by: Aaron Potts
First of all, let?s define Menopause. Then we?ll take a look at some natural ways to make this one of the best times in your life!
Defined, Menopause means ?the cessation of menses?, or in common terms, when a woman stops having her menstrual cycles. Most women enter this stage of their life between the ages of 40 and 58.
Perimenopause is the period directly preceding premenopause and is the transitional time between normal menstrual periods, and no periods at all. The time range of perimenopause can be anywhere from 5 to 15 years, during which estrogen and progesterone production by the ovaries starts to fluctuate, causing many menopausal symptoms.
Premenopause is the period directly preceding menopause, and some women begin to experience menopausal symptoms such as PMS, but most women still have regular menstrual cycles during this time.
As the progesterone production of the ovaries fluctuates and eventually bottoms out as ovulation stops completely, your body can easily slip into a state known as ?estrogen dominance?, which causes many unpleasant side effects. These include, but are not limited to:
? Fibroid tumors
? Tender breasts
? PMS
? Sudden weight gain
? Fatigue
? Irritability
? Depression
? Foggy thinking
? Memory loss
? Migraine headaches
? Irregular timing and flow of menstrual cycles
? Bleeding in between periods
? Cold hands and feet
? Hot flashes
In addition to your body?s natural tendency to slip into ?estrogen dominance?, men and women alike can be exposed to excessive amounts of estrogen as a result of toxins in our environment such as pesticides, plastics, industrial waste products, car exhaust, meat, soaps, and many other things that we encounter in our day to day life.
Females can slip further into an estrogen dominated state as the result of being overweight. Fat cells produce estrogen, so the more overweight you are, the more excess estrogen there will be in your body.
In addition, even if your estrogen levels are normal, if your progesterone levels are below normal, you are still subject to the many acute and chronic conditions that are a result of estrogen dominance, including: breast and uterine cancer, acceleration of the aging process, increased risk of stroke and heart disease, allergy symptoms, depression, anxiety, weight gain (particularly in the abdominal region, hips, and thighs), fatigue, hair loss, osteoporosis, uterine fibroids, and more.
Also, as a woman travels through the menopausal time in her life, her body?s ability to absorb nutrients diminishes, although her need for those nutrients increases.
Fortunately, it is possible to utilize a progesterone supplement to alleviate or eliminate many of the acute and chronic conditions associated with the menopausal years. Remember, it is the balance of estrogen and progesterone that your body needs in order to ensure a quality of life free from the many unpleasant and even fatal side effects of estrogen dominance.
As you now know, menopause can be a particularly unpleasant and even dangerous time for a woman. However, through a quality nutrition program, the use of an all-natural progesterone product, and a high quality vitamin and mineral supplementation program, a woman can take control of her menopausal years and look forward to the next healthy and fulfilling stage of her life!
Copyright 2005 Aaron Potts
About The Author
Aaron Potts and his wife Amy are Certified Success Group Leaders specializing in the Tahiti Trim Plan 40 program, a weight and lifestyle management system specifically formulated for women close to and over 40 years of age. To learn more about the TTP40 program, visit their website at http://www.tni.com/aaronandamy to receive a free detailed report about how YOU can take control of menopause - naturally!
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Understanding Diabetes
Understanding Diabetes
by: David Chandler
To manage diabetes, it helps to understand how it affects your body. In healthy people, the body turns food into glucose (blood sugar) to use for energy. Insulin, produced by the pancreas, is the hormone responsible for shuttling glucose into the body's cells where it is either used right away or stored for later use. With diabetes, however, high levels of glucose build up in the blood because either the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin or the body can't use the insulin it produces. Your treatment will depend on which problem you have.
Diabetes is broken down into three categories: type 1 or type 2 or gestational.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, usually leading to a total halt in insulin production.
Insulin shots or the use an insulin pump to keep the blood glucose within normal range is a daily activity....
Weight loss > Understanding Diabetes
Simple Weight Loss
Simple Weight Loss
by: David McCarthy
Active weight watchers consistently ask what foods can I eat and what foods should I avoid. This is a genuine thing because if you have set a goal to lose weight you want to be sure that you are eating the right things. The good news is that there are very few foods that you should avoid such as:
- Any type of fast food. (Pizza?s, burgers etc.)
- All soft drinks that fizz.
- Never drink beer when you eat, or eat when you drink beer. Beer will stop your body from breaking down fats.
What is more important is how much you eat. The excess weight that you put on is the difference between calories digested and calories burnt off through exercise. Therefore if you lead an active life you are able to consume more calories and your activity will burn them off. If your lifestyle lacks physical activity you must consume less calories and search for ways to become more active. Therefore the size of...
Simple Weight Loss
Weight loss > Simple Weight Loss
What Is Reasonable Weight Loss?
What Is Reasonable Weight Loss?
by: Carol Walsh
If you read ads in the newspaper, watch infomercials on TV or click on internet pop-ups, you?d assume that quick and easy weight loss is a piece of cake. ?Lose 10 pounds in two weeks,? ?Lose 10 pounds in 10 days,? and ?Lose 10 to 18 pounds in less than six weeks? are just a few of the claims that set our expectations for the task of melting away extra fat. But are those results really possible?
According to the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Sports Medicine, one to two pounds a week is considered safe and appropriate weight loss. This guideline is often cited by the medical community to help dieters lose body fat without also losing lean mass and to avoid dehydration. Safe may be well and good, but one to two pounds a week sure sounds wimpy compared to what the weight loss industry has to offer!
To sort through what?s fantasy and what?s real, consider first what it...
What Is Reasonable Weight Loss?
Weight loss > What Is Reasonable Weight Loss?