Nutritional (and Lifestyle) Advice for Women around Menopause
- Improve circulation to the ovaries and adrenal glands so that they can produce more androgen after menopause. Message, moxa treatments, and acupuncture work very well to accomplish this.
- Reduce stress so that the adrenal glands can produce the optimal amount of progesterone and cortisol after menopause. Meditiation, yoga, massages, and acupuncture can all rejuvenate the body's stress-coping systes: the adrenal glands and the autonomic nervous system.
- Eat black beans, green beans, and legumes to support your repoductive system.
- Eat seaweed to provide the minerals necessary for hormone production.
- Reduce your intake of simple sugars which can damage your nerves and blood vessels and can make your skin look older than its age.
- Drink one glass of red wine twice a week if you do not feel adverse effects such as night sweats. Red wine can benefit your body by improving circulation, by lowering bad cholesterol, and by acting as an anti-oxidant.
- Have sex regularly with your partner. Sex can activate postive feedback to increase estrogen and progesterone production. It also prevents vaginal dryness and painful intercouse because of the simple truth that if you don't use it, you will lose it.
- Drink plenty of water to prevent viral toxins from circulating in your blood stream and damaging your internal organs and chromosomes, setting the stage for autoimmune diseases.
- Try to get 6-7 hours of good quality, uninterrupted sleep to help the immune system and the internal organs rejuvenate. This is especially important since the sleep pattern of most women change after their 40s.
- Avoid environmental xenoestrogens (substances foreign to the human body that, directly or indirectly, act like estrogens) to avoid estrogen dominence. Avoid nonylphenol, a xenoestrogen which is not only found in plastic containers but also detergents and pesticides.
- Protect your liver and kidney functions by taking fewer medications and eating whole foods.
- Do not use tampons because they can cause back flow of blood, spreading pieces of endometrium into the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, or even the abdominal cavity.
- Do not have sex during your period because you will be prone to develop infections in the uterus or urinary tract due to the bleeding and chemical changes.
- Do not swim during your period which also makes you more susceptible to infections.
- Break the negative cycle of emotions. When depressing thoughts preoccupy you, distract yourself with something that makes you happy.
©2009 Li Zheng