I see so much useful stuff I want to share with you but I don’t want to bombard you with too many blog posts every day! So, I thought I would gather some together for you in a regular round-up sort of post. Here’s your first one. Hope you enjoy it.
Great idea for a hormone-supportive Iced Tea for women here, or try Fem Rep Tea, which is the one I’m, using.
Women’s Herbal Iced Tea
Women In Balance
Put one heaping tablespoon each of dry herbs: red raspberry leaf, nettle, dandelion leaf, mint and fennel in a jar.
Add to 4 cups of boiling water.
Brew for 10 minutes and then cool in fridge.
Pour through a strainer and discard or compost the herbs. Add ice and enjoy! Can drink 2-4 cups daily.
Menopause – is progesterone the real problem?
On a similar theme, did you know that menopause symptoms are not all about dropping oestrogen? Oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone all drop. However, the main issue is that progesterone drops more sharply usually and leave the oestrogen dominant – this is often what causes the main menopause symptoms. So, HRT is usually to bolster oestrogen levels and has some progesterone to offset that, but, in many cases, it’s the progesterone dropping that’s the real problem.
So, boosting oestrogen may not in fact be right for many women; they need progesterone support. I don’t have enough clinical experience with progesterone creams myself and think it is probably better boosted more gently than that.
Have a look at my Oestrogen Dominance Factsheet here to see if you recognise yourself. And I found some useful articles here:
Start thinking about sex for women which is mostly written about loss of libido but it has some really useful menopause info and treatment ideas from three experts in it.
How Does My Hormone Cycle Work? is a general overview of how hormones change throughout life. I like to see a visual of the hormone cycle, which this has – you can see where in the month which hormone should be highest and boost accordingly. Again, with some useful info including:
The most significant hormone change of menopause is the lack of progesterone, so a time of estrogen dominance and low progesterone.
Yup. It is a good idea to test hormones, although they do vary a lot if you are in the so-called ‘change’. See Hormones Tests here. Treatment ideas for balancing the various hormones is here.
Should you nap – how long is optimal?
I have often found I need a short nap, which helps me to keep my sensory overload down as a MCAS sufferer. Even if I don’t actually sleep, I find shutting my eyes and curtains, no noise and a rest really lowers my hypersensitivity levels. Jill Crista this week reminds us that napping can:
Increase alertness
Adjust your attitude: you’ll feel less impulsive and better able to deal with frustration, since napping reduces crankiness and improves mood.
Improve memory: a nap can make it easier to recall facts learned earlier that day.
Foster a creative mindset: you need sleep to learn new skills and to be creative (that’s when your brain can finally process the info you’ve stuffed into it).
And the optimal time? 20 mins is perfect. More than that, you can upset your circadian rhythms. Yay, no-guilt napping!
Flaxseed – for bowel and hormones
I’ve always recommended ground flaxseed as a great soluble fibre for the gut. It works fabulously well to keep you ‘regular’ and to absorb toxins, but did you know it is also a great source of omega 3 and a phyto-oestrogen so can help balance oestrogen levels?
I have a good sprinkle of it in my almond porridge most days. Some people prefer to take it as oil or in a capsule. That works well for the gut, but I prefer the food source myself. Plus, you’ll only get the oestrogenic effect from the food. There’s no massive difference between the brown or golden linseeds, but golden is prettier 🙂 Brown might have a bit more nutritional value, but I’ve not seen much on that so far. I vary it to be honest.
Tip: Don’t buy ready-ground if using it as an oestrogenic, you’ll have lost the lignans – always grind fresh or do small amounts and keep in a small container. That goes for gut as well really – fresh is always best.
Here’s a Nutrigold factsheet that reminded me about flax and, since we’ve been talking about hormones above, one on menopause too. There’s a good, more comprehensive overview of how flaxseed works as an adaptogenic phyto-oestrogen here, if you are interested.
Aluminium Foil Alternatives: A Reminder!
Aluminium foil and pans should have no place in our kitchens. If you don’t believe me, read this. Here are the recommended alternatives they mention at the end of the piece – with my asides, as usual!
Use glass containers to store food. Glass is completely inert and doesn’t transfer any harmful chemicals or metals into food, no matter how acidic they are. This way, we’re also minimizing waste, as the glass can be used over and over again… unlike aluminium foil! [I use these. They come in various sizes and I use them to cook, store and freeze in. They stack great – useful in our small rental fridge currently – Ed!]
Alternative Daily
For cooking, eg. where you might use foil to enclose baked potatoes or fish, I use a ceramic dish with a lid. The effect is the same, but ceramic doesn’t leach compounds into our food! [I have a very old set of Le Creuset which was gifted to me years ago so I use those, but I also have a shallow pan like this, which I adore and use for everything! Ed]
For baking, I use glassware [Pyrex as above, Ed] or high-quality silicone bakeware that doesn’t require any lining. [I rarely use silicone, actually; I’m not convinced of its non-toxic status yet – convince me! Ed]. These materials are nicer to use, usually produce higher quality dishes and don’t create excess waste. That’s a win-win!
Hope you enjoyed that mini round-up – let me know.