Insomnia is a Common Problem

Posted by Gail Edgell | Posted on 30-06-2010

Category : hormonal changes

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Expert’s Name: Stephanie Ackerman
Tossing, Turning, and Counting Sheep

Like many menopausal women, I have trouble sleeping. I have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and getting back to sleep. My husband calls it bed time aerobics! I battle the sheets. It’s not just the night sweats; it’s the calming of my body. Often, I find myself tugging the sheets, puffing up my pillow, pulling my hair back so that nothing touches my sensitive skin and keeps me from sleeping. Most of the time, I have things on my mind. It doesn’t have to be anything particular. Sometimes it’s just a song and it plays over and over in my head and I can’t stop it. Other times, I am going through my tae kwon do form. Nothing that keeps me awake is earth shattering.

To read more of this article go to Menopause Insomnia.

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Test for Date of Menopause on the Horizon

Posted by Gail Edgell | Posted on 28-06-2010

Category : your hormones

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Menopause Tests:  Not just FSH levels will be a predictor
Expert’s Name:  Gail Edgell

It is hard to believe, but could it be that you take a test in your doctor’s office and it will predict the date of your menopause?  How accurate is it might be another question.

In the study conducted in Iran at the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences they measured blood levels of anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) in 266 women who were ages 20 to 49.

AMH is equal to the number of eggs left in the ovaries, which produce the hormones.

Women were tested three times over a nine-year period.  Only 63 of the 266 women in the study reached menopause during the 12-year follow-up period.  With complex algorithms the study was able to predict menopause in these women on average within four months of cessation of their periods.

As one doctor points out there is a big difference between ovarian function and and ovarian reserve.  Women may have eggs available and may not be able to utilize them.

Most doctors today take a  FSH blood test to find out how close women women are to menopause.  This test only shows if a women is moving toward meonpause and is not an accurate predictor of the exact date.

Many more studies will need to be done to accurately access if this new predictor of menopause is going to worthwhile.  For now,  the verdict is to out by many.

To read more of this article go to Date of Menopause or for more information on menopause go to Menopause Support and Relief.

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Soy and Menopause

Posted by Gail Edgell | Posted on 14-06-2010

Category : supplements

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Expert’s Name: Robin Pruitt

Most forms of soy are rich in isoflavones, or plant estrogens. These hormonally-active substances can mimic estrogen in the body, which is why we often hear the advice for women in mid-life to eat more soy products. But does that mean we should all eat as much soy as possible?

There are genuine benefits to soy: it is a superior protein source and is high in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols as well as antioxidants that may reduce cancer risk. And it is true that appropriate amounts of soy isoflavones can have a balancing effect on menopausal hormone levels.

However, there is another side to the soy story.

A number of health practitioners have reported that many menopausal women-and particularly overweight women-have sluggish thyroid function, although this deficiency may not be reflected in the results of the common thyroid blood tests.

To read more of this article go to Soy and Menopause or http://www.360Menopause.com

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Natural Remedies for Hot Flashes

Posted by Gail Edgell | Posted on 13-06-2010

Category : hot/cold flashes

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Expert’s Name: Susan Joyce Proctor
Hot Flashes and Menopause

While each woman has her own unique experience of menopause, hot flashes are probably the most common complaints. They result from estrogen levels that start to fluctuate and drop. The body’s thermostat gets confused and thinks that the body is cold, so it turns up the thermostat to compensate and really heats up. It’s incredibly uncomfortable.

I remember my own relatively mild hot flashes. It was weird, after a lifetime of always feeling cold, to find myself suddenly feeling like I was burning up, for no reason. And then just as suddenly, having the heat leave, and feeling cold from the sweat that had poured out.

Since the 1960′s, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has addressed these symptoms with drugs that give women synthetic estrogens derived from horse urine. But synthetic hormones are dangerous and contribute to cancer risk. (I don’t think they are ever a good choice, for anybody.)

To read more of this article go to Hot Flashes or http://www.360Menopause.com

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Eat Your Way to a Younger You

Posted by Gail Edgell | Posted on 29-05-2010

Category : anti-aging, nutrition

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Expert’s Name: Rachel Venokur-Clark
Anti-aging Foods

We are bombarded everyday with images of what we are supposed to think is beautiful. A young, super skinny, airbrushed model is what many of us compare ourselves to on a regular basis. In a world where youth is idolized and aging is seen as something, well, less favorable, we are all searching for that magical fountain of youth. How about writing off the plastic surgeon for a while and starting from the inside out. What you put in your body can not only help to maintain a healthy weight, but can slow down the aging process as much as six years and even reverse the damage that has already been done. Based on that, I’d say Nutrition is the real fountain of youth.

There are numerous foods, which can help keep that Botox shot far away from you, and even help you balance your hormone levels and alleviate certain symptoms of menopause. Here are the top 7 anti-aging foods to include in your daily diet.

To read more of this article go to Menopause Aging at http://www.360Menopause.com

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