Nature Versus The Business Of Food

“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” Arthur Schopenhauer

From a marketing perspective, milk is often described as “Nature’s Perfect Food”.  It is recommended by traditional doctors, television ads and even our own mothers.  After all, milk builds strong bones and teeth, it’s natural, and it’s loaded with calcium. This is what many people still believe.

So the new truth is, we are the only species on earth to continue consuming milk past the age of weaning. If milk is such a good thing, why are thousands of North American women being diagnosed with osteoporosis? Cow’s milk and cow’s milk products are the highest mucous foods you can consume. They clog the blood and arteries leading to heart disease. The hormones in milk have been implicated in promoting fibrocystic breast disease and breast cancer. They are the leading cause of childhood ear infections, asthma, sinusitis, allergies, excess mucous, weight issues and behavioural disorders. What about the increase in childhood cancer and juvenile diabetes rates? The list goes on and on. Clearly it’s not as nature intended.

What did nature intend? Well, if we go back to times before food became a business, we see that cows were treated more humanely and not kept in stalls all their lives. We see that cows were in the pastures and were grass-fed. The animals were not treated with hormones, fed antibiotics, or other unnecessary drugs, so their products were healthy, wholesome and natural in every sense of the word.

Raising animals on pasture is better for the animals, the farmers, and the environment. Just as important, grass-fed products are better for your health. They are lower in total fat and calories but richer in “good” fats such as omega-3 fatty acids and the cancer-fighting fat, CLA. Conjugated linoleic acid or CLA has demonstrated a multitude of benefits in animal studies, including fat reduction, increase in lean muscle mass, reduced risk of diabetes, reversal of arteriosclerosis, and a marked reduction in tumor growth. Grass fed milk has up to 500% more CLA. In New Zealand today, all cattle are grass-fed, thus insuring a high nutrient content of their milk, butter, and meat.

So what happened when food became a business? Most of the meat, poultry, dairy products and eggs available in your grocery store come from animals that are raised in large confinement facilities where they are fed grain-based diets and treated with a variety of drugs. Today’s milk comes from cows that live in over-crowded conditions with limited space to move around. Disease spreads quickly and many antibiotics are used to treat the sick animals.

Hormones, chlorine, pasteurization, homogenization, added synthetic vitamins are all used in the production of milk. Cow’s milk, both regular and organic, contains up to 59 active hormones, high fat content and hundreds of allergens. And if these were not enough, milk contains high amounts of herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics, blood, pus and a variety of bacteria and viruses.

Sure, homogenization and pasteurization can kill most of the bacteria, but not the toxins these bacteria create. These high heat processes also destroy the nutrients present in the raw milk. What is left behind is nothing more than a ‘dead beverage’ with a high amount of pesticides and other dangerous chemicals in it.

Pasteurization also changes the casein so that it combines with and immobilizes any calcium it comes in contact with. Therefore the casein binds the calcium in milk so the human body does not absorb it. There goes the notion that you are getting your calcium when you drink your milk. Better sources of calcium are green vegetables, sea vegetables (particularly Hijiki which contains 1400 mg calcium per l cup), fish, organic nuts, goat’s milk or cheese, molasses, grains, fruit and kefir. If you’re really concerned about calcium intake, use a high quality calcium/magnesium supplement like Shaklee’s Cal/Mag which has been tested for good absorption.

In addition, pesticide residues with estrogenic properties are consumed in the food that is given to these animals and are subsequently concentrated in the milk. These harmful estrogens are then deposited in our fatty tissues and on estrogen and progesterone cell receptor sites, where they are known to interfere in the proper utilization and production of progesterone and estrogen.

Other issues with milk are that it is very difficult for humans to digest cow milk protein. Cow milk is produced for a calf, not a human. Calves double their weight in 47 days and grow to 300 pounds or more within a year. Cow milk contains protein molecules that are much larger than the protein in human milk and three times the amount of human milk. This shows up dramatically in children. Since the intestines are still forming, these large molecules poke holes in the wall of the intestine leading to what is referred to as “leaky gut” which leads to allergies.

Many people develop lactose intolerance, which is the inability to digest the milk sugar lactose. This is a result of the fact that after the age of four, their bodies stop producing the enzyme lactase, which is necessary to digest the lactose.

Cow’s milk and other dairy products are high in fat. The dairy industry has cleverly expressed fat content as a percentage of weight. Using this system, 2% milk, which is 87% water by weight, sounds like a low-fat product. Expressed as a percentage of total calories, 2% milk is in fact 35% fat. 1% is 23% fat. Whole milk is 49% fat. Yogurt is 49% fat, cheese is 40-77% fat and butter is 100% fat.

So the bottom line with milk consumption, is that we need to think whole food again. It is time for us to stop supporting the food business, which is not supporting our health. I believe that the diseases we are experiencing from consuming denatured products are a wakeup call. Personally, I will continue to avoid denatured products dairy or otherwise, and support products from New Zealand and whole foods. I encourage you to do the same. It is time for us to embrace and live in harmony with nature once again.

Do you have a story to share? I’d love to get your feedback.  Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv.  That’s great for all bloggers out there. If you leave a comment, you can provide a link back to your own blog.  But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment; I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you!

To your good health!

Charlene

4 Types of Estrogen

The hormone story is certainly a very complicated one. Barraged by misinformation, myths and propaganda, it’s no wonder that so many women are confused about matters relating to their bodies and their health.

It is time for women to take even greater responsibility for their health, their choices and their lifestyles. The greatest weapon against compliance, ignorance and conformity is knowledge.

This blog will give greater understanding of the different types of estrogens as well as alternatives for safe, effective and natural ways of balancing estrogen.  It is hoped that you will be able to use this information to ask serious questions of your health provider, to demand answers and to willingly investigate safe alternative approaches.

4 TYPES OF ESTROGEN

There are four types of estrogen: those naturally occurring in the body, those synthesized for ingestion as medications, “xeno” or foreign estrogens from modern industrial and household chemicals, and phytoestrogens from food plants, many of which provide important health benefits.

1. NATURAL ESTROGEN

Estrogen is actually the name given to a group of hormones. There are at least twelve different estrogens, but only three are naturally present in significant quantities: estradiol, estrone, and estriol.  Both estradiol and estrone are present in large quantities in the venous blood from the ovaries, while estriol is an oxidative product derived from estrone metabolism. The conversion occurs mainly in the liver. The estrogenic potency of estradiol is 12 times that of estrone and 80 times that of estriol. As a result, estradiol is considered to be the major estrogen.

Estrogen hormones are steroids. They are synthesized in the ovaries from cholesterol or acetyl coenzyme A. It is particularly interesting that progesterone and testosterone are synthesized first, and then converted into estrogens.

2. SYNTHETIC ESTROGEN

Synthetic estrogens are made by the pharmaceutical companies. They have had their molecular structure altered so they can be patented. They tend to be more potent than the body’s own estrogens and more toxic.

The Pill: Oral contraceptives are made with synthetic estrogen and synthetic progestins (known as the combined Pill). In the early 1960s, the Pill was widely marketed as an effective, safe and convenient method of birth control. However, the initial trials were flawed and inadequate. Nonetheless, the Pill was promoted with all the enthusiasm the pharmaceutical companies could muster. Dr. Ellen Grant, author of The Bitter Pill and Sexual Chemistry, was an early researcher of synthetic hormones and their effects on health. Back in the 1960s she was shocked when synthetic hormones were not withdrawn from the market due to their known serious side effects.

So, just what are the effects of suppressing natural hormones with synthetic ones? The Pill literally stops menses, and bleeding occurs each month only because the synthetic hormones are not taken for seven days of the cycle. The bleeding that occurs would be more accurately termed “withdrawal bleeding,” not menstruation.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy (Hormone Replacement Therapy – HRT) Perhaps there’s no topic of greater confusion to woman than the highly publicized introduction of HRT for the menopausal woman. Hormone replacement therapy was the next great discovery to arrive following the advent of the Pill. The pharmaceutical companies had found another lucrative market for their synthetic hormones: the menopausal woman!  It is because HRT is given at lower doses than the Pill, the side effects are often more subtle and are slower to show up.

3. XENOESTROGENS (PSEUDOESTROGENS)

They are given the name “xenoestrogens” since, although they are foreign environmental chemicals, they are taken up by the estrogen receptor sites in the body and seriously interfere with natural biochemical changes.  These estrogen-like mimics have an uncanny ability to mimic natural estrogen. Xenoestrogens are fat-soluble, not biodegradable or well excreted, and accumulate in fat tissue of animals and humans.  They are also dangerously toxic. Remember that the principle function of estrogens is to cause cellular proliferation and growth of tissues of the sexual organs and other tissues related to reproduction. So the union of hormone mimics to receptors, triggers genes that stimulate the production of proteins that accelerate cell division. This cell division is leading to a host of health challenges. Please see the last blog for more information on this and the safe estrogens.

4. PHYTOESTROGENS – SAFE ESTROGENS

Plant estrogens, called phytoestrogens, compete with natural and xenoestrogens for binding to receptors in the body. The phytoestrogens protect us from the toxic, synthetic petrochemical estrogenic compounds. They act as weak estrogens and appear to produce estrogen effects in postmenopausal women and anti-estrogen effects in premenopausal women.  Phytoestrogens thus have this ability to act as “balancers” – by raising low levels of estrogen and by lowering high levels by replacing a strong estrogen with a weaker one.

Significant amounts of phystoestrogens are found in many foods including soy products, flaxseeds, chickpeas, cashews, oats, corn, apples, and almonds.  One of the best sources of phytoestrogens are soy products. The phytoestrogens are called isoflavones, which have been isolated in two forms: genistein and daidzein.

Reversing Estrogen Dominance

So what is happening today is that women are being exposed to too many types of estrogens and ending up with what is labeled “estrogen dominance”. Stress, nutritional deficiencies, xenoestrogens, and synthetic estrogens cause an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone.  This estrogen dominance means that estrogen has begun to overshadow the other players, creating biochemical dissonance.

There is another way to balance the estrogen-dominance effect through the use of transdermal natural progesterone cream. Natural progesterone, a cholesterol derivative, is made from wild Mexican yams or soybeans whose active ingredients are an exact molecular match of the body’s own progesterone. Make sure if a cream says “wild yam extract”, that there is actually progesterone in the cream. Supplementation with natural progesterone corrects the real problem: progesterone deficiency.  Natural progesterone is not known to have any side effects. It is non-patentable and inexpensive.

So even though there is a challenge here with over exposure, there are safe alternatives to help us get back into balance. Please take time to educate yourself and please contact me if you have any more questions.

Do you have a story to share? I’d love to get your feedback.  Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv.  That’s great for all bloggers out there. If you leave a comment, you can provide a link back to your own blog.  But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment; I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you!

In a few weeks I will write about the law of attraction in terms of what I have learned through a recent car accident.

Stay tuned,

Charlene

This month in honour of Mother’s Day, I addressed some women’s health issues. In this last post on this theme, we will be addressing deficiencies that produce  menopausal problems and osteoporosis.

Menopause

Menopause can happen either naturally or through surgery. Technically, menopause happens after the ovaries have ceased to function for over a year. Before that it is termed peri-menopause.  Many women experience symptoms of hot flashes, sweating, mood swings, headaches, higher risk of heart disease, breast cancer and osteoporosis during this time.

In the past women have traditionally gone to doctors to get hormone replacement therapy (HRT). While proclaimed as the primary missing ingredient for the menopausal woman, estrogen also has been strongly recommended by the medical and pharmaceutical industries for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. However, in 1998 the results of the second largest study on HRT were published, indicating that HRT increases the risk of heart disease, as well as breast cancer, osteoporosis and gall bladder disease.

In light of this recent scientific research, women began looking for natural alternatives. Along with a healthy diet, and lifestyle, consuming the right supplements and herbs will help regulate the normal hormone fluctuation that occurs during menopause.

A healthy diet eliminates red meat, processed meat, organ meats, skin of fowl, fried foods, high-fat dairy products, alcohol, refined sugar, spicy food and salt. Instead the concentration is on an alkaline diet – fowl with skin removed, sea fish at least three times a week (good for iodine), lots of vegetables and fruit, beans and lentils, whole grains and raw nuts and lots of clean water. This will help to bring about a pH body balance for normalized hormones.

The supplements for menopause always start with a good balanced multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. Vitamin E with selenium has a normalizing effect on estrogen levels. If you have chlorinated drinking water, you need more vitamin E. Vitamin E is good for hot flashes, breast tenderness, muscle cramps and vaginal dryness. Vitamin C with bioflavonoids helps to diminish hot flashes and night sweats. It also helps prevent osteoporosis. B complex is important to help your body deal with stress, and replenish the adrenals. B vitamins help depression and have a calming effect. B complex is good to counteract fatigue, irritability, craving for sweets, fluid retention, and headaches.

Calcium/Magnesium is very important to maintain your balance through menopause. It is helpful for headaches, insomnia, when anxious or tense, osteoporosis or to curb cravings for chocolate. GLA an essential fatty acid, is a hormone balancer and helps with hot flashes. It also aids headaches and any inflammation in the body. Omegas are also good for hormone balancing and stabilizing mood changes. Beta-Carotene promotes healthy mucous membranes in the vaginal area. Zinc activates over 80 liver enzymes and helps boost energy.

One major deficiency that is often overlooked with menopausal symptoms is what is called a plant estrogen or phytoestrogen. Phytoestrogens are the plant versions of the human hormone estrogen. The best-researched phytoestrogens are isoflavones, which are found in soy.

Isoflavones are plant substances, which can act as estrogens in the body and have protective functions. Isoflavones can compete with estrogen for the same receptor sites thereby decreasing the health risks of excess estrogen. They can also increase the estrogen activity. If during menopause the body’s natural level of estrogen drops, isoflavones can compensate this by binding to the same receptor, thereby easing menopause symptoms such as hot flashes as a result.

The best way to consume isoflavones is in the form of soy. Soy contains many types of isoflavones, but the most beneficial are genistein and daidzein. Genistein improves bone strength & density. Daidzein prevents bone loss. Isoflavones can also reduce the risk of breast, bowel, and lung cancer.

Not all soy foods contain soy isoflavones: When crushed, defatted soy flakes are washed in alcohol during the production of soy burgers, soy cheeses, soy milks, and some soy powder mixes, isoflavones are destroyed. If soy protein powders are produced by water-washing the soy-flakes, a much higher isoflavone level is retained. So not only is this a way to ingest high quality amino acids, it also provides the isoflavones needed to decrease menopausal symptoms.

Plant estrogens are also found in herbs. Black Cohosh and Raspberry are phytoestrogens, which helps regulate the luteinizing hormone which fluctuates during menopause. It helps regulate & relieve hot flashes, has a calming effect on the nervous system and helps regulate sleep patterns.

Flaxseed is the richest whole grain source of a class of phytoestrogens called lignans. It reduces cholesterol levels and helps to normalize blood pressure. It shows anti-tumor activity and inhibits cancer growth. It increases metabolism and boosts the immune system.

Dong Quai (also known as angelica) is a phytoestrogen that helps bring relief from hot flashes, relieves vaginal dryness, and traditionally was used as a uterine tonic. Red Clover contains phytoestrogens similar to soy and helps detoxify the liver (a healthy liver is essential for hormonal balance). It also enhances the immune system. Licorice is a source of phytoestrogens. It promotes adrenal function (as you found out earlier, the adrenal glands are the key glands responsible for producing estrogen after menopause).

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a gradual decrease in bone mass and density that can begin as early as the teen years. Bone mass should be at its peak in our late 20s or early 30s, but thanks to a poor diet and lack of exercise, many women are already losing bone in their 20s. Bone loss occurs more rapidly in women than in men, especially right around the time of menopause, when an abrupt drop in estrogen and progesterone can accelerates bone loss.

The most important elements of bones are minerals and amino acids. The most important bone minerals are calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous and fluoride. Equally important is the balance between the minerals. Too much phosphorous or fluoride will create poor bone structure. (Nearly all of us already ingest too much fluoride, thanks to fluoridation of our water.) Without enough magnesium, the calcium can’t be absorbed onto the bone. Vitamins are also involved. For example, vitamin B6 (in B complex) works with magnesium to get calcium onto your bones.

The hormones testosterone, estrogen and progesterone are also actively involved in the making and unmaking of bone. Testosterone and progesterone build bone, while estrogen appears to indirectly slow bone loss. All of these are made from amino acids, the building blocks of all cells.

In osteoporosis, the old bone is being reabsorbed faster than new bone is being made, causing the bones to lose density and become thinner and more porous and fragile. Bone loss seems to be most severe in the spine, wrists and hips. Unfortunately there are usually no signs or symptoms of osteoporosis until a fracture occurs.

To prevent osteoporosis, it is important to reduce or eliminate soda pop and other carbonated beverages, as well as salt, sugar and caffeine consumption, keep meat consumption to a reasonable level (no more than once a day) and decrease alcohol consumption and don’t smoke. Avoid over the counter medications such as antacids and laxatives and avoid severe caloric restriction and yo-yo dieting.

Eat plenty of fresh, green vegetables and whole grains and nuts and seeds. Eating foods high in flavonoids, which help stabilize collagen structures, such as blueberries, raspberries and hawthorn berries are excellent to prevent bone loss. Following all the advice for the menopausal symptoms, will help prevent osteoporosis as well.

Digestive enzymes may be required to optimize digestion for maximum nutrient absorption. It is very important to ensure adequate absorption and the proper utilization of calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin D. Vitamin C, B complex, Beta-Carotene, and trace minerals are also needed. Since more vegetable protein is better for maintaining the alkaline balance needed to prevent bone loss, water washed soy protein powder is also important in preventing osteoporosis.

Engage in an active lifestyle that includes both weight bearing and strength training exercise. Exercise is an anti-depressant, stress reliever, fat burner, and bone stimulator.

To sum up, preventing menopause symptoms and osteoporosis requires a balanced lifestyle to support your hormones. Learn stress management techniques, and take time out for relaxation, massage, yoga, meditation and inner growth. Take time for yourself. I know this is hard for women to hear but don’t take on too much.  Laugh, love, relax, and feed yourself with positive thoughts.

Do you have a story to share? I’d love to get your feedback.  Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv.  That’s great for all bloggers out there. If you leave a comment, you can provide a link back to your own blog.  But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment; I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you!

Next week I will cover the dangers of environmental xenoestrogens.

Stay tuned.

Charlene Day

Charlene Day on Women’s Health Issues

In honour of Mother’s Day month, I am continuing to address women’s health issues.  These are issues affecting physical aspects of healing, but that have a profound effect on our mental, emotional and spiritual fields as well.  When we are in the flow of good energy physically, then it is easier to be in harmony on all levels.

Our bodies consists of trillions of cells that need vitamins, minerals, essential fats, carbohydrates and proteins (amino acids) to stay healthy.  Optimum levels of health require optimum nutrition and equally optimum cell performance.

Birth Control

Deficiencies produce problems and some women use birth control pills which cause nutritional deficiencies. Oral contraceptives cause many metabolic changes and more seriously, the hormones present in contraceptive pills have been shown to increase the risk of coagulation, increasing the risk of blood clots and pulmonary embolisms. This risk is especially heightened in women who smoke and who are over the age of 30, as both conditions also can predispose towards coagulation.

So women in this category absolutely need to supplement to counter the insufficiency of nutrients within the body. These women need a whole food multi vitamin and mineral supplement and extra zinc, B complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, calcium-magnesium and Beta Carotene as the birth control pill intake depletes these nutrients.

Pregnancy

On the other hand for those women who want to get pregnant, there are other nutritional needs. Start with preconception care by cleaning up the diet and avoiding toxins.  Take a multi vitamin that contains at least 400 mg of folic acid to prevent neural tube defects thus preventing spina bifida, a very serious birth defect.

I have helped many women who could not get pregnant simply by adding in some whole food supplements and presto they conceived. What I suggested is very simply what the body needs. Our cells have daily requirements of vitamins, minerals, essential fats, carbohydrates and proteins (amino acids).

When we want to make another human being, it makes sense that both partners supplement a healthy diet with whole food supplements. If we want to produce a healthy baby then we need healthy raw elements.

Once a woman conceives, then it is important to make sure there is a daily intake of amino acids as our need for high quality protein goes up from 44 to 74 grams per day. A whole food multi vitamin is essential during this time. Calcium/magnesium is needed as the calcium need increases up to 1200 mg. plus. Iron needs go from 18 mg to 60 mg and B complex is needed for the general wellbeing of the mother and proper nerve development of the fetus. B complex is also vitally important to help prevent birth defects. Also it is helpful in the first trimester to help alleviate morning sickness.

Vit D, magnesium and zinc help with the hormone receptor sites which are important during pregnancy as levels of progesterone and estrogens rise continually throughout pregnancy as do the adrenal hormones. There are certain nutrients like calcium/magnesium and electrolytes that aid in childbirth comfort too.

At least 300 mg of Omega fatty acids are especially important in last trimester. Omegas are a major structural fatty acid in the brain and retina, and are naturally found in breast milk. It is important for a mother to consume adequate amounts of essential fats during pregnancy and while nursing to support her well-being and the health of her infant. Avoid certain fish as it is often very high in heavy metal contaminants. Supplement with a high quality fish supplement that is triple distilled.

A balanced, nutritious diet is an important aspect of a healthy pregnancy as you are eating for two. Eating a healthy diet, balancing carbohydrates (a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains), essential fats, high quality protein and your whole food supplements usually ensures good nutrition. To counteract constipation make sure you eat plenty of fiber, get regular exercise, eat healthy foods especially veggies, and drink lots of purified water.

Nutritional Needs During Lactation

A nursing mother’s diet can have a profound effect on her baby. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that whatever you eat, your baby eats, too. Healthy nutrients and contaminants alike pass from breast milk to baby.

Calorie and protein needs continue to be high during lactation, as they were in pregnancy. The breastfeeding mother requires an extra 300 to 400 calories above her pre–pregnancy needs for the first 12 months of breastfeeding.

Fortunately, eating well and fulfilling the needs of your newborn child are really quite easy. The healthiest diets derive their nutrients from these sources: vegetables, fruit, legumes (beans, peas, or lentils), whole grains, and nuts and seeds. A diet built entirely from these foods has the added advantage of reducing levels of environmental contaminants in breast milk. Plant foods have much lower levels of contaminants than foods from animal sources and are even cleaner when they are grown organically.

Studies show that women who consume meat and dairy products have higher levels of chemical contaminants in their breast milk, probably because these chemicals tend to concentrate in animal tissues. Fish is often very high in contaminants. It commonly contains mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and other organochlorine pesticides, which can pass through breast milk to nursing babies.

Dairy products, including cow’s milk, raise another issue.  Cow’s milk proteins ingested by the mother can also enter her breast milk. These proteins can cause colic, as well as contribute to allergic reactions and a whole host of other problems in babies as their tiny systems cannot handle the large molecules of milk protein.

Many of the supplement needs during lactation are similar to those of pregnancy. Since babies will take a substantial amount of calcium from breast milk, it is essential for nursing mothers to supplement with calcium/magnesium. Also important are a whole food multi vitamin/mineral, amino acids, Beta Carotene, B complex, Vitamins C, E, D and the Omegas.

Whatever you take, the child will benefit from. So remember to take care of yourself as you are the well of nutrients that builds a healthy baby.

Do you have a story to share? I’d love to get your feedback.  Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv.  That’s great for all bloggers out there. If you leave a comment, you can provide a link back to your own blog.  But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment; I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you!

Next week I will cover some more feminine issues for later on in life.

Stay tuned.

Charlene

The Rise and Fall of Hormones

In honour of Mothers’ Day month, I am going to address some women’s health issues for the next few blog posts.  I will talk about some physical aspects of healing, but ones that have a profound effect on our mental, emotional and spiritual fields as well. When we are in the flow of good energy physically, then it is easier to be in harmony on all levels.

Our bodies consists of trillions of cells that need vitamins, minerals, essential fats, carbohydrates and proteins (amino acids) to stay healthy.  Optimum levels of health require optimum nutrition and equally optimum cell performance.  Deficiencies produce problems like PMS symptoms, and menstrual problems.

So let’s start with menstruation. Menstruation is the most visible phase of the menstrual cycle. The rise and fall of levels of hormones during the month control the menstrual cycle. Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining which happens once a month. It also prepares your body for pregnancy each month. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days long. The typical woman bleeds for approximately two to seven days at the beginning of each menstrual cycle. Menstruation will start at the onset of puberty and end at the beginning of menopause.

In the first half of the cycle, levels of estrogen start to rise. Estrogen plays an important role in keeping you healthy, especially by helping you to build strong bones and to help keep them strong as you get older. Estrogen also makes the lining of the uterus (womb) grow and thicken. This lining of the womb is a place that will nourish the embryo if a pregnancy occurs. At the same time the lining of the womb is growing, an egg, or ovum, in one of the ovaries starts to mature. At about day 14 of an average 28-day cycle, the egg leaves the ovary. This is called ovulation.

After the egg has left the ovary, it travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. Hormone levels rise and help prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy. A woman is most likely to get pregnant during the 3 days before or on the day of ovulation. Keep in mind, women with cycles that are shorter or longer than average may ovulate before or after day 14.

A woman becomes pregnant if the egg is fertilized by a man’s sperm cell and attaches to the uterine wall. If the egg is not fertilized, it will break apart. Then, hormone levels drop, and the thickened lining of the uterus is shed during the menstrual period.

So you see that many parts of a woman’s body are involved in this process. All these need nutritional support. Last week we learned that hormones need lots of nutrients like amino acids, vitamin B, vitamin E, GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), and zinc. Our ovaries and uterus need extra zinc, vitamin E and B complex. The fact that women lose menstrual blood every month requires additional iron to counter weakness and fatigue as well as zinc, amino acids, calcium/magnesium and B complex, vitamins C and E.

When we are not giving the body the right nutrients to function properly, then there can be challenges such as premenstrual syndrome, better known as PMS. High caffeine or tobacco intake and stress may trigger the condition as well. Eating large amounts of sugar depletes the body of many vitamins and minerals and this will cause symptoms such as fatigue, palpitations and headaches.

More than 200 different symptoms have been associated with PMS, but the three most prominent emotional symptoms are irritability, tension, and unhappiness. Common symptoms may include significant menstrual pain abdominal pain, migraine headaches, depression, emotional sensitivity such as stress, anxiety, and mood swings, nausea, breast swelling, difficulty in falling asleep, headaches, fatigue, and changes in libido. Severe uterine pain is particularly common for adolescents and young women. More severe symptoms may be classified as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The sensations experienced vary from woman to woman and from cycle to cycle.

Most women with premenstrual syndrome experience only a few of the possible symptoms, in a relatively predictable pattern. Under typical definitions, symptoms must be present at some point during the ten days immediately before the onset of menses, and must not be present for at least one week between the onset of menses and ovulation. Although the intensity of symptoms may vary somewhat, most definitions require that the woman’s unique constellation of symptoms be present in multiple, consecutive cycles.

Improved nutrition is the key to management of PMS. B complex is a water soluble vitamin that will be essential for the lessening of the prominent emotional symptoms associated with PMS. GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) works amazing for everyone with PMS. In my practice, I have found a brand that without fail has turned around every woman’s symptoms within a three month period. Check out last week’s blog for more detailed information on GLA. The other nutrients needed are a multi vitamin/mineral complex, amino acids, calcium/magnesium, zinc and vitamins C, E, and Beta Carotene. It should be noted that insufficient magnesium and B complex may cause cravings for sugar and chocolate which of course lead to further nutritional deficiencies.  So keep your body nourished and your body will function at its optimum without all the associated symptoms that cause discomfort. Remember as women we need those vitamins and minerals daily as we are giving out to others constantly and our bodies need to be nourished in order to keep healthy and keep up.

Hope all you mothers had a wonderful healthy Mother’s Day.

Do you have a story to share? I’d love to get your feedback.  Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv.  That’s great for all bloggers out there. If you leave a comment, you can provide a link back to your own blog.  But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment; I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you!

Next week I will cover some more feminine issues.

Stay tuned.

Charlene