Herbs

Top Herbs for Dealing with Menopause

For centuries women have turned to herbs for menopause-related symptoms. The menopause herbs available today are often based on tried and true therapies dating back to ancient natural treatment philosophies. For instance in the system of Chinese herbs, menopause has long been addressed with the use of Dong Quai whereas Black Cohosh is a Native American remedy.

Do Herbs help in Alleviating the Symptoms of Menopause?

A number of natural remedies such as Black Cohosh, Chaste Tree Berry, and Evening Primrose Oil are prescribed for menopausal symptoms by physicians in Europe more often than prescription hormone replacement therapies. While American scientists complain that the efficacy of these treatments is unproven, thousands of women are ready to offer anecdotal testimony of their usefulness.

While all herbs will not work for all women, it is certainly worth a woman’s time to try the various remedies before turning to medically conventional hormone replacement medications that are increasingly linked to a range of side effects and to cancer. In addition, while not free, menopause herbs are significantly less expensive than prescription therapies.

What are the Top Ten Menopause Herbs?

With increasing concerns over the danger of cancer raised by prescription hormone replacement therapies, more women are turning to natural remedies to alleviate the symptoms of “the change” and to ride out menopause without resorting to dangerous chemical preparations. In surveying the range of available herbs, menopause symptoms respond best to those listed below.

Black Cohosh

Black Cohosh, a perennial member of the buttercup family native to North America is considered to be one of the top herbs for menopause. It will relieve hot flashes, night sweats, and mild mood changes. Although its mechanism of action is not completely understood, it does not cause increased menstrual bleeding and does not illustrate estrogen binding or estrogen-like activities as once believed. Although dosage varies according to formulation a common strength would be 20 mg taken twice daily. Some women experience gastric discomfort, but in general side effects with Black Cohosh are rare. If you have high blood pressure, consult your physician before beginning to use this herb.

Soy

On studies conducted with Asian women whose diets contain 40 to 80mg of soy isoflavones per day as compared to only 3 for American women, the Asian women were found to exhibit fewer symptoms of menopause. Introducing more soy into the diet over a period of four to twelve weeks should improve instances of hot flashes. There is no set dosage and use is guided by gastric tolerance. Allow sufficient time to pass before evaluating the efficacy of soy in alleviating your symptoms.

Dong Quai

The Chinese herb Dong Quai has been used for thousands of years to lessen menstrual cramps and to treat the symptoms of menopause. It is particularly good to regularize menstrual flow, which becomes erratic with the onset of perimenopausal symptoms. Typically Dong Quai is taken in doses of 300 to 500mg two to three times a day. In cases of hypersensitivity to Dong Quai menstrual bleeding can increase and a fever may be present. Discontinue use of the herb if these symptoms appear. If you are taking a blood thinner, do not begin using Dong Quai without first consulting your physician.

Wild Yam

Wild Yam is an herb used topically as a natural form of progesterone. Not only does the use reportedly ease the hormonal fluctuations which plague menopausal women, wild yam also eases the pain of endometriosis and can shrink the fibroid cysts that often appear in women at this stage of their lives. There are no known drug interactions or side effects and the cream is usually rubbed on the abdomen or thighs. Make sure the product you are using contains 400mg of USP-grade natural progesterone per ounce. Most manufacturers package the cream with some method for measuring dosage, for instance a metered pump to dispense the correct amount.

by ashu
Health Care

Food Allergy

Food allergy symptoms become apparent within a minute to an hour after eating or drinking. There are several symptoms that correspond with food allergies and should you experience any of these after eating a certain type of food, consulting a doctor is necessary as food allergy testing might be unavoidable for you.

The most important symptoms are stated on this food allergy list:

  • A sudden sharp abdominal pain after eating
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • A sudden dizziness often combined with abdominal pains.

Often these symptoms start off with an itchy mouth or throat and possible difficulty swallowing.

Causes of Food Allergy

There are several reasons why people might develop food allergies.A few of these causes are:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

About 5% of the total population suffer from irritable bowel syndrome. This causes great pain and discomfort when eating certain foods and the pain and symptoms can be mistaken for food allergy symptoms. But as the bodies of people suffering from this syndrome will eventually interpret the foods that they respond to in this way as ‘dangerous, allergic symptoms may follow. The body cannot copy with a certain type of food, and will (the next time the same food is ingested) respond by producing antibodies, causing an allergic reaction.

Toxins in Food

If a person ingests a food product that is contaminated with toxins, the body will respond by producing antibodies to get the food out of its system as quickly as possible. This response causes allergic reactions and symptoms.

Diagnosis of Food Allergies

It is difficult if not impossible to find out what food allergies you might be suffering from on your own. Even if you are pretty sure about the type of food that causes you trouble, you still cannot be certain as food allergy symptoms usually don’t surface till after a certain amount of time after you have ingested the food.

There are different tests that are used to diagnose someone with food allergies. The two most used tests are:

Skin Tests

With these tests a small dosage of an extract of the food that one is possible allergic to is injected into the arm of the person has to hold a small amount of the food under the tongue. The reaction of the body is noted after which injections of a stronger or weaker solution of the same food is given to the person. If this solution clears up the symptoms, this can be used to neutralize the symptoms and can be used for further food allergy treatment.

Blood Tests

Hundreds of different types of food allergies can be tested with this test. a sample of blood is taken form the patient and in a laboratory the response of the blood and its antibodies is measured when minute amounts of food are dropped into the blood. This is a quick tests and causes no further allergic reaction to the body. All common food allergies such as the egg allergy can be tested quickly and safely this way.

Treatment of Food Allergies

There are two main kinds of allergy treatment, one kind for the treatment of severe and possibly life-threatening reactions for the body and one treatment for less severe and possibly more predictable reactions to food or drinks:

Antihistamine Treatment

Antihistamines are used to treat mild responses of the body to a food that a person is allergic to. The milder symptoms such as itchy eyes or a mildly swollen throat can be treated with antihistamine pills or drops. Eye drop are also available for people who get itchy eyes or swollen skin around the eyes in response to ingesting an allergen (the food that one is allergic to).

Epinephrine

Also know as adrenaline, a jot of epinephrine is given to a person experiencing severe and possibly life-threatening reactions to an allergen. The throat may swell up and constant vomiting or difficulty breathing might be experienced. It is important for someone suffering from these symptoms to get treatment quickly.

Prevention of Food Allergies

It is important for babies to be fed on breast milk for the first 6 months of their live to reduce the risk of developing a food allergy later on in life. Adults can prevent food allergies from occurring by following these rules:

  • Do not expose yourself to foods that you are allergic to. For example, if you have a nut allergy, do not loiter around the shelves containing nuts and nut based products in your supermarket and do not serve these foods to guests.
  • Read food labels very carefully. If you happen to suffer from a soy allergy, make yourself aware of all the different names of products that are made of soy. This knowledge will prevent you from buying something that will contain a possibly life-threatening allergen.
  • Wear a medical bracelet explaining what your allergy is, and also make sure that there is a phone number of a family member or friend written down on the bracelet.

Coping with food allergies is not easy but can be done if you make sure that you know your allergens and the products that they are used in. Even a difficult allergy such as a wheat allergy can be dealt with if you do some research. You do not always have to miss out on products just because you are allergic to them, substitutes can usually be found.

by ashu
Vitamins and Supplements

Choose The Perfect Multi-vitamin Supplement

Multivitamin supplements provide a wide range of essential and non-essential nutrients and vitamins for the body. A nutritional multivitamin supplement gives you sufficient vitamins to reach the amount of nutrients recommended by doctors. These multivitamin tablets help prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies and are taken by many, although often hardly any multivitamin supplement facts are known.

Multivitamins can help prevent vitamin deficiencies as they supply the body with every needed nutrient and will help the body stay healthy, taken every day, you are sure to receive every needed nutrient.Multivitamins can provide an excellent daily basis of nutrients but can and should in now way replace our daily intake of vegetables, fruit and carbohydrates. A healthy and balanced diet will have all these necessary nutrients included. After periods of illness or surgery, or a stressful period, the body may have used up reserves of vitamins and in that case supplements can be helpful.

There are several different kinds and brands of widely used vitamin supplements, some of which are:

Centrum

Centrum, makers of (multi)vitamins, have marketed a vitamin for every need, such as vitamins specifically geared towards the eyes, the heart, concentration and energy. Their centrum supplement vitamin products are not suitable for diabetics and are available in any pharmacy or health shop. The Centrum multivitamin also includes all antioxidants that the body may need. Antioxidants help keep the organs healthy and stimulate digestion but most of all antioxidants help to slowdown the ageing process.

Theragran

This multivitamin supplement (Theragran-M) has added minerals. The brand has developed a special multivitamin for people suffering from stress containing more B-vitamins and vitamin C to keep the body’s resistance levels up.

Theragran also offer a nutritional multivitamin supplement solution to pollution with their special multivitamin tablets geared towards people living in highly polluted cities. B-vitamins and antioxidants in high doses provide extra energy and protection from everyday air pollution and stress caused by traffic and smog in bigger cities. By exercising more and protecting ourselves against disease and pollution stress with a healthy diet boasting fresh vegetables and fruits, and not to forget citrus fruits providing lots of vitamin C, we can nourish ourselves with plenty of vitamins to withstand the threats of everyday city life.

Vi-Daylin

Vi-Daylin offers several different kinds of multivitamins, a special formula with added iron for women with heavy menstrual periods, and even some kinds with added fluoride for healthy teeth. Vi-Daylin vitamins syrup is a multivitamin suitable for children and infants, offering the best multivitamin care available for children. Do consult your paediatrician before administering high doses of multivitamins to children as this might not always be beneficial.

by ashu