Dear Customers,

Happy New Year to you! It was a little difficult getting a January Newsletter out to you with all the holidays and getting back into work. This issue is jam-packed with information focusing our attention this month on women and their health issues. Our plan is to email you monthly with a different focus each month. If you would like any particular topic researched and covered please let us know on newsletter@lifeorganic.com.au.

cheers,

                     Angy & Vicki

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We will focus on helping women maintain optimal health for her reproductive system. Throughout her life, a women’s

reproductive system follows rhythmic patterns of change, monthly cycles, and the completion of these cycles with menopause.

Menstruation

Cycles can vary from 24-37 days. Menstruation begins when the body oestrogen reaches a certain level. High fat diets help the body produce more oestrogen. The monthly menstrual cycle results from coordinated hormonal interplay among the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and the ovaries. Each month at the start of the cycle, oestrogen is secreted by the 10-20 eggs growing in the ovaries. The oestrogen triggers the thickening of the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) with blood vessels, glands and cells in anticipation of new life, and causes a fertile cervical fluid to be produced. This opens the cervical opening to sperm and enhances the sperms’ survival.

Next, oestrogen production subsides and progesterone production increases. This second hormone forms a thick cervical mucous plug in the cervix to prevent sperm or bacteria entering, and maintains the endometrium in a nutritious, blood-rich stage in the anticipation of the egg’s fertilisation by the sperm. If conception does not occur, all hormone levels drop, some of the endometrial layer is released or ‘shed’ and this is called menstruation.

Menopause

Women experience menopause between 48-52 ys.This is caused by the ovaries no longer producing oestrogen. Peri-menopausal is the period before menopause, which occurs between 35-50 usually 5-10 yrs before menopause. It is usually characterised by several years of irregular cycles with no ovulation since the ovaries are at the end of their egg supply. Without an egg’s presence, progesterone is no longer produced and therefore peri-menopause is frequently characterised by oestrogen dominance, with side effects ranging from water retention, weight gain and mood swings to fibrocystic breasts, breast cancer, fibroids or endometrial cancer.

With the onset of menopause, oestrogen levels do not drop to zero. Some oestrogen is still produced in fat cells, the supporting tissue around the ovaries and in the intestinal tract using precursors ( a substance from which another substance is formed) produced by the adrenals.

Potential Health Problems and Treatments

• Menstrual Cramps (Dysmenorrhea)

This is caused by excess production of prostaglandins (hormone-like fatty acids) by the endometrium following a decline in progesterone levels. Excessive amounts of oestrogen can worsen these symptoms since oestrogen increases fluid and salt retention in the body.

Diet  ADD- Whole grains, legumes, fruit & vegetables, seeds and nuts especially ground flaxseed, pumpkin seeds. Fish – trout, mackerel and salmon. AVOID- dairy , saturated fats, salt, alcohol, sugar and caffeine. Meat and  poultry.

Nutritional Supplements- Vit B3, B6, Vit C, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc and Essential fatty Acids, Evening Primrose Oil.

Herbal Medicine- Some tinctures that may be helpful are skullcap, black cohosh,schizandra. For water retention dandelion leaf

( high in potassium).

Homeopathy- for cramps some remedies used are Mag-phos,  Colocynthus, Sepia and Lachesis and Chamomilla.

• Absence of Menstruation (Amenorrhea)

It is quite common that strenuous exercise can cause women to miss a period.

Herbal Medicine- chaste berry, false unicorn, blue cohosh, rue, pennyroyal and tansy can assist with amenorrhea.

• Excess Menstruation ( Menorrhagia)

Abnormalities of the endometrium , iron vitamin A deficiencies and hypothyroidism are all considered possible causes.

Nutritional- Iron, Vit C with flavanoids and Vit A may be beneficial.

Herbal- Squaw vine, yarrow and lady’s mantle.

• Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

For 10-14 days before menses, women may experience  a wide variety of symptoms such as mood swings, headaches, abdominal bloating, depression, sugar cravings, cramps , irritability, breast tenderness and weight gain.

Diet- Fresh fruit & vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and fish.  AVOID refined sugars, high amounts of protein, dairy products, fats, salts, caffeine and tobacco.

Nutrition- Vit A has diuretic  and anti-oestrogenic properties. Vit B complex and B6 are helpful combating depression and acting like a diuretic. Increasing calcium and magnesium  to 500 mg 2-3 / day alleviates spasmodic and congestive discomfort .  Vit E , Evening Primrose Oil and Zinc have been shown to be effective in alleviating the symptoms of PMS.

• Menopause

At the time of menopause instead of reducing gradually it stops and starts. The oestrogen supply eventually regulates itself. The symptoms of menopause are caused by oestrogen dominance in the body as progesterone declines in the years leading up to this change in the woman’s body. During menopause may cause the bladder and vaginal atrophy, with the vaginal walls becoming drier and thinner with that becoming less interested in sex. This may also interrupt the delicate acid/alkaline balance of the vagina causing bacterial and yeast infections.

Hot Flushes- foods high in phytoestrogens assist in reducing them. These include Soya beans, sprouts and red clover. Don quai, ginseng, gotu kola also help.  Sepia, Lachesis , Sulphur and Pulsatilla are just a few remedies that can assist. However we recommend that you seek a more specific remedy to match your symptom picture prescribed by a professional homeopath.

Vaginal Dryness- low dose oestrogen cream is excellent.  It works locally it is effective in the immediate area. Homeopathically , Bryonia can help with a dry and thinning vagina.

Anxiety / Depression- herbs such as passionflower, valerian root, St Johns Wort, Dandelion Root will help.

• Bladder Infections (Cystitis)

Cystitis refers to irritations or bacterial infections that occur anywhere from the lining of the vagina through the urethra to the lining of the bladder. Cystitis is common in sexually active women and women in menopause because as the oestrogen level s decline, bacteria is more prone to adhere  to the bladder lining and vaginal tissue.

A urinary tract infection is not a problem of bacteria getting into the bladder; it’s a problem of bacteria not getting out. So the infection means that the bladder is not efficiently evacuating the urine.

Diet- Cranberry juice will help you prevent it , but if you already have one , it will only make things worse(if using sweetened juice). Try ¼ tsp baking soda in water, you should feel relief in 20 minutes.  Try avoiding bananas, cranberries, pineapple, avocados, figs, yoghurt, chocolate, citrus fruits and wine.

Herbal medicine- tinctures of corn silk, bearberry and buchu in equal parts will help the infection.

Homeopathy- Cantharis and Staphisagria are some remedies that may assist.

• Vaginal infections (Vaginitis)

Hormonal vaginitis is primarily a problem of postmenopausal women, as vaginal tissue becomes thin and susceptible to irritation. Infectious vaginitis may be a sexually transmitted or may arise from a disturbance to the delicate ecology of the healthy vagina.

Candida Albicans (yeast infection) has increased in the last 20yrs and we owe that to an increased use of antibiotics. The symptoms of this infection include itchy vulva plus a discharge.

Diet- Should be low fat, sugar and refined foods. Yeast-free diets and avoiding all fermented foods which feed the yeast overgrowth.  Increase acidophilus intake with a good source of probiotics and yoghurt. Sweet foods should be totally.

Nutritional supplements-  Vitamin A, B complex, C and E.

Topical Douches-  Herbs such as St. Johns Wort, Ecchinacea and Calendula. Apple cider vinegar (2 tbs in ¼ cup water) + acidophilus.

• Uterine Fibroids

A fibroid is a non-cancerous tumor that arises from uterine muscle and connective tissue. They are oestrogen dependant hence enlarge on onset of menstruation and  during pregnancy and decrease after menopause.

The symptoms are usually lower abdominal pain, feeling of fullness and pressure in the lower abdomen and frequent urination caused by fibroid pressure on the bladder. Another main symptom is heavy periods, bleeding between periods and increased cramping. If a fibroid grows too rapidly ( in pregnancy or high oestrogen levels) it may outstrip its nutrition supply from nearby blood vessels, resulting in degeneration and death of the oxygen-deprived tissue, severe abdominal pain may result.

We need to stop the growth of the fibroids by diet and lifestyle by reducing oestrogen levels .

Diet- whole foods, fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds. Avoid dairy, red meat, fried fat, sugar, salt, caffeine and alcohol.

Nutritional Supplements- Vit C, beta-carotene, Selenium and Zinc.

Herbal Medicine- Chaste berry, Blue Cohosh and  Wild Yam.

• Endometriosis

Endometrial cells from the lining of the uterus migrate to locations where they are not normally found- in the uterine myometrium and outside the uterus on the ovaries, bladder and gastrointestinal tract. The condition is stimulated by excess oestrogen production.

The main symptom of endometriosis is painful periods in the pelvis, lower abdomen and back. Once the endometrial cells are transplanted, they still respond to the monthly hormonal (oestrogen) messages just as they would if remaining within the uterus; by filling with blood which is then released at the time of the periods. The drops of blood  of blood , have nowhere to go and can become a focus of excruciating pain and inflammation.

Diet- Essential fatty Acids (EFA’s)  these can be found in fish, linseeds and nuts. Equally important to reduce or eliminate meat, eggs and dairy, because these foods are sources of arachidonic acid, which promotes inflammation.

Nutritional Supplements- Vit C,B6, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, EFA’s and Evening Primrose Oil.

Both Vicki and Angy are health care practitioners with many years of experience in woman's health issues. Please feel free to call and make an appointment or just ask us next time you are in.

Seasonal Produce this Month