Decadent Health for Your Decade
In our quest for optimal health, each decade of a woman’s life has its own unique needs and challenges. The following section is organized by age range to give you an overview of preventive health strategies for your specific needs. As we learn to listen to our bodies and adjust to the many changes experienced with each decade, we can gracefully dance through our transitions, savoring the gifts and wisdoms garnered from our journey through time.
20s
THE ESSENTIALS
The 20s are a time of great vitality, energy, and enthusiasm. But it is also easy to overdo things. College life usually means a lot of junk food, stress, poor sleep, and other unhealthy habits. Many women also start their careers in their 20s, which often goes hand in hand with demanding hours and take-out food. It’s no surprise, then, that the 20s can be a hormonally challenging period for women. HORMONE-HARMONIZING TIPS
Eat nourishing meals, drink plenty of water, and try to get at least eight hours of sleep per night (or at least three nights per week). If you’re taking some form of birth control, you need extra nutritional support. All forms of birth control can deplete the body of vitamins B complex, C, and E, as well as calcium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. Use a high-quality multivitamin/mineral formula to cover your bases. The pill, as well as antibiotics and steroids, may destroy good gut flora, resulting in yeast infections. Probiotic supplements, organic yogurt, and organic kefir can help restore proper gut flora.
30s
THE ESSENTIALS
Many women in their 30s are thinking of motherhood or giving birth for the first time. This is therefore the time to truly focus on adopting a healthful diet and balanced lifestyle.
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HORMONE-HARMONIZING TIPS
Vitamins A and D are vital for normal reproduction and fertility. Vitamin A-rich foods include butter and cream from grass-fed cows, eggs, liver, and cod liver oil. A multimineral supplement is also essential. The herb chaste tree berry (also called Vitex) is helpful for balancing hormones and regulating the menstrual cycle. It can take as long as six months to notice results. Natural bio-identical progesterone cream has been effective in not only alleviating PMS, ovarian cysts, and polycystic ovarian syndrome, but also supporting fertility. Sold at health food stores and compounding pharmacies, progesterone cream is best used under the guidance of a health care practitioner, who can assess your hormone levels and customize a treatment plan.
40s
THE ESSENTIALS
During this decade, a woman begins the transition into perimenopause, the fiveto-10-year period before the onset of menopause. Rather than winding down, the ovaries are actually more active than they have been since adolescence. Consequently, perimenopause is a time of excess estrogen and declining progesterone. This hormonal shift often leads to unpredictable moods, heavy flow, hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, and weight gain—symptoms that have become synonymous with perimenopause and menopause. HORMONE-HARMONIZING TIPS
Bioidentical progesterone cream is especially helpful for women
because it helps counteract the negative effects of excess estrogen. A woman is most susceptible to estrogen dominance in her 40s. The digestive system also becomes weaker. Strengthen it naturally by adding digestive enzymes and probiotics to your daily regimen. The thyroid can also become sluggish. Magnesium, selenium, iodine, and vitamin A help improve thyroid function. Liver-loving foods (e.g., artichokes, beets, cruciferous vegetables, berries, olive oil) and chaste tree berry capsules or liquid can also help balance excess estrogen levels. Organic whole foods, proper nutritional support, and regular exercise are especially important in this decade.
50s
THE ESSENTIALS
This decade is the time for initiation into menopause, which for many women has become a stage of deepening wisdom and inner reflection. Medically, menopause means the cessation of a monthly period. When this happens, hormone levels begin to change, and the adrenal glands become the primary source of hormonal support. HORMONE-HARMONIZING TIPS
At this stage, women must make wise dietary and lifestyle choices to adequately nourish the endocrine glands, which include the ovaries, adrenals, pituitary, and thyroid. To support this transition, strengthening the adrenals, detoxing the liver, and improving digestion
• MAY 2021
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