The skin is a window to a woman’s general health. While there are many health benefits of dark chocolate, skin health tops the priority list for many women. Dark chocolate with collagen, plus an anti-inflammatory nutrition plan, hydration, and sleep are a winning combination for optimizing skin health. Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate In my practice the skin health issues that women tend to struggle with include acne related to…
In a study, recently published in BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, the researchers asked 21 women who had never had children, through face-to-face interviews and written questionnaires, about their experiences.(1) They were interviewed and questioned before and after their first birth experience. "The overall theme to emerge from the data was that the pain a woman may be feeling during labour is given a meaning and it is the meaning of the…
What effect does alcohol have on female hormones? Do alcohol and hormones mix? As with many things, when it comes to women's health... It depends. Alcohol and Hormones Have Significant Effects on Women's Health Beginning in perimenopause (around age 35-50), the ovaries begin to secrete less estrogen. However, estrogen is more than just a reproductive hormone. Estrogen is involved in the neuroendocrine, skeletal, adipogenesis, and cardiovascular systems.(1) 17β-estradiol (E2), the…
Nearly 50% of women ages 35-55 years have struggles with poor sleep. (1) For the women in my practice, there are many common complaints associated with poor sleep, including: Difficulty falling asleep Getting a second wind late at night Difficulty staying asleep Not feeling rested in the morning Waking up many times each night to use the restroom, take care of children or pets, because of a snoring spouse, snoring…
What's the evidence on Maca? Is there any evidence that adding that scoop of Maca powder to your smoothie is a good idea? Are maca powder benefits all that they're hyped up to be? As with nearly everything… the answer is, “It depends.” In my practice, I recommend Maca for specific situations and it works very well. But, in some situations, using maca can actually worsen your client’s symptoms. Let’s…
80% of adults don’t even get the minimum recommended amount of exercise recommended by the CDC and similar public health organizations - 2 days per week of strength training and 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise.(1) Exercise for women over 40 is essential. But, it's important to consider a number of factors before starting a fitness program. Starting with an intense spinning, Cross Fit, or other training program…
Estrogen dominance is a common issue for women with endometriosis, ovarian cysts, PCOS, PMS, painful periods, fibroids, and breast tenderness. Also, for women who struggle with weight loss resistance or insomnia, elevated estrogen compared with progesterone (otherwise known as estrogen dominance), is a serious challenge. Fortunately, there are nutrition and lifestyle strategies that are useful for balancing estrogen and progesterone. These strategies are beneficial to reduce cancer risk, and can…
Over the last few decades there has been a lot of confusion about how much fat female athletes should eat and what types of fat are healthy. When it comes to dietary fat recommendations for female athletes, there is a lot of good data that demonstrates the cardiovascular and performance benefits of eating the "right size" amount of healthy fat - not too much and not too little. Additionally, the…
Cortisol and Pelvic Pain Imbalanced cortisol levels throughout the day have been directly related to chronic pain, in general and in patients with chronic pelvic pain. High cortisol and pelvic pain is more often found in men with pelvic pain, and in women with pelvic pain, flattened cortisol curves are more common (Goodin et al., 2012.) Surprisingly, the foundation of the endocrine system is not the sex hormones, it's the…
While there is no one-size-fits-all IVF Diet, focusing on your nutrition can certainly improve your IVF success. Let’s discuss a few important strategies for supporting your health to improve your chances of having a healthy pregnancy with IVF. The IVF Diet is a Mediterranean Style, Low Carbohydrate, Anti-inflammatory, Nutrient Dense Diet When 160 couples undergoing IVF treatment were followed in The Netherlands, women who adhered to a Mediterranean dietary pattern,…
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