Tag Archive for: night sweats

happy older man and woman feeling youthful

How to Manage Menopause

How to Manage Menopause — First, what is Menopause? Menopause is a natural process as a woman ages. It is when she has not had a period for 12 consecutive months. Perimenopause is defined as the year prior to menopause.

Some women proceed through menopause without effort and others may experience the uncomfortable side effects of it. Because I balanced my hormones premenopausal, menopause was a nonevent for me.  Therefore, I urge younger women to start now to protect their bodies from toxins in personal care and replaced processed with whole foods.

What are the symptoms of menopause?

  • Hot flashes/night sweats
  • Sleeplessness
  • Unwanted hair growth
  • Weight gain
  • Cravings
  • Thinning skin
  • Depression/anxiety
  • Forgetfulness
  • Foggy thinking
  • Bone loss
  • Libido changes
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Hair loss

Impact on the Body

Menopause happens gradually and may take up to 10 years to occur. The time leading up to menopause is called peri-menopause and occurs between 45-55 years. Peri-menopause is when progesterone levels decline significantly.  Estrogen levels can change as well but are typically not as great as progesterone.  The imbalance of estrogen to progesterone levels can lead to increased estrogen in relation to progesterone which is called estrogen dominance.

Estrogen dominance beings during peri-menopause and may contribute to hot flashes, mood swings, memory loss, and others.  Long-term estrogen dominance can be a risk factor for diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis, dementia, and cardiovascular disease.

Menopause can also alter levels of testosterone and DHEA resulting in symptoms such as belly fat, scalp hair loss, low libido burnout, or rapid aging.

Cortisol levels should be monitored during this time to ensure they remain balanced. Imbalanced cortisol can escalate menopausal symptoms.

How Menopause Impacts our Bones

During menopause, bones may be broken down faster than they can be rebuilt.  Our bone is made up of minerals and collagen. So adding high-quality nonGMO liquid collagen can be highly beneficial during this time. The best source is Liquid BioCell collagen with 13 phytonutrient-rich superfoods and resveratrol to improve joints, skin, and the aging process.

Best Testing for Menopause

Take charge of your health and request salivary hormone testing. A test kit can be shipped direct to your home and you will have online access to the results plus support and interpretation by a wellness professional.  Our Menopause Test measures cortisol, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA. Contact us today at info@brenewed.com or text or call us at 812-461-8922.

You can be on your way to experience:

  • Improved sleep
  • Improved mood and cognition
  • Maintain your weight
  • Improve libido
  • Curb your cravings

Most importantly, you can start to regain the vitality of your youth!

 

 

 

How to Prevent Hormone Imbalances

Are you hormones out of balance? Do you know what hormone imbalance looks and feels like? Symptoms range from mood issues, PMS, infertility and more, but these symptoms are just a few that women “deal with” and consider just part of being a woman. However, I am excited to share the fact that many of the negative symptoms relating to a woman’s reproductive health can be minimized or even avoided!

Symptoms of Imbalance

Menopause

Did you know, two-thirds of women suffer from menopausal symptoms?

As women age, hormone levels become imbalanced as the body produces less of them. Estrogen and progesterone, the two primary hormones, work together to perform their many and complex functions. Between the ages of 45-50, most women will cease to have a menstrual period, and this marks the beginning of the official menopause phase.

Symptoms of menopause can include hot flashes, night sweats, moodiness, and more. During this time is usually when women seek the advice of their physician or natural health practitioner for help to battle the “changes” of the phase.

Hot Flashes

Hot flashes occur when blood vessels near the skin’s surface expand to cool the body. They are the most frequent symptom of menopause and pre-menopause as two-thirds of all women suffer from them. Hot flash symptoms may include a red face, sweating, increased heartbeat, or chills. If they occur at night, they are called night sweats. Did you know that stress, caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, tight clothing, heat, and smoke from tobacco products can trigger hot flashes?

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

About 85% of women experience the misery of PMS symptoms (around 10% can be severe), and these symptoms, just like menopause symptoms, can be reduced greatly. Symptoms occur during or before the menstrual cycle which can include bloating, weight gain, aggression, cloudy thinking, head or backaches, cravings, anxiety, mood swings, and more. PMS is correlated to the body being out of balance, specifically the hormones progesterone and estrogen.

Balancing hormones with whole food nutrition

How would you like to experience freedom from the miserable symptoms of Menopause and PMS? To put the body back in balance you must choose whole, clean, unprocessed food, especially fruits, vegetables, and green leafies. What do I mean by whole, clean food?  Whole, clean food is the stuff straight from God and nature without additives, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This means vine-ripened (picked at peak nutrient levels versus being picked green) or certified organic fruits and vegetables. According to the USDA, half of your daily intake of food should be from fruits, vegetables, and greens, which is approximately 7-13 servings!  Are you getting a variety of these on a daily basis?

In addition to whole, clean fruits and vegetables, we must not forget the importance of nuts and seeds (raw, unsalted) to supply fiber, protein, and essential fatty acids (EFA’s). These essential fatty acids are crucial to hormone regulation.  Nature provides these essentials through a variety of foods:

  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil, cold-pressed
  • Butter or ghee (from grass-fed, antibiotic, hormone-free animals)
  • Borage oil
  • Hemp seeds or oil
  • Nuts and nut butters especially almond and walnut
  • Coconut Oil
  • Flax seeds and oils
  • Seafood: wild (not farm-raised) cold-water fish and oils such as sardines and salmon.

As a necessary, basic component for balanced hormones, the body requires Essential Fatty Acids (g00d fats). Personally, I use a minimum of 2-4 Tablespoons per day of the oils listed above and strive to use different ones each week to ensure I receive a variety as each has unique properties. Additionally, EFA’s are necessary for the production of prostaglandins, which are the precursors to hormones.  Prostaglandins are important for the regulation of many bodily functions:

  • Inflammation, pain, and swelling
  • Blood pressure and heart function
  • Kidney function and balance
  • Allergic response
  • Immune response
  • Nerve transmission
  • Hormones
  • Steroid production and hormone synthesis
  • Blood clotting and red blood cell/platelet aggregation (stickiness)

The good prostaglandins prevent blood cells from sticking together, which leads to improved blood flow and reduced inflammation, therefore, reduced pain.

In summary, eating whole, clean, processed foods and increasing or adding EFA’s are two small foundational steps to balance the body and hormones.  What foods have you found that help balance the body when it comes to hormone health or what foods have you learned to avoid? Tell us in the comments below.