Hello again,

Did you know that a woman’s hormone levels start changing as menopause comes on? Well, it’s true; this can precipitate a variety of reactions and symptoms in every woman, and the extent to which these reactions and symptoms affect a woman can vary significantly. Typically, the indicators are changes and/or irregularity in the menstrual cycle, and the irregularity increases with time. The quantity of blood released during the cycle also changes. The symptom that is probably most widely known is hot flashes. Hot flashes are defined as a sudden heat wave flushing over the body, producing redness in the face and neck. Apparently, some women also have hot flashes when they are asleep, and these are called “night sweats”.

Emotional changes and the tendency toward exhaustion are reported by a most women in menopause. The reason behind these changes is changing hormone levels. Women experiencing menopause are worn down more easily, sometimes evidencing serious fatigue. The night sweats aggravate the situation, making a decent night’s sleep even more impossible. The strange thing is that most women do not lose weight as a result of the stress their body is taking. In fact, they tend to gain additional weight because the body’s fat levels increase as the women age.

Menopause tends to be an unpleasant fact of life. It is a period of aging that has its emotional up’s and down’s, and millions of women have no choice but to try to live through it. A healthy sense of humour is a bonus during this stage of life, since, if you look upon it properly as a stage that every woman goes through, you can lower your stress level by changing your point f view. If you are reading this article, you may becoming close to menopause, and you wonder how best to protect your heart, your bones, and your memory in the long term. There are some things you can do to help your body come through it reasonably unscathed. One option of course is just to put up with the symptoms. Another is more pro-active: go into a Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT). If you are uncomfortable with the idea of an HRT, you might want to try out some of the multitude of natural and herbal supplements available in health stores and online.

The most popular treatment for menopause has been HRT. However, several major international studies were terminated because there is an increased risk of serious medical conditions such as heart disease, stroke, thrombosis, ovarian and breast cancer, as well as other illnesses for participants. Understandably, many women are looking for an alternative to HRT. The good news is that it appears to be possible to reduce the effects of menopause symptoms without using HRT.

The way to do this is to remember that the symptoms of menopause are not always related to changes in the body’s oestrogen levels. Make sure that you do the following as part of your daily routine

• switch to a healthy diet and omit the fast-food and obviously unhealthy food sources;
• use diet supplements that have scientifically valid basis, rather than an emotional appeal;
• make sure you get sufficient relaxation every day; and
• exercise is a must – keep your body moveable and flexible.

All of this will help you survive menopause.

According to Soya fans, soya products are the best sources of phytoestrogens, and you should consume a minimum of 100 mg of phytoestrogens per day to help minimise the menopausal symptoms. Add good, well-rounded, multi-vitamins to get better results. But even the Soya manufacturers are not certain that this is true. Gregory Burke and colleagues at Wake Forest University in North Carolina did a study about the effects phytoestrogen from soya had on women in menopause. The results of his study were not convincing, at best. “Most studies find that soy has no effect on menopausal symptoms,” says Burke. “When a benefit is detected, it appears to be relatively mild, and much less than what women get from estrogen replacement therapy.” (Menopause 6: 7, 1999)

Relaxing is a basic necessity during menopause. Exercise helps in two ways; it alleviates depression and anxiety, and at the same time makes it easier to sleep. As long as you don’t suffer from osteoporosis, an activity that puts mild stress on your bones, such as jogging or brisk walking, is a good help. This helps stimulate the regeneration of bone tissue and reduce calcium loss, which in turn helps to protect against the onset of osteoporosis.

Every woman will have menopause

These options are really good news for you and your body. There really is no substitute for learning to meet your body’s needs, especially at the time of the menopause. This is a problem that all women go through to some extent, so minimising its effects on you will have major significance in your life.

Thanks for looking in,

Jimmy Craig
for
Sue & Craig Websites

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Surviving Menopause

Hello again,

Are you aware that green tea has grown popular recently for those who are interested in losing weight? The tea contains some compounds that promote weight reduction by pumping up the body’s metabolism. Green tea apparently also furthers your general health by killing some of the bacteria in the food you eat. Studies also indicate that green tea may get rid of so-called “bad” cholesterol in your veins and arteries. There is no accepted explanation for how green tea modifies or reacts with the bad cholesterol, but in spite of this, there are studies that show that green tea components do successfully reduce the amount of cholesterol the body takes on. These factors considered together mean you can have a healthier cardio-vascular system and trim down at the same time. Today, start drinking green tea and let it show you its benefits.

As we age, our bodies lose some of their capacity to process unhealthy food successfully, compared to when we were younger. Green tea can help you cope with the food you like to eat, but is not good for you. How does the green tea function in the weight-loss process? In essence, it cranks up your body’s motor – your metabolism – which requires more energy consumption, and this is accomplished by burning fats stored in your body. A neat trick, right? And it’s a lot easier than increasing your exercise regime accordingly. In addition to this, green tea also tends to suppress your appetite and control your blood sugar level. If you drink coffee, green tea is an excellent replacement, even though the caffeine content is not as high as in strong coffee. Let green tea show its benefits with the combination of the caffeine that is present and the other postive effects; these will tend to keep you going just as strongly as with strong coffee, and without coffee’s negative effects

Green tea is also a source of antioxidants such as polyphenols and catechin. The polyphenols tend to decrease ageing and fight on-coming diseases. The specific catechin found in green tea is quite strong; it has more antioxidant capability than vitamin C or E. In case you don’t know (see “Massive Natural Anti-Oxidants”), antioxidants are the principle agents in your body that can help protect you against most of the serious illnesses in our society today. When you take all this together, green tea shows its benefits by actually increasing your life span.

Green tea also contains l-theanine, an amino acid that has a relaxing, anxiety-reducing effect that even goes as far as stress relief. It also has an effect that increases the brain’s electrical operations present when you are relaxed. As a result, you can concentrate better, remain calm, and focus better on what you are doing. With all the caffeine and other metabolism accelerators in green tea, you won’t get sleepy, but you will feel calmer and more collected at the same attention level.

Finally, green tea drinkers as a group live longer. The study that shows this indicates that the reason appears to be drinking green tea also encourages the immune system in its task of fighting against illnesses.

You can find green tea at most grocery stores and supermarkets, but you should try to find the freshest tea possible. Generally, the green teas online are fresher.

To sum it all up, if you have health problems of any sort – and who doesn’t?- consuming green tea may well be at least a part of your solution. Where else can you find a beverage that helps you lose weight, helps you fight the onset of diseases, lowers your cholesterol count, improves your mental state, and helps you live longer? The results of drinking green tea can be surprising. Try a cup or two daily, let green tea show you its benefits, and look for the changes you experience in your lifestyle.

Green Tea Pot

Jimmy Craig
for
Sue & Craig Websites

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Green Tea Shows Its Benefits

Hello again,

Back in the eighties, people were singing the lyrics to Alphaville’s Forever Young. The song lyrics describe enjoying life for as long as you can, and making sure that you make the best of your experiences. Little did these young people – boomers for the most part – realize that this could be their life theme even today. They now moan and groan about turning a year older again and looking as bad off as their hand-made moccasins back then. Age is a part of life, it’s inevitable, and you just have to learn to embrace it instead of fighting it. When you accomplish that, you’ll realize how feeling old is just a state of mind.

How you feel deep down inside is one of the major factors that interfere with your health and apparent youth. If you want to beat aging, you have be synchronised with your body’s needs. Body, mind, and spirit must be in harmony with your desires. When your spiritual, mental, and physical states match up with what you want, you can usually achieve those goals effortlessly. The secret to aging better and more naturally is to feel good about yourself, and just treat the symptoms that come naturally when you grow older. You don’t have to just live with these aches and pains and old looks and feel bad about them. You just need to accept what you’ve got and feel good about yourself. Avoid making an obsession out of aging, and you’ll be amazed at just how much pressure you’ve taken off your mind. You should feel like you are the same person as 20 or 30 years ago.

What matters is not your physical appearance, but who you really are in your heart and soul. This sounds like a cliché, but this became a cliché with good reason. Inside, you still have many of the same dreams and interests as you did those 20 or 30 years ago. In fact, aging has its rewards; the years of experience should have taught you how to be more confident and happier with yourself. You may worry about the fine lines and deep crevices you see in the mirror’s reflection, but has this helped at all? No, it only gave you ulcers!

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Here are a few things to remember each time you feel that you are aging:

1. Feeling beautiful is not about your age. In fact, it’s almost 100% attitude. You are a unique person, and there is much about you to love.
2. Learn to show your emotions. The trick is to let it our and get over it; blowing off steam is healthy.
3. Do not get bamboozled by the media’s perception of beauty. If you read through all the fashion publications and websites, you’ll soon realize that, in their eyes, no woman is good enough, much less perfect.
4. Find love with and via your friends, your partners, and your family. Share your good times with them and meet new people. Don’t surround yourself with people who don’t like you of who have a poor opinion of you; they are deadly to your welfare.
5. Don’t get caught in the rut that says, “I’m too old” to do something. Enjoy the rock concerts like you used to, and go to your friends’ parties. Don’t let other people’s opinions (or your own fear of looking silly) impact your mind-set. Let them knit sweaters and socks while you cut a rug.

Life is an adventure. Live it! Take your courage in your hands and enjoy whatever comes. The real secret is to carry on with your life and enjoy yourself. This is how you can feel forever young, and look the part as well.

Boomers' discussion

photo by westfalia

Thanks for looking in,

Jimmy Craig
for
Sue & Craig Websites
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