As a child growing up, do you remember comparing your height to every relative who stood still for five minutes? Remember your joy as you slowly grew taller than an aunt or your mother?

Suddenly, even though you stopped growing, you kept getting taller and taller over them. What happened?

Could it be that your female relatives have indeed been shrinking?

The average woman stands to lose between 2 to eight inches of her height once she reaches menopause. Many medical experts believed at one time that this loss was inevitable. Now the medical community realizes that it isn’t.

Osteoporosis appears to be the main culprit in this phenomenon. Even though both men and women get osteoporosis, it is more women that have the noticeable side effects. So is there any way to prevent this from happening to you? Yes – have a regular fitness program and take calcium supplements.

If you are 40 years old or over – it is vital that fitness is part of your daily routine. In order to stay at your current height, it is important to retain your bone mass and this can be done through exercise. By exercising regularly, you will reduce your risk of developing a large number of health issues involving your cardiovascular system and even cancer or diabetes.

Before you set out on your new routine, you should make it a priority to choose an exercise or group of exercises that provide you with a sense of pleasure.Don’t jump on any exercise of fitness fad because it seems to be popular. Before you commit yourself, ask yourself what activities you could visualize yourself participating in for the rest of your life. If you actually enjoy the specific exercise, you’re much more likely to continue with it faithfully.

Consider, though, some type of weight-bearing exercise. This type of activity helps build the strength of bones through the stimulation of the mineralization and remodelling process. Every major muscle in your body is attached to an underlying bone by tendons. Each time you contract a muscle, a force is exerted on that bone. Any activity, in fact, that builds muscle also places stress on your bone and helps to build bone mass.

Although any activity such as t’ai chi or even yoga can build bone mass, the best way is through actual weight lifting. And no, you do not have to be the female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger to get the benefits.

But, there are some outstanding – and astounding – benefits that accompany this particular exercise. Just read the results of this study conducted by Miriam Nelson, Ph.D. of Tufts University.

Two groups of post-menopausal women were studied by Dr. Nelson. None of women in either group were doing a regular fitness program or taking any hormone replacement supplements.

One group remained sedentary; the other began a simple weight lifting program. They only exercised twice a week for 40 minutes at a time. At the end of one year, the women who lifted weights had vastly improved results in their strength tests. In fact, their scores matched those of women in their late 30s and early 40s. And just about all the women lost inches from their body – if not weight – without changing their diets.

However the most telling result in the women was how they chose to spend their free time. Those who had begun the simple fitness program one year before were now much more active in other areas in their life – dancing, in-line skating and doing things that they had only dreamed of doing before.

The more on the go you are, the stronger your bones will stay and ultimately, the taller you will stay for the rest of your long, healthy life! There are few “fitness musts” for women over 40 years of age but the only real “must” is to chose an activity or two that you enjoy doing and just keep on doing it.

Menopause Treatment

Women are said to suffer from menopause when the ability of the body to produce important hormones like estrogen and progesterone completely ceases. Pre menopause is a period in a women’s life in her late thirties and early forties when the body’s ability to produce estrogen keeps on declining. Menopause is said to occur when the body’s ability to produce estrogen completely stops. We delve further into the various menopause treatments.

If the symptoms of menopause persist for a long time then it is necessary to consult your doctor immediately. The doctor after observing your case will decide the future course of action. For over 50 years the most common menopause treatment is to replace the hormone levels in the body to bring them to a normal level. Estrogen and progesterone are the most important hormones to be replaced in the case of menopause symptoms. Progesterone decreases the risks of getting endometrial cancer and also regulates fluid balance, replaces libido and helps to build stronger bones.

Estradiol is the most important type of estrogen in a woman’s body. Estradiol helps to relieve menopause symptoms in the body. Hormone replacement therapy popularly known as HRT is one of the most followed treatments by doctors for menopause. HRT also reduces the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Bioidentical hormones maybe other option for women who are at a risk of getting cancer. Bioidentical hormones refer to a mixture of essential hormones in a certain dosage ratio. The final compounded dosage or mixture of each and every hormone is decided by the doctor and varies from case to case. Herbal supplements and acupuncture are equally effective in treating menopause. It is better to buy only natural herbal supplements to minimize side effects that might occur after consuming them. most manufactured oral hormone products require metabolism by the body to break down into a form that the body can use.

If the menopause has reached an advanced stage then there is no option other than surgery. In surgery the ovaries of the woman is removed by the surgeon and then medications given accordingly. It is very necessary that during and after the operation the woman gets a lot of support from her family members, especially her spouse. She has gone through so much pain mentally and physically and a little bit of emotional care will go a long way making the transition smooth.

Menopause Treatments

Menopause is a disorder which starts in women between 35-45 years of age where the estrogen producing capability of the body goes on declining. Estrogen is a very important hormone required by the body to make the body immune against a variety of diseases up to a certain extent. There are a lot of menopause treatments available and you should consider a menopause treatment that suits you the best. Let us discuss the different types of menopause treatments.

1 Hormone Replacement Therapy – This is a therapy advised by doctors to replenish hormone levels in the body that have decreased due to menopause. The most common hormones replenished in HRT are estrogen and progesterone. Short term therapy of HRT consists of treatment for 5 years while long term treatment extends to more than 5 years. Long term therapy is provided for alleviating symptoms of menopause and also decreases the risks of developing diseases like osteoporosis and cancer. HRT does not increase the breast cancer or any other related diseases.
2 Diet – Symptoms of menopause maybe decreased with the help of a diet low in fat and high in soy. Soy products contain natural estrogen in the form of phytoestrogens. A diet high in soy proves to 40% to 50% more effective than hormone replacement therapy. Meat substitutes, cereals and seeds are also very good substitutes for reducing menopause symptoms.
3 Exercises – Studies show that aerobic exercises like walking, running and jogging for at least 20 minutes everyday may help reduce some of the menopause symptoms. Regular exercise benefits the body in other ways also by reducing high blood pressure, burning excess fat and making the body fitter and healthier.
4 Stress Reduction – Meditation, yoga and other types of stress reduction exercise go a long way in alleviating the symptoms of menopause. Also general health and well being can also be improved with the help of stress reduction techniques.
5 Herbal Supplements – Herbal Supplements like Black Cohosh are used to treat certain symptoms of like hot flashes while St. John’s Wart is used to treat disorders related to depression. Valerian is sued for sleep disturbances and sleep disorders.

It is necessary to discuss the preferred mode of treatment with your doctor. Your doctor will check your condition and stage of the menopause and then suggest the best solution of menopause treatment for you. In the end always be positive and take menopause as a natural ageing process instead of a disorder.

There are millions of people around the world who suffer with acne (Zits); treatments however, are slowly improving. Owing the widespread nature of this condition, scientific research into this area is intense; as a result there are a variety of new products available to help prevent and treat skin conditions. For those people that require treatment, the acne skin care products required fall broadly into a number of categories including: *Drugstore: Preventative treatment *Drugstore: Relief treatment *Prescription only treatments.

Preventative products are formulated to treat the skin in an effort to control the occurrence of acne; these include cleansers, make-up removers and other similar products that can help prevent the condition. Many people use products similar to this every day as part of their skin care regime; often this is irrespective of whether or not there is a problem condition. More specialized cleaners are designed in the same way as acne skin care products; they are formulated to reduce and limit the amount of oil in the pores of our skin. When the pores become clogged with this oil, bacteria which can cause the problem begin to grow.

Exfoliation skin peels have proved quite effective as a skin care treatment and at controlling the problem; most are readily available over the counter at drug stores or even online. The peels clean the skin by removing all surface pollution and dead skin cells which can block the pores. Many different, specially formulated acne skin care products designed to reduce the problems have now been made available without prescription. Most of these creams etc. are based on benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, both of which are the enemies of bacteria (and hence acne); these include products which extract the unwanted oil from the skin.

Generally it is best to start using this type of product with only a small amount of benzoyl peroxide (less than 5.5 percent is recommended), just to see how the skin reacts; should a reaction occur, products containing alpha hydroxy acid are generally safer. As with any type of zit cream, you may need to try a few acne skin care products until you find one that will suit your skin; however, if nothing you try seems to work, you should contact a dermatologist. On-prescription treatments are prescribed by a dermatologist and can include ointments that can be applied on the affected area or oral antibiotics or just any topical ointment.

Your doctor can recommend that in order to extract the contents of the pustules that a small surgical procedure could be carried out; specialists never recommend the sufferer tries this themselves as it can cause permanent skin damage. Hormone treatment might be suggested as hormone changes can cause skin problems; hormone changes are known to be one cause of acne. There is no longer any reason to despair if you have this skin complaint or are prone to its effects.

Menopause Weight Gain

Menopause refers to a disorder when a woman’s ability to produce estrogen declines. Women are known to suffer from pre menopause when the estrogen producing capability keeps on declining. A woman is said to suffer from menopause when the woman’s body stops to produce an estrogen at all.

The most common symptoms of menopause are irregular menstrual cycle where the period between two menstrual cycles shortens or lengthens beyond the normal cycle. Also women suffering from menopause may experience hot flashes at night, due to which they are not able to sleep well. Weight gain and obesity is also a common symptom of menopause.

Women with menopause experience weight gain around the abdomen area. Researchers have still not been able to find out the exact reason for excess weight gain but hormonal changes in the body seem to be the prime suspect for menopause weight gain. When women begin to age the metabolism of the body slows down, as a result of which the body’s ability to burn fat slows down. Muscles also decrease in bulk.

Oestrogen is a hormone in women that is responsible for ovulation. Studies have shown that lack of oestrogen due to menopause leads to excessive weight gain. Many people believe that hormone therapy for menopause leads to weight gain, but this not true. Women tend to gain weight in her mid thirties irrespective of whether she is taking hormone replacement therapy or not taking it. There are some women who may experience bloating and breast fullness which they consider as weight gain.

As women get older the possibility of cardiovascular diseases increases due to excess weight gained after menopause. Body fat which is stored along the abdominal walls and around the intestinal organs poses quite a big risk for development of cardiovascular disease. Apart from the oestrogen levels in the body there maybe other reasons after menopause that may lead to weight gain like loss of muscle tissue with ageing, low metabolism rate of the body, reduced physical exercise and other physical activities and other unhealthy habits like overeating and eating junk food. Hence to keep your weight under check after menopause you should have a low fat diet, do some kind of exercise, indulge in physical activities that burn your fat, build up and maintain your muscle mass with the help of strength and weight training. Before doing any weight regime program and exercise program you should consult your doctor and take his advice.

Perimenopause

Perimenopause also means the early stages of menopause. Perimenopause is a phase before the actual menopause takes place. It is a phase when the production of the hormones like estrogen keeps on declining. Perimenopause can last from 5 to 15 years in a patient. However some experts say that perimenopause is a period of 4 to 5 years just before the actual menopause tales place. Normally women experience more symptoms during perimenopause then in actual menopause. Perimenopause occurs in women between the ages of 35-45 years.

As perimenopause reaches an advanced stage, women begin to experience symptoms like irregular menstrual cycles. This is the result of declining amount of estrogen in the body which shortens the cycle from 28-30 days to 24-26 days resulting in more number of periods. On the other hand some women might have periods after a long time, the frequency between the periods increases. This is because these women are not ovulating frequently. Perimenopause may lead to symptoms like hot flashes and sleeplessness at night, mood swings, breast tenderness and other symptoms.

If the symptoms are observed early, then treatment can be started immediately by the doctors. The doctors can start treatment by giving hormone replacement supplements which help to replace the declining hormone levels in the body. If the treatment is delayed then surgery might be the only option. Hence it is extremely necessary to consult a doctor of any of the symptoms persist for a long time.

Let us see the other symptoms of perimenopause. Menstrual cycles becoming shorter to longer is the most common symptom of perimenopause. Also the blood sugar in the body becomes lower than normal. The women suffering from perimenopause suffer hot flashes at night and hence are not able to sleep properly. Hot flashes is a feeling of warmth in the body when the temperature outside is low. Hot flashes may last from 30 seconds to 15 minutes and may lead to insomnia. Patients suffering from perimenopause may also get psychologically affected through depression and getting irritated easily. There is a decreased sex drive because of constant irritation in the vagina.

Women suffering from perimenopause should be given full support by the family members, especially spouses. Even the doctor treating women with perimenopause should support her and give her treatment as desired. The doctor should watch the progress of the woman from time to time and change treatment accordingly.