Understanding the Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy

 

For women, getting older means more than just wrinkles and gray hair. It also means developing low estrogen levels. This hormonal imbalance causes many undesirable symptoms, but it can also lead to some potentially serious problems such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and colon cancer. The same is true for women who have has a hysterectomy to remove the uterus. One of the most common methods of treatment is the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). There are several benefits of HRT that make it such a common choice.

 

Control of Symptoms

The loss of estrogen production essentially causes the body to react in a variety of ways. Symptoms include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, excessive body hair growth, night sweats, and mood swings. Women may also experience loss of muscle tone in the urethra and bladder, skin and hair changes, and difficulty sleeping. HRT helps replace missing hormones to create a balance that relieves these symptoms.

 

Reducing Osteoporosis Risks

One harmful effect of low hormone levels is the increased risk of developing osteoporosis. This condition caused bone loss. Estrogen helps the bones absorb calcium, and during normal production the hormone works to regulate the osteoclasts that are responsible for eating old bone as well as the osteoblasts that create new bone. With low hormone production, osteoclasts continue destroying bone and osteoblasts cannot keep up. HRT helps reduce the number of osteoclasts, thereby reducing the amount of bone that is destroyed. Standard estrogen replacement does not, however, affect osteoblasts and new bone growth. Studies have shown that a combination of progesterone and estrogen may help because progesterone can increase osteoblast activity.

 

Combating Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is a serious concern for menopausal women. This is due in large part to the change in the ratio of good and bad cholesterol that coincides with estrogen loss. Hormone therapy, including the bio identical versions offered by institutions like Genemedics Health Institute, directly affect lipid metabolism and how liver proteins are handled.

 

Multiple Options

There are a variety of options for HRT administration. Hormones can be in pill, nasal spray, and cream or gel forms. Therapy can also be provided with a skin patch or vaginal ring. A doctor will recommend the best options based on the prescription level and lifestyle of each woman. Doctors will also consider the severity of symptoms experienced.

 

Hormone replacement therapy is designed to improve a woman’s quality of life during and following menopause. The dangers a woman faces do not end when menopausal symptoms stop. HRT helps to combat these dangers so that women may continue their lives and maintain their active lifestyles for as long as possible.

 

Categories: Hormone Balance, hormone replacement, hormone replacement therapy, hormones

Have You Experienced the Seven Signs of Overtraining?

With most things in life, you get out what you put in. However, when it comes to fitness, there is a point where pushing yourself actually does more harm than good to your wellbeing. Though you may be aware of this as a concept, there are eight signs of overtraining that people commonly experience, but don’t realise it’s a signal to stop.

Firstly, you find that you simply can’t finish a proper workout. Whether you don’t have the energy to run your normal route, or the strength to lift the weights you’re always lifting, training too hard can make you feel progressively weaker, slower, and more lethargic – which is the opposite of what you want! This goes hand-in-hand with the second sign that you’re overdoing it: you’re training hard every single day. No one can lift heavy weights or sprint hard every day and adequately recover, and so it’s crucial that you take one day where you don’t do any exercise at all, and two more when you avoid lifting weights.

The third sign of overtraining is that you’re getting fatter despite training hard. Overtraining throws your hormones out of whack, meaning that your testosterone levels plunge and cortisol levels rise. This causes your muscle tissue to break down, which, in turn, increases your insulin resistance and fat deposition. This means that you’ll put on weight, no matter how closely you watch your diet.

If you overdo it on the aerobic or weight lifting exercises, this can cause your sympathetic nervous system to remain excited at all times and you’ll have more trouble sleeping, and feel sluggish during the day. Another sign of overtraining is odd aches and pains in your joints, bones, or limbs, which may require you to take a few days off so that you can recover, and not do any more damage.

Overtraining can also throw your wellness off balance, and disrupt your immune system. As long as you’re getting the right balance of sugar, vitamin D, sleep and relaxation, inexplicable little coughs, sniffles, congestions, or headaches may be a sign you need to take a rest week and let your immune system build back up. Finally, if you feel irritable and uncomfortable after what would otherwise be a normal, healthy work out, take a few days off so you can have that endorphin-boosting feeling again.

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Have You Experienced the Seven Signs of Overtraining?

Categories: Hormone Balance, immune system, Overtraining

VMS and PMS: How To Take Control Of Your Time Of The Month

For most women, that certain time of the month can bring all sorts of wellness-bashing joys. Whether you’re fighting against severe cramps, irritability, or bloating, you can improve your wellbeing with nothing more than your shopping list. The right foods, and vitamin and mineral supplements (VMS), can help you to reduce the symptoms of PMS, as they can help you balance your hormones, stabilise your blood sugar, and increase your nutritional intake.

Firstly, you can improve your hormonal balance by eliminating any non-organic dairy, beef and chicken from your diet, as this means that no added growth hormones and pesticides will enter your body and cause oestrogen dominance and other symptoms of PMS, especially cramping. ‘White’ foods, meaning sugar and starch, changes the way your body metabolises oestrogen, and converts more testosterone into oestrogen, so trade your white rice and bread for brown or wholegrain varieties, and swap your sugar for a natural sweetener, such as honey, and use only sparingly.

To stabilise your blood sugar, you should be eating a high-protein and high-healthy-fats diet. Make sure you choose high-quality, organic products that contain no added hormones, such as butter and cream from grass-fed cows, meat from pastured, organic animals, eggs from pastured hens and healthy fats from avocados, olive and coconut oils and fatty fish such as salmon and herring.

To replenish vitamins and minerals you may be lacking in, start by throwing out any low or non-fat foods, as these often contain chemical stabilizers. You should also avoid toxin-overloaded foods, such as those containing chemical preservatives, additives, artificial sweeteners and colouring. Instead, opt for nutrient-dense foods, including two daily servings of cruciferous vegetables like kale, collard greens, broccoli and cabbage. This family of vegetables contain Indole-3-Carbinol, which helps you to balance hormones and regulate oestrogen levels.

Finally, you can boost your PMS symptom relief with supplements and herbs. With a multivitamin and mineral formula that is rich in vitamin B, vitamin E, calcium and magnesium, you can give your body the nutrients it needs and help to relax your muscles, reducing menstrual cramps.

You can also ward of cramps with evening primrose oil, and regularly taking omega-3 fatty acids can reduce inflammation.  If all else fails, cramp bark is a wonderful herb alternative to aspirin or ibuprofen. Just remember to keep your diet as clean as possible throughout the month and check with your doctor for drug interactions before beginning a new supplement or herb.

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VMS and PMS: How To Take Control Of Your Time Of The Month

Categories: Hormone Balance, Multivitamins, PMS