For Menopause
As I have mentioned in the website before, my resources are limited. Below are some sites that should be a help for those who are going through Menopause.
When I get the materials that I need, I will update this page again.
Menopause signals a hormonal change, and that change may affect other aspects of your health.
Menopause treatments are highly tailored to the patient. Any treatment should be discussed with your doctor. The average age that American women undergo menopause is 51.
Menopause and Blood Sugar Control:
If you have finally figured out how to control your blood glucose levels through a combination of meal planning, exercise, and oral diabetes medications or insulin, you should realize that menopause can throw your diabetes management plan out of balance. That's because you may have learned to adjust your plan around your normal hormonal fluctuations. And the hormones that keep your menstrual cycle going-estrogen and progesterone-can also affect blood glucose levels. In some women, high levels of progesterone and other progestin hormones may decrease the body's sensitivity to insulin. High levels of estrogen tend to improve insulin sensitivity. As you start the transition of menopause, you'' ll want to pay close attention to the effects it will have on your blood glucose control.
Many women find that they gain weight or become more sedentary as they proceed through menopause. This can increase the need for insulin or oral medication. To fight the fat that often accumulates during middle age, be sure to keep your meals full of nutritious, low-fat foods. And try to maintain or increase your level of activity. This can be a time of life when you are free from some of the responsibilities you had when you were younger. Start a walking program, join a health club, or think about taking up a sport or hobby that you've always wanted to try.
Source: American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes
Menopause and Dizziness:
This is a big one, says Dr. Carlson -- the culprit in about half the cases of dizziness among her premenopausal patients. When you're under the gun, she explains, you tend to hyperventilate -- drawing shallow breaths that prompt your arteries to contract. Less blood reaches the brain and extremities, so you may be hit with dizziness and numbness in the fingers and toes. After ruling out physical problems, your doctor may suggest slow, deep breathing from the abdomen to help abort attacks.
Source: Good Housekeeping
How Does Exercise Help?
The good news is that a regular program of physical activity can help manage many of the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause as well as the related health concerns, such as heart disease and osteoporosis.
The mood-elevating, tension-relieving effects of aerobic exercise help reduce the depression and anxiety that often accompanies menopause. Aerobic exercise also promotes the loss of abdominal fat—the place most women more readily gain weight during menopause. In addition, some research studies have shown that the increased estrogen levels that follow a woman's exercise session coincide with an overall decrease in the severity of hot flashes. Strength training also helps. It stimulates bones to retain the minerals that keep them dense and strong, thus preventing the onset and progression of osteoporosis. These effects of exercise, along with improved cholesterol levels and physical fitness, work together to help prevent heart disease.
Keep in mind, though, that good nutrition works hand in hand with a physically active lifestyle. A low-fat, high-fiber diet and adequate calcium intake are vital to realize the full benefits of exercise.
The Good News
If you have been a consistent exerciser during the years leading to menopause, you already have an advantage. Aerobic activity during childbearing years reduces the risk of breast cancer, a disease that becomes more prevalent after menopause. You also will have a jump on your bone health since your strength-training exercises may have increased the density and strength of your bones.
To reap the benefits of exercise, a balanced program of weight-bearing aerobic activity (walking is great), strength training (with weights, resistance bands, yoga or even gardening), and flexibility is essential. Consistency is key so strive for some moderate activity daily, or at least most days of the week, every week.
Menopause And Beyond:
Exercise Helps...
Reduce and prevent symptoms:
Hot flashes
Vaginal and bladder atrophy
Joint pain
Anxiety, irritability, depression
Sleep disturbances, insomnia
Reduce risk of:
Heart disease
Osteoporosis
Weight gain
Improve and increase:
Strength, stamina, flexibility, energy
Function of vital organs
Condition of heart, lungs and muscles
Source: Fit Facts
Common Physical Symptoms during Menopause
All women will have menopause as part of their life. But only women who often tend to feel thirsty are likely to experience some of the following symptoms during her menopause:
Hot flashes
Higher body temperature
Vaginal dryness
Depression/moodiness
Headache
Rapid heart rate
Low sex drive
Sleeping disturbances
Urine leakage
Sensation of lump in the throat
Weight gain
Night sweats
Why Hot Flashes?
A hot flash produces a sudden sensation of intense heat that spreads upwards to the chest, face, and head. Flushing and sweating usually occur as well, followed by a chill. Some women feel their heart beating very fast or hard and feel anxious. Medical studies point out that these hot flashes are due to the sudden drop in estrogen levels during menopause. In Chinese medicine, the low body heat constitution#, which manifests as thirst and dry mouth, makes the body intolerant to further heat produced by the hormonal imbalance. The hot flashes are the result of the combination of low body heat and the heat from hormonal imbalance.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a medical condition characterized by the thinning of the bones. Thin bones become weaker and break more easily. Although bones naturally weaken with age in both men and women starting at about age 40, women lose bone mass more rapidly after menopause.
Prevention – Living a Better Life Style
Menopause is a natural and expected part of a woman’s life and cannot be prevented. However, there are ways to reduce or eliminate some of the symptoms. As prevention is the best medicine, women can prevent or lessen the symptoms of menopause by:
Practicing relaxed exercises
Going to bed at a reasonable time – by 10:00 pm
Avoiding deep fried, grilled or spicy foods
Slowing down and decreasing stress
Caution! – Hormone Replacement Therapy is Not Recommended
On Oct. 15, 2002, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded that harmful effects of the combined estrogen and progestin therapy are likely to exceed the chronic disease prevention benefits for most women. For every 10,000 women taking the pills, every year there will be eight more breast cancers, seven more heart attacks, eight more strokes and eight more life-threatening blood clots in the lungs, than if they hadn't taken the pills, the study found.
Note: The low body heat constitution is also called “false heat” condition in Chinese medicine. The person with low body heat is likely to have a dry mouth and often feel thirsty.
Source: Menopause Symptoms
Helpful Links for Menopause.
Menopause Recipes For Healthier Living
North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
Menopause - MedlinePlus
Menopause - MayoClinic.com
Menopause Online
Menopause and Black Cohosh Information
