stage where your body readjusts to normal. Additional hormones, called cortisols, are released to help relieve damaging effects of stress. They are continually released until your body's chemistry comes back into balance. These hormones ultimately suppress immune system and have potential to worsen biological and psychological diseases and disorders. Diseases and Stress Scientists have found a direct link between stress and development of many physical illnesses and diseases. Emotional stress can weaken immune and in same regard, reduction of stress can help to strengthen immune system. Clinical studies have shown that body's response to stress can produce same arteriosclerosis risk that results from smoking or high cholesterol levels. This drastically increases risk for heart disease and stroke. Stress has also been linked to development and progression of cancer as it reduces body's natural ability to seek out and destroy malignant cells. Mental stress also makes it more difficult to withstand exhausting treatments often required to treat cancer, such as chemotherapy and radiation. Other diseases that have are associated with stress include type II diabetes, ulcers, respiratory dysfunction, infections, and depression.
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