As women age estrogen levels fall, which impacts many parts of the body including skin, bones, and bladder. Dry itchy skin is a common complaint.

• Fact: Without estrogen, the body tissues lose elasticity and shrink. A common complaint is you feel like your skin is crawling or it becomes sweaty and hot. There is an increased sensitivity to the sun, problem with teeth such as bleeding gums, lose teeth, and the eyes may be dry and itchy.
• Fact: Estrogen is a hormone that is circulated in the blood and affect both the well being and general state of health.
• Fact: Menopause is triggered by hormonal changes in the endocrin system.
• Fact: The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (the father of medicine) was the first to describe menopause, which he put at the age of 50.
• Fact: A blood test called the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) can reveal the arrival of menopause. The common medical response to menopause and estrogen loss is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT is a synthetic form that acts as a replacement for the natural hormone, estrogen, the body produced in higher levels prior to menopause.    

Hormone Replacement Therapy must be prescribed by a licensed physician. Recent studies indicate HRT has the potential for significant side effects. The side effects should be carefully evaluated. More information on the risks of HRT can be found from the following sources:

• National Women’s Health Network – 514 10th Street NW, Suite 402, Washington, DC 20004, Phone 202-347-1140.
• National Institution on Aging Information Center – P.O. Box 8057, Gaitnersburg, MD 20898-8057, Phone 800-222-2225, Publishes resource directory for older people, resources for women’s health and aging.

Because of the risks now found to be inherent in hormone replacement therapy, all natural estrogen formulations from plant sources are becoming available. Carefully formulated hormone balancing creams are available both with and without herbs that resolve the physical and emotional changes that occur during menopause but from all natural sources. Look for herbal balances that include black cohosh, chaste tree berries, dong quai, evening primrose oil, red clover, alfalfa, licorice, and ginseng. These creams are available over-the-counter and can be ordered online from www.ihdistribution.com.

Exercise and diet are also important during menopause. The best type of exercise will build strength and stamina, increase flexibility, and help balance and concentration. Exercise such as tennis, brisk walking, jogging, and step aerobics are recommended. A carefully balanced diet, often including supplemental vitamins and minerals, help the body function at its optimal level.

Typically, Vitamins A, C, E and the mineral Selenium, commonly termed antioxidants, become more important in protecting body cells from damage as we age. Vitamin D, combined with calcium, formulated with glucosamine and chondroitin are typically recommended.

About the Author
Pure. Natural. Beautiful from IH Distribution. IH Distribution specializes in health areas such as acne skin care, anti-aging cream, anti-wrinkle cream, hormones and natural hormone replacement therapy, natural progesterone cream and skin care cream. We offer beauty care products such as natural cosmetics, facial products, skin care products, eye make up and dermatologist approved cleansing products.

34 menopause symptoms? Really? It is a logical question to ask. After all, millions of women are experiencing one or more of the 34 menopause symptoms right now! What’s going on? We all remember a grandmother or older aunt, how they made the transition into menopause. The “change” will happen, but something tells us that experiencing many of the symptoms of menopause as early as ages 30’s or 40’s is not normal.

First, here’s a list of the most common 34 menopause symptoms. Take a moment to consider each one, as some are subtle and at first glance may appear to have no relation to being menopause symptoms:

1 – Aching joints and muscles
2 – Allergy symptoms
3 – Breast tenderness
4 – Chronic fatigue and morning sluggishness
5 – Cold or tingling hands or feet
6 – Craving sweets, caffeine, carbohydrates with unstable blood sugar levels
7 – Depression, anxiety and mood swings
8 – Dizziness, lightheadedness
9 – Dry, thin or wrinkly skin
10 – Endometriosis
11 – Facial hair growth
12 – Fibrocystic breasts
13 – Hair loss, thinning hair
14 – Headaches, migraines
15 – Heart palpitations
16 – Heavy or light periods
17 – Hot flashes
18 – Incontinence
19 – Irregular periods
20 – Irritatibility, inability to handle stress
21 – Lack of concentration, foggy fuzzy thinking, memory lapses
22 – Leg cramps
23 – Low metabolism
24 – Lower sex drive, loss of sex drive
25 – PMS and menstrual cramping
26 – Night sweats
27 – Osteoporosis
28 – Ringing or buzzing in ears (tinnitus)
29 – Sleep disturbances, insomnia
30 – Spotting, light bleeding
31 – Symptoms of hypothyroidism with normal T3 and T4 levels
32 – Uninary tract and yeast infections
33 – Uterine fibroids
34 – Water retention and unexplained weight gain, especially in hips, waist and stomach

Menopause is a natural process for a woman, not an illness. As a woman ages, there will be an expected slowing and ultimately shutdown in the reproductive cycle and system. This is normal. However, most of the 34 menopause symptoms are indications of underlying hormonal imbalance or damage to the body from poor eating habits, stress, obesity and other factors. Millions of women in the industrialized countries experience one or more of these 34 menopause symptoms many years before the normal age of menopause, which is about 51 years of age.

Why? There are several reasons. Women often put tremendous demands on their bodies, much more stress than it was designed to handle, and then do not give it the support it needs. Women have demanding and stressful careers. There are family responsibilities. The relationship with the spouse or partner may not be the best. Aging parents can add to the burden. All of these and other responsibilities are cumulative in the toll they take on the body and health of a woman.

And at the same time, the woman’s body may not be receiving the support it needs to function as it was designed to do. Poor eating habits, lack of exercise, obesity, excess caffeine and alcohol add to the problem instead of helping the body cope with the demands placed on it. This lack of balance between the demands made versus support given contributes to many of the 34 menopause symptoms.

Then there is the issue of the menstrual cycle and hormone production in the body. In the normal menstrual cycle and a healthy woman, estrogen is the dominant hormone that is produced for the first 10-12 days following the previous menstrual flow. If ovulation occurs, ovulation then signals the female body to produce progesterone, which happens for the next 12 days or so. If pregnancy does not occur during ovulation, progesterone and estrogen levels will drop at around day 28, allowing menstruation to begin. However, if you do not ovulate, you will not produce progesterone that month. This event, called an annovulatory cycle, is a typical occurance today for women even 10 to 20 years before the normal age of menopause. This leaves the woman with an excess of estrogen and a deficiency of the vital hormone progesterone, which can only be produced if ovulation occurs.

Many women in their 30’s and 40’s are actually having fewer ovulations, creating hormone imbalance, resulting in many of the 34 menopause symptoms. And once ovulation ceases at menopause, progesterone levels fall to virtually zero. At the same time, estrogen is still being produced, again leading to hormone imbalance and the resulting symptoms. If a hysterectomy has happened, surgical menopause means the woman no longer produces progesterone.

Besides the problems created by missed ovulations or hysterectomy, excess estrogen is regularly obtained from other sources. Birth control pills, household chemicals and pesticides, certain foods that have been sprayed or given chemicals and many construction materials used in homes are all sources of unhealthy estrogen. Doctors call this hormone imbalance condition where excess estrogen exists “estrogen dominance”. What are the symptoms of estrogen dominance? The symptoms are nearly the same as the 34 menopause symptoms!

When your estrogen and progesterone hormones are balanced, you feel more alert and energetic. And balancing family, career, stress and your own needs becomes much easier to do, like it was when you were younger.

How can a woman tell if the symptoms being experienced are because of hormone imbalance? One easy and effective way is to take an online test for early signs of menopause and the 34 menopause symptoms. Used daily in their practice by a leading women’s health clinic, the health test takes just a few minutes online — and the test is free. By taking the clinic health test, you can find out more about your health, symptoms you have, what the symptoms are telling you and what to do about it. Take the online hormone health test and read more about hormone imbalance, estrogen dominance symptoms, hysterectomy side effects and physician-recommended treatments for premenopause symptoms and the 34 menopause symptoms.
About the Author

Olinda Rola is President of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.safemenopausesolutions.comwhere you will find physician-recommended natural solutions for premenopause, menopause and related health problems. Visit the website and learn more about ways that really work for improving your health.

Menopause relief is possible through self care. Western doctors treat women in menopause like they have a disease. In truth, menopause is a transitional imbalance, a change that can be comforted with some study and experimentation.  

Peri-menopausal woman report experiencing symptoms including hot flashes, anger, urinary tract infections, irritability, hyperacidity, skin breakouts (acne), rashes, low sex drive, mood swings, and more. If the sole cause of menopause is a loss of hormones, as is commonly believed in the west, then why do some women experience no symptoms at all during menopause while others can no relief from menopause?

In the Ayurvedic tradition (medical practice of India), doctors report that if a woman reaching this stage already has an imbalance often caused by a diet of fast food, or eating foods with chemicals and preservatives causing an accumulation of digestive impurities, or if stress is a daily experience, she is likely to report more symptoms at this stage in life.

What are some of the things a woman can do to treat her most prevalent and disturbing symptoms?

Diet is a good place to start. If you have hot flashes and mood swings, avoid spicy foods such as chili, cayenne and black mustard seed, vinegar, salty and sour foods. Instead, go for bitter, astringent and sweet foods including vegetables, rice, milk, wheat and pasta, fruit (especially pears and plums), and spices such as cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, fennel and cumin seed.

If you are experiencing symptoms such as memory loss or vaginal dryness, eat cooked, warm foods that are low in fat. Include sweet, sour and salty with a breakfast of cooked apples, prunes and figs to cleanse the digestive system. Under all circumstances, avoid packaged, processed, frozen, and canned foods including leftovers.

Do eat organic when possible and foods that are cooked fresh on a daily basis. The bulk of your diet should be whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables and legumes. Don’t eat meat, cheese, yogurt and frozen deserts. Don’t skip meals and eat your main meal at noon, and if possible, try to take your meals at the same time each day so your body can count on the consistency.

Asians consume up to 6 servings of soy foods a day, and as a result, they report a significantly lower rate of menopausal discomfort. There are currently plenty of soy products on the market, but to consume the equivalent of 6 cups of soymilk (and its supplement called isoflavones) is difficult and some women find the taste of soy to be “chalky” and somewhat unpleasant. There is, however, a source where you can select The #1 Doctor-Recommended Soy Protein Supplement for Menopause Relief.

About the Author
Cathy Taylor is a marketing consultant with over 25 years experience. She specializes in internet marketing, strategy and plan development, as well as management of communications and public relations programs for small business sectors. She can be reached at Creative Communications: creative–com@cox.net or by visiting www.internet-marketing-small-business.com

Did you know that Japanese women tend to suffer hot flashes only about 1/3 as often as American women? Or that those following a vegetarian diet also complain of hot flashes far less than the rest of us? Of course, you don’t have to give up the steaks just yet, but doctors and nutritional professionals suspect that the difference is largely due to the use of soy products in the diets of these women, and several women have now realized that by incorporating some soy in their diets, their symptoms of menopause have abated considerably.

In fact, altering your diet in small ways can have the greatest positive effect on your body as it transitions to menopause and beyond. For instance, by staying away from hot drinks, you’re not giving your body reason to “heat up” and produce a hot flash. At the same time, reducing your caffeine intake (which often comes in the form of hot drinks, including coffee and tea) will naturally help you sleep better at night, which will keep your mood and mental state healthy.

Lastly, replacing these drinks with water and juice will keep your bones and muscles well-lubricated, prevent osteoporosis from settling in, and temper your general aches and pains. We know it’s no easy task to give up coffee, but think of the endless benefits of this one relatively minor change to your diet.

In fact, one of the most commonly complained about symptoms of menopause these days is the weight gain that seems to come along with it. Put simply, your body isn’t burning calories in the same way it once was, so if you don’t change your diet — even if it’s already a healthy one — you’re bound to gain a few pounds around the waist.

Changing your diet now, simply by avoiding a few foods that are bound to make other symptoms worse, while increasing the foods high in certain vitamins while remaining low in calories, will help you to maintain your figure while giving your body the nutrients it needs to fight off some of the worst symptoms of menopause.

We’ll tell you which foods to add to your diet if you’re suffering hot flashes, vaginal thinning, aches and pains, or emotional symptoms of menopause. In addition, of course, we’ll share the secrets of which vitamins and herbs have been proven to keep your mind sharp and your bones strong as you age through menopause and beyond.

For instance, foods high in potassium, including most fruits, will help you keep your mind sharp while promoting healthy water flushing throughout your body (which will reduce cramps and bloating), while keeping your muscles and bones lubricated and strong — including your needy joints and your thinning vaginal walls. In short, this is the time in your life when “an apple a day” couldn’t ring more true!

Also, oily fish, including salmon and tuna, and vegetable oils, are often recommended by nutritionists for anyone wanting to keep their minds sharp. But these oils are also useful in helping keep your muscles from drying, while helping your digestive system.

In fact, everything from Vitamins C and E to herbal remedies such as Dong Quai and Wild Yam Root are discussed in this book; remember, not only American women suffer menopause — you’re far from alone. Every woman in the world goes through menopause sooner or later, and we all have our own ways of treating the symptoms unique to us.

We’ll explore the countless ways in which these small changes or additions to your diet will not only combat the unique symptoms you’re going through, but the ways in which you can identify these symptoms quickly to lead a healthy, long life far after menopause.

But let’s talk about soy again, briefly. It’s been in the news, and for good reason, but where do you start? Many of us would buy a chunk of tofu, which, let’s face it, can be tasteless, but it doesn’t end there, and again, you don’t need to move to Japan to figure out how to add it to your diet. You don’t need to give up eating cheeseburgers to enjoy the occasional veggie burger, but adding some soy to your diet has made the symptoms of menopause much more tolerable for millions of women. If you’ve not eaten many soy products, don’t hold your nose just yet — in addition to helping your symptoms, you may find that you actually like it!

About the Author
Dawn M. Olsen is an Advocate for Better Women’s Health through Education, Recipe Developer, Soy Food Enthusiast and the Author of “Menopause A to Z – A Definitive Guide to Modern Menopause” available online now at www.MenopauseAtoZ.com

If you need a break to laugh at what you are going through with all this menopause stuff, this video is the ticket. I laugh every time I watch it. Enjoy!

Leave a comment with your thoughts!

“Yeeee gads! My hair is falling out!” This is a cry that can affect your whole family for long, awkward moments. What is it with your hair? Is it gone forever? Who knew that womens hair loss would be an issue? Let’s clear up some confusion and try to notch down some panic about this kind of a look in the mirror. 

About Hair
Healthy hair simply looks good. The healthier your scalp and hair follicles, the better your hair will look. If you’re starting to experience some hair loss
and a general decline in the overall health of your hair and scalp, it has probably been deteriorating for a while, and you’re only now seeing the effects.

Hair grows in a cycle of three phases. Each individual hair is in a growth phase (anagen phase) for 2-6 years, before it enters a transition phase (catagen phase) for 1-2 weeks, and then a resting phase (telogen phase) for 5-6 weeks. After that, the hair dies and falls out. Then the follicle returns to the growth phase, and a new hair begins to grow.

In normal, healthy adults, the approximate percentages of hairs in these three different phases are:

• 84% in the growth (anagen) phase
• 0-1% in the transition (catagen) phase
• 14-15% in the resting (telogen) phase

Returning your hair follicles to the anagen growth cycle is the objective of any plan to regrow healthier hair.

DHT Effects On the Hair Follicle
The medical term for hair loss is alopecia. This is defined as a state where 20% or more of a person’s hairs are in the telogen (resting) phase.

In cases of alopecia, the hair growth cycle has been altered so that the anagen (growth) phase is shortened. This results in an increased percentage of hairs in the catagen and telogen phases.

The enzyme conversion of testosterone creates a compound called Di-Hydro Testosterone (DHT). The effect of DHT on the hair follicles and oil glands of the scalp can be detrimental to the anagen phase that you want to lengthen.

In areas of female hair loss or thinning, the follicles have more sites to which DHT can attach, and more DHT at those sites. This buildup of DHT near the follicles can shorten their growth phase and increase the numbers of hairs in the transition and resting phases. A continuation in this buildup of DHT will actually shrink the hair follicles, which causes their hairs to become thinner, weaker, and look less healthy.

Reality Check: No product known today will grow a hair without a viable hair follicle. Only a healthy hair follicle can grow a hair.

A healthy hair follicle can resist the negative effects of DHT buildup and continue in a normal growth cycle longer than an unhealthy one can. Hair care products that seek to lessen DHT work by binding to the same sites on the hair follicle to which DHT attaches. This blocks the abnormal response of the follicle to DHT, so it blocks the harm that is causing the weakening and loss of the hair.

The nutritional supplements recommended by a naturopathic physician work by helping the body to normalize its hormone levels, while increasing the circulation of nutrients and elimination of waste products from the hair follicle. This increases the strength of the follicle and protects it from further damage.

The amounts of the conversion enzymes that create DHT from testosterone, as well as the amounts of testosterone or cortisol, are thought to be genetically determined. This is why some people tend to have less of a problem with DHT than others.

The good news is that a person’s genetic expression (i.e., how their body is now) can be changed by what that person does in the upcoming weeks, months, and years, as well as how they do it. With advances in the scientific understandings of these physical events, you can arm yourself with the right information and learn to make the changes necessary to stop a hair loss problem. We’ll next explain how.

Hair Loss
A variety of health conditions and environmental factors can cause hair loss. Likewise, many different approaches can be taken to stop hair loss and even grow hair back.

Certainly, having great hair is important to us, but the body has many other important things to do on a continuous basis. Some are higher priorities than maintaining lustrous hair — things like breathing, eliminating waste, absorbing food, protecting itself from infections, fleeing from danger, and so forth. If the body has a limited budget of energy, nutrients, and strength, it starts to redirect its resources to the tasks it deems most important. This is fortunate for us.

If stressful events occur to lower that ‘budget,’ the body may find it necessary to prioritize other functions more highly than hair growth.

For example, if a person undergoes a series of radiation treatments to kill cancer, the treatments incur a major stress on the body. The body’s first priority then becomes to live and breathe to grow nice hair another day. As a result, hair loss is often the consequence of radiation treatments. Hair regrowth after this type of trauma is possible, however, depending on the state of the hair follicles and the person’s overall capacity to return to health. Naturopathic doctors call this their “vital force.”

Major Causes of Hair Loss
Hair loss might also be caused by various types of injury to the scalp, such as burns, radiation, acid spills, or scrapes. If the follicles are destroyed and replaced by smooth skin or scar tissue, a lotion or vitamin routine won’t very likely restore hair growth. At this point, it may be time for an implant, a weave, a wig, or a toupee. Or maybe it’s just time to accept the reality of a lack of hair. Bald can be beautiful, too.

Furthermore, various diseases, genetic tendencies, and auto-immune disorders can direct the body to neglect the health of the hair follicle, or even attack it directly. Some of these attacks might be triggered by environmental toxins, the side-effects of drugs, nutrient deficiencies, irregularities of hormone metabolism, or poor elimination of wastes. Here, we could discuss lifestyle choices and explanations of natural sciences such as nutrition, physiology, and biochemistry until your eyes glaze over.

If you have been taking anti-depressive medications like Zoloft or Paxil, you should be aware that the known side-effects of these types of drugs can include hair loss. The vicious cycle of compounding one’s depression by having to deal with hair loss makes these drugs a thing worth trying to avoid. Work with your doctor and be smart about your use of any medications, because many drugs have negative effects on hair growth.

If you are a “stress puppy,” and the slightest disruption in your plans tears you to pieces for hours or days at a time, your body’s response to those stress hormones can be yet another factor in hair loss and graying. Some training in stress management or anger resolution would be your best bet, while treating the resultant hair loss with physical medicines and lotions.

Sudden Hair Loss
Sudden hair loss can occur after severe psycho-physical stresses like illness, childbirth, menopause, losing a job, or loss of a loved one. This type of hair loss appears within a few weeks or a month of the trauma, depending on its severity. It is often reversible with time, emotional healing, and the principles of physical support described here.

Hair Loss in Women
Women seldom lose their hair for reasons of genetic predisposition. They do, however, experience hair loss from the other causes we’ve already mentioned. In addition, women are more commonly the consumers of hair treatments which are known to damage the hair and cause breakage and thinning. Rough handling, harsh commercial shampoos, perms, hair color, bleach, and cosmetics all can damage the hair follicles. Hormone fluctuations through life events of men or women also contribute to stress on the physical condition of the hair follicle.

Factors to Consider
What does your body need to keep your hair looking good? Factors include good nutrition, effective elimination of wastes, exercise affecting the circulation, a good attitude, use of safe non-toxic products, and sensible protections from injury. These contribute to healthy glandular functions, especially of the thyroid, adrenals, gonads, and liver. If the links in this chain of hormone functions are weak or broken, your hair will probably be the least of your problems. It might just be the most visible one in your mirror, though.

Before you spend significant amounts of money on lotions or supplements to treat hair loss, try to figure out what is causing your hair to fall out, and change what you can about that underlying situation.

Enlist the help of your doctor to figure out any internal causes. Have your hormone levels tested for thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, and functions of the ovaries or testes. Make sure your nutritional intake and digestive functions are up to par. Again, this is a complex issue. It may take some study about the lotions and natural medicines available to find a plan that works for you, but the benefits to your health and appearance will be worth the effort.

About the Author

Dr. Thomas S. Lee holds a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine (NMD/ND) from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. He has practiced and taught natural medicine in Arizona since 1986. His company, NaturoDoc LLC, is online at www.naturodoc.com, where you can find an extensive library of information on natural health approaches, as well as worldwide access to physician’s-quality health products that support these concepts.