I couldn’t have made it through perimenopause without natural progesterone.
If there was ever such a thing as a single natural remedy for the widest number of conditions, natural progesterone would lead the pack. It is by far the most deficient hormone found in salivary hormone testing—whether the issue is PMS or postpartum depression—or perimenopause, menopause or beyond.
I have always wondered why progesterone levels seem to be so universally low. As I discovered in Before the Change, progesterone – not estrogen – is the first hormone to decline during the perimenopausal years (often beginning at 38 years of age and lasting until 50 in some women). Perhaps it is the lack of precursors like zinc in the diet or not enough B-6 or too many antidepressants—all of which take their toll on healthy progesterone levels.
But whatever the reason, the signs of progesterone deficiency can’t be ignored. They include:
Celebrate the women you love with a menu special enough for Mother’s Day!
Your mother deserves the very best! For Mother’s Day, I’ve assembled a truly delectable meal with fresh berries, spring garden veggies, a rainbow colored salad, savory sides, tender flaky fish, and a cooling and refreshing dessert.
Whether you are serving or being served, these deliciously healthy Mother’s Day recipes are a treat! Add a couple of beautiful napkins, place-settings and—of course—the guest of honor’s favorite flowers and you have a simply scrumptious brunch!
Sun care protection from the inside out/outside in.
In Dr. Plourde’s groundbreaking book, Sunscreens Biohazard: Treat as Hazardous Waste, she suggests that antioxidants are Mother Nature’s protective sunscreens. The antioxidants with the highest proven sunscreen protection are anthocyanins, beta-carotene, carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, stilbenes, tocopherols, and tocotrienols.
Superfoods like cranberries, pomegranates, wild blueberries, avocadoes, broccoli sprouts, and goji berry juice as well as a plethora of spices like ground cloves, dried oregano, dried rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, turmeric, sage, and dried Szechwan peppers are especially high in the antioxidants that have skin protection power.
The carotenoids lycopene and astaxanthin are the antioxidants of choice which seem to hold special promise as natural sunscreens. Lycopene is an antioxidant found in tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon (as well as supplements) that protect against damaging UV radiation. In addition to consuming lycopene rich foods, I would consider a supplement that contains at least 6 mg of lycopene daily. Continue reading →
What you don’t know about sunscreen may be hurting you.
After reading study after study reporting the alarming increase in skin cancer cases over the last several years, I’ve started to wonder what sunscreen might have to do with it. I recently came across the research of Dr. Elizabeth Plourde, the author of Sunscreens Biohazard – Treat as Hazardous Waste. Dr. Plourde is a hormone specialist with 25 years of extensive medical research and writing to her credit who has recently focused her attention on the hormonally-disruptive chemicals utilized in sunscreens. I had the opportunity to speak with her recently and here are the most disturbing conclusions of her research:
1. Sunscreens are now in 97% of Americans’ blood streams and in 85% of breast milk samples.
2. The rapid increase in melanoma cases demonstrates sunscreen is NOT the answer. Sunscreens contribute to its cause because they leave the skin open to deeper penetrating radiation! The FDA only requires UV filtering, but UV rays only make up 4% of the solar radiation spectrum. Sunscreen use exposes the skin longer to near infrared (NIR) rays that account up 47% of solar radiation and penetrate deeper than UV rays.
Turbo charge weight loss to increase longevity.
Research following close to 5,000 adults—mostly in their 40s—finds that obesity cuts 12 years off the human lifespan. Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, this study also underscores the importance of eating your veggies and fruits, exercising regularly, moderate alcohol use, and not smoking.
While this is not exactly surprising, research in an issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology is. According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for a healthy weight, between half and two-thirds of all women in their reproductive years are obese!
How can this be? WHO guidelines use body fat to determine obesity—rather than body-mass index (BMI), a measure of whether height and weight are proportional—favored in this country. Continue reading →
Rebounding moves sluggish lymph.
While the circulatory system carries nutrients, oxygen, and hormones to our cells, the lymphatic system is the body’s garbage disposal.
Its mesh-like network of tiny vessels transports lymph (fluid) from around the cells through the lymph nodes, where waste products are filtered out, unhealthy cells are trapped, and bacteria are destroyed. As it moves through the body, lymph also pulls fat out for transport to the liver. Protein and carbohydrates are left behind to travel via the bloodstream to nourish the body. To keep lymph moving, your body depends on the movement of your arms and legs—along with massage and deep breathing—since the lymphatic system has no pump (like the heart) of its own. Continue reading →
Earth Day 2013 is only days away!
Monday is Earth Day. First organized in 1970, the concept of Earth Day marked the advent of the modern day environmental movement. It’s a time to rededicate our efforts in being more proactive about going “green” and preserving the “mother” we all share.
While the outdoor environment and matters of sustainability are still major themes today, what concerns me most is the quality and purity of the indoor environment. As a matter of fact, indoor air pollution is one of the leading health risks in the environment. In fact, some chemicals may be nearly 100 times more concentrated indoors than outdoors. Since many Americans spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors, we need to readjust our viewpoint of environmental degradation as just an outdoor concern. Continue reading →
Stay trim with omega-rich oils.
Walnuts…macadamias…pistachios…pumpkin seeds…avocados. Wouldn’t you love to start eating these “forbidden foods” again, and get off the dieting merry-go-round once and for all? Well, you can—and actually lose weight while you’re doing it.
Focus on the amazing omega fats—that not only brim with flavor, but are bursting with health benefits. Besides revving up your metabolism to help you lose weight, omega fats have been shown in numerous studies to help lower the risk of heart attacks, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, breast cancer, and even menstrual irregularities from PMS to perimenopause and beyond.
The truth is, the trimmest and healthiest people throughout the world enjoy cuisines that are far from fat-free. Take a look at the Greeks, Turks, Italians, French, or Spanish, for instance. Their Mediterranean diet—rich in omega oils—is actually considered to be the world’s healthiest cuisine. And yet it is full of olive oil, seeds, nuts, and fatty fish (such as sardines), as well as fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables. Even though they consume a diet that contains 40 percent fat, these populations are slim and boast the lowest rates of heart disease in the world. Continue reading →
Environmental factors—including EMFs and mercury—may put children at risk.
April marks Autism Awareness Month, and as statistics continue to skyrocket, it’s something every parent and future parent should educate themselves about. A quarter century ago, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were extremely rare—only 1 out 100,000 children. Today experts estimate that 2 to 6 kids out of 1,000 will have autism. And boys are four times more likely to develop ASD than girls.
This incredible jump in autism rates has led scientists to explore environmental factors, especially in utero. Mercury—in contaminated seafood as well as vaccines—and other heavy metals (like cadmium and nickel) are prime suspects. Other likely culprits include toxic biofilms, molds, infections like Lyme disease, pollutants (including methylene chloride, quinoline, styrene, and vinyl chloride), and viruses.
Maternal deficiency in vitamin D during pregnancy is another risk factor for ASD in their children. Even pregnant women stressed by the effects of hurricanes in their third trimester appear more likely to give birth to autistic children. Continue reading →
It’s effective for carpal tunnel, cramps, migraines, and more.
Used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for at least 2,600 years, acupuncture can significantly reduce painful menstrual cramps—compared to pharmaceutical drugs or even herbal medicine. While the cause of cramps remains unknown, the pain, nausea, and bloating they can create each month keep 10% of women from going to work or going about their usual routines.
An issue of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found “convincing evidence on the effectiveness of using acupuncture to treat pain, as it stimulated the production of endorphins [feel-good hormones] and serotonin [a neurotransmitter than regulates mood] in the central nervous system.” Continue reading →
