Beans and Pulses

Beans and pulses should be included in everyone’s diet, but for women they are especially important. They are highly nutritious, low in fat, and an excellent source of vegetable protein. A fibre-rich diet is one of the first components to colon cancer prevention, and with more women dying of colon cancer than breast cancer every year; it makes sense to eat plenty of beans. This group of foods also contain phytoestrogens, the natural plant hormones, which are also protective against cancer, as well as being important for bone health.

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There are good and bad properties in cod liver oil. Some health supplements are not necessarily healthy. The consumer must choose carefully.

The properties in cod liver oil that are desirable include omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for the healthy function of the brain, the heart, the joints, the digestive system and many other systems of the body. Vitamin E helps the body process the fatty acids and is an essential antioxidant.

Omega-3s are essential to human health, cannot be produced inside the body, and so, must be obtained from food or through supplementation. The best know source of omega-3 fatty acids is fish. Some

fish contain more omega 3s than others.

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Are there benefits of fish oil for women specific to the fairer sex?

After all, women are smarter than men, have more emotional strength and endurance and they smell better too!

But despite the differences, women still suffer from similar health problems, like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and depression. The only thing men suffer from more than a woman is PMS. (My wife said this was OK to say as long as I said it lovingly.)

How we handle these health issues is up to each of us individually.

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Since the age of 35, my menses began hinting at menopause. Only thing was, I did not know it at the time and no medical doctor or nurse practitioner mentioned that the changing characteristics of my cycles were the early phases of menopause. After my third trip to the OB/GYN Urgent Care for extraordinary bleeding and with no explanation forthcoming, I began to research my symptoms on the Internet and discovered the common term for this transition is called “peri-menopause” (peri means “pre”). Although I eventually found a fabulous, open-minded OB/GYN doctor who seemed sincerely interested in helping me manage the symptoms rather than simply shoving hormone prescriptions into my hands, his tools were limited by the policies

of the HMO he worked for and hence, to: synthetic hormones, cauterizing the uterus and the herb, Black Cohosh. Since I consider menopause a natural process and not a disease coupled with the fact my mother had been diagnosed with Hormone Replacement Therapy-related breast cancer in 1995, I approached hormones with caution. However, without other options, I filled and began taking a low-dose birth control pill prescription. These synthetic hormones were a complete failure emotionally though after 1 cycle, the bleeding stopped. Depressed, irritable and disgruntled from the pills, I finally stopped taking them and in keeping with my rapidly expanding holistic understanding, decided to seek relief in the area of botanicals, ie., herbs, and supplements. I discovered a wealth of information on the Internet along with a variety of experiences. With characteristic persistence, I finally settled on a synergistic selection of complimentary botanicals, the final menopause management formula having served me extremely well since February, 2003.

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What is menopause? Menopause is the cessation of a woman’s monthly blood flow. If a woman has not experienced menstrual flow for 12 consecutive months, she is menopausal.

Except in the case of surgery, chemotherapy or specific medical conditions that interfere with regular hormonal functions, menopause occurs at the end of a process, which may last from months to years. During the process, periods may become irregular but not stop and a woman may intermittently experience other symptoms of menopause. When a woman is experiencing symptoms but has not yet been without periods for 12 consecutive months, she is peri-menopausal. A woman may become peri-menopausal as early as her thirties or as late as

her fifties.

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