Women's HealthHow fast you age and the diseases you’re prone to develop depend on two things: your genes and your lifestyle. It’s as simple as that. You can’t alter your genes, but you can make a tremendous amount of improvement in your lifestyle.Most people take better care of their pets than they do themselves! Would you give your puppy a greasy hamburger and well-oiled order of French fries for dinner? Of course not, it would make them sick. As we age your lifestyle begins to shape your future risk of disease, your looks, and your quality of life. Let’s face it: Women are different than men. Women must get the same amount (or more) nutrition than men, but do it while consuming 20% fewer calories.The National Research Council, which issues the dietary guidelines, stated that the following conditions require more than “average” amounts of protein and several other nutrients:
In addition, some things have a greater impact on women because they are smaller then men. For instance, environmental pollution, various medications and tobacco. These special needs for women begin at puberty and continue all their lives. Ten Nutritional Differences
Let’s take a look at a few of the differences: PMSPMS - premenstrual syndrome - is a real condition. PMS sufferers are not weak, not neurotic, and the illness is not all in their heads. PMS is a complex of symptoms caused by hormonal fluctuations related to a woman’s menstrual cycle. Its symptoms are worse between ovulation and menstruation and are relieved once menstruation begins or shortly thereafter. PMS usually occurs with regularity from cycle to cycle and each cycle includes a symptom free interval lasting at least seven days. As a rule PMS increases in intensity with age; severe PMS is rare among teenagers, but it is common among women in their thirties and forties. PMS seems to run in families. Certain risk factors also contribute to the increased incidence and severity of PMS as women grow older. Symptoms include: Abdominal bloating, acne, anxiety, backache, breast swelling and tenderness, cramps, depression, food cravings, fainting spells, fatigue, headaches, insomnia, joint pain, nervousness, skin eruptions, water retention, and drastic mood swings. There are various theories about the cause of PMS but the most compelling explanation is hormonal fluctuations experienced throughout the menstrual cycle. PMS symptoms are divided into four categories as defined by Dr. Guy E Abraham. 1. PMT-A (A=Anxiety) Symptoms are; Anxiety, irritability, nervous tension, mood swings, mild depression. Some researchers think there could be a deficiency in vitamin B6 and magnesium. Can be caused by too much sodium or sugar. 2. PMT-H (H=Hyperhydration) Symptoms: Edema (fluid retention) abdominal bloating and tenderness, breast tenderness, swelling of the hands and feet, premenstrual weight gain. 3. PMT-C (C=Craving) Symptoms: Cravings for sweets (often chocolate) and increased desire for refined carbohydrates, fatigue, heart palpitations, headaches and fainting. Caused by the body’s increased secretion of insulin and the binding of insulin in the cells (excessive consumption of sugar). 4. PMT-D (D=Depression) Symptoms: Depression, crying, lethargy, sleep disorders, forgetfulness, confusion, and difficulty with verbalization. Can be caused by too much stress, amino acid deficiency, lead absorption and retention, deficiency in magnesium or B vitamins. Increasing magnesium, B-Complex and Multi-vitamins sometimes helps relieve symptoms. Many skin problems are caused by toxins not being dealt with in the liver. The liver is an amazing organ. It is the primary organ of nutrient assimilation, production of essential chemicals, and detoxification. Due to our neglect, well over 25 million North Americans have chronic liver problems, making it one of the leading health conditions. Our lifestyle has created a hostile environment for the liver. Milk thistle has been used for centuries for liver health. It has three dynamite actions.
Iron deficiency due to menstruation is a major problem in America today. Government surveys indicate 95% of American women between the ages of 18 and 44 have a suboptimal intake of iron. The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Science singled out iron as a candidate for supplementation. The board said iron is frequently inadequate in the US “especially during periods of rapid growth and adolescence, during the female reproduction period and pregnancy.” PMS can originate or worsen because of poor choices in diet, exercise and stress management. Faulty diets can cause significant physical, mental and emotional stress.Nutritional Supplementation recommendations are:
PregnancyPregnancy demands optimum nutrition for the health of both the mother-to-be and the developing child. Because nature favors the fetus, whatever nutrients the fetus needs will be taken from the mother. Thus a poor diet can adversely affect the mother’s health and a serious nutritional deficiency can affect the child’s development. Consider a few of the increased nutritional demands created by pregnancy:
Eating from the Food Guide Pyramid can be very difficult with constant nausea. Nutritional supplementation can provide the extra nutrition needed for pregnancy health. An increasing number of obstetricians are paying more attention to these elevated nutritional needs and are recommending a multivitamin/multimineral supplement. Ironically most prenatal supplements fail to provide all the nutrients pregnant women may require. Calcium requirements are not meet. For example: In one study, nineteen leading prenatal supplements were examined. Seventeen provided only 30% or less of the RDA for calcium. Inadequate nutrition during pregnancy can undermine the present and future health of both mother and child. Clearly, there is an urgent need to consider supplementation during this critical time. Recommended Supplementation
MenopauseIt happens to every woman sooner or later. Women forty to sixty years of age are the fastest growing segment of the population. Right now more then 40 million American women are in the midst of menopause. What is menopause? The term is derived from two Greek words: mens (monthly) and pause (to stop). It accurately means the last menstrual period women experience. The word encompasses all physical, mental, and social processes that can extend over a period of 5-7 years. It is not an event but a process. More changes take place in a woman during this phase of her life than any other. Estrogen is involved in well over three hundred biochemical reactions. It is no wonder so many varied symptoms occur when hormones are raging. Another important word is perimenopausal. This refers to the transitional time while periods are still occurring but are somewhat erratic. Things are starting to slow down. The age of onset of perimenopause varies among women. The average age is 50.8 years old. During perimenopause two major health problems silently occur. One is osteoporosis, rapid acceleration of bone loss. And second is heart disease. Estrogen is the women’s secret weapon in heart disease. This hormone makes the blood vessels more elastic. Also estrogen prevents cholesterol from depositing in the blood vessels. Remember this; heart disease is the number one killer of women over fifty. Chances of dying from heart disease are more than double that of dying from cancer of any kind. Some symptoms of perimenopause are:
The two main long-term complications of menopause are: 1. Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis, heart disease and some cancers are not disease of age. They are disease of youth that manifests as we get older. A woman reaches her maximum bone density or peak bone mass between twenty-five and forty. The mass you develop during this time determines to a degree your chances of a stress fracture later in life. After the age of thirty-five, the normal rate of bone loss is around 1% a year. At menopause you surge in bone loss at about 1½% a year for 10 years, and then level off at 1%. Those at risk are:
Recommended supplementation:
2. Heart Disease: Once you lose the protection of estrogen you double your chances of dying from heart disease. Cardiovascular disease kills ten times more women than breast cancer every year. The good news is that heart disease is one of the most preventable diseases we know of. There are proven ways of preventing and even reversing this disease even after damage has occurred. Recommendations for Heart health:
Food supplements for menopause. No natural substance, such as vitamins or minerals can be guaranteed effective and of course none is approved by the FDA. Here is the basic reason. No drug company can cash in on vitamins and minerals since they’re natural and can be sold over the counter. The pharmaceutical companies fund most of the medical research. Since there’s no big money to be made, little research is done on food supplements and disease. As women lose their hormonal support and their bodies’ biochemistry becomes less efficient with age, an optimal intake of essential nutritional building blocks is extremely critical to support, repair, regenerate and maintain their cellular machinery. A good supplement program can help relieve and prevent many symptoms of menopause. Recommend supplementation for healthy menopause:
BeautyTrue beauty radiates from within. More than clothes, cosmetics or hair style, beauty depends on good health. Physical beauty shouldn’t be all-important, but most women do like to look their best and feel attractive. Your body reflects your image of yourself and your feelings about yourself. The way we look can influence our level of self-confidence and self-esteem. In today’s fast paced life, many Americans end up with inadequate amounts of nutrition for optimal health and well-being. Women who need to watch their calorie intake to maintain or lose weight may find themselves nutritionally shortchanged. As a result not only does your internal well-being suffer, but your external appearance also suffers. Superior nutrition for genuine beauty. The following shows how you can optimize nutrition for lifelong beauty. Beautiful SkinSkin is the largest organ of your body. If you stretch it out, it would cover 18 square feet. Your entire skin is replaced about every 28 days. New skin cells can only be as good as the nutrient you give them to work with. Let’s examine some nutrients important to the skin.
Beauiful Hair and NailsRecommend supplementation for hair:
Nutritional tips for strong healthy nails:
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