Family Health Zone

How Friendship Contributes to Good Health

We all know stress and anxiety are bad for us. If left unchecked, these emotional problems can have serious physical effects. We spend millions of dollars every year on yoga classes and videos, relaxation tapes, massages, spa visits, and herbal remedies, all in a bid to reduce our stress levels and live healthier lives. The truth is, there a great and easy remedy for stress relief that costs little no money: go talk to a friend.

For years, scientists have been aware of the fight or flight response. When we are confronted with a stressful situation, our bodies produce chemicals. These chemicals induce us to either stand up and fight the situation, or run away. This is how science has always viewed the situation, till now. The problem with this theory is that it was based on research experiments using solely male subjects.

Scientists believed that men and women responded the same way to stress; however, recent studies have shown that isn’t true. When women are confronted with stress, we produce oxytocin, the hormone associated with bonding. This response probably developed so a woman would protect her family instead of risking her life or abandoning them in a dangerous situation. Nowadays it means that when women are stressed, we seek out friendship.

The fact that we seek out friendships when we face stressful situations still doesn’t explain why these friendships help women relieve stress. There are several aspects of friendship that help us lower our stress level.

• Help in time of need. We feel more stressed in a situation if we view it as hopeless with no way of escape. Having a friend there who will do anything for you can make a situation seem less hopeless because we know they’ll always be there to bail us out.
• Support. We can feel less stress in our lives if we learn to look at situations positively and cope with them accordingly. Having a friend there for support and encouragement can help force us to look on the bright side. A friend can also help us strategize and come up with solutions about how to deal with the situation.
• Laughter. A good hard laugh has been shown to lighten our mood, release stress, and give us a more positive outlook on life. Being around friends can help us smile and laugh, no matter how high our stress level is.
• An ear to listen. Sometimes we need to simply vent our frustrations out loud in order to feel  better. We don’t need feedback; we just need someone with an open mind to listen while we rant. A good friend can provide this kind of support.

So if you want to live a long, healthy, happy life, get on the phone and call up a good friend. If you can’t call a friend, go out and make a new one. You’ll definitely be better off for it.

Why Exercise is Important During Menopause

We all should know by now that getting enough exercise is a vital part of staying healthy. What you may not know is that the older you get, the more important it is for you to work out regularly. As your body starts to change, you not only may experience hot flashes and mood swings, you’re also at a higher risk for dangerous diseases. The good news is that many menopausal symptoms can be helped or even stopped through regular physical activity.

One of the biggest concerns for women approaching menopause is the loss of bone mass. This can lead to osteoporosis and other serious consequences. Many doctors suggest getting plenty of calcium to help prevent bone deterioration, but this is just the first step. Getting regular, weight-bearing exercise is also essential for maintaining good bone health. If you’re not in very good shape, walking and other light exercise, can be enough to get started. You should eventually work yourself up to some resistance training. This is the best way to slow or even stop loss of bone mass. You might also want to consider adding flexibility training because having a limber body may actually prevent serious injuries.

Along with osteoporosis, women who have reached the age of menopause are also at an increased risk of developing heart disease. Many women assume that only men are at risk, but heart disease is the top killer of women as well as men. Additionally, some women are less likely to think that they’re having a heart attack, so they don’t get treatment as quickly. Regular aerobic exercise can do wonders for keeping your heart in good shape. Even if you aren’t going through menopause yet, getting regular exercise is a great way to keep your heart healthy for a long time.

Another common symptom of menopause is mood swings. As estrogen levels fluctuate, so do your emotions. And unlike mood changes due to your menstrual cycle, menopausal mood fluctuations are much less predictable. Exercise can work to ease symptoms of depression, decrease the mood fluctuations including irritability. Exercise helps you to be more emotionally stable so you can worry more about the other important things in your life.

With the onset of menopause, many women gain weight. While it’s usually not a substantial amount, it can increase the risk of certain weight related diseases. Regular exercise can help you keep your weight in check, reducing the risk of serious health problems in the future.

If your biggest concern about menopause is the immediate physical symptoms, exercise is a great cure for that too. Many women notice a decrease in hot flashes and other physical symptoms when they go on a regular exercise program.

Sure, exercise takes some planning and work, but your health is worth is, so go out and get moving.

Menopause and Migraine Headaches

Many women know the harsh reality of migraine headaches. You’re moving along with your day and  doing just fine. You’re keeping on schedule and handling the daily dose of stress. Then suddenly, it hits. You're feeling pain and a sensitivity to light and sound. And these are just a few of the symptoms that may knock you off your feet. You're experiencing the onset of a migraine headache!

While some migraines may only last a few hours, others can continue for days, completely disrupting your life. If you’re getting older, you may start to experience migraines for the first time, or find they are increasing. Before you start to panic that something major-league is wrong, you should consider that your migraines may actually be linked to your menopause.

So why do women entering menopause experience more migraines?

The most common cause of migraines is the fluctuating levels of hormones in the body. Many women with migraines may notice that they occur at certain times during the month. This is because their migraines are related to their estrogen levels. Menopause causes bigger changes and may result in more frequent or severe migraines. Your doctor can probably help you treat these with lifestyle changes and herbal remedies. Be careful when starting hormone replacement therapy because it may actually worsen your migraines. Make sure you discuss this with your doctor.

Not all migraines are caused by fluctuating hormones. A fewer number of women have migraines triggered by an increased emotional state or getting stressed out. Once these women reach menopause, they’ll probably find themselves more emotional and even more stressed out. The cure for these migraines may be to simply relax; take a bath, meditate, or use aromatherapy. Once you unwind, your migraine may get better.

If you’re approaching the age of 50, and you begin to get migraines, you’re more likely to be entering menopause rather than have another more serious problem, but you should still consult a doctor. A very few number of migraines are caused by other serious health problems. The sooner these health problems are identified and treated, the better of you’ll be. Even if it’s not a serious problem, your doctor may recommend treatment to prevent many of the diseases associated with menopause, like osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases.

If you have experienced migraines most of your life, especially if they coincide with your menstrual cycle, there is some good news for you. The stage where your period starts changing and your migraines worsen is actually called perimenopause. Menopause doesn’t officially start until a year after your last period. Once you actually reach menopause, your symptoms are likely to decrease. While doctors are not quite sure why, this may be related to menopause or may simply be because migraine symptoms naturally decrease with time. An interesting, but possibly painful statistic is that most women who experience early menopause due to removal of the ovaries, experience an increase in migraines. This is one of the many reasons doctors prefer to allow menopause to occur naturally if at all possible.

While migraines that coincide with menopausal symptoms may be horrible, they are also likely to be treatable. You should visit your doctor if you have the onset of, or changes in your migraine symptoms. They have several options available today for helping you get back to your normal daily life.

Battling Fatigue? Try some Grape Juice

You work hard during the day, and in the evening you deserve to take a break, relax, and get some rest. But how tired is too tired? If you come home so beat that you don’t even want to get up and move, you shouldn’t lie around waiting to feel better. You should get up and do something about your fatigue. Why not try a great natural energy booster? Grape juice.

The most obvious way grape juice helps fatigue is by adding iron to your diet. Iron deficiency is common, especially in women. It can cause severe fatigue and leave you feeling completely burnt out. Don’t drink dark grape juices if you are anemic (low on iron). Dark grape juices contain chemicals that can actually lower the level of iron in your system, worsening the problem. Stick to white or light grape juice for the best iron boost.

If your feeling extra tired after a workout, you probably need to replenish iron lost from sweating. Drinking grape juice will not only give you more energy, but also help with muscle fatigue as well.

Have you ever noticed how tired you get when you’re feeling under the weather? If you’re constantly  feeling burnt out, it may be because your immune system isn’t working properly due to poor diet or excessive stress. You’ve probably heard that wine contains powerful antioxidants that help keep your healthy. Well, grape juice contains antioxidants as well but doesn’t make your drowsy like alcohol can. If you drink it regularly, these antioxidants can help boost your immune system, leaving you feeling healthy and energized. Antioxidants have also been shown to fight heart disease, prevent Alzheimer’s, and decrease the signs of aging.

You should be wary of drinking grape juice if you have a specific disorder that is causing your fatigue. People with fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, and chronic fatigue syndrome are actually cautioned against drinking grape juice because it contains too much sugar and can actually worsen fatigue.

When drinking grape juice to fight fatigue, you should be careful what brand you choose. Many “juices” are actually grape drinks or cocktails. These beverages have extra sugar added to them. While sugar may give you a boost in the short term, eventually your high will wear off. You’ll probably crash and feel even more burnt out than you were in the first place. For the most benefit, find 100% grape juices with all natural ingredients. If you can’t find a brand you like, just get some grapes and make your own.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t just deal with your fatigue, beat it and improve your health at the same time with an energizing glass of grape juice.

How To Recognize the Early Menopausal Symptoms

Having trouble sleeping at night? Waking up in a sweat? Are you depressed or irritable? Are you thinking that you may have a sleep disorder. Well ... maybe ... But ... You could be entering menopause.

What most people refer to as menopause is actually a premenopausal stage called perimenopause, which marks the interval in which your body begins its transition into menopause. Perimenopause encompasses the years leading up to menopause — anywhere from two to eight years — plus the first year after your final period. It's a natural part of aging that signals the ending of your reproductive years.

Actual menopause doesn’t start until a year after your last period. During menopause, your body is much more susceptible to serious problems such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. In order to properly prevent serious conditions during menopause, it is helpful to recognize symptoms of  perimenopause so you can start treatment and stop some of the problems before they begin.

Here are some of the common and not so common symptoms of menopause:

• Physical Symptoms.
  • Hot flashes. These are probably the most common physical symptom of menopause. They occur when you feel like it is terribly hot when the room is actually at a reasonable temperature.
  • Night sweats. This is simply a hot flash that occurs during the night. Nights sweats can generally wake you from a sound sleep (often covered in sweat).
  • Heart palpitations. These are more rare and serious than other symptoms. You should go to a doctor if you experience any heart related problems.
  • Other symptoms. Some other symptoms may include incontinence (inability to control urination), dry skin, and hair loss.

• Changes in the Menstrual Cycle. This is usually the first sign that you’re entering perimenopause, although menstrual changes can be caused my other problems or even just stress. You may experience a lighter or much heavier flow, early, late or irregularly spaced periods. You may even miss a few.

• Changes in Mood. You may find yourself experiencing various emotional changes ranging from increased irritability, anxiety or simple mood swings, to more serious problems such as depression.

• Changes in Sleep Patterns. Even if you’ve always been a good sleeper, you may stop being able to fall asleep at night or wake up repeatedly and not get back to sleep. Sleep problems can also be caused by other perimenopausal symptoms such as depression and night sweats.

• Sexual Changes. Many women in perimenopause have a decrease in sex drive. You may also notice other symptoms including vaginal dryness.

While these are not the only symptoms of early menopause, they are the most common. If you have are experiencing these symptoms, it is recommended you visit your doctor. This way, you can not only treat any symptoms that are too severe, but also take steps, such as dietary changes, to prevent complications.

Why Natural Cosmetics are Kinder to your Skin

Next time you’re putting on your make up, turn one of those bottles around and take a look at the ingredients label. You’ll probably find a whole lot of words you not only can’t identify; you also probably can’t pronounce them. Most people think that ingredients have to be safe and helpful to be included in personal care and beauty products, but there is little to no regulation in this area. So how do you look great without endangering yourself and your skin? Try natural cosmetics for a safer way to look your best.

It is estimated that up to 60 percent of the products you put on your skin are absorbed and eventually reach the bloodstream. This becomes a scary statistic when you consider that most traditional beauty products contain chemicals that are not only toxic to humans, many are also carcinogens. With regular use, your body absorbs these artificial additives which can make you sick. When your body is sick, the appearance of your skin suffers; you look less healthy and radiant. By using natural products, you are reducing the risk of this occurring. Just remember that not all natural ingredients are safe, so there is still a risk, it is simply smaller.

Besides being bad for you, the unnatural chemicals in cosmetics and beauty products may also be bad for your skin. If you use the proper cosmetics, cosmetic use should not trigger a breakout of acne or any other skin problem. If this does occur, it is likely that you are reacting to an ingredient in the product. By using natural products, you reduce your risk or having this kind of reaction. Traditional products fill your skin cells with these chemicals, which prevents them from operating at their best and therefore prevents them from looking their best.

If you want a completely different kind of natural make-up, you should try mineral make-up. In addition to the other benefits, mineral make-up helps nourish and soothe your skin, hides fine lines, protects it from the sun, and allows your skin to breathe. These products are a great alternative to traditional cosmetics.

Just because a cosmetic product says it’s natural or organic, doesn’t mean it has all natural ingredients. Since there aren’t regulations on natural beauty products, many “natural” products will contain one or two natural ingredients and all the other dangerous chemicals that traditional products have. There are several organizations that certify organic body products, but a good way to be sure all the ingredients are natural is to look at the label. If you can’t pronounce something, it’s probably not natural.

In addition to being better for your skin, natural products are better for your health, for the environment, and don’t generally use animal testing. All natural products are just a better all around choice.

Tips for Natural Skin Care

There are thousands of products and treatments available to help improve the quality of your skin, but only a small percentage of these are natural. Most beauty products contain harsh, damaging chemicals. Treatments, like chemical peels and botox, can be scary. On top of it all, we really have no idea what most of these treatments and chemicals will do to our skin 20 years down the road. If you want to have great looking skin without dangerous chemicals or procedures, there is a way.

Here are some great tips to keep your skin looking fabulous the natural way:

• Drink more water. All cells need water to function properly. If your skin cells aren’t properly  hydrated, waste products build up in your cells and keep them from working right and looking their best. Also, if you don’t drink enough water, your cells will retain as much as they can and you’ll end up looking puffy and bloated.
• Change your diet. You’ve probably heard the phrase “you are what you eat” a lot. If you think about it, this old saying is 100 percent true. Your body is made up of what you put into it. If you want it to work properly and look its best, you need to feed yourself the nutrients it needs and avoid foods that may damage it. For beautiful skin, you should try to get more fiber and “good fats” in your diet and avoid foods with a lot of sugar.
• Improve your circulation. To function properly, our cells need to get plenty of oxygen. If you spend your days sitting at a desk or remaining mostly immobile, your circulation probably isn’t as good as it could be. Increase your circulation by getting more exercise, stretching, or getting regular massages (they don’t need to be professional). You can also use a brush to exfoliate your skin which improves circulation while removing old, dead cells. Not only will this give your skin a better overall look, it can also reduce the appearance of unsightly cellulite.
• Avoid the sun. A little sun is good for you. It provides vitamin D and can help give you a sunny disposition, but too much sun can do terrible damage. Try to use hats, clothes, or sun block to protect yourself from damaging UV rays.
• Use certified natural skin products. Traditional beauty products contain all sorts of unnatural chemicals. Most are there as preservatives, or to give the product a certain scent, color or texture. These chemicals not only have no value to your skin, some may cause cancer and other dangerous problems. That’s why it’s beneficial to use natural products if you want to look your best and stay healthy. Just be sure to check labels, many products will claim they’re natural or organic and only contain one natural or organic ingredient. Be wary of ingredients you can’t pronounce and look for certification seals to be sure you’re getting what you pay for. Not only will these help normal skin, they’re also less likely to irritate sensitive skin.

With a little time, patience, and work, you can have fabulous looking skin in no time.

5 Natural Remedies for Menopausal Symptoms

There are many uncomfortable things all women face as they get older, and perhaps the most uncomfortable, is menopause. Not only do women going through menopause experience annoying and painful physical and emotional symptoms, they’re also at a much higher risk of developing dangerous problems such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

If you’re going through this change, you’ve probably seen a doctor and discussed medical treatments, but before you start on hormone replacement therapy or other drastic treatments, why not consider treating your menopause the natural way.

Here are 5 natural supplements that can help you solve your menopause problems:

Soy. Soy protein contains chemicals called isoflavones, which act as a mild estrogen and can help with the hot flashes and night sweats. It may also help keep your bones healthy. Just be sure not to take too much. About 50 grams of soy protein per day is enough. Getting excessive amounts of soy may actually be harmful.

Black Cohosh. This supplement can be used to alleviate hot flashes, help with mood changes, and even help you sleep better. While it has been tested and found to be safe, studies have only been conducted on a 6 month trial period.

Red Clover. Taking this supplement daily has been shown to not only decrease the number of hot flashes (one study showed a 58% decrease!); it can also help stop some of the long term health problems associated with menopause. Red clover contains isoflavones and may decrease loss of bone mass, improve cardiovascular health, and may even protect you against certain cancers.

St John’s Wort. Along with physical symptoms, many menopausal women also experience symptoms of depression. St Johns Wort can be taken up to two years to help alleviate mild depression. Do not begin to take it if you’re already on an antidepressant prescribed by your doctor because there can be serious interactions.

Vitamins and Minerals. You probably already know that you should take a calcium supplement to help decrease bone loss, but did you know you should also take magnesium to help you absorb and use all that extra calcium? You should also increase your intake of Vitamins E and C to help with estrogen absorption. You should be able to find a quality multivitamin for older women that will give you these nutrients and more.

There are a few things you should be aware of when thinking about using these or any other herbal remedy.

First is that you should consult your doctor before you take anything. Many people equate the word “natural” with “safe”, but these remedies can have harmful drug interactions and side effects. You should also take care to buy only supplements of a high quality. Check ingredients, look for seals (and research what the seals mean), and ask around on health websites or with a medical professional.