Wellsprings – Health & Hormones – AnnA Rushton's Blog https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com The latest news and views on women's hormonal health topics, including natural bioidentical progesterone and oestrogen. Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:57:01 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8 How to Help Yourself After a Bad Night’s Sleep https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/how-to-help-yourself-after-a-bad-nights-sleep/ Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:57:01 +0000 http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/?p=6268 We all get them occasionally, and unfortunately the hormonal changes at Menopause can really affect your sleep.

If it’s not the hot flushes or night sweats, it’s the getting up to pee or higher levels of anxiety than usual that can all cause you to have a bad night.

There are definitely things you can do to help, bioidentical progesterone we know helps you to relax and sleep better but these lifestyle changes which you may already know about, but didn’t realise affected your sleep, can make a difference too.

Basically there are two clear categories: things to do and things you definitely don’t want to do, so here are some tips to make things a little easier and make sure you sleep better tonight.

DON’T hit the snooze button

That extra 10 minutes is just the thing to give you a bit of extra energy, right? Not really. You need up to an hour of extra sleep before it helps.

Otherwise, you’re just creating stress for yourself by shortening your morning prep time, and it can create anxiety if you don’t doze off but keep checking the clock.

DON’T sleep in

You decide to take the morning off. You think you can make up that sleep you’ve lost, but it’s a bad idea.

You set your body’s “internal clock” when you go to bed and get up at the same time each day. It’s best to stick to that routine, even if you didn’t sleep well, as it will help to get your cycle back on track.

DON’T drink alcohol

It can make you sleepy but after a few hours, as your body processes the alcohol, it wakes you up.

Plus the quality of the sleep you do get after a few drinks may not be as good.

DON’T smoke

You know that smoking is bad for your health, but if you’re already a smoker and you’re trying for a good night’s sleep, try not to do it too close to bedtime.

Like caffeine, tobacco is a stimulant that can keep you from getting to sleep.

DON’T surf the internet

Too much of any light after the sun goes down can mess up your sleep, but the “blue light” given off by your smartphone, computer, or tablet is especially bad.

Calm yourself before bed and try to keep your bedroom dark and quiet, too.

DON’T make big decisions

Without proper sleep, your judgment is faulty. Overworked brain cells can’t put thoughts together or remember basic information.

Even your basic understanding of an event as it happens may be different – and menopausal brain fog doesn’t help either. So wait before that decision as things may be clearer after a good night’s rest.

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Well that is enough of what you must not do, or at least do your best to avoid, so here are some positive things can make a real difference to your sleep.

DO get some sun

It helps your body set its clock and can also help counter sleeplessness by helping your mood and brain. So if you want to get more sleep tonight than last night, wake up and greet the light of the day.

It helps to get out in the middle of the day too, so maybe take a little stroll  around lunchtime as even winter sun will be helpful.

DO have some caffeine

If you skip your regular morning coffee, you may get even groggier. It could also make you irritable and give you a headache. So have some as a little extra might even help you stay alert.

BUT the key word here is ‘some’ because caffeine sticks around in your system for several hours. So don’t overdo it and definitely don’t have caffeine in any form close to bedtime and that means coffee, tea, colas and chocolate.

DO exercise at the right time

It can improve your sleep and help you fall asleep more quickly. But don’t do it too close to bedtime because it stimulates your body to make something called cortisol and that’s the hormone that makes you more alert.

That’s good when you’re trying to wake up for work or an appointment, but it’s not so good when you’re trying to get back to sleep.

If you must exercise in the evening, try to finish at least 3 hours before you go to bed.

DO nap the right amount

The has been much debate about whether having a nap is good for you or bad for you, and unfortunately the answer is yes and no as it depends on the length.

A 20-minute nap will sharpen your attention and motor skills. A 90-minute one may improve your creative thinking. But naps between 20 and 90 minutes  (or your own personal sweet spot) can leave you more groggy than when you started. Best so set an alarm to stay in control of it.

Keep in mind that a nap of any length, especially later in the day, can make it harder to get to sleep in the evening. That can lead to a vicious cycle of sleeplessness and a messed-up sleep routine.

DO eat light and early

If you don’t want to repeat last night’s lack of sleep, a rich or heavy meal at 11 p.m. probably won’t help. Eat a lighter dinner several hours before bed.

If you’re hungry later, snack lightly on foods that don’t disturb your sleep. Toast or yoghurt are often easy on the system.

DO hydrate

Let us be honest here, this is a tricky thing to get right at Menopause. You want to drink enough fluids so that you don’t wake up thirsty in the middle of the night, but not so much that you wake up because you need to pee.

Also try to avoid alcohol and caffeine close to bedtime.

DO chill out before bedtime

Start to relax as bedtime approaches: no bright lights, arguments, scary TV or books as any of those can make it hard to fall asleep.

Try to keep your bedroom dark and quiet and not too hot. Cooler is better so aim for around 60-67 F as your ideal.

Helpful information: 

Sometimes sleeplessness is natural. A big event in your life – good or bad – may cause it. If this happens now and then, it may be nothing to worry about. If sleep problems start to change your general mood and work habits, and stick around for a month or more, then time to take action.

Talk to your doctor, and do check your progesterone levels as that is the hormone that helps you relax for a good night’s sleep, or investigate Wellsprings sleep Capsules to support a better sleep pattern.

Your diet really makes a difference too, so you may also find this article helpful:

https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/best-5-foods-to-aid-sleep/

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Hot Flushes – Why Me? https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/hot-flushes-why-me-2/ Fri, 15 Mar 2024 07:57:46 +0000 http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/?p=1102 If you are lucky enough to know a woman who has had no hot flushes – and that is a rarity – then the answer to this question is probably Why Not Me?

Hot flushes on average last for four or five years and occur in up to 80 percent of women – even post menopause.

Women on a vegetarian diet seem to fare better with flushes as this diet is often higher in phytoestrogens such as soy.

Also, flushes are not limited to menopausal women alone as they also occur in pregnancy and in men undergoing certain hormone treatments for prostate cancer.

We know exactly what a hot flush is – but despite many advances in science no one quite knows what causes our temperature to soar and makes us sweaty and uncomfortable.

Cell research may hold the clue

A team of researchers in the department of pathology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine may have come closer to understanding the mechanism however.

It seems it may be related to a group of brain cells known as KNDy neurons as a likely control switch of hot flushes. KNDy neurons are located in the hypothalamus, a portion of the brain controlling vital functions that also serves as the switchboard between the central nervous system and hormone signals.

It seems these neurons play extremely important roles in how the body controls its energy resources, reproduction and temperature.

When you have a flush, your skin gets hot and you can see the redness of the skin. This is the body’s attempt to get rid of heat, just like sweating.

Except that if you were to measure your body’s core temperature at that point, you would find it is not even elevated – however much it may feel as if you are burning up and in a furnace.

Help for hot flushes:

It is already known from other branches of science that our minds have a powerful effect on our bodies. Staying calm during a flush is not always easy, but it will make a difference as stress is a major trigger for flushes how many of our other bodily functions.

Simple self help measures such as taking some deep, slow, calming breaths, and having a cold drink will help and give you some measure of feeling more in control of them.

Also progesterone helps rebalances the hormones and some women do find that they get fast relief  by applying the cream during a flush or sweat to the inner wrist where the skin is thinner as it is more rapidly absorbed.

It can also help  to make the last application of the day immediately before going to bed as many have reported this has also helped with sleep issues.

It is the changes and fluctuations in the hormone levels that cause a disturbance which leads to a hot flush. It is very common for the temperature control mechanism to be upset during menopause when the levels of both oestrogen and progesterone are falling.

The role of bioidentical progesterone in helping to control flushes is effective but for severe flushing or night sweats a combination cream of progesterone and oestrogen may be more beneficial.

Helpful information:

Keeping your hormones in balance is certainly crucial in getting control of your flushes, but if you are not sure whether you need just progesterone or a combination of progesterone and oestrogen then the following article will be helpful:

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Does Progesterone Cream Help Teens with PMS And Stress Symptoms? https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/does-progesterone-cream-help-teens-with-pms-and-stress-symptoms/ Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:37:20 +0000 http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/?p=3821 Although the majority of customers are interested in symptoms from Peri to post Menopause, there are still a considerable number of younger women who can also benefit from using progesterone for a variety of conditions.

This specific topic was suggested by Dr David T Zava, who is the CEO of ZRT Labs, and the co-author with John Lee, MD. of the book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer.

How would it help teenagers?

It was suggested to Dr Zava by a retired Registered Nurse – this is her story in her own words:

“I wanted to have more information on the use of progesterone cream to normalise cycles in teens. I had found that both my own daughters, one in her teens and the other in her twenties, benefited from using progesterone in the latter half of the cycle to normalise their cycles when they were stressed.

In my work I see a lot in girls in their 20s who stress over career, classes, relationships and so on. Many get depressed and it is often responsive to rebalancing oestrogen with progesterone but I had found there was little information on this indication for progesterone use and it would be helpful to have ‘real’ info to share with people.

These girls can have migraines with expensive, invasive workups. There is solid physiology to support its use, since if stress is great, I believe ovulation can become ‘sub-par’ and set them up for oestrogen dominance.”

Dr Zava’s comments:

If by ‘real’ you mean double-blind, placebo controlled studies with thousands of subjects alas, it’s not there. In fact it’s not even there for a small group of teens with PMS, half on progesterone cream for the last two weeks of the cycle, half on placebo.

But the research is badly needed, since with all the estrogen in the environment teens and young adults are much more likely to be estrogen dominant.

As you say, there is solid physiology to support the use of progesterone for PMS, and there are also numerous studies indirectly supporting its use.

One study showed that in the first year after the start of menstruation 80% of girls did not ovulate, meaning they did not make progesterone.

Three years after this 50% did not ovulate, and by the sixth year 10% did not ovulate.

That represents a lot of girls with premenstrual bloating, weight gain, mood swings, irritability and anxiety.

In a teen the adrenal glands can pick up some of the slack in progesterone production, but in a stressed young adult the adrenals will be busy elsewhere.

What can help:

A physiologic dose (15 to 20 mg) of progesterone cream during the last week or ten days of the cycle can indeed be enormously helpful. I’ve received hundreds of emails and letters over the years from parents of teens and from doctors treating teens, who swear by progesterone cream for PMS.

The caveat is that too high a dose of progesterone cream, or oral (pill) progesterone, can create byproducts such as allopregnanolone.

Although progesterone normally hits the GABA receptors in the brain and has anti-anxiety effects, progesterone can spill over into excess allopregnanolone and have a “paradoxical” effect in teens, causing increased sensitivity, anxiety, irritability and aggression.

A high rate of success was reported by the pioneer of bioidentical progesterone cream usage by the late John R. Lee, M.D. who used transdermal progesterone cream in his practice for more than 17 years.

The difference between the methods of application is that oral progesterone requires 5-8 times the daily dose to obtain the same results as the transdermal cream.

Approximately 80% of oral progesterone is intercepted by the liver and conjugated by glucuronic acid for excretion in the bile. Additionally, oral progesterone will produce a sharp rise in serum progesterone levels followed by a rapid drop in serum levels within several hours.

Helpful information:

Hormone balance affects women of all ages, and in the teens and twenties mood swings and depression are not uncommon.

A natural aid to rebalancing is bioidentical progesterone in the same dosage as the body’s own ovaries produce, so there is no possibility of overdosing.

Serenity in the maintenance dose provides 22 mg of progesterone daily which is the dose suggested above.

It is most effective applied twice daily in the latter half of the cycle, starting two weeks after the first day of the period.

You may also find this article by Australian naturopath Lara Briden to be helpful.

https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/guide-to-using-progesterone-for-womens-health/

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How Bioidentical Natural Progesterone Helps With Low Thyroid https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/how-bioidentical-natural-progesterone-helps-with-low-thyroid-2/ Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:27:11 +0000 http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/?p=3907 One of my most frequently asked questions is ‘can I use bioidentical natural progesterone alongside my thyroid medication?’ It is asked so often I thought it would be helpful to look at why it is not only ok, but positively advantageous.

This is because one of many balancing functions of progesterone is to support healthy thyroid function.

An under active thyroid is what happens when your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones. The thyroid hormone affects growth, development, and many cellular processes which means that the normal balance of chemical reactions in your body is upset.

This has widespread consequences for the body and although it seldom causes symptoms in the early stages it can, if left untreated, cause a number of health problems, such as obesity, joint pain, infertility and heart disease.

Is it menopause – or something else?

Menopause certainly brings its own commonly experienced symptoms, but if you suffer from an underactive thyroid, it’s easy to confuse or blame your frustrating symptoms on this stage of your life.

Symptoms of low thyroid can include:

  • fatigue
  • poor concentration
  • weight gain
  • low sex drive
  • dry hair or hair loss
  • cold hands and feet
  • brittle nails

 

Risk factors

Hypothyroidism can occur at menopause even if you’ve been taking good care of yourself. The symptoms overlap because our thyroid and reproductive hormones are so closely interconnected.

You might have been vulnerable to thyroid imbalance earlier in your life but usually the body’s own checks and balances smooth out the major hormonal transitions women experience from the puberty onwards.

However there are other factors that can put you at risk and that the body may struggle to overcome such as these:

  • stress
  • environmental exposures such as BPA
  • inadequate nutrition
  • family predisposition

 

Those are the external factors, but also playing their part are the menstrual cycle, the Pill or Coil, childbearing, perimenopause, menopause itself and HRT.

How best to support your thyroid

Thyroid hormone levels are closely tied to our sex hormones so that – for example – excess oestrogen can block thyroid function.

Oestrogen dominance is common at menopause, and post hysterectomy, particularly with conventional HRT supplementation. One of the roles of progesterone is to balance the excess oestrogen and restore optimal thyroid function.

If you are on thyroid medication, generally levothyroxine, then one problem with such drugs is that once you go on them, the thyroid reduces its own production.

This is one reason it is recommended to monitor your levels if supplementing with bioidentical natural progesterone. Many women have found that they have not needed the same levels of medication, but this is something you must check with your doctor on a regular basis.

Good nutrition is also essential and you need a wide range of nutrients every day to manufacture and metabolise all the body’s hormones, including thyroid.

A diet of fresh whole foods are the ideal source but most people also need help from a high grade multivitamin–mineral complex that also has selenium, iodine, vitamin A and zinc for maximum support.

Adding in bioidentical natural progesterone and monitoring your diet are important, and so too is handling your stress levels.

Chronic stress has powerful and detrimental effects on your endocrine system because the hormones released as part of the stress response interfere with the production, metabolism and/or utilisation of oestrogen, progesterone and your thyroid hormones.

That’s why menopausal symptoms that seem to be under control can flare up if you are under stress, as this is your hormones natural response as the body tries to deal with it.

Helpful information:

Having good hormone balance is essential for overall health at menopause and beyond but a particular problem can be difficulty losing weight, so this article shows how Serenity progesterone only cream can help.

https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/how-to-lose-weight-with-hypothyroidism-low-thyroid/

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Your Breast Pain Questions Answered https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/your-breast-pain-questions-answered/ Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:34:34 +0000 http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/?p=4569 Breast pain (mastalgia) comes in all shapes and sizes from a shooting, sharp pain to dull or aching and may be only on one side or in both breasts.

Depending on your age it may be associated with your menstrual cycle – aching, tender, painful breasts are common in premenopausal women – or have some other common cause and can occur at any age.

The first thought is that it must be related to breast cancer, but be reassured it rarely causes breast pain as most breast lumps and tenderness have benign causes.

The pain can be related to something can be as simple as a pulled muscle, bruised rib or arthritis.

The first step is to learn to recognize the symptoms, understand the causes and learn what you do about it from medical help to some simple self help measures.

What can cause it?

Breasts are covered in sensitive, elastic skin that protects nerves, blood vessels and connective tissues, as well as ducts and lobes for producing breast milk.

Any kind of injury to them, whether accidental or deliberate through surgery, will produce bruising and an ache that will persist until the skin and underlying tissues have healed.

Just beneath your breasts are your chest wall muscles, rib cage, spine, heart and lungs. Aches and pains can come from inflammation of chest wall cartilage, arthritis in the breastbone, and bronchitis.

Muscles in your back and chest may be strained and pull against bones, sometimes causing soreness or sharp pains. When these pains happen close to your breasts, it can be very hard to pinpoint their location.

Hormonal changes can be one cause, weight gain, or even benign anatomical changes within the breast itself can also be implicated.

Basically there are three types: the most common is cyclical pain that fluctuates with your hormones.

These shift during your menstrual cycle and at menopause there is a change in the amounts of oestrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormones which can cause breast tenderness.

The second type is non-cyclical breast pain and is usually related to internal anatomical changes, such as injury, surgery, infections or growth of large cysts.

Finally, there is pain that occurs just below your breast in bones, muscles, or nerves. It is usually is caused by a pulled muscle or bruised rib from bumping into a door or similar event that you may not even register at the time.

Cyclical breast pain

The most common type and linked to your hormonal ebb and flow. It usually occurs in both breast and you can chart its progress through your menstrual cycle.

Doctors often prescribe the contraceptive pill to regulate your period and relieve breast pain but such medication contains progestins – a synthetic progesterone – as well as oestrogen.

These can have side effects as their purpose is to change the hormone pattern as well as dealing with PMS and breast pain.

Non-cyclical breast pain

It is a reasonable hope that over time you will finally be beyond all that hormonal fluctuation, but perimenopause can have many of the features of cyclical pain.

In menopause itself non-cyclical breast pain is felt in a specific area of the breast, and usually in one breast only.

It is most frequently triggered by illness, infection or injury, weight gain, breast surgery or something as mundane as wearing the wrong size bra.

Fibromyalgia too can affect muscles, joints and connective tissues, creating overall pain or focused pain anywhere in the body, including the breasts.

Non-specific breast pain

If you have overdone it at the gym or the yoga class or been careless when negotiating objects and obstacles then this is the most likely cause.

Below your breast there are chest wall muscles that may spasm during times of anxiety and stress, causing pain that may last just a few seconds or several days.

Pain from tense chest wall muscles can occur on the left side only, or on the right.

Your heart is beneath your left breast, and if you have coronary heart disease, the sensation of pressure, squeezing, or heartburn of angina may cause you distress.

Also, as your oesophagus runs below your left breast then simple reflux can occasionally feel like left breast pain.

How to help yourself

Although the majority of breast pain is not a cause for concern, if it does persist, or you have a persistent lump or rash that does not ease with self-help measures, then it is always sensible to see your doctor for a checkup.

Things to try include hot or cold packs or generic painkillers like ibuprofen or paracetamol to reduce or resolve your breast pain.

Stress is an important factor so use dietary measures such as reducing caffeine, sugar, salt and processed foods as they will make it worse.

Any relaxation technique that helps you cope with your stress is worth trying such as meditation, yoga or having a warm bath with soothing oils like lavender, camomile, ylang ylang or sweet orange.

For pain that persists or seems related to a breast lump, infection, bones or muscles, you should visit your doctor as you may need a specific antibiotic to clear up the problem.

Because breast cancer is a serious concern for women at Menopause. You may also find this article helpful

https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/breast-cancer-and-menopause-what-are-the-risks/

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A Simple Weekly Routine For Applying Your Hormone Cream https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/a-simple-weekly-routine-for-applying-your-hormone-cream/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 06:45:16 +0000 http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/?p=5051 It happens to all of us, you read the instructions, then you lose them, or can’t remember exactly what they said when you need to apply your cream.

This is one of the most common questions I am asked, so together with Dr Tony Coope I devised an updated simple regime that I thought would be helpful to share with you.

Firstly, do remember that everyone is different and your response will be as unique to you as are your symptoms and their severity.

Some women require more hormone cream to help alleviate severe symptoms, while others can use less, and factors such as stress will impact your hormones and mean your symptoms may need extra help.

On first starting the cream make sure you begin with the recommended double dose of two pea sized amounts of cream twice daily for the first month of use to establish good hormone levels.

After the first month, if your symptoms are coming under control, you can go on to the maintenance dose of just one pea sized amount of cream twice daily on your regime and once they are fully controlled then try cutting back on the amount each month and monitor your symptoms.

If your symptoms are severe, or return, then either stay on the initial double dose or go back to a slightly higher dose than the maintenance amount. Monitor your progress and go to the maintenance dose when you feel symptoms are under control.

If using the pump, not the jar, then the  initial double dose is one full depression. After that for the maintenance amount you depress the pump just half way each time.

A simple application routine

All hormone creams should be gently stroked onto the skin, they do not need to be rubbed in vigorously.

You need to apply to a different area each day and a twice daily application gives a more even distribution over each 24 hours.

To optimise absorption, it makes sense to rotate applications through different sites, avoiding the possibility of saturation if only one or a few are used. 

A convenient, easy to apply and to remember, routine is:

               Morning                     Evening
Day 1.    L inner thigh             R inner thigh

Day 2.   L half of abdomen    R half of abdomen

Day 3.    L inner forearm       R inner forearm

Day 4.    L inner upper arm    R inner upper arm

You then continue this rotation until the month’s cycle of two or three weeks application is completed and then take a break of two or three weeks as appropriate for your routine.

The principle here is that all the the sites are thin tissue areas with smooth skin which optimises absorption through the epidermis into the capillary layer.

How many days do I apply?

If you are still having regular periods on a regular 28 day cycle, you apply on a 2 week on and 2 week off routine.

Day 1 is the first day of your period and you don’t apply the cream when bleeding. You then follow that with a one week break so you would apply the cream from days 14-28 of your cycle.

This means you are following as close as is realistic to the body’s natural hormone production.

However if your cycle is not 28 days then adjust this so you always have two weeks of application. So if you have a 24 day cycle you would have days 1-9 for your bleed and a break and then apply cream from days 10-24.

If  irregular or no cycle at all  as can occur at Perimenopause, Menopause, Post Menopause and after a hysterectomy you apply twice daily for 3 weeks and have a 1 week off break is best.

Start the cream at any point when not bleeding and use for the 3 weeks, but if you get a bleed at any point in the 3 weeks then you stop the cream. You then wait for 1 week and start a completely new 3 week cycle.

If you are finding your symptoms returning during the break then it can be shortened. Initially you can go for up to 3 months without a break to get severe symptoms under control when using skin application.

Do I really need a break?

Whatever your age or circumstances, whether you have had a hysterectomy or very irregular periods, or no periods at all, it is very important to take the break.

This will allow the cell receptors time to rest and prevent the chance of you overusing any single one and saturating it.

If you do not take the break you run the risk of absorbing less hormone to deal with your symptoms, as once that site is ‘full’ it can’t take the hormone.

This means it can’t use it to relieve your symptoms which is why it is so important to apply the cream on the correct rotation.

More information:

If you need more assistance please email support@wellsprings-health.com for individual help with your symptoms or application usage.

Wellsprings have also developed a range of supplements that can be used in combination with either our Serenity or 20-1 creams.

You can find details of all of our products here, along with more information on hormone health that you might find useful:

https://www.wellsprings-health.com

 

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Could A Nordic Diet Work For Weight Loss? https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/could-a-nordic-diet-work-for-weight-loss/ Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:25:05 +0000 http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/?p=3607 The “Nordic diet” is based on the traditional ways of eating in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and Greenland.

Like the more famous Mediterranean diet, it’s a delicious way to eat healthily, which helps with weight loss.

So, what foods does it include?

What Can You Eat?

There are several similarities with the Mediterranean diet, but this style of eating is based on these guidelines which also include lifestyle choices:

– More fruit, vegetables, and seasonal and organic foods when possible
– More whole grains
– More food from seas, lakes, and the wild
– Higher-quality meat and less of it
– Less processed, less sugary foods
– Cooking at home more
– Wasting less food, and natural resources

Whole grains

Think whole-grain crackers or dark, dense sourdough rye bread, or you can also choose any other high-quality “complex” carbohydrates that are rich in fibre.

They take longer to digest than the “simple” carbs found in many processed foods like white bread, pastries, and biscuits. They also have lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help protect your cells.

Berries

These are a big part of the Nordic way of eating. That’s a good thing because when you eat lots of them, you’re less likely to gain weight.

They’re also a good source of antioxidants called anthocyanins, which seem to keep your veins and arteries healthy and flexible, and may help lower your blood pressure.

I can vouch for this as I am a big Nordic fan for the scenery, but enjoy their great tasting lingonberries and cloudberries whenever I can get them.

Oily fish

These have certain omega-3 fatty acids that your body can’t make. They could lower your chance of having heart rhythm problems, lessen plaque buildup in your arteries, and cut down on fat in your blood (triglycerides).

You might know about salmon, sardines, and tuna but Nordic cultures like herring and mackerel too. These certainly used to be a staple of the UK diet and although less popular now, certainly worth, including again.

Best if you can have two to three servings a week of oily fish for your health.

Beans and peas

The Nordic diet recommends them as one of the major sources of complex carbohydrates and fibre in your daily diet, along with whole grains, berries, and vegetables.

They’re a great source of protein, especially to replace some of the calories you get from red meat. And they have lots of nutrients like riboflavin, B6, calcium, zinc, and iron.

Root vegetables & tubers

Carrots, parsnips, beetroot, and potatoes are typical of this category of food. Though they can be high in calories, they also give you fibre, which takes longer to digest and keeps your blood sugar more stable.

And they’re loaded with nutrients that help protect your cells, lower your cholesterol, and help fight infection.

Nuts & seeds

They’re a source of complex carbohydrates and fibre, as are whole grains, berries, and vegetables.

They’re rich in zinc, copper, potassium, vitamin E, niacin, antioxidants, and mono- and poly-unsaturated fats.

Also they are a great addition to your diet as a form of protein if you are cutting down your animal protein intake or reducing the amount of red meat that you eat.

They can be high in calories, so a handful is usually sufficient.

Cholesterol

This way of eating may help lower “bad” (LDL) cholesterol in people who start out with higher than normal LDL levels. And it may work even for people who don’t lose weight on the diet.

You should get a cholesterol blood test every 4 to 6 years — more often if you have heart health problems.

Obesity

When people shift to this way of eating, they tend to lose weight, especially the fat you carry around your waist.

That’s better for you than losing it from elsewhere on your body, and if you follow this plan it may help you keep those pounds off.

Heart disease

Unhealthy cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose, and insulin levels are all risk factors for heart disease – that is, they make you more likely to get it.

Because the Nordic diet seems to improve these issues in many people, scientists think this way of eating might help support heart health, too.

Type 2 diabetes

As with heart disease, this approach helps ease some of the issues linked to type 2 diabetes, like inflammation and obesity.

That’s why many doctors believe it probably helps prevent the disease over the long term.

Inflammation

This means the swelling of tissues all over your body, and it’s linked to diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure that can lessen the quality and length of your life.

Other inflammatiory conditions include allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

A healthy Nordic-style diet seems to be a good way to keep inflammation at bay, and certainly worth considering if you have – or are at risk from – any of these conditions.

Lifestyle and the environment

Of course, diet is not the only cause for weight gain, there are hormonal factors such as oestrogen dominance and lifestyle choices around exercise and healthy living including getting good sleep.

One of the main goals of the Nordic diet is to be environmentally friendly so while it’s good for your health to eat a diet that’s more plant-based than animal-based, it’s also good for the planet.

That’s because plant-based foods are less taxing on the land, the climate, and the atmosphere. So you can make yourself healthy and do something for the Earth while you’re at it.

Helpful information:

This may not seem as difficult to achieve as you may think as the simple steps of healthy diet choices, regular exercise and tackling stress or sleep issues will make a big difference.

If your stress or sleep issues are related to oestrogen dominance and hormonal factors then check whether you need to look at rebalancing your hormone levels to increase the benefits of bioidentical hormones to help with menopause symptoms such as bloating and weight gain..

Not sure which hormones you may need supplementing? This article can help.

http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/which-hormone-or-hormones-might-you-need/

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Causes of Stiff Joints at Menopause https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/causes-of-stiff-joints-at-menopause/ Fri, 01 Mar 2024 07:46:10 +0000 http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/?p=4819 There can be a number of reasons throughout life for joint pain, including injury, but at menopause other factors may be affecting you.

You’re getting older

Not one the any of us likes to face up to,  but as you age, your cartilage – the spongy material that protects the ends of your bones – begins to dry out and stiffen.

Your body also makes less synovial fluid and that acts like oil to keep your joints moving smoothly. The result: Your joints may not move as freely as they used to.

Best solution: to keep active because synovial fluid requires movement to keep your joints loose.

Your wake up call 

When you’re asleep and still for several hours, and when you are in bed asleep, the fluid that helps your joints move easily can’t do its job. That’s why you can wake up with knees or hands that are stiff and swollen.

Best solution:  try to move around more during the day and if you are sitting for a long time before bed – watching tv for example – get up regularly or at least move and stretch in your chair.

 Osteoarthritis (OA)

A joint is the place where two bones meet. The end of each bone is covered in a layer of cartilage and this is what keeps them from rubbing together. But cartilage can wear away over time or after an injury.

When it’s gone, the bones hit one another, and sometimes, tiny pieces break off. The result is a stiff, swollen, painful joint.

Best solutions: First try to do fewer things that bother the joint in question, and if you are overweight this will definitely be putting more strain on it.

Over-the-counter drugs can help with pain and swelling and if they don’t, your doctor might inject stronger treatments directly into problem areas.

You can wrap joints to protect them and stop overuse, but this could weaken your muscles, so don’t overdo it. Some people need surgery, but it’s rare and your doctor will discuss these treatments plus others, such as physical therapy and losing weight.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Your immune system is supposed to protect you from outside attacks, but sometimes, it attacks the lining of your joints instead (your doctor will call this the synovium).

RA is most likely to affect your wrist or finger joints, but it can show up anywhere in your body. It often causes constant pain and stiffness. Sometimes, it stays in the background and only flares up now and then.

Best solutions: Doctors treat RA with medications that slow or stop the disease process and the goal is for you to have no signs of inflammation in your body.

Your doctor will refer to this as this remission and along with drugs, you can also take care of yourself by eating well, rest when you need to but keep moving, and take good care of your joints.

Other types ofarthritis

OA and RA are the most well known, but other types also affect your immune system and result in stiff joints:

  • Ankylosing spondylitis: This type mostly affects your spine, but it can make your hips, hands, or feet feel stiff.
  • Gout: The first sign of this build-up of uric acid in your body is often a searing pain in your big toe.
  • Infectious arthritis: It often starts with an infection somewhere else in your body that travels to one big joint, like your hip.
  • Psoriatic arthritis: People with psoriasis or family members who have it are most likely to get this type. Signs include swollen fingers and pitted nails.


Weather related pain

Doctors aren’t sure why, but joint pain seems to get worse when the weather changes. It’s most common when the air pressure (the weather forecaster will call it barometric pressure) falls. That typically happens just before a storm.

Fibromyalgia

This chronic condition causes joint and muscle pain, along with sleep, mood, and memory problems. Scientists think your brain takes normal pain signals and makes them worse.

They aren’t sure what causes it, but it often follows an illness, surgery, or intense stress. It doesn’t damage your joints the way arthritis does, though.

Best solutions: There’s no cure, but over-the-counter pain medication should ease your pain and your doctor might prescribe others if these don’t help.

A physical therapist can teach you special exercises to help and you might also try a relaxation technique like deep breathing or a gentle exercise like yoga or tai chi. They’ll help you stretch and strengthen your muscles and tendons.

Joint injury

The two most common types are both forms of inflammation and usually result from overuse or misuse of a joint over time.

Bursitis involves the bursae, fluid-filled sacs that act as cushions between your bones and other moving parts and tendinitis affects the tendons that attach your muscles to your bones.

Best solutions: These conditions are easy to treat and you’ll likely make a full recovery. The first thing to do is give that joint a rest and take an over-the-counter pain medication.

Your doctor will probably give you a splint to wear and tell you to put ice on it and could also show you some exercises to do, too.  If that doesn’t help, they could inject a stronger drug straight into the bursa or tendon to manage pain and swelling.

Exercise

The more you move your joints, the less likely they are to get stiff so  a little gentle gardening or a walk around the block can help.

You’ll strengthen the muscles that support your joints, keep your bones strong, improve your balance, and burn calories. Start slow, so you don’t get hurt and talk to your doctor if even gentle exercise makes the stiffness worse.

How to help yourself

There is a body of evidence that various joint support supplements such as collagen, glucosamine,  chondroitin, turmeric and Boswellia (which is used as an anti-inflammatory) can help support joint health and reduce joint pain. It is very individual as how you can respond but your Health store or Complementary health clinic can advise you.

Gentle exercise such as yoga and tai chi can help, and acupuncture is effective for pain relief.

Two favourite forms of help include heat and cold applications. So, if your joints are extra stiff in the morning, try a hot shower or bath. It’ll get blood flowing to the area, which loosens things up. You can also try moist heat by putting a flannel into a freezer bag and microwave it for 1 minute. Wrap it in a towel and leave it on the area for 15-20 minutes.

Sometimes cold is more helpful if you have an achy joint. It narrows blood vessels, which slows blood flow to the area and eases swelling.

You can use cold packs from the chemist,  or try a bag of frozen peas instead. Put it on the area, but use a towel to protect your skin. Don’t do it for more than 20 minutes at a time. If you really want to chill a problem joint, try an ice bath.

When to see the doctor  

If the pain is a result of injury, or comes on suddenly these are what to be concerned about:

  • You’re in extreme pain.
  • You’ve been injured.
  • The joint looks deformed.
  • You can’t use it.
  • It swells suddenly.

You should also make an appointment if your joints are tender or hard to move or the skin is red or warm to the touch. Joint symptoms last more than 3 days or happen several times a month should always be checked.

Helpful information:

Inflammation is related to joint pain, and progesterone has anti-inflammatory effects so Serenity or 20 to one may be helpful for the conditions listed here.

Your diet will play a part too, so advice from nutrition expert Patrick Halford can really help.

                     How To Reduce Menopausal Joint Pains                

 

 

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How Your Diet Helps Keep Your Skin Beautiful https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/how-your-diet-helps-keep-your-skin-beautiful/ Wed, 28 Feb 2024 07:31:21 +0000 http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/?p=5427 We all want radiant and healthy skin and when we have skin based disorders those are very often outside manifestations of toxicity, mineral imbalances, oxidative stress, and inflammatory processes that are taking place within the body.

Many natural food sources rich in anti-oxidants and minerals help to balance this internal stress and promote radiant skin.

The most important nutritional consideration for healthy skin is to eat a varied diet that will provide the most important nutrients for healthy skin and keep skin moisturised with plenty of water.

Top 12 foods for healthy skin

1. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and herring, are excellent foods for healthy skin. They’re rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for maintaining skin health.

Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary to help keep skin thick, supple, and moisturised. In fact, an omega-3 fatty acid deficiency can cause dry skin.

The omega-3 fats in fish reduce inflammation, which can cause redness and acne. They can even make your skin less sensitive to the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Fatty fish is also a source of vitamin E, one of the most important antioxidants for your skin. Getting enough vitamin E is essential for helping protect your skin against damage from free radicals and inflammation.

Lastly, fish provides zinc — a mineral that is vital as deficiency can lead to skin inflammation, lesions, and delayed wound healing.

2. Avocados are high in healthy fats. These benefit many functions in your body, including the health of your skin.

Getting enough of these fats is essential to help keep skin flexible and moisturized.

One study involving over 700 women found that a high intake of total fat — specifically the types of healthy fats found in avocados — was associated with more supple, springy skin and preliminary evidence also shows that avocados contain compounds that may help protect your skin from sun damage.

Avocados are also a good source of vitamin E, which is an important antioxidant that helps protect your skin from oxidative damage.

Interestingly, vitamin E seems to be more effective when combined with vitamin C another vitamin that is also essential for healthy skin. Your skin needs it to create collagen, which is the main structural protein that keeps your skin strong and healthy.

Vitamin C deficiency is also an antioxidant that helps protect your skin from damage caused by the sun and the environment, which can lead to signs of ageing.

3. Walnuts are a good source of essential fatty acids, which are fats that your body cannot make itself as they’re richer than most other nuts in both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

A diet too high in omega-6 fats may promote inflammation, including inflammatory conditions of your skin like psoriasis.

On the other hand, omega-3 fats reduce inflammation in your body — including in your skin (13Trusted Source).

While omega-6 fatty acids are plentiful in the Western diet, sources of omega-3 fatty acids are rare.

Because walnuts contain a good ratio of these fatty acids, they may help fight the potential inflammatory response to excessive omega-6.

What’s more, walnuts contain other nutrients such as zinc which is essential for your skin to function properly as a barrier. It’s also necessary for wound healing and combating both bacteria and inflammation.

Walnuts also provide small amounts of the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium, in addition to 4–5 grams of protein per ounce.

4. Sunflower seeds are a good sources of skin-boosting nutrients, including vitamin E, which is an important antioxidant for the skin.

5. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta carotene, which acts as a natural sunblock and may protect your skin from sun damage.

Beta carotene is a nutrient found in oranges and vegetables such as carrots, spinach, and sweet potatoes and functions as provitamin A, which means it can be converted into vitamin A in your body.

Carotenoids like beta carotene help keep your skin healthy by acting as a natural sunblock.

When consumed, this antioxidant is incorporated into your skin and may help prevent and dry, wrinkled skin.

6. Red or yellow bell peppers are an excellent source of beta carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A.

They’re also one of the best sources of vitamin C which is the vitamin necessary for creating the protein collagen, which keeps skin firm and strong.

A large observational study involving women linked eating plenty of vitamin C to a reduced risk of wrinkled and dry skin with age.

7. Broccoli is full of many vitamins and minerals important for skin health, including zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin C.

It also contains lutein, a carotenoid that works like beta carotene and helps protect your skin from oxidative damage, which can cause your skin to become dry and wrinkled.

But broccoli florets also have a special compound called sulforaphane, which is a powerful protective agent against sun damage. It works in two ways: neutralizing harmful free radicals and switching on other protective systems in your body some impressive potential benefits.

Evidence suggests sulforaphane may also help maintain collagen levels in your skin.

8. Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C and contain all of the major carotenoids, including lycopene.

They are rich in carotenoids, so they’re an excellent food for maintaining healthy skin and may also help prevent wrinkling.

Consider pairing carotenoid-rich foods like tomatoes with a source of fat, such as cheese or olive oil as fat increases your absorption of carotenoids.

9. Soy contains isoflavones,  plant compounds that can either mimic or block oestrogen in your body, and may benefit several parts of your body, including your skin.

Isoflavones have been shown to improve wrinkles, collagen, skin elasticity, and skin dryness, as well as protect your skin from UV damage.

One small study involving middle-aged women found that eating soy isoflavones every day for 8–12 weeks reduced fine wrinkles and improved skin elasticity  and in postmenopausal women, soy may also improve skin dryness and increase collagen, which helps keep your skin smooth and strong.

10. Dark chocolate and cocoa has a beneficial effect on your skin that has been shown in several studies.

After 6–12 weeks of consuming a cocoa powder high in antioxidants each day, participants in one study experienced thicker, more hydrated skin.

Their skin was also less rough and scaly, less sensitive to sunburn, and had better blood flow — which brings more nutrients to your skin.

Another study found that eating 20 grams of high-antioxidant dark chocolate per day could allow your skin to withstand over twice as much UV radiation before burning, compared with eating low-antioxidant chocolate.

Several other studies have observed similar results, including improvements in the appearance of wrinkles.

Make sure to choose dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa to maximise the benefits and keep added sugar to a minimum – or that will affect your weight.

11. Green tea has powerful compounds called catechins and they work to improve the health of your skin in several ways.may help protect your skin from damage and ageing.

One 12-week study involving 60 women found that drinking green tea daily could reduce redness from sun exposure by up to 25% and it also improved the moisture, roughness, thickness, and elasticity of their skin.

12. Red grapes contain resveratrol, a compound that comes from their skin  and is credited with a wide range of health benefits, among them is reducing the effects of ageing.

This beneficial compound is also found in red wine but there’s not much evidence that the amount of resveratrol you get from a glass of red wine is enough to affect your skin.

So it’s not recommended to start drinking red wine just because of its potential health benefits, instead, you could increase your intake of red grapes or take a supplement.

Helpful information

What you eat can significantly affect your skin health so good nutrition, plenty of water can all make a difference.

Good skincare plays its part too, so boost your skin with Wellsprings face serum, containing essential hyaluronic acid and trace hormones oestrogen and progesterone to support your skin to stay supple, strong and beautiful.

https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/keeping-your-skin-beautiful-healthy-at-any-age/

 

 

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Progesterone’s Role In Helping With UTI’s https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/progesterones-role-in-helping-with-utis/ Sun, 25 Feb 2024 08:27:47 +0000 http://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/?p=4697 What’s the cause?

Urinary tract infections (UTI’s) can affect the bladder, which can show as cystitis, and the urethra and also the kidneys.

The most common cause is often as simple as not observing good toilet hygiene so that bacteria are transferred from the anus when wiping. That’s why it is important to wipe both areas separately, and not from back to front. After bowel movements, always wipe from front to back and wash area with soap and water afterward.

Men do get urinary tract infections too, but women have at least ten times their number.

Symptoms

There are a number of commonly seen symptoms and you can have more than one at the same time.

They can include:

• blood in urine

• cloudy urine mixed with discharged mucus material from the urethra

• frequent urge to urinate, even with small amounts of urine in the bladder

• burning or stinging when urinating

• painful sexual intercourse

Some people are more at risk than others of continuous UTI’s such as those who suffer from kidney stones, having multiple sexual partners, catheter users and others who are immobilized for long periods.

Also if you are on frequent antibiotic then this can produce an immunity and the bacteria becomes increasingly resistant, making a change of medication necessary.

Treatment and prevention

Normally your doctor will prescribe short term antibiotics which usually clear up the problem within two to three days but there are also some natural methods that can be helpful.

–   If it is very painful, then a hot bath can help relieve it

–   Natural treatment can include drinking cranberry and blueberry juices as they have been shown to prevent and treat urinary tract infections successfully. Cranberry in particular inhibits bacterial growth on the walls of the bladder.

–   What is most important is that you drink plenty of water to help flush out the bacteria because bacteria cannot reproduce in the urinary tract where there is frequent urination.

–   If you are a regular sufferer, then trying having parsley more often as it may also help to dispose of harmful bacteria and it increases urination naturally.

–   Don’t resist the urge to pee, go as soon as you feel you need to and again drink plenty of water afterwards to keep the urinary tract flushed out.

–   Clean yourself thoroughly after each toilet visit, but also after sex and make sure you empty your bladder immediately afterwards.

–   If you are being treated for a urinary infection then avoid caffeine, alcohol and sexual activity as they can aggravate the condition.

 The hormonal effect

Progesterone also plays several roles in preventing vaginal and urinary tract infections. When progesterone is restored to normal physiological levels and hormones come back into balance, then vaginal lubrication returns and this reduces the impact of urinary tract infections.

Also progesterone is part of our immune defense system that prevents such infections. It does this by aiding in the formation of secretory IgA, an immune globulin that traps germs before they enter mucosal tissues such as those found in the vagina and thus again helping prevent urinary tract infections.

Helpful information: 

The simple self help measures described here can help prevent such infections and good hormone balance will also make a difference.

 

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