Female Care

With the new information that increasing your calcium intake helps your body to burn fat, and whittle your waistline, many more people are making it a point to get their three servings a day of milk and dairy products.  However, people who are lactose intolerant, or simply don’t like milk or dairy, find this a difficult task, even with all the new calcium enriched foods on the market.  What many people don’t know though, is that calcium is found in many other sources, and it is quite easy to fit them into your diet.

For example, many fruits and vegetables contain ample amounts of calcium.  A grapefruit contains about 113 milligrams, and a cup of kidney beans provide about 255 milligrams of calcium, almost the same as a serving of dairy.  Chickpeas, another great source of fiber, contain about 100 milligrams of calcium, and black-eyed peas, 184.  Cooked mustard greens contain about 150 milligrams a cup, and cooked beet greens contain 164, for a cup.  Surprisingly, a cup of cooked collard greens contains 357 milligrams of calcium, even more than a serving of dairy.
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Calcium is well-known for its connection to healthy, strong bones and teeth. Calcium is a major contributing factor to the prevention of bone density loss and osteoporosis. These are by far the most obvious benefits of this important mineral, but there are actually many other benefits to consuming an adequate amount of calcium in your daily diet.

Calcium directly affects the hormones that control the condition of your arteries. Healthy arteries and low blood pressure are associated with healthy calcium levels in the body. Since your arteries and blood pressure affect the heart, calcium is highly beneficial in maintaining a healthy heart. Calcium is also connected with the health of your colon, and particularly the prevention of colon polyps and colon cancer. Calcium has an important role in maintaining a healthy weight, as well. The same hormone that influences the health of your arteries affects the way your body absorbs nutrients and fat. When this hormone is properly regulated by calcium, it is easier to maintain your weight.

Maintaining healthy levels of calcium is easy to do by monitoring your diet and, if necessary, taking a calcium supplement every day. Dairy products, dark green vegetables, and lintels are just some of the foods that are high in calcium. Continue reading »

Do you suffer from severe PMS symptoms? Up to 85% of women experience PMS symptoms before their menstrual periods with up to 10% experiencing such severe symptoms that they’re forced to miss time from work. Symptoms of PMS range from mood swings and irritability to physical symptoms such as bloating, headache, and fatigue. Although an effective prescription treatment that relieves all of the symptoms of PMS has yet to be found, there’s mounting evidence to suggest that diet may play an important role in treating severe PMS symptoms. The symptoms of PMS and diet appear to be closely associated according to the National Association for Premenstrual Syndrome who has developed dietary guidelines for women who suffer from this condition. An association between PMS and diet is also supported by several studies showing improvement in PMS symptoms when a premenstrual diet is followed. Here are some dietary changes that may improve severe PMS symptoms:

Premenstrual diet: Increase your intake of calcium and vitamin D

Increasing your calcium intake may be one of the most effective ways to relieve the symptoms of severe PMS. According to a study published by investigators at the department of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts, women who have higher intakes of calcium and vitamin D have a lower risk of PMS. Several other studies have shown a similar association. Although a definitive dose hasn’t been established, supplementing with 1,000 units of calcium, and 800 units of vitamin D under the supervision of your doctor may offer some benefit if you suffer from severe PMS symptoms. An even better strategy is to get your vitamin D and calcium from natural sources via exposure to the sun at least 15 minutes three to four days per week and consuming foods high in calcium.

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In history, menopause and aging have not always been viewed negatively.  Women often greeted the absence of their period gladly; welcoming a time when they would be free of the burden of childbearing, their time and energy liberated for new things.  Many cultures have revered wise old women. They were sought out for healing or guidance. Not so in our times.  Now it is a put down to call something an old wives tale! It’s a way of saying that something is false, frivolous, or foolish.

First of all, are you really in menopause?  Menopause is defined as the end of your period.  For several years before that happens you will likely experience symptoms of perimenopause, which is the time when your hormones start wildly fluctuating, and your period becomes irregular.  Kind of like being a teenager again, only with wrinkles.

In modern culture menopause is viewed as a medical condition which can be treated.  Current treatments often include hormone replacement therapy, or HRT.   HRT can ease symptoms of menopause such as irritability, anxiety, memory loss, or skin or hair changes.  HRT has also been connected with reduced risk of heart disease and osteoporosis; and can help if you experience vaginal dryness or loss of sexual desire.  But there are risks that have been associated with HRT too.  Some studies have shown a connection to breast cancer, blood clots, high blood pressure and gall bladder disease.  The trend these days is to use HRT for a short focused period of treatment, rather than a long term one, to address the most bothersome and persistent symptoms of menopause, the ones you really cannot live with.

There are many alternative and natural therapies to try if you feel you need help calming the beast.  The first time you feel like Krakatoa getting ready to blow; that you feel puffy, flushed faced and damp, and everyone else looks slender and cool as a cuke; or that you’re jotting your name down and you have to pause for a moment,  to think what it is; you may decide it’s time to explore your options.  It’s actually a great time to think of the wisdom passed on by our ancestors. Our great grandmothers learned about beneficial plants at grandmother’s knee.  Today we can go to the bookstore, health food store, or the internet to find healthy products that are good for menopausal symptoms.

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By Annetta Holmes

Depression comes in many guises which have spawned a plethora of labels.  You may have recently started to feel depressed having never experienced this condition before. It may scare you to feel this way and the thought of your emotions being out from under your control is indeed a daunting prospect. If you go and see a medical doctor you may be prescribed powerful psychotropic (mind altering) drugs. Besides being addictive these drugs have terrible side effects, behave as toxins to your system and deplete sorely needed vitamin and mineral.

Before looking at purely psychological problems with drugs as the only solution first examine physical factors that could affect your mental heath. You will be surprised how a diet high in refined carbohydrates and low in protein and vegetables can attack your normally cheerful disposition. Most people don’t connect nutrient deficient food with adverse effects in their mental faculties. They believe that as they are feeling sad, anxious or tearful these reactions are psychological in nature and only psychotropic drugs will help. Not true.

Food, the quality of, and nutrients have a huge impact on your well being. Do you eat very little breakfast or none, have a sandwich and a sugary drink for lunch then eat an enormous dinner when you get in at night because you’re starving. Does your blood sugar level yo-yo continuously? Additionally if you’re very hungry when you get home at night chances are you don’t try and eat a square meal. When hunger– the most powerful of urges — is the impelling force then food that is very quick to get at wins over better quality. Low blood sugar can cause headaches, mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiousness and apprehension. These factors aside, to build blood and bone you need to eat food that supplies the bricks and mortar of the body. Junk foods supply nothing. If you exclude the nutrients your cells need then your body will tear itself apart to get those building blocks. Below is an example of how your body does that and what effect it has on your mental health.

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