Women’s Health Issues
Alcohol
Moderate drinking (a drink a day for women) may have some health benefits. However, too much drinking may have the following adverse effects, simply because you are a woman:
Alcohol can disrupt your menstrual cycles.
Alcohol can cause early onset of menopause.
Alcohol can suppress orgasm and lower your sex drive.
Alcohol may remain a higher concentration in your blood because you not only weigh less but also have less of an enzyme to metabolize alcohol than a man has.
Women who have developed alcoholic liver disease (ALD) may progress more rapidly than men do, because their bodies are more sensitive to the harmful effects of alcohol than men’s.
Women are genetically more susceptible to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) than men are. You are more at risk.
So drink less, not more, to keep yourself younger and healthier for longer.
Smoking
Today, according to statistics, there are as many women smokers as there are men who smoke.
A study at the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison indicated that it is a lot harder for women than men to quit smoking—women’s successful rate is only half of that of men—due to women’s physical and psychological makeup, such as their propensity to depression on quitting and their desire to use smoking to control their weight (which is only a myth).
Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals, which damage cells and tissues, especially if you take oral contraceptives.
Quit smoking at any cost to keep yourself younger and healthier for longer. To quit the habit, you need grit and determination, not just nicotine patches and gum.
Sun worshipping
Sun exposure can cause cancer—even 20 years later down the road.
If you want a tan, go for self-tanning lotions, not a sunlamp or a tanning bed (generating more ultraviolet radiation than regular sun exposure).
Sun exposure damages your skin, and ages you prematurely and permanently.
Herbal cures
Women’s health is unique, such as PMS or hot flash. Due to your niqueness, using natural herbs as remedies to overcome some of your daily health problems is highly recommended:
They are natural plants.
They work with your body’s mechanisms, while pharmaceutical drugs may be dangerous because they are toxic chemicals with many adverse side effects.
Remember, always keep your doctors in the loop about the herbs you are taking, especially if you are taking prescription drugs as well.
(a) Between age 20 and 40
Your career and lifestyle may create health imbalances, leading to common ailments, such as PMS and cramps.
PMS
Black cohosh: easing PMS-related pain
Burdock: relieving your PMS
Evening primrose: regulating the levels of chemicals in your body
Ginger: half-inch of ginger simmered in 1 quart of boiling water for 10 minutes (adding honey and lemon to taste)
Liver tonic (Dong Quai): easing your PMS
Motherwort: treating delayed menstruation
Vitex: a traditional herb for treating PMS irregularity
Fatigue
Dong Quai: traditional Chinese herb to boost energy by increasing blood flow and “qi” throughout your body
Ginseng (Asian): energizing and restorative
Schizandra: a sexual tonic in Chinese medicine for stress relief
Fertility
Dong Quai: also known as “female ginseng” to tone the uterus (stopping dong quai during menstruation and discontinuing when pregnant)
Nettle: nourishing the reproductive system (rich in tannins and nutrients)
Rasberry leaf: promoting fertility (rich in minerals)
Vitex: normalizing women’s hormones
(b) Between age 40 and 60, and beyond
Your menopause cycle begins, bringing about crises and changes that may affect your physical and mental health.
Heart health
Hawthorn: an all-purpose heart tonic
Motherwort: supporting heart health
Hot flash
Black cohosh: a renowned menopause herb
Ginseng (Asian): a restorative tonic for menopause
Sage: reducing hot flashes
Wild yam: balancing female hormones
Moods
Hawthorn: an all-purpose heart tonic for mild depression
Sage: regulating mood swings during menopause
Vitex: normalizing women’s hormones to avoid mood swings
Remember, always use natural herbs to treat common daily ailments, instead of toxic pharmaceutical drugs. They keep you younger and healthier for longer.
Bladder problems
Many women between age 30 and 50 begin to have bladder problems, which could be frustrating as well as embarrassing:
Pain in urination
Pain in urination is mainly due to urinary tract infection (UTI). The cause of this bladder problem is that a woman’s urethra is short, and therefore easily vulnerable to infections.
In general, women over age 30 have increasing susceptibility to infections that may cause bladder problems.
To alleviate or prevent the problem, do the following:
Do not wait too long to urinate (5 hours or more). Go even though you don’t have to go! Remember, urination flushes out bacteria.
Drink more water to dilute your urine. Do not drink sodas: they dehydrate, making your urine more concentrate.
According to a study by Harvard Medical School
Always urinate after sex to flush out bacteria.
Always shower instead of bathing in a tub to avoid infection.
Always wear cotton, not nylon, underwear: nylon restricts airflow and traps body’s moisture.
Incontinence
Incontinence is bladder leakage, which is inevitable as you age.
There are three types of incontinence:
Overflow incontinence occurs as soon as you feel the urge to urinate, even though you may not feel the urge for some time (often a result of holding too long).
Stress incontinence may begin to occur around age 30 to 40 (often a result of childbirth or pregnancy) when you cough, laugh, or lift a heavy object.
Overflow incontinence may occur to a diabetic individual even though there is no urge to urinate
Incontinence may be due to the following:
Drugs, especially diuretics (water pills)
Alcohol, coffee, tea, and sodas; chocolate
Smoking (weakening of pelvic floor muscles from too much coughing—typical of a chain smoker)
Overweight
Constipation
Breast cancer
Consume a vegetarian diet, or at least a low-fat diet.
Avoid milk, which has growth factors, more potent stimulators for cancer cell growth than estrogen. Some women have particularly low levels of enzymes to eliminate galactose, which is toxic to the ovaries. Galactose, which comes from the milk sugar, not the milk fat, and which is present in yogurt, cream, cheese, skim milk and all dairy products, may promote uterus and ovary cancers.
Avoid alcohol—according to studies, one drink a day can increase breast cancer risk by as much as 50 percent.
Have second thoughts about an estrogen replacement therapy.
Breast cancer can also be attributed to the following:
Oral contraceptives
Radiation from electronic devices (e.g. cell phones) and proximity to power station
Environmental toxins
Genetics
Obesity
Hysterectomy
Hysterectomy is a surgery performed to remove the uterus. According to Dr. Herbert A. Goldfarb, M.D. of New York University School of Medicine in New York City, 80 percent of hysterectomies performed other than because of cancer may not be necessary.
Hysterectomies are generally performed under the following circumstances:
To remove cancerous tumors
To eliminate fibroids (estrogen-dependent growths)
To treat endometriosis (growth beyond or outside the uterus)
To correct a droopy uterus due to several pregnancies
To deal with obstetric problems and complications, such as excessive bleeding between periods
At age 35, a woman’s ovary begins to reduce its production of estrogen (female hormones) until three to five years after menopause. Estrogen softens your skin, lubricates your vagina, strengthens your bones, and protects your heart.
Avoid fat completely: animal products (fish, poultry, meats, and dairy products); added oils (salad dressings) and all cooking oils (learn to steam your food without oil); fatty foods (doughnuts, French fries, potato chips).
Eating a plant-based diet not only eliminates the elevation of estrogen levels, but also helps your body get rid of excess estrogens through the fiber in the plants.
Eat plenty of whole grains (brown rice, whole grain bread, oatmeal), vegetables (broccoli, Brussels
Maintain your calcium balance to reduce both menstrual pain and PMS. Research showed that calcium carbonate supplements (1,000 mg daily) reduce both pain and PMS symptoms. Reduce your calcium loss due to excessive animal proteins, smoking, physical inactivity, too much caffeine from coffee drinking, and absence of vitamin D (from sunlight) Calcium can enhance the production of neurotransmitters to avoid depression.
Exercise on a regular basis may help prevent PMS, because regular exercising boosts endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers) to avoid cramps and pain associated with PMS.
Use B vitamins to boost your resistance to pain and to enhance estrogen removal from the liver.
Communicate with your partner about the onset of your PMS to avert any problems that may aggravate your symptoms.
Menopause
High doses of estrogen (the female sex hormone) may suppress your immune system. Menopause lowers the risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers due to the reduction of estrogen level. However, it may lead to weight gain or obesity, which can convert other hormones and steroids into estrogen. Therefore, overweight women are more at risk for breast and other cancers after menopause than thinner women.
Also, before menopause, women have lower cholesterol level than men, but during and after menopause, their cholesterol level may dramatically elevate.
A woman’s estrogen level may decline by as much as 30 percent during the first ten years of menopause. Loss of estrogen increases the risk for osteoporosis in women, resulting in the characteristic stooped "widow’s hump” posture.
Virtually all women going through menopause agree that getting the right information, the right facts, uncovering the truth about menopause at the right time is invaluable.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is more common in women than in men. Osteoporosis is due to the following:
Alcohol
Lower than normal testosterone level
Steroid medications, such as prednisone
A research report from the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study showed that women who drink more milk might have a higher risk of osteoporosis. The explanation for the contradiction is that individuals who consume dairy products may also get animal proteins, lactose sugar, and animal growth factors (helping a calf grow rapidly)—which leech the calcium from the body.
Prevent overly rapid calcium by avoiding the following:
Avoid animal protein as much as possible in your diet.
Avoid sodium, which encourages calcium to pass through the kidneys.
Avoid coffee’s caffeine diuretic effect, which increases the loss of water with calcium through the kidneys.
Avoid smoking, which induces the loss of calcium.
Avoid inactivity. Exercise helps you retain the calcium in your body.
To keep you younger and healthier for longer, you need to address, the mental, the physical, the intellectual, the emotional, and the spiritual aspects of self. In other words, you must have a holistic approach to life and living.
THE MENTAL
In life, everything begins with the mind. Your mind creates the setting for everything that you do in life—whether it is related to your success, health, or happiness. The reason is simple: your mind controls your body, and everything that you do.
Accordingly, to control your body, you need to control your mind first.
To be younger and healthier for longer is all in the mind—your mind.
Do tap into the true potential of your innate mind power.
”When a human mind clearly and continually visualizes an end result, with deep emotion and concentrated intent, then the formatted energy generated is converted into its mass equivalent—i.e. the result desired.” Jim Francis
Do eliminate any negative “voice’ that may hold you back from reaching your full potentials in life.
Do use positive affirmations with the state-of-the-art subliminal technology to create your desired reality instrumental in controlling your subconscious mind. Life is an ongoing process of learning. Learn how to learn to have an ultimate edge in life.
Do use meditation to de-stress your mind. Stress has a negative impact on your mind.
Don’t clutter your life with material things. Clear your physical clutters to clear your mind.
Don’t procrastinate. Break the shackles of procrastination that holds you back from your success in life. Time is of essence. Break that habit to free your mind of any stress.
THE PHYSICAL
At the physical level, your body is affected by your eating habits and your lifestyle, which may lead to a toxic body.
A healthier body complements a healthier mind.
Don’t smoke. If you are a smoker, quit the habit today.
Don’t drink excessively. If you have an addiction problem, seek help and overcome it naturally.
Don’t worship the sun. The free radicals damage your skin permanently, leading to premature aging.
Do eat right by eating super foods, not their processed counterparts.
Do go organic whenever and wherever possible. Better still, start your own organic garden and grow your own produce.
Do eat a raw diet occasionally to get all the enzymes for better digestion.
Do eat less, not more. Do avoid all fad diets: they damage your metabolism, and do not help you lose weight permanently.
Do detox your body every now and then for internal cleansing.
Do control your blood pressure, your cholesterol levels, and body weight naturally without drugs. All drugs, whether prescribed or obtained over the counter, are toxic; avoid them as much as possible.
Do build up and strengthen your muscles not only to maintain your body image, but also to help you lose weight while you sleep.
Do learn the grooming secrets to look younger for longer.
THE INTELLECTUAL
Do become knowledgeable about anything and everything to do with your health and wellness.
Do learn to think, and, more importantly, to make good decisions to change where change is necessary. According to Albert Einstein, insanity or stupidity is “doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different result.” Don’t keep on doing all the wrong things and yet expect the right results.
Don’t expect miracles in life. Don’t expect to get something for nothing. To be younger and healthier for longer comes with a price: it requires knowledge and commitment.
THE EMOTIONAL
At the emotional level, disappointment, frustration, and lack of self-confidence may become your everyday stressor, leading to premature aging and failing mental health.
Remember, the fullness of who you are will not become evident, if you are forever preoccupied with negative thoughts and thinking.
Do learn to deal with your feelings in a healthy and positive way.
Do rethink your thinking and your thoughts.
THE SPIRITUAL
In life, there are times when the will is strong but the flesh is weak. In such circumstances, the mind has to be strengthened by the spirit. Indeed, in life, you need a crutch to help you through difficult times and misfortunes, which are as inevitable as death.
Without the spirit, you will be plodding through life, forever focusing on “fixing” your problems, without being able to freely truly enjoy life—which holds the key to being younger and healthier for longer.
With the recognition of the definitive link between stress and disease, there has been more focus on the health of the human spirit and soul. In fact, for millennia, sages have been pointing out that nurturing the human spirit holds the key to the overall wellness of an individual. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” attests to the importance of the inner resources of the human soul in overcoming roadblocks along the journey of life and living. These inner resources include compassion, honesty, forgiveness, humor, love, and patience, among others. Each individual is blessed with these inner resources, and has the potential to be spiritually healthy—provided that individual would utilize his or her inner resources to come through each crisis and catastrophe to become the victor, and not the loser or the victim.
Do develop your inner resources with growth and vision.
Do seek God to help you change for the better. “Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed.” (Proverb 16:3)
Remember, God will never fail you or leave you struggling alone in your commitment to remaining younger and healthier for longer. “For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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