Stress can exacerbate virtually every female problem, from PMS through menopause symptoms,
by interfering with the production and function of
normal female hormones.
Dr. Lark has seen this first hand in her practice. Women come in with severe PMS symptoms, fibroid tumors, and endometriosis, as well as hot flashes, insomnia, and night sweats. When she asks them what is going on in their personal life, more often than not, they have an extremely stressful situation they are dealing with.
Unfortunately, even if you are eating the perfect diet, exercising every day, and taking the recommended nutritional supplements religiously, excessive stress can literally neutralize the benefits of everything positive that you are doing. But the good news is that the reverse is also true. You can create miracles by handling stress in a positive, self-nurturing, life-enhancing manner.
By discovering and taking the emotional and spiritual journey towards a stress-free life, you’ll begin to notice several amazing changes. Your
mood will lift and even out, you’ll feel much more loving and joyful, you’ll begin to sleep like a baby, you’ll experience more positive dreams, and you’ll have a new appreciation for your friends and family. What you may not also realize is that your health will greatly improve too, particularly your hormone health.
For more information on female hormones, visit
Dr. Lark’s Web site.
Numerous studies show that women are markedly less able to tolerate alcohol than men.
Women metabolize alcohol slower than men, thus it takes longer to clear out alcohol’s toxic effects.
Alcohol is particularly problematic for women with
estrogen dominance, as it increases estrogen levels, and is associated with fibroids, endometriosis, heavy bleeding, and the development of breast cancer. Plus, it may inhibit ovulation. Moreover, excess alcohol can tax your liver, making it more difficult to detoxify excess estrogen, thus allowing more free estrogen to be circulated in the blood. This can lead to a whole host of issues for estrogen dominant women.
Plus, alcohol worsens
menopause symptoms, including hot flashes and mood swings. It is particularly pronounced in women who suffer from night sweats and insomnia. And, alcohol is a diuretic. This means that overconsumption can lead to dehydration of your skin and tissues, as well as loss of essential minerals through urination.
For more information on foods that affect estrogen levels and other hormone issues, visit
Dr. Lark’s Web site.
Flavonoids encompass a wide group of antioxidants, including bioflavonoids and flavanols. Bioflavonoids are usually found in the pulp and rind of citrus fruit. They have wea
k, estrogen-like properties, and have also been shown to interfere with the production of estrogen by binding to estrogen receptor sites. In this way, bioflavonoids work to
normalize estrogen levels, bringing excessively high estrogen down to more normal levels.
Because bioflavonoids do bind to estrogen receptor sites, they can also act as a supplemental form of estrogen, helping to
combat common menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats.
Flavanols, namely polyphenols and catechins, also bind to receptor sites, which is why they have been found to be so beneficial in protecting women from cancer. By binding to breast tissue estrogen receptors sites, polyphenols work to prevent carcinogens (tumor promoters, hormones, and growth factors) from binding to and harming the cells. In essence, the polyphenols "seal off" the tissue from invasion by carcinogens.
The superior antioxidant properties of polyphenols also help in the fight against heart attacks and other forms of cardiovascular disease. Japanese researchers have found that tablets of green tea extract providing 254 mg of catechins raised blood levels of antioxidants and reduced plaque-forming oxidation.
Foods rich in bioflavonoids include citrus fruits (lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, and limes) and buckwheat (a gluten-free grain that is not botanically related to wheat). Other good sources are apricots, cherries, grapes, plums, blackberries, papayas, green pepper, broccoli, and tomatoes. Foods rich in flavanols include green tea, apples, grapes, and onions.
For more information on estrogen dominance or natural treatments for menopause symptoms, visit
Dr. Lark’s Web site.
Have you ever had one of those moments when you're in the middle of your natural weightloss journey and come across a picture of yourself before the weight started coming off? I had one of those moments last night.
My sister-in-law got married a couple weeks before I started my natural weight loss plan. Yesterday, we received several pictures from the wedding and I just couldn't believe how big I looked. In every picture I was holding one of my kids, so you can't really see my body. I'm sure this was some subconscious way to "hide" from the camera. But my face. That double chin. Yikes!
My first instinct was to hide the pictures, maybe even throw them out or shred them. But, since this was his sister's wedding, I knew my dear husband wouldn't go for that. So now they sit, in the middle of our dining room table. Ugh!
I know in all natural weightloss journeys there's a "before" picture. Just seeing what I looked like six months ago really reinforced why I was doing this in the first place. I said in the beginning that one of my ultimate goals was to have a picture of me with my girls that I wasn't ashamed of. And, hopefully, I'll have such a picture by year's end.
#2 Food for Menopause Relief: Whole Grains
The best grains for menopausal women are oats, corn, barley, millet, buckwheat, brown rice, quinoa, and amaranth. Many whole grains are excellent sources of phytoestrogens because they contain lignans, a material that is used to form the plant cell wall. Lignans, like isoflavones, are mildly estrogenic and provide support for women deficient in estrogen who are suffering from hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and other effects of menopause.
For more information on diet and what foods provide the best menopause relief, visit
my Website.
I just came across a
press release from the University of Texas at Austin about the changing attitudes women of different ethnicities are having about menopause. I found it so interesting I wanted to share it with you.
For decades, women have been entering menopause with fear of hot flashes, night sweats, and other menopause symptoms--not to mention the perceived "loss" of their more youthful years. But this study has found that women these days are increasingly becoming more optimistic about "the change," with many seeing it as an opportunity to redefine themselves.
I love the fact that women's attitudes about menopause are changing. There is no reason to fear this natural process, especially since there are natural, effective ways to deal with bothersome menopause symptoms, which I discuss throughout this blog.
I just posted several entries over the past two weeks about acupressure for the relief of menopause symptoms. I am also a fan of acupressure's "cousin"--acupuncture. Acupuncture is the ancient practice of inserting tiny needles into specific points of the body for the relief from various symptoms and for the promotion of general good health.
Acupuncture (usually a minimum of six treatments) reduces the frequency and severity of hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and sleep disturbances by about 50 percent. An impressive 80 percent of people who try acupuncture significantly benefit—which makes it more than worth your while to give it a shot if you suffer from difficult menopause symptoms. Consider these statistics from recently published studies:
- A Swedish university study found that electroacupuncture reduced hot flashes by half.
- In Norway, individualized electroacupuncture reduced hot flashes by 77 percent.
- At Harvard and Stanford medical schools, university clinicians of Chinese descent collaborated on a study of acupuncture for nighttime hot flashes. Compared to placebo’s 6 percent improvement, acupuncture reduced nighttime hot flash severity by 28 percent.
- In another Stanford study by clinicians of Chinese descent, women who averaged seven moderate to severe hot flashes per day were randomized into seven-week sham versus real acupuncture treatment. The sham group had only a 4.4 percent reduction in severity of hot flashes, versus 24.5 percent in the real treatment group.
So, for some highly effective menopause relief,
find an good acupuncturist and give acupuncture a try!
And for more information on menopause relief, visit my
Web site.
I have been taking maca for my estrogen dominance for at least five years now. In addition to my foundational supplement regimen, it is the one supplement I simply cannot do without.
Maca is a malty, butterscotch flavored root from Peru that operates as an adaptogenic herb to help regulate hormones produced by glands in the endocrine system. In other words, it helps your body produce its own unique balance of female hormones. It does this by encouraging your ovaries and adrenals to produce the hormones you need, in the levels you need them.
A 2003 study from the
Journal of Veterinary Medical Science showed that maca was particularly effective in treating estrogen dominance. Researchers tested the effects of maca on mouse sex hormones. They found that while progesterone and testosterone levels increased significantly in those mice that received the maca, their estradiol levels were not increased. In other words, the maca helped to raise the levels of progesterone and testosterone to offset the blood levels of estradiol.
But that’s not all! Maca is also great for women suffering from menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. Plus, it has been shown to increase libido and sexual desire!
Dosages for maca can be tricky. It really is based on your own body and needs. Dr. Lark suggests starting with 2–4 grams a day, and some women may need as much as 10 grams a day. There have been no acute toxic effects of maca, even at very high doses. However, due to no formal studies, Dr. Lark recommends that you avoid maca if you have a hormone-related cancer, liver disease, if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you are currently taking conventional HRT.
For more recommendations on estrogen dominance, menopause relief, or other conditions related to female hormones, visit
Dr. Lark’s Web site. While there, you can also sign up for
Dr. Lark’s FREE eLetter or
subscribe to her monthly newsletter.
This acupressure exercise relieves menopause hot flashes and night sweats.
1. Sit on the floor with your knees bent. With your right hand, hold the point below your little toe (on the underside of your foot). Hold for one to three minutes.
2. With your right hand, hold the point above your middle toe, on the top of your foot. Hold for one to three minutes, then move your hand to the point behind your ankle bone. Again, hold for one to three minutes.
3. With your left hand, hold the point on your right hand on the outside of your fourth finger.
Repeat this sequence on the left side of your body.
For more information on menopause relief, effects of menopause, or menopause related problems, visit Dr. Lark's Web site. While there, you can also sign up for Dr. Lark's FREE eLetter or monthly newsletter.
I’ve recently started training for a triathlon. It’s an Olympic distance and will be the fourth or fifth time I’ve done one. Every time I begin to train for one of these events, I am struck by how great I feel about three weeks into it. My mood improves, I have more energy, I think more clearly, and my overall self-esteem is higher.
I used to think it was because it was simply due to the inevitable weight loss that occurs with exercising six days a week, but after working with Dr. Lark on
Hormone Revolution, I came to realize that intense exercise fits perfectly with my particular hormone profile.
As a woman with estrogen dominance, I need to keep my hormones properly balanced with high-intensity activities such as running and triathlons. In other words, I am more “hare” than “tortoise.” (Okay, not when biking…but that another issue.)
As Dr. Lark has explained, women with
estrogen dominance tend to be instinctively drawn to strenuous types of exercise that are more contractive, more acidifying, and more yangizing to counter our natural tendency towards alkalinity and expansiveness. These types of exercises are more likely to deplete both the oxygen content and the natural buffering agents contained within the muscles, as well as to generate lactic acid.
That’s why physical activities such as jogging, weight lifting, competing in triathlons, competitive cycling, and mountain climbing are best for us ladies with estrogen dominance. The key for these women is to generate more yang energy by heating up their bodies, sweating, and ridding themselves of excess yin (as edema, bloating, or excess weight).
So, next time I don’t feel like training or tell myself I have too much to do that day, I’ll stop and remember that this type of exercise comes “naturally,” and benefits my mind and soul, as well as my body.
For more information on estrogen dominance or other issues related to female hormones, visit
Dr. Lark’s Web site. While there, you can also sign up for
Dr. Lark’s FREE eLetter or
monthly newsletter.
I was stunned to see the May 3rd issue of Time magazine. Their cover story was the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill. The subtitle read “So small, so powerful, and so misunderstood.” The misunderstood really grabbed my attention, as I expected to read a great discussion on the medical implications of taking “the pill.”
Instead, the article covered the social and feminist changes the pill brought about. As fascinating as this perspective was, I was shocked that they barely touched on the medical issues surrounding this form of birth control. In fact, the only real reference to the medical side of the pill was to a March 2010 study from the British Medical Journal, which found that “women on the Pill live longer and are less likely to die prematurely of all causes, including cancer and heart disease.” It goes on to read “yet many women still question whether the health risks outweigh the benefits.” However, the article never discusses those risks.
I found this particularly surprising, given that one of the March 2010 issues of the same publication discussed the study in detail, which explained that the study was on women who at taken the Pill “at some point in their lives.” Interestingly, the March Time article goes on to read “Women who take birth control pills do need to consider potential risks, including an increased risk for blood clots, and should discuss their medical histories with their doctors prior to taking the pill.”
Additionally, the author included advice from gynecologist and obstetrician Dr. Katharine O'Connell White, who told the magazine in an earlier article that “women who have high blood pressure, migraines with aura, are smokers over age 35 and women with a personal or family history of blood clots should not take the pill.” Where was all this discussion in the May article that was supposed to be discussion the “misunderstanding” of the Pill?
Clearly, the author of the May 3rd article was a proponent of the Pill and wanted to discuss the social impact it has had. I get that. However, I find it irresponsible to refer to the March study and not discuss the risks of taking the Pill.
What the author failed to discuss is the increased risk of breast, cervical, and uterine cancers from the Pill. Or the danger of developing blood clots or increasing your risk of heart attack. I personally cannot take the Pill because of a blood clotting disorder I have, and the increased estrogen levels the Pill provides worsens the condition. Plus, as Dr. Lark has written, the Pill can actually impair reproductive health—particularly in younger women with a poorly established menstrual cycle who use it as a PMS treatment.
Additionally, there is currently not a bioidentical birth control pill, which means that all oral contraception is comprised of synthetic hormones rather than your own natural female hormones. And, as we now know from traditional hormone replacement therapy, synthetic hormones are bad medicine for women.
So, while I appreciate the “freedom” and control the Pill has given to women, for me, the real freedom and control will come when we cease to use women as guinea pigs and start offering safe, natural solutions that women can trust.
A couple weeks ago, I wrote a blog about the difficulty I had been having with finding the time to exercise for my natural weight loss plan. I would try to get up in the mornings to workout, but with a baby that doesn't sleep through the night yet, that just wasn't happening. I bought a DVD so that I could workout in my office, but my computer wouldn't read it. But, now my problem has been solved!
If you have cable, you may have come across the ExerciseTV channel. But, it's their Web site that's become the answer to my natural weightloss prayers. On their Web site,
http://www.exercisetv.tv/ you can watch full exercise videos for FREE!
I just close my office door, change into my workout clothes, and get a good 20-30 cardio workout. I've done some dance videos, and a kickboxing video, and have just loved them! Yes, I feel a little grimy afterwards. But, at least I'm able to fit exercise into my schedule. And, I know this will make a huge difference in my natural weightloss efforts.
Here is another yoga pose that's good for beginners, and for anyone looking for menopause relief. This one is called "The Pump."
This exercise improves blood circulation through the pelvis, thereby promoting healthier ovarian function. It helps relieve menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, as well as PMS and menopause-related anxiety. It also strengthens the back and abdominal muscles.
• Lie down and press the small of your back into the floor. This allows you to use your abdominal muscles without straining your lower back.
• Keep your back flat on the floor and let the rest of your body remain relaxed.
• Slowly raise your right leg while breathing in. Make a conscious effort to move slowly. Imagine your leg is being pulled up smoothly by a spring.
• Hold for a few breaths; exhale as you lower your leg.
• Repeat this exercise on your left side.
• Repeat entire sequence, alternating legs, 5-10 times.
Yesterday, I wrote about how wonderful yoga is for reducing perimenopause symptoms, particulary hot flashes and night sweats. To follow up, I wanted to give you a few poses this week that are easy, even for beginners. This one is called "The Sponge."
This exercise relieves anxiety and stress due to emotional triggers or menopause-related tension, and other menopause problems. As an added bonus, it relieves lower back pain, and also reduces eye tension and facial swelling.
• Lie on your back with a rolled towel under your knees. Your arms should be at your sides, with your palms facing up.
• Close your eyes and relax your entire body.
• Inhale slowly, breathing from the diaphragm.
• As you inhale, visualize the energy in the air around you being drawn in through your entire body. Imagine your body is porous and open like a sponge, drawing in this energy and revitalizing every cell in your body.
• Exhale slowly and deeply, allowing all tension to drain from your body.
• Repeat 2-4 times.
Kimberly wrote a few days ago how much yoga has helped her
deal with estrogen dominance. But yoga is also a wonderful way to reduce hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, stiffness, and soreness, and other bothersome menopause symptoms. Plus, yoga is a great exercise for improving strength and flexibility. But if you’re in midlife or beyond, or if you’ve never tried yoga, you may be reluctant to jump into a downward-facing dog without a little instruction first. If you would like to try yoga but don't know where to begin, I recommend reading
Lilias! Yoga Gets Better with Age by Lilias Folan.
In this book, Lilias, who has been practicing and teaching yoga for more than 30 years, guides readers through her favorite poses and stretches—all of which are adapted for older practitioners who have reached menopause. One of the chapters I like best is called “The Yin Approach.” In traditional Asian medicine, health and well-being are believed to be a balance of two equally important, but opposing, principles—yin and yang. Yin is associated with femininity, receptivity, calmness, coolness, and moisture, while yang is associated with masculinity, aggression, heat, and dryness.
When dealing with menopause symptoms, you have a deficiency in yin and an abundance of yang. But with Lilias’ approach to yoga, you can focus on increasing yin, thereby reducing the heat that can lead to menopause hot flashes and other symptoms.
This is a fabulous book to get you started in yoga. I highly recommend it!
Yesterday marked the three-year anniversary of my father’s passing. Not exactly the type of anniversary I like to celebrate. Still, I went out into the garden that I planted in his honor and brought in a few tulips to brighten my house.
As the sadness of the day washed over me, I began to feel the typical signs of stress and depression…headache, muscle aches, food cravings, etc. As soon as I realized what was going on, I quickly took note to take a few amino acids.
Not only does stress wreak havoc with your emotions, but it is an ovulation killer as well. And as a woman with estrogen dominance, I cannot afford to have anything interfere with normal ovulation.
When you have estrogen dominance, you have more estrogen and progesterone, thus creating an imbalance in your female hormones. To offset these excess estrogen levels, you can work to increase progesterone levels. Best of all, certain amino acids work to not only boost ovulation and progesterone production, but also reduce stress.
Of all your body’s chemicals, serotonin has one of the most widespread effects on the brain and physiology. It plays a key role in regulating temperature, blood pressure, blood clotting, immunity, pain, digestion, sleep, and biorhythms.
Fortunately, the essential amino acid tryptophan is initially converted into an intermediary substance called 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), which is then converted into serotonin. While tryptophan is available as a supplement, I’ve found that 5-HTP is much more accessible, not to mention effective. Several double-blind studies have shown that 5-HTP is as effective as many of the more common antidepressant drugs and is associated with fewer and much milder side effects. In addition to increasing serotonin levels, 5-HTP triggers an increase in endorphins and other neurotransmitters that are often low in cases of depression.
So, last night, I made sure I took 50 mg of 5-HTP before bed to help me deal with my depression and stress. Plus, I slept soundly knowing that my ovulation and female hormones, namely progesterone, would stay balanced.
I have been using red light therapy for many years to treat a wide variety of conditions, including skin problems, migraines, and even to balance estrogen levels.
You might be wondering what red light is all about, so let me explain. Various wavelengths of red light easily penetrate the skin and stimulate energy production within the mitochondria, the energy-producing parts of the cells. They enable the energy from food to be released and trapped as high-energy bonds called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is found in all of our cells and releases energy needed to fuel nearly all chemical reactions in our bodies. So, red light therapy helps our bodies create energy, vitality, and stamina, so every tissue and organ system can run more efficiently.
If you suffer from PMS, irregular menstrual cycles, menstrual cramps, or menopause symptoms like hot flashes or night sweats, red light therapy can be a powerful treatment. For example, if you are post-menopausal, your ovaries and adrenal glands continue to produce small amounts of estrogen and male hormones, even though you no longer menstruate. Red light therapy helps to maximize their production, balancing out your estrogen levels and providing your tissues with more hormonal support.
You can use red light therapy right in your own home with specially designed hand-held devices. Two red light devices I use and have been recommending for years are the X-Light from the Chee Energy Company and the Red Light-Shaker from the Light Energy Company.
Everyone knows that to lose weight, you have to eat a healthy diet. It's the cornerstone of any natural weight loss plan. But, saying it and actually doing it are two very different things, however.
For my weight loss plan, I've been trying to eat about 1,500 calories a day. Breakfasts are usually cereal with a piece of fruit. Lunches are a sandwich with a salad. Dinners are usually a frozen entree of some sort. (As much as I would like to cook a fresh meal each night, I just don't have the time or the energy when I get home from work.) I also eat two snacks a day consisting of fruit, yogurt, and sometimes a low calorie munchie treat.
Overall, I've stuck to the plan well. But, I have had my challenges. Today, for example, I had a few moments of going "off the wagon". What caused the stumble? I was in a meeting for the morning that ran through lunch. I had brought my healthy lunch to work with me. But, when I saw what had been ordered in, it looked so much more appealing. I ended up having one of those higher-calorie sandwiches, and indulged in a brownie.
Do I feel bad about it? Of course! But, now I know one of my great weaknesses and can try to figure out strategies to overcome them. That's what natural weightloss is all about. Learning from your mistakes so that you can make wiser, healthier choices in the future.
Since I began writing this blog, I've been amazed to discover how my female hormones, and my estrogen level in particular, affect so many aspects of my life. From
brain fog to
insomnia,
night sweats to
fatigue, I've discovered a hormone link with all of these symptoms.
Yesterday, as I began another period, I discovered one more--mood swings. Moodiness is one of the more common PMS and menopause symptoms, but I never thought of myself as a moody person. However, last night as I was snapping at my poor girls for just about everything, I could see that my hormone levels were clearly out-of-whack. I immediately felt awful about yelling at them. After all, a 20-month-old can hardly stop herself from screaming (not crying, simply screaming for amusement) at the top of her lungs.
Luckily, once dinner was done, I started to feel a bit better, and was able to get them bathed and to bed without further yelling. And, today, I feel like a completely new person.
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