Coping with menopause
To relieve these symptoms, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is often recommended. But synthetic hormones often lead to breast cancer, strokes, heart attacks, and blood clots. More and more doctors recommend lifestyle changes and natural remedies to cope with menopause. These are primarily related to diet, exercise, and mental outlook.
Diet
- Add soy to your diet. A half cup serving of soy milk and tofu gives out about 35 to 50 mg of soy isoflavones.
- Avoid stimulants such as coffee, tea, spicy food to keep hot flushes under control.
- Include herbal treatments such as ginkgo biloba, evening primrose oil, and black cohosh.
- Have whole grains in your diet. Brown rice, corn, pasta, crackers and other whole grain foods contain antioxidants and multi-vitamins.
- Include flax in your diet. Flaxseed lengthens the menstrual cycle. In doing so, it increases the estrogen-progesterone ratio and alleviates hot flashes. This is also rich in antioxidants, omega 3 fatty acids, and stabilizes cholesterol levels.
- Cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli and brussels sprouts are good for you.
- Green tea has antioxidants and phytochemicals. Three to six cups of green tea daily has reportedly contributed to weight loss.
- Tomatoes and yellow fruits such as mangoes, oranges and vegetables like carrot are also recommended.
- Drink lots of water
- Consume at least three servings of low-fat dairy products every day for your daily calcium intake. Dark leafy greens are also a good source of calcium. This is important for building bone density.
Exercise
Exercise is particularly important for women as they age. Exercise is essential to the development of strong bones and a strong heart. Exercise, coupled with a healthy diet, helps to keep weight in check and contributes to a sense of well being and mood improvement. People who are not physically active tend to suffer with a variety of diseases such as coronary disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Depression, and even dementia, can be traced back to lack of physical activity.
Your routine should include:
- Walking
- Yoga for flexibility/toning
- Weights for building bone density
A word of caution: consult your doctor before starting an exercise routine.
Mental outlook
Be positive. Menopause is inevitable so there’s no point getting depressed. Chances are if you follow the correct diet and exercise routine, you will be upbeat and cheerful. Join a hobby class, go on a trip, get a new wardrobe… do what makes you happy.
Perimenopause problems
Perimenopause is the transitional period from normal menstrual periods to zero periods. This transition may take up to ten years. During the perimenopausal phase, you may experience a combination of PMS and menopausal symptoms. During this phase, many women undergo bodily changes resulting from hormonal fluctuation. Hot flashes may leave the sufferer feeling weak and break out in heavy sweating. Despite the discomfort, hot flashes are not considered harmful. Flashes can, however, be eased through Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and herbal remedies.
Common problems are
- mood changes
- changes in sexual desire
- difficulty in concentrating
- headaches
- night sweats
- hot flashes
- sleep disturbances
- joint and muscle aches
- extreme sweating
- frequent urination
- similar symptoms as experienced with premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Even women who are free of the troublesome physical effects of perimenopause may suffer from psychological stress. Many women feel they will no longer be desirable once menopause has set in.
Post-menopause problems
Once the last period of a woman’s life is over, many new problems crop up. Many women start experiencing symptoms of hormone imbalance anywhere from their early 30s to their late 40s. Levels of estrogen and progesterone – the essential female hormones – dip, triggering a range of problems.
Common problems are
- Weight gain
- Decreased sexual desire
- Vaginal dryness
- Increase in facial hair as testosterone is now able to exert more power
- Incontinence as muscles surrounding the bladder weaken
- Slowing down of mental processes
- Reduced bone density
In the long term, post-menopausal women are at a higher risk of osteoporosis and more prone to heart attacks. Problems associated with menopause can be greatly reduced by taking herbal supplements.
General description
According to Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, menopause is defined as the permanent cessation of menstruation. It marks the end of a woman’s fertility and therefore, ability to conceive and bear children. Menopause is derived from the Greek words pausis -cessation and the word men -month. It means the end of monthly cycles
In the West, the typical age for attaining menopause is between the ages of 45 and 55 and the average age for last period ever is 51 years. In the East, however, the median age of natural menopause is considerably earlier, at about 44 years. Genetics has a lot to do with the age “when” menopause hits. If your grandmother got hers in the late 40′s, chances are you will too.
Common symptoms
Common symptoms: Menopause, or the period after the last period, is marked by some physiological and psychological changes. The most well-known symptom of impending menopause is the “hot flash” or “hot flush”, a sudden, temporary increase in body temperature. The “flash” sensation occurs as the body temperature rises sharply and almost instantaneously begins to slowly return to normal.
Along with the hot flushes is irregular, heavy, or prolonged periods and severe stomach cramps.
All of these combine to create mood swings and even depression.
Symptoms
There are two types of Hemorrhoids namely Internal Hemorrhoids and External Hemorrhoids.
- Internal Hemorrhoids
These are not visible as they are placed in the higher part of the anal area. Bleeding is the most common symptom of this type of Hemorrhoids. If the internal hemorrhoids are pushed out of the anus during straining due to bowel movement, it is called as prolapsed hemorrhoids. This condition is very painful and also it is difficult to push back it inside the rectal area.
- External Hemorrhoids
External Hemorrhoids are visible as this happens outside the anal area. The veins present in the soft tissues are enlarged and are covered by skin. This type is normally without any symptoms and appears blue in color. However, when it is inflamed, bleeding and blood clots takes place inside the external hemorrhoids and these can become very tender due to inflammation and appear red in color.
Introduction
Hemorrhoids also commonly known as piles is a medical condition caused due to the swelling of the veins in the lower part of rectum and around the anus. This swelling causes discomfort when you sit down or while using the toilet. Though haemorrhoids are not life threatening, the itchiness, discomfort and bleeding caused are really annoying. Hemorrhoids are a very common problem faced by most of the Americans specifically at age between 45 to 65 years. Both men and women are prone to haemorrhoids with advancing age. Besides this, pregnancy and women who have had children are prone to this medical condition.
Causes of Piles
The foremost cause of Hemorrhoids is constipation especially excessive straining during bowel movement. Excess straining raises abdominal pressure resulting in swelling of the blood vessels around the rectum.
The other causes include:
- Less intake of fibrous food
- Prolonged sitting in the toilet with excess straining
- Pelvic Tumors
- Constant Coughing
- Excessive Sneezing
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Carrying objects which are heavy and
- Genetic disposition.
Prevention
- Eat healthy. Include fresh fruits and vegetables and anti-oxidants such as tomatoes in your diet.
- Stay clean. Use a natural antibacterial, non-oily face wash/body wash. Those containing tea tree oil are a good option. Do not scrub your face, which can irritate the skin. The aim of washing is to remove dirt and oil from the pores.
- If you have constipation, treat it immediately.
- Drink lots of water.
- Avoid chocolate, fried food, and refined sugar.
- Take B-complex and zinc supplements daily to strengthen the skin’s resistance to acne.
- Watch where you put your face: don’t place your cheek against things and surfaces that may carry infection, such as telephone receivers, window panes, used pillow cases etc.
Remedies
- Do NOT squeeze or pop a pimple. Squeezing can push bacteria and pus deeper into the skin, leaving permanent scars.
- Wash your face with warm salt water. This will get rid of the oil and dirt without irritating the acne.
- Apply cucumber paste on your face. Wash it off after 20-30 minutes with lukewarm water.
- Aloe vera gel is an effective natural cure for acne. Aloe vera has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
- If you get a bad case of acne, see a dermatologist.
Types of acne
- Whiteheads: Whiteheads are caused when a pore is completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, causing a white appearance on the surface.
- Blackheads: Blackheads result when a pore is only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface. The black color is caused by a reaction of the skin’s own pigment, melanin, reacting with the oxygen in the air.
- Papules: Papules are inflamed, red, tender bumps with no head.
- Pustules: A pustule is similar to a whitehead, but is inflamed, and appears as a red circle with a white or yellow center.
- Severe acne vulgaris is characterized by nodules and cysts.
- Nodules are large, hard bumps under the skin’s surface, and are prone to leaving behind scars.
- An acne cyst can appear similar to a nodule, but is pus-filled and painful.
- Acne Rosacea can look similar to the acne vulgaris and is visible in patches.
- Severe forms of acne include acne conglobata (large lesions) and pyoderma faciale (severe facial acne afflicting only females.
Introduction
The sudden onset of a ‘zit’ before a date is every teenager’s nightmare. Most teenagers – and a large percentage of adults – suffer from Acne Vulgaris, which can shows up as whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples on the face, neck, shoulders, back, and chest. A recent study conducted in the USA revealed that 17 million people suffer from acne, spawning a large market for anti-acne products.
Causes
Skin pores contain oil glands which keep the skin and hair lubricated. Sometimes, these sebaceous pores become clogged with excess oil and bacteria, resulting in acne. Broadly, the causes of acne may be the following:
- Bacteria, which easily infects oil glands and pores
- Wrong diet, irregular meals, excessive intake of starches, sugar, and fatty foods
- Chronic constipation
- Hormonal activity, particularly in teenagers
- Incorrect use of cosmetics that clog the pores
- Genes
Causes :-
Menstrual patterns can be influenced by changes in general health,, sudden weight loss or weight gain, stressful life situations, metabolic disorders, certain infections, and anatomical and hormonal changes.
Treatment depends on :-
- type of menstrual irregularity
- age and built of patient
- associated physical illness or other symptoms
- hormonal changes which can detected by blood testing
- desire for fertility or contraception
- anatomical abnormalities
Types of treatment :-
- lifestyle modifications
- exercises like yoga
- meditation practices to manage stress
- herbal supplements
- hormonal supplements
- surgical or interventional procedures
Since these problems may be long lasting and in many cases no obvious abnormalities are detected; it is better to start with treatment modalities that have few or no side effects and are simple to use.
Puberty and menopause mark the two ends of the spectrum of a woman’s reproductive life. Puberty is characterized by the onset of menstruation, development of breasts and appearance of secondary sex characteristics.
The age for onset of puberty may vary across individuals, yet the start of regular menstruation before 8 years of age or delay beyond 16 years of age requires medical advice.
Similarly, in the case of menopause, cessation of menstruation before 40 yrs of age or continuation after 53 years of age is unusual and a cause of medical attention. Both ends of the spectrum of a woman’s reproductive life are period of great hormonal, emotional as well as physical change.
Menstrual Irregularities
During the reproductive phase of a woman’s life, menstruation occurs every 21 days with bleeding lasting 5-7 days. In many cases the cycles tend to be erratic at puberty and menopause. Any cycle length in the range of 25-30 days is normal.
Menstrual irregularities can be:
- Amenorrhoea – is the absence of a menstrual period in a woman of reproductive age. It may be a situation wherein a girl does not start to menstruate at all or menstruation stops after a certain period of time.
- Oligomenorrhea or Hypomenorrhea- The menstrual cycle is infrequent with intervals of more than 40 days or is extremely light and scanty.
- Menorrhagia – Menstrual bleeding is abnormally heavy, clotted and prolonged although occuringat regular intervals. Women tend to get anemic in this condition.
- Metrorrhagia – cycle length is shorter than 20 days it its often associated with Menorrhagia.
- Irregular vaginal bleeding- bleeding occurs at irregular intervals in varying quantities and may last almost throughout the month.
- PMS (Premenstrual syndrome)- It may vary from mild to extreme. It is associated with feeling of bloating, pain in the legs, headaches and mood swings. Symptoms of PMS can interfere with normal social life.
- Dysmonhorrea- Although not to be confused with menstrual irregularities, it is a medical condition characterized by severe uterine pain during menstruation. In many cases the pain is so severe as to hamper even day to day activities requires and use of pain killers.
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Rheumatil Tablets
Shallaki – Boswellia Serrata
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