Health Recipes

Coping With Menopause

As women start to approach their golden years (around their late 30s to early 40s), their bodies start to go through menopause.

Also known as the “change of life,” this condition occurs when a woman ceases to have menstrual cycles. During this time, her body starts to go through a myriad of changes resulting from the hormonal imbalances that are created from the lack of menses.

Symptoms

Approximately 70 percent of women who go through the change of life experience menopausal symptoms. Symptoms can occur several years prior to the actual onset of this condition and when they do, the condition is referred to as perimenopausal.

Common symptoms of menopause include:

The type and duration of these symptoms vary and often require treatment and lifestyle adjustments to make living with this condition more bearable.

Lifestyle Changes

Whether you are perimenopausal, menopausal, or post-menopausal, there are some adjustments you can make to your lifestyle to improve the way you feel while your body starts to acclimate to the hormonal changes that are taking place.

Pay attention to your diet, since certain foods can trigger episodes of hot flashes, headaches, and many of the other symptoms that are associated with the change of life.

Increase your fluid intake and reduce the amount of sodium in your diet. Try to live as stress-free as possible. High stress levels can cause your symptoms to occur and even increase their severity.

Do yoga or meditate to lower your stress levels and improve your chances of getting sleep. Exercise and stay active to help prevent weight gain. Exercise also helps to boost moods and energy levels.

Treatment Options

Depending on the severity and duration of your symptoms, there are treatment options available to make living with this condition much easier. It is possible to achieve some type of relief with the use of natural supplements and over the counter medications.

Keep in mind that natural supplements and over the counter medicines only minimize certain symptoms of menopause, not all of them.

Hormone treatment is a more effective therapy option for menopausal women. This treatment involves the replacement of hormones that are lost with naturally recurring ones to help reverse the effects of this condition on the body.

Treatment can be administered with creams, injections, gels, patches, pellets (caplets), and sublingual tablets. The method of application is dependent on your medical history, preference, and your doctor’s recommendations. You can preview AgeRejuvenation’s treatment options including vagina rejuvenation, caplet therapy, and the Ovulary shot.

With the right combination of dietary and lifestyle changes, along with hormone treatment, you can live a happy and comfortable life that is menopause-symptom free.

Regardless of how old you are when you start to experience the effects of menopause, it’s possible to live a happy, healthy, and stress-free life on your terms.

Talk with your doctor to learn more about how hormone treatment can make living with menopause much easier.

How Hormone Replacement Therapy Can Help You

How Hormone Replacement Therapy Can Give You a New Lease on Life

Going through menopause is no fun. It doesn’t matter if you are male or female, the side effects of menopause can be downright debilitating. Instead of letting this condition take over your life, learn how hormone replacement therapy can help.

For women, all of those hot flashes, freezing episodes, bouts of vaginal dryness, and mood swings can leave one feeling like their body is out of control. For men, what appears to be random hair loss, balding, low sex drive, problems with sexual performance, and the sudden development of man breasts is enough to make one feel like they are losing their mind. Declining sex hormones is a condition that doesn’t discriminate and can affect one’s self-esteem, lifestyle, health, and overall comfort. Although there is the option to wait and suffer in silence until your body has finally adjusted to the change of life, with hormone replacement therapy you don’t have to.



What HRT Does

There is no way to determine who is going to suffer from symptoms during perimenopause and actual menopause. All that is certain is that everyone at some point will experience the change of life. How your particular case of menopause affects you is up to you. If you opt to use HRT, you can avoid dealing with many of the symptoms of menopause. HRT stops the rapid decline of sex hormones by replacing them. Women therapy options include:

  • Estrogen-only treatment (ET) is recommended for women who do not have a uterus.
  • Estrogen Progestin treatment (EPT) is recommended for women who still have their uterus and don’t want to experience the increased risk of cancer that estrogen presents to the uterus.

Women who receive EPT therapy can choose to receive a continuous dose which has fewer side effects, such as bleeding, or they can choose to receive a cyclical dose. The cyclical dose is administered at different times during the month and often causes irregular bleeding.

Administration Options

HRT can be administered via patches, creams, gels, injections, and pills. For males, there is an additional therapy option which can only be administered by a doctor through the hip or to the buttocks area utilizing pellets. Pellet therapy is very popular since it only needs to be administered once every three to six months and does not interfere with one’s activities or lifestyle.

As impressive and effective as hormone replacement therapy is, it is not suitable for everyone. It is very important for you to consult with your doctor so they can assess your health to determine if and which type of HRT is right for you.

Hormone replacement therapy can help your body to look and function normally while going through menopause. Make an appointment with a hormone replacement therapy doctor to learn more about your options.



Estrogen Dominance, Weight Loss and Hormonal Imbalances

Hormonal Imbalances in Women

Maintaining a healthy balance in your hormone is essential for almost every one of your body’s functions. And it can have a significant influence on a person’s mood, growth and development.

That can include your eating habits, sleep, sexual desire, reproductive capabilities, and also how the body utilizes the food you’re consuming. A hormonal imbalance that many women have is a condition called Estrogen Dominance.

What is Estrogen Dominance?

This is a condition where women can have normal, low, or high estrogen levels, but not enough, or enough progesterone to balance it. That can cause negative effects in the body.

Estrogen and progesterone are two of the primary sex hormones and can have a significant and negative impact on a woman’s body when they’re not balanced.

Elevated levels of estrogen can also block your thyroid function, which leads to an even higher level of impact on your body. Estrogen dominance can be treated by balancing the excess estrogen with bioidentical progesterone.

As women age, their estrogen and progesterone levels begin to drastically decrease. Women between 35-50 years old see a 75 percent reduction of progesterone, and only about a 35 percent reduction in estrogen, which produces estrogen dominance.

What does Estrogen Dominance Cause?

Estrogen dominance causes several issues in the body, but most women will find that it can be extremely difficult, and almost impossible, to lose weight as a result of estrogen dominance.

Estrogen dominance causes fat gain, water retention, and bloating, and puts women at a higher risk for obesity.

However, once women seek treatment through bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, they’ll usually find they can shed those extra pounds much more quickly.

Women will also find that their metabolism begins to pick up, their energy increases, they reduce their risk of breast cancer, and they begin to feel much better overall.

Symptoms of estrogen dominance include weight gain or difficulty losing weight, abdominal fat, irregular periods, hots flashes, mood winds, and a decreased sex drive.

How Hormones Affect Your Memory

 

Forgetfulness and cognitive decline are some of the most commonly reported symptoms of menopause. In fact, perimenopausal women were 1.4 times as likely to report forgetfulness compared to pre­menopausal women. But why?

Your estrogen levels have a direct impact on your brain’s neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and GABA. These neurotransmitters help modulate your mood, your cognitive function (thinking and memory) and enable you to manage stress.

In menopause, estrogen levels decline and the brain’s neurotransmitters become out of balance, leading to mood disorders, brain fog, and short-term memory issues. However, with the use of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, AgeRejuvenation is able to reestablish hormonal balance and improve your quality of life!

Individual results vary by patient. Ask your AgeRejuvenation practitioner about your specific health concerns.

Exercise and Menopause…What are the Benefits?

The Benefits of Exercise for Menopause

Going through menopause can often be a very challenging part of a woman’s life. Menopausal symptoms can be severe and disruptive to one’s daily activities and overall quality of life.

Regular physical activity is crucial for menopausal and postmenopausal women. As women age and their hormone levels change, the risk of developing a chronic condition such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, and cancer, is greatly increased.

According to the Centers For Disease Control, regular exercise helps reduce stress, improves the overall quality of life, and helps to prevent weight gain and muscle loss, which are the most frequently reported side effects of menopause.

An article published by the European Menopause and Andropause Society discussed the benefits of exercise on specific menopausal symptoms. For example, a group of menopausal women aged 55–72 who were involved in an exercise program of 3 hours per week for 12 months, experienced significant improvements in physical and mental health, with an increase in overall quality of life when compared to those who were sedentary.

A study published in the journal Mauritas reported that women who participated in regular physical activity were 49% less likely to report hot flashes than those whose exercise levels had decreased.

They also concluded that sedentary women who were given an aerobic exercise regimen for 6 months reported a decrease in the frequency of hot flashes (Strojanovska, 2014). Therefore, exercise can be considered an important factor in alleviating menopause symptoms.

Learn More:  Coping with Menopause 

Exercise in Menopausal Women (Mayo Clinic, 2016):

  • Prevents weight gain
    • Women are more likely to gain abdominal fat and lose muscle mass during and after menopause. Being physically active will help prevent weight gain and increase muscle mass.
  • Reduces risk of osteoporosis
    • Exercise can slow bone loss after menopause.
  • Improves mood
    • Physically active adults have a lower risk of depression and cognitive decline.
  • Decreases risk of chronic conditions
    • Maintaining a healthy weight will help prevent the development of chronic diseases such as Type II Diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Exercise Recommendations:

  • Aerobic training: 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise per week for cardiovascular health
    • Moderate intensity aerobic exercise is when you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate, 60-70% of target heart rate, and begin sweating – you should be able to talk, but unable to sing the words to a song
      • Ex: Walking very briskly (4 mph), heavy cleaning  (washing windows, vacuuming, mopping), mowing lawn, bicycling (10-12 mph)
    • Vigorous intensity aerobic exercise is when you are breathing hard and fast with a significant increase in heart rate, 70-80% of target heart rate.
      • Ex: Hiking, Jogging at 6 mph, Shoveling, Carrying heavy loads, Bicycling fast (14-16 mph)
  • Strength training: 10-15 minutes, 3-4x per week to build bone and muscle strength to increase metabolism and aid in fat loss.
 More Exercise Recommendations at AgeRejuvenation

 

References:

Stojanovska, L. (2014). To exercise, or, not to exercise, during menopause and beyond. Mauritas, 77, 318-323.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/fitness-…

How Do Hormones Affect Our Weight Loss?

Hormones are chemical messengers – we have over 50 different types in our bodies, they tell us when it is time to sleep, speed our heart rate in times of stress, and are also responsible for our metabolism. Understanding how these hormones work can help us take control of our weight and inform us how best to approach nutrition so that we can get the best possible results from our efforts.

Ghrelin is the hormone responsible for our hunger response, skip a meal and your levels will rise causing you to feel as if you are starving. These levels are particularly high in the morning which is why it is vital to eat breakfast, even if it is just a protein shake so that our body realizes we are receiving nutrition. Studies show that a high protein meal lowers ghrelin levels significantly more than meals high in fat or carbohydrates. Aim to get at least 20 grams of protein at each meal to keep ghrelin low after eating.

Leptin is an appetite suppressing hormone, it decreases the feeling of hunger and tells your body that you are full and to stop eating. To raise your leptin levels, focus on eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids especially those foods and supplements containing high levels of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) which have been shown to stimulate leptin production. You can find EPA in cold-water fatty fish such as wild salmon, mackerel, and sardines or incorporate it as a fish or krill oil supplement. Lack of sleep lowers leptin and increases ghrelin, therefore increasing hunger so making sure to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep is integral.

In addition, sex hormone imbalances, such as those caused by menopause or andropause, can also contribute to weight problems. Having too much estrogen causes weight gain in both men and women, insufficient testosterone levels can do the same. When estrogen levels are not balanced by progesterone levels in women it causes estrogen dominance, so not only are you having difficulty with mood, sleep, and concentration, but also with an increasing waist line. Estrogen can be spiked by diets containing too much sugar, any processed foods, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, and some animal products. A healthy gut cultivates healthy sex-hormone metabolism and a flatter stomach. Inadequate levels of dietary fiber or too many antibiotics damage the gut, triggering estrogen spikes as your body cannot properly detoxify or excrete waste. Therefore, it is important to eliminate refined carbohydrates, minimize your sugar and alcohol intake, while increasing your intake of high fiber and high protein foods to attain the best nutrition for balanced hormone levels.

Once you understand how these hormones work, you can make it easier for your body to drop the excess weight. Why starve if it is just going to raise your ghrelin levels and make it harder to resist bad food choices? Instead try to focus on eating a healthy diet of whole foods, that are high in lean protein and fiber with a healthy fat content while avoiding foods high in sugar, unrefined carbohydrates, and processed foods. Healthy body, healthy hormones, healthy weight.

Learn More About bHRT in Tampa, Fl 

Fact or Fiction: Bio Identical Hormones In Tampa

If you haven’t already heard, bio identical hormones Therapy are increasingly popular in Tampa.

There are many claims about them, but they haven’t been proven by the Food and Drug Administration. While this type of replacement therapy can be beneficial, you should understand the facts and myths surrounding BHRT, before jumping in and making a decision that could be based on misinformation.

The Claims

Many claims have surfaced about BHRT, which claims it’s a safer alternative to other prescription drugs and that it can reduce hormonal imbalances to help you lose weight. It’s also been claimed that it will prevent senility and Alzheimer’s disease. Marketing claims state they’re very similar or the same as other hormone options and can be taken in pills, lotions, gels and creams that can be better than taking other drugs for HRT.

The problem is that the FDA hasn’t had time to do enough research to support any of those claims. While you and your doctor may feel these alternatives are better than other choices, you should know the difference between fact and unproven claims so you can make a more informed decision.

Safe and Effective

There hasn’t been a lot of scientific evidence that says these options are more safe and effective than other options.

That doesn’t mean that they can’t help you. It just means that the FDA hasn’t had the time to go through its evaluation process, which goes through early testing, designs and results of clinical testing.

They will also check out the side effects and severity and how the drug is manufactured. That doesn’t mean that tests haven’t been done to ensure that these options are safe. It just means that the FDA hasn’t done specific tests yet.

Prevent Diseases/Cancer

Just like MHT drugs, bio identical hormones can increase your risk of breast cancer, heart disease and dementia in certain groups.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider the therapy, because MHT and HRT options can also increase your risks, as well. Therefore, it can be said that BHRT options aren’t going to prevent diseases and cancer, but they won’t increase your risk any more than MHT options will.

Estriol

Most Bio Identical hormones in Tampa contain a weaker form of estrogen, called estriol, which is said to be safer than other estrogen products. However, its effectiveness and safety aren’t known yet.

Again, that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be beneficial to you. It just means that the FDA hasn’t proven it is.

Hormones and weight gain

There are different reasons why people gain weight, and we’re often quick to point to certain tried-and-true villains, like eating the wrong foods, or not finding the time to exercise.

There could be another reason, though, that’s not as commonly known. Often when people have weight issues, it comes down to their hormones — especially if they’re unbalanced.

Hormone imbalances are more common than people assume. Different factors can trigger them, including eating all the wrong foods. Your hormones interact with one another, so all it takes is for one of them to get out of whack, and then others can quickly do the same.

The good news is you can help improve hormone function with lifestyle changes. Think about your diet and what you can cut out, such as sugar, which produces more insulin and thus an imbalance. Dairy products and gluten can also trigger inflammation and hormonal imbalances. Even the common pesticides in our foods can be hormone disruptors.

Hormones can often get a boost in very traditional ways: from a proper diet, exercise, and the right amount of sleep. Even employing methods to reduce your stress levels can help; use a detox to help rid yourself of these toxins.

But it’s also important to understand that if your hormones are out of balance, even doing all of these things might not be enough to reverse the problem. As you age, this situation can become even more drastic because your hormones naturally decline to begin with.

A natural decline is normal and will happen to us all. However, when your quality of life is affected, treatment may be needed. Many of these imbalances cause weight gain and an array of other health problems – including, but not limited to, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, and mood changes.

Talking to your physician can help, but often a doctor will treat the symptoms, and more problems can arise later. This becomes like a band aid approach that leaves patients worse off because this approach is not addressing the underlying causes.

The solution is customized biomedical hormone replacement. This is a proven way to get your body to a balanced state and kick the weight gain to the curb. Talk to your doctor today and find out if hormone imbalances are keeping you from the body and lifestyle you’ve always wanted.

Results vary by individual. Find out today if Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy is what you need to get the weight off, keep it off, and to improve your quality of life.

Benefits of Exercise on the Hormonal System

Not only does exercise have physical and mental benefits, it also provides physiological benefits as well.

Regular exercise has the power to keep the body’s hormones in balance, resulting in a better sense of well-being.

The feeling of euphoria people often experience during and after exercise is due to its ability to stimulate endorphins, or the “feel good” hormones. This exercise high is intensified by the production of many other hormones, including testosterone, estrogen, and thyroid hormones, which begin to increase 20 minutes into exercise and can remain elevated for up to 3 hours after exercise.

These hormones are important for both males and females and will maintain muscle tone and strength, increase metabolism, break down body fat, produce feelings of self confidence, increase libido, elevate mood, and much more.

Unlike all other hormones that increase during exercise, insulin actually decreases.

This is a good thing because it heightens sensitivity to insulin by reducing its concentration in the blood, which increases the body’s ability to turn fat into energy.

To reap the hormonal benefits of exercise, try to perform at least two strength training workouts a week at 30-45 minutes per session, and two aerobic workouts such as cycling, swimming, or running.

Alternating between lifting heavier weights in the 6-10 rep range on some days and lighter weights in the 12-15 rep range on other days has been shown to produce greater increases in hormone levels.

For aerobic exercise, interval training has been shown to produce the greatest benefits to the hormonal system.

How to Manage Adrenal Fatigue

Are you stressed out?

In our culture today, more and more stress is being placed upon on us. Stress can lead you to potential medical problems such as adrenal fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue can be caused by numerous stressors. Stress can be emotional, physical, or psychological. During the stressors, your adrenal glands go to work.

Overuse can cause your adrenal glands to be burdened, and it means your glands are unable to keep up with the amount of stress you’re enduring.

In our culture, the constant bombardments of stress can affect even healthy individuals.

Are you seeing symptoms of adrenal fatigue?

You may feel tired for absolutely no reason. Your skin may bruise easily. You may gain weight even though your diet hasn’t changed.

Feeling more alert in the evening

Feeling more alert in the evening than during the day is a sign. Another indication is if you have a difficult time recovering from an illness, or simply are experiencing a rundown or a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Any of these signs indicate that it may be time to get checked out.

Adrenal fatigue only worsens if you don’t eliminate stress in your life and get it taken care of.

You can, however, feel your best again by getting support for your adrenal glands. With the use of bioidentical hormones, you can achieve a balance of your hormone levels.

Unlike synthetic treatments, bioidentical hormone replacement is identical to your own naturally occurring hormone production.

If you believe you may have adrenal fatigue, the time to act is now. Schedule an appointment with your doctor and find our more to see if bioidentical hormone replacement is right for you.

Results vary by individual, so check in and see if this is what you need to get your life back!

Schedule an appointment with your doctor and find out more to see if bioidentical hormone replacement is right for you.