2 minute read
One Hundred Days & the Fifth Vital Sign
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By Dr. Tracey James, DC
Did you make resolutions for this new year, this new decade to live more from your heart than head? Did you resolve to restructure your life for more ease, to purge the unhealthy habits and clutter from your life? Did you also resolve to change your eating and perhaps kick the carbs? Making goals about your health and wellness are number one when it comes to new year’s resolutions most people make for their lives. So, if any of these are on your list you are not alone! If you are passionate about making lifestyle choices, we stand with you, and nothing drives progress toward goals more than passion. Let YOUR passion lead you and set parameters for progress. For females, the fifth vital sign is a quality check in on the state of your health though you may not begin to see the results of your healthful habits for at least one hundred days.
Why will it take so long to see results? The journey for progesterone is long. Three lunar cycles or one hundred days is the journey’s length for ovarian follicles to develop and mature for ovulation. Ovulation, the health-giving experience, is your fifth vital sign. Your menstrual health is months in the making and it is also your body’s report card reflecting back the last one hundred days.
Ovulation serves a greater purpose in the body beyond creating life, it is how our body makes hormones for our health. Our body’s ability to ovulate is an indicator of our health and wellness. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in conjunction with the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes the same findings issuing a revolutionary statement called Menstruation in Girls and Adolescents: Using the Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign. In their statement they recommend all doctors should ask patients about their menstrual cycles and encourage cycle charting because “menstruation is an important reflection of their overall health.” It is with consistent ritual of ovulation that the female body makes the feel good hormones of progesterone and estradiol every month. These hormones are essential for mood, libido, energy, skin, hair, thyroid and much more.
What might it mean if ovulation doesn’t occur? There may be an underlying condition such as chronic stress, inflammation, nerve interference, insulin resistance, thyroid challenges, a lack of nourishment or something more at play that is worthy of investigation with a health care-practitioner. Some long term effects of not ovulating or longstanding inadequate levels of hormones can lead to osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease later in life. If you are ovulating with ritual consistency, the great news is not only do you have body literacy but you also have an indicator for health. If you aren’t sure, there is a way to begin to decode and understand what’s happening in your body. There is power in decoding your own physiology, finding solutions to help your body heal.
Embrace your body, Expand your knowledge, Empower your Life, Enter into Circle with us: New Moon January 24th 2020, Anatomy Power Wellness, 4pm-7pm with Dr. Tracey James DC and special guests. We will unblock, unwrap and understand your hormone health and receive strategies to strengthen, support and sustain your health this new year, this new decade.
