Female Care

Are you post-menopausal? Do you have high blood pressure? Well, help may be at hand. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that blood pressure was reduced by eating soy. 60 healthy post-menopausal women who took part in the study were divided into 2 groups. Both groups had identical healthy diets, the only difference being that one group had part of its protein intake replaced by half a cup of unsalted soy nuts. After 8 weeks, in the soy group, blood pressure was significantly reduced in the 12 women who had hypertension and also in those that had normal blood pressure. Soy for high blood pressure.

As an added bonus, levels of “bad” cholesterol were also lower in women that had hypertension.
This particularly important for post-menopausal women who are hypertensive because they have 4 times the risk of developing heart disease as those with normal blood pressure. Just goes to show what an impact small changes to your diet can have on your health – yet another good reason to start eating soy!

Herbs have magical powers to treat the various diseases that we suffer from, in our regular life. It might be unbelievable, but also has a cure for the most common problem that all women suffer from in their life time. Yes, you guessed it right, it is menopause.

Until a few years back, women would suffer from the various symptoms that are related to menopause with not many medications to help them overcome the problems. But, the various studies conducted on the herbs finally gave a solution, a cure for the various symptoms and hence gave a ray of hope to all women suffering from some or the other type of problems caused due to menopause.
According to the studies, there are various natural herbs for menopause that are found to have certain effect on the estrogen levels in our body. With the actions of these herbs, the severity of the various symptoms of menopause is reduced to some extent. Thus they are categorized into two categories based on their chemical structure of the chemicals that are present in the herbs which act against the symptoms of menopause. These categories are:

• Estrogenic herbs: The herbs that are included under this category contain chemical structures of estrogen and thus are included in this category.
• Non-estrogenic herbs: The simple herbs that do not contain the chemical structure of estrogen are included under this category.

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According to the recent report, use of loop diuretics doesn’t seem to be related with changes in bone mineral density, fractures and falls in postmenopausal women.

However, prolonged use may raise the risk of falls or fractures in this group.

Loop diuretics are usually prescribed for congestive heart failure treatment. These particular agents increases calcium excretion and in some studies it has been shown that hypercalciuria is related with low bone mineral density, which is the major risk factor for falls and consequently fractures.

For most of the post menopausal women, developing heart failure and osteoporosis are particular health concerns.

Most of the women experience fractures related to osteoporosis in their entire course of life time and almost one in five women are at risk of developing heart diseases or heart failure at the age of 40.

According to study led by Laura D. Carbone, M.D., M.S., of the University Of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, and her colleagues, no significant differences were found between non users of diuretics and changes in bone mineral density, falls or fractures in postmenopausal women.

However, prolonged use of loop diuretics can increase the risk of falls and consequently fractures in postmenopausal women. Hence it is very important for women to consider fracture prevention measures, particularly those who receive loop diuretics.

According to a new study, most of the menopausal women with low sexual desire are more likely to develop various physical symptoms like back pain and mental health problems like depression and memory loss.

According to the research, women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder are diagnosed with worse health related quality of life and poorer health conditions when compared with other healthy women.

Women with this hypoactive sexual disorder were more than twice likely to develop poor health conditions including memory problems, back pain and fatigue.

Researchers also show that women with low sexual desire have certain degree of mental and physical impairment that is equivalent to other chronic health conditions like diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis.

According to Andrea K. Biddle, Ph.D., associate professor of health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, “research shows that the problem of low sexual desire in menopausal women is significant and relevant clinical problem, rather than normal or unavoidable part of normal aging process.

Women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder encounter similar health burdens like other individuals with serious chronic health conditions”.

Studies have shown that, depending on women’s existing menopausal status and current age, almost 9 to 26 percent of women in United States suffer with hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

Survey has concluded that women with low sexual desire are more likely to develop depression and express dissatisfaction to their sexual partners and also with their home lives.

Women are being warned they could damage their health with ‘unproven’ herbal remedies to treat menopausal symptoms.

Hundreds of thousands stopped HRT after health scares in favour of alternative therapies but there is ‘no strong evidence’ of their effectiveness, according to an independent review by experts.

Remedies such as black cohosh, red clover, Dong quai and ginseng are taken to ease hot flushes, sleeplessness and low sex drive because they are perceived as natural products without risk, says a report in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.

But editor Dr Ike Iheanacho warns they may not necessarily be safe.

He said: ‘In reality, however, herbal medicines have pharmacological actions, and so can cause unwanted side effects and have potentially dangerous interactions with other medicines, both herbal and conventional.’

The safety of such products has been ‘generally under-researched, and information on potentially significant herb-drug interactions is limited’, he added.

More than 200 alternative remedies exist, yet the review of 26 published studies found little good quality evidence of their effectiveness and safety when used through the menopause.

About 40 per cent of women seeking treatment for the menopause are estimated to use complementary therapies alongside – or instead of – Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Among those used are wild yam extract, chaste tree, hops, sage leaf, and kava kava which was banned in the UK after reports of liver damage.

Do you know that menopausal women are at high risk of experiencing hair loss?

Menopause brings lot of changes in your body and for some women it can become quite challenging task to handle menopause effects.

Usually, it is believed that sudden decline in estrogen levels in your body can lead to various effects including hair loss.

Hair loss and estrogen level

Thinning hair or hair loss is most common problem for menopausal women.

Estrogen, the most important female hormone, is significantly responsible for various functions in your body including hair growth or hair loss. So, any disturbances to its normal level can affect your hair growth.

During menopause or as you get older there will be a sure decline in the estrogen levels. As a result, you can experience hair loss during or after menopause.

Treatment for hair loss

If you are seriously concerned about hair loss, try to make changes in your diet and eat foods that can help you to balance estrogen levels. Consider eating balanced food including apples, wheat and other soy products.

Regular exercises and dosages of certain herbs can be helpful for you to keep proper balance of estrogen levels. Take necessary suggestions from your doctor before taking herbs and avoid harmful side effects.