Maintaining Balance of Estrogen and Progesterone during the Peri-menopause

December 13th, 2007 by 02Articles Editor

Peri-menopause is a natural stage which occurs in a woman’s life during which she transitions from her reproductive life stage to that of menopause. It lasts for a period of approximately five years, and is the time during which the body’s physiological system begins the process of change that will effectively result in menopause. Menopause occurs when a woman ceases to ovulate, and there is no longer the ability to become pregnant.

At peri-menopause, estrogen and progesterone both decrease naturally until the onset of menopause when they are maintained at lower levels. Peri-menopause may be marked by various symptoms including changes in frequency and duration of the menstrual period. As ovulation decreases, it becomes infrequent and erratic and can cause menstrual periods that are unusually light or heavy.

Other symptoms of peri-menopause may include night sweats, hot flashes, breast tenderness, depression, fatigue and a lessened ability to become pregnant. However, the experience of peri-menopause is as different as is every woman.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of peri-menopause, it is suggested that you have your hormone levels tested to determine whether an imbalance exists, the specifics of any imbalanced condition, and possible treatment and benefits of hormone replacement.

The ability to maintain a balance of estrogen and progesterone during the peri-menopausal stage when the levels of both hormones are adjusting is beneficial. It can serve to decrease the appearance and the frequency of any problematic or uncomfortable symptoms of the onset of menopause, easing a woman’s experience of the transitional period. It may also favorably affect other physiological systems including immunity and digestive systems, maintain or improve sexual desire as well as energy levels and a woman’s overall sense of wellbeing.

Jean Morgan is currently going through the menopause having previously suffered really badly with PMS and has researched natural remedies extensively. Visit her website about Natural Progesterone for more information about the PMS and menopause and how natural progesterone can help.
Jean also has a blog at http://mywebinfosites.com/menopause/ where she offers menopause information and some menopause humour for those lighter moments.
If you would like to buy Natpro Natural Progesterone it is available to purchase online at her websites.

Posted in health | Comments Off

Baby Bottle Weaning

September 29th, 2007 by 02Articles Editor

Pediatricians and child experts say that babies have to be weaned from their bottles starting at 12 months. At this stage, children can already sit down by themselves, sit up, walk and hold a cup. Introducing him to a training cup in place of his bottle by this time will more likely result in him permanently leaving the bottle, than starting the weaning process at around age 2.

Since toddlers 2 and 3 are more active, they will have the tendency to carry their bottles around while doing activities drinking from it from time to time. Others still look for their bottles before going to bed at age 4. Once you’ve let your child reach this age still on the bottle, there will be a big struggle to be able to get her off it.

Hence, it’s best if you start him early on cups. In addition, doctors suggest that there are other consequences of staying with the feeding bottle long after the appropriate time.

EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM FEEDING BOTTLE USE

1. The acidity of the bottle when the milk has been drunk will cause cavities in his teeth. Since toddlers have the tendency to nibble on their bottle teats even after they’ve finished the milk, the acidity found here will ruin their teeth.
2. The prolonged use of the bottle can ruin the shape of his mouth and distort the alignment of his teeth.
3. He will have the tendency to rely on his bottle whenever he gets hungry thus he could be missing out on a lot of other important vitamins and nutrients found in healthy foods.
4. His social interaction skills could be slightly hampered because he has turned to the bottle for security and unless he loses it, he could be teased about it.

However, don’t despair if you haven’t started him on the weaning process or have been unsuccessful in the past. Experts suggest s few things to help motivate your child to lose the bottle.

1. Slowly decrease the amount of milk you put in his bottle. As he starts to get hungrier, feed him more solid foods.
2. When he asks for his bottle, hand him his training cup instead. Keep repeating this until he gets used to you just giving him his cup.
3. He will likely throw a tantrum when you do this so think of ways to calm him down. Hug him and soothe him with your voice.
4. Use the reward system to coax him into giving up his bottle. Each time he asks for his bottle and accepts his training cup instead, congratulate him on being a responsible grown little boy.
5. Since he associates his bottle with some sense of security, give him another security thing like a blanket, a new stuffed toy or a candy pillow. While you are trying to wean him and using this kind of exchange deal, keep her old blankets, pillows or stuffed toys first so she’ll only focus on one security thing.

Remember that bottle weaning is essential not only in helping your child develop his independence, social skills and his sense of authority; but is also important for him health-wise.

Wyatt works for top-100-babynames.com where you can search Baby Boy Names,

Posted in childcare, health | Comments Off

Join Me in the Fight against Sleep Deprivation

September 29th, 2007 by 02Articles Editor

Many individuals experience a disturbance in the natural cycle of sleep at one point or another. Many times, complications from sleep disturbances can result in numerous negatives effects on an individual’s health. In this article, I will review important facts regarding sleep complications. I urge you to learn the information contained within this article, and join me in the fight against sleep deprivation.

There are numerous reasons why a person may experience a sleep disorder. The most common reason is that the sleep disturbance is due to another health condition. Many people with conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have difficulties falling to sleep, maintaining sleep, and getting enough rest to function as necessary. People who experience chronic pain, Sciatica, hormonal imbalances, and similar issues may develop sleep disorders.

Sleep Apnea is another common sleep disorder that can affect sleep. This occurs when an individual actually stops breathing frequently throughout the night. The person may or may not realize that they are experiencing this. Many times, if someone complains that they are not getting enough rest, a doctor will order an exam in which sleeping patterns are observed. This is the method that is used to determine if sleep apnea is the underlying sleep disorder that a person is experiencing.

Suffering from a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, for example, can lead to many health problems. These health problems can appear as a physical issue, or may have an impact on the mental health of an individual. The following outlines some general complications that are associated with sleep deprivation:

•    Feeling lethargic
•    Suffering from decreased motivation
•    Experiencing muscle spasms throughout the body
•    Exhibiting severe mood swings
•    Decreased strength of the immune system
•    Confusion, or issues in thinking appropriately
•    An increased number of accidents
•    Issues with reflexes

If a person fails to get the proper amount of sleep, many serious health conditions can occur. This includes:

•    Heart Failure
•    Injuries to muscles
•    High blood pressure levels
•    Stroke
•    Heart attack
•    Anxiety attacks
•    Mental instability

It has been discovered that when a person experiences a sleep disorder, that simple lifestyle changes can help to alleviate the problem. If you engage in activities such as smoking, or consuming alcoholic beverages, it is important to eliminate these items from your life. It is equally important to ensure that you get plenty of sunshine during the day. The body has an internal timer based on a substance called “Melatonin”. When you are in sunlight, the Melatonin levels are decreased. Once it begins to turn darker outside, the Melatonin levels will naturally increase. This is the way that the body sends the message to the brain that it is time to sleep.

If you wish to avoid various sleep disorders, it is imperative that you engage in a healthy diet. If you get the proper amount of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, the body is sure to respond in a positive way. Many of the foods that we consume on a daily basis contain a high level of toxins. Furthermore, many foods that are cooked are stripped of all the nutritional value that our body requires. If you focus on natural foods, such as a variety of fruits, and drinks that have a high nutritional value, such as Juice Plus, your body is more apt to adept appropriately when it is time to rest.

There are many ways that you and I can fight against sleep deprivation. The first step is learning as much as you can about sleep disorders, and the causes. The second step is to make healthy lifestyle changes that can benefit to the health of the sleep cycle. The third method is to share this important information with your loved ones.

Hamza is a top distributor with Juice Plus.  You can receive additional information by visiting:
http://iluvjuiceplus.com

Posted in health | Comments Off

Meditation Techniques to Improve Your Health

September 29th, 2007 by 02Articles Editor

Meditation is a means of awareness.  Whatever you undertake with awareness is classed as meditation.  Controlling your breathing is meditation, listening to music is meditation.  Whatever activity you undertake which is free from other mind distractions, is effective meditation.

Meditation has many health benefits.  It increases blood flow in the body, lowers the heart rate and lowers blood pressure, making it good practice for women that have cardiovascular problems.

Meditation can also decrease virus activity and emotional stress, which in effect helps to keep away colds and flu symptoms and kick start the immune system.

Meditation techniques are quite simple.  All that is needed is a quiet place, good posture and a positive attitude.

The most common techniques in meditation are:

1.    Sitting or lying in a relaxed position with the eyes closed.
2.    Breathe regularly.  Breathe in deep enough to receive enough oxygen.  When breathing out, relax the muscles so that the lungs are well emptied, but without straining.
3.    Stop thinking about everyday problems and matters.
4.    Concentrate your thoughts upon a certain sound or image.  Then all of your attention should be pointing to that object.
5.    If other thoughts try to step in, you simple return to the object of meditation.
Movement meditation incorporates mindfulness with motion. Squat down and allow your limbs to loosen and swing and shake them to release tension.
Meditation often goes together with other mind-relaxing activities such as yoga and tai chi. It is only necessary to undertake approximately five to fifteen minutes of meditation each day, several days a week in order to have a positive outcome on your well-being.

People meditate in order to bring peace and serenity into their lives and to be at one with their inner selves.  It is also a way of healing and improving the mental and physical state of those people.  Therefore, no matter what reason you have for meditating, it has become a universal thing.

Meditation techniques are different from different cultures.  Meditation techniques depend on the type of personality held by the individual.   Some important things to remember when using meditation techniques in order to improve your health are:

•    Structured Meditations – it is important to set aside a time for meditation and follow a specific routine.  This important for our balance, health and sanity.
•    A meditation place – this need to be a comfortable, quiet place where your meditating will be undisturbed.  It can be your living room, garden or even in the park.
•    Posture -  it is important to have the correct posture, with the head, neck and back straight, feet flat on the floor and hands and palms cupped upwards, which signifies your openness to the procedure.
•    Breath – the rhythm of our breathing is vital for our body, mind and emotions.  The effectiveness of correct breathing has shown in scientific studies that the correct breathing techniques help with a variety of health issues, such as migraine headaches, back pain, high blood pressure, asthma and tension.
•    Clothing – it is also important to remember when meditating to wear comfortable clothes.  The more comfortable you feel, the better the results.

Hamza is a top distributor with Juice Plus.  You can receive additional information by visiting:
http://iluvjuiceplus.com

Posted in health | Comments Off