Menopause is a blessing not a curse says Dr Lynda Shaw
Fabafterfifty: Menopause
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Article by Dr Lynda Shaw Duvet off, duvet on, duvet off, duvet on. Most women going through the menopause will recognise this night-time ritual as the hot flushes appear out of the darkness in a nano second. Or how about a bloated tummy or fatigue? Or an unpredictable menstrual cycle? All these are discussed at length by women around the age of 50yrs. But the comments that cause the most concern are when women describe themselves as becoming grey and invisible. When they believe that they are no longer of use, as if once the baby making years are over we are rendered useless and undesirable (even those who do not have children still seem to feel this way). What a load of nonsense! The menopause is a signal for rejuvenation, growth and expansion The menopause is a signal for rejuvenation, growth and expansion. Getting rid of that last egg...
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What causes Female Pattern Hair Loss and can it be treated?
Article by Sara G. Allison Thinning or loss of hair for women is rarely discussed but can cause distress for those affected. I asked trichologist Sara G. Allison to talk about why it occurs, and what can be done when it happens: Female Pattern Hair loss, otherwise known as Androgenic Alopecia-affects many women when there are times of hormonal change, especially around the menopause. However, treatment can usually prevent further hair loss and often cause hair re-growth. Who gets female pattern hair loss? Hair loss in women affected by androgenic alopecia is likely to be first noticed at times of hormonal change, i.e. approaching the menopause or early stages of starting the menopause when there are changes to the testosterone and oestrogen ratio. This change can also cause increased facial and body hair. About 25% of women get advanced FPHL by age 50 Most women over fifty, who present with...
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The Menopause is NOT an illness
Article by Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD. The menopause is not an illness. If you subscribe to the standpoint currently held by the conventional medical profession, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was. In conventional terms the menopause and its symptoms are viewed as a disorder caused by falling hormone levels. So, by giving menopausal women hormones in the form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the deficiency can be corrected and we have a ‘cure’. This argument is supported by the supposed similarity between the menopause and diabetes. When insulin levels are insufficient to maintain normal blood glucose levels, then insulin is supplied from outside and the balance is corrected. But diabetes is different from the menopause in one important respect: diabetes is not a natural event. It is not expected that everyone will get diabetes; but all women will pass through the menopause. It is a natural stage in our...
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How does the menopause affect women in the workplace?
Interview with Dr Lynda Shaw With many women over 50 returning to work or thinking about how best to extend their working lives, I asked Dr Lynda Shaw how the menopause affects the way we think and are able to function in the workplace. Do we make better or worse employees? Does the menopause change women’s abilities in the workplace? With the hormonal changes experienced by women going through the menopause and the decrease in oxytocin, a hormone which contributes to maternal behaviour, women who have gone through the menopause no longer need cuddles, and are no longer drawn into others lives to ‘fix’ them. With their children having flown the nest their brains are no longer in emotional turmoil, and typically they are more lucid and even . What does this mean in terms of employment? For employers this makes post-menopausal women the perfect candidates to have on board. They...
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Spinach might have been great for Popeye but it seems it might not be quite so beneficial for women over 50!
Tips from Dr Marilyn Glenville If like me, you were feeling virtuous by eating lots of spinach, it appears that where this particular vegetable is concerned you can have too much of a good thing. One if the biggest risks for women post menopause is osteoporosis. There are a number of risk factors for osteoporosis that apply whatever your age, but the emphasis for preventing and treating osteoporosis is to make your diet more alkaline. Calcium neutralises acid, so the more acidic your food, the more calcium has to be taken from your bones to make your body more alkaline. The more fruit and vegetables you eat the more alkaline your body becomes and there will be less loss of calcium from your bones. However, both spinach and rhubarb contain oxalic acid, which reacts with calcium in the digestive system and stops it being absorbed, so if you have osteoporosis...
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Can Homeopathy help women through the menopause?
Article by Kathy Payne You know what it’s like. It starts with changes to your monthly cycle and then its hot flushes, sweats, disturbed sleep, mood changes, lower libido, dryness and maybe getting a little rounder about the middle. It’s the M word. Menopause. I almost typed “dreaded M word” but you know menopause is a life stage, rites of passage, a new beginning. Like pregnancy, it’s not an illness: it’s a natural state in women. I’m not being glib. I know menopause symptoms can be unpleasant, debilitating, stressful and worrying for some. I also know that the transition time varies from woman to woman. I regularly meet women with symptoms in my homeopathic practice and hear their particular experiences. Homeopathy is a system of medicine, which treats the individual with highly diluted substances to trigger the body’s natural healing. That’s a different model to conventional medicine, which treats symptoms...
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Can you bear to look? Too much chocolate playing havoc with your waistline?
Article by Anne Elliott. So how much chocolate did you end up consuming? Me too! In fact the week after Easter was even more dangerous than the week before. Suddenly chocolate sponge cake with lashings of butter icing and topped with mini eggs was being sold off at £1 a time. Easter eggs 60p each, sugar frenzy. I’ve actually eaten so much that I couldn’t face another sweet thing. I can hear my body screaming for savoury and vitamins. I haven’t been listening to it over the last fortnight to my cost. My guts are bloated, I’m sluggish, my clothes are tight and I’ve got used to eating so much that I feel hungry every 60 minutes. The worst of it is I caught myself in the mirror today. I avoid looking at myself in the mirror I have noticed that if I’m going through a period of diet or...
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Could your thyroid be responsible for fatigue during and post menopause?
Article by Dr Eva Cwynar When I was asked if I would like to review ‘The Fatigue Solution’ by Dr Eva Cwynar, I immediately said yes, as fatigue is an issue that many readers have expressed . I would be the first to put up my hand to say that I start most days feeling absolutely exhausted- and rarely 100%, so any book offering constructive advice and exploring the reasons as to why many women suffer from fatigue in midlife was a must for my reading list. I would highly recommend this book, and have been given permission from the publisher to share an abridged extract covering the impact the thryoid has during the menopause, it may well strike a chord! Check Your Thyroid The woman was in her mid-50s. She had an extremely high-pressure job and was in the public eye. Her struggles with weight over the years were well...
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9 Steps to Self Massage for a Good Night’s Sleep
Guest Article by Ntathu Allen Following on from her tips on yoga at work- Ntathu helps us all achieve a good night’s sleep! To get a good night’s sleep, it is essential you unwind and calm your thoughts before you sleep. Just before you go to bed, take a few minutes to gift yourself this simple 9 Step Self Massage. 1. Give yourself a hand and finger massage. Gently massage your fingers and thumbs. Be very present and really enjoy the feeling of touching your hands. If you have a favourite hand cream or even warm olive oil, use it to add a bit of luxury to your massage. 2. Rub your palms vigorously together for 30 seconds. Place your warmed palms over your face with your fingers on your forehead and heels of your hands on your chin. Close your eyes, lower your shoulders and take 3-5 deep breaths in...
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Do Men Understand the Menopause? Interview with Sue Brayne
Article by Fabafterfifty Do the men in our lives know enough about what we experience when going through the menopause? I caught up with Sue Brayne, author of ’Sex, Meaning and the Menopause, a Book for Men and Women’. A book which looks at the menopause from both a male and female perspective, and the impact it can have on relationships. The motivation behind the book helping men understand the menopause Sue Brayne was sitting at dinner with her 50something friends with the husbands bemoaning the fact that they had been totally unprepared for the changes experienced by their wives as they went through the menopause. Sue decided it was something to explore. “ They all complained that there was a lack of understanding of menopause from a male perspective- and that they found it difficult to find the information they felt they needed. So, I wrote ‘Sex, Meaning and the...
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