Women’s Health – Page 4 – WholeHealth Chicago

Thoughts on Infertility, Part 1

I don’t care much for the infertility industry, and let me say right up front that I know some of you are deeply grateful to it for helping you create your precious child. I love kids too. I simply don’t care for the business that infertility has become.

My first issue with infertility clinics is their utter lack of interest when it comes to approaches less drastic than all the tests, hormones, and surgical procedures. Part of the problem is the gynecologists themselves. Largely because of malpractice fears (their premiums are breathtaking), gynecologists follow the straight and narrow menu of high-tech fertility enhancers. However, it’s worth mentioning too that infertility centers are businesses that wouldn’t make as much money offering nutritional counseling as they do by performing in vitro fertilization.

November 10, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, I, Knowledge Base, Women's HealthTagged basal body temperature, healing touch, hormornes, infertility, low-fat products, meditation, stress, vegetarian diet

The Upside of Low Serotonin

A new patient visited our center recently, writing on our intake form “need to get my serotonin higher.” She’d read The Triple Whammy Cure and felt that she’d been making progress on her own. However, she was still mildly depressed, craved carbs, and had low energy. If you’ve read my book, you all know the rest.

September 15, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Knowledge Base, S, T, Women's HealthTagged anxiety PMS, chronic fatigue, depression, female hormones, fibromyalgia, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, SAD, serotonin, stress, triple whammy cure

Case Study: Melanie’s PMS Hell

Click here for the original post. A smart woman in her mid forties, Melanie had written “Bad PMS” neatly on our patient intake form, and then gone on to trace the word “Bad” several times with her pen and underlined it. Until about ten years ago, the odds were stacked against women like Melanie, trying […]

August 18, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Knowledge Base, P, Women's HealthTagged case study, PMS

Women in the Asylum

Posted 06/09/2009 I’d wanted to see The Walls, the new play now having its world premiere at Steppenwolf Garage Theatre, for both personal and professional reasons. Chicago playwright Lisa Dillman and the members of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble have created a dramatic and troubling work about women as victims of involuntary psychiatric hospital admission, once called […]

June 9, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in A, Blog, Knowledge Base, Mental Health, Women's HealthTagged serotonin, stress, women in the asylum

Women’s Herbal Combination

As indicated by its name, a women’s herbal combination provides several herbs in one convenient capsule, sparing you the inconvenience of taking an assortment of products. Standard components include such traditional “female-healthy” herbs as black cohosh, chasteberry, dong quai, and soy. Many contain additional herbs such as kava and dandelion root that can help with specific symptoms, as well as key nutrients such as calcium, vitamins E, C, and B, and magnesium.

May 19, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Knowledge Base, Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Vitamins, & Herbal Remedies, W, Women's HealthTagged perimenopause

Natural Progesterone Cream

For many women, natural progesterone cream appears to provide significant relief from symptoms related to shifts in the female hormones estrogen and progesterone.

For younger women, such imbalances are often associated with PMS or endometriosis, and bring on symptoms such as irritability, breast tenderness, and pelvic pain. For older women entering menopause, decreasing supplies of estrogen can cause hormonal imbalances, producing hot flashes, mood swings, urinary urgency, and poor concentration.

May 19, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Knowledge Base, N, Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Vitamins, & Herbal Remedies, P, Women's HealthTagged endometriosis, menopause, perimenopause, PMS

Menopause Herbal Combination

As indicated by its name, a menopausal herbal combination provides a number of helpful herbs in one convenient capsule, sparing you the inconvenience of taking an assortment of products. Standard components of such combination products include such traditional “female-healthy” herbs as black cohosh, chasteberry, dong quai, and soy. Many contain additional herbs such as kava and dandelion root that can help with specific symptoms, as well as key nutrients such as calcium, vitamins E , C, and B, and magnesium.

May 19, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Knowledge Base, M, Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Vitamins, & Herbal Remedies, Women's HealthTagged menopause

False Unicorn Root

Over the centuries, countless women have turned to false unicorn root (Chamaelirium luteum), a tall perennial native to eastern North America, to remedy menstrual and uterine problems. (It should not be confused with Aletris farinosa, another member of the lily family, commonly referred to as “true” unicorn root.) Therapeutic compounds called steroidal saponins were identified in false unicorn root some time ago, but whether these exert hormonal activity in women that would help regulate the menstrual cycle remains unclear.

May 12, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, F, Knowledge Base, Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Vitamins, & Herbal Remedies, U, Women's HealthTagged fortifying reproductive organs, menopause, ovarian cysts

Chasteberry

In medieval times, the chasteberry (botanically known as Vitex agnus-castus) was thought to suppress the libido of both males and females. Legend has it that monks once chewed on the dried berries in an effort to adhere to their vows of celibacy. Today, it’s clear that the herb does not affect sexual drive, but chasteberry does have an important role to play in treating women’s reproductive-tract disorders and menstrual-related complaints. In Europe, chasteberry is now recommended more often than any other herb for relieving the symptoms of PMS (premenstrual syndrome).

May 11, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, C, Knowledge Base, Most Viewed, Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Vitamins, & Herbal Remedies, Women's HealthTagged acne, endometriosis, female infertility, fibrocystic breast changes, menopause, perimenopause

Black Cohosh

Generations of American women have relied on the gnarled root of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) to relieve various “female problems,” from PMS and menstrual cramps to menopausal symptoms. In the 1900s, this indigenous American wildflower, a member of the buttercup family, provided the main ingredient in a popular tonic for women. (The concoction–Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound–is still sold, but it no longer contains the herb.) Black cohosh has also been used to treat a variety of other complaints, including insect bites and eczema.

May 11, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in B, Blog, Knowledge Base, Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Vitamins, & Herbal Remedies, Women's HealthTagged menopause, perimenopause

Yeast Infections (Vaginal)

I really doubt if the women in our grandmother’s time, or before, experienced the same trouble with yeast infections that we do. Truly, we’ve set the stage for yeast to flourish in our vaginas in ways unknown to earlier generations. We overuse broad-spectrum antibiotics, each of us eats 120 pounds of sugar every year (!), we’re on birth control pills, and we all face too many day-in and day-out stresses. The end result? By the time we’re in menopause, 75% of us will have had one or more yeast infections. These are typically episodes in which a yeast known as candida albicans–normally a harmless fellow-traveler in our vaginas–takes over. And the tell-tale symptoms of itching, burning, and a cottage cheese-like discharge make life really unpleasant for a few days.

May 5, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Knowledge Base, V, Women's Health, YTagged candida overgrowth syndrome, yeast

PMS

After having heard the details of PMS (otherwise known as premenstrual syndrome) from hundreds of women over the years, I continue to be surprised about how most regard PMS as their lot in life and don’t seek any help for it. I guess most women believe there’s nothing they can do, and consequently they’re often amazed to learn that an integrated approach can really help. I am of the opinion, shared by many of my colleagues at WholeHealth Chicago, that getting PMS out of your life requires a strongly committed proactive “self-care” stance, something you can easily do without much reliance on your conventional physician. Generally the complexity of PMS–and there are numerous symptoms associated with it–takes a lot more time and attention than the standard 7-minute physician office visit can provide.

May 5, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Knowledge Base, P, Women's HealthTagged bloating, breast tenderness, fatigue, female hormone imbalance, food cravings, irritability, pre-menstrual syndrome

Perimenopause

As you’re probably aware, menopause is that phase of a woman’s life when her ovaries no longer produce the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. Well before then, however, a woman’s hormones begin to fluctuate from month to month, often causing many unpleasant symptoms. This process may take from five to 10 years. This is perimenopause. During this time, even though periods are still occurring, symptoms associated with menopause, including hot flashes, mood swings, brain fog, and sleep disturbances begin. Yet with periods persisting, most doctors are reluctant to start prescription hormones that would stop these symptoms in days. Furthermore, since her hormonal status fluctuates, she may not need prescription hormones every month. So what’s a person to do?

May 5, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Knowledge Base, P, Women's HealthTagged female hormones, hot flashes, irritability, menstrual irregularities, night sweats, sleep problems, vaginal dryness

Menopause

Strictly speaking, menopause is your final menstrual period, but most doctors agree you need 12 straight months without a period before you can call that last period “final.” Gone along with your periods, however, are your “factory-installed” female hormones. These protect you against a host of conditions–heart disease and osteoporosis most prominently–and lack of them can lead to a variety of symptoms, known collectively by your mothers as “the change.” These may include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, weight changes and poor concentration.

May 5, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Knowledge Base, M, Women's HealthTagged absence of menstrual period, hot flashes, irritability, loss of interest in sex, menopause, night sweats, vaginal dryness

Infertility, Female

Infertility issues, which seemed so rare 20 years ago, are quite common these days. The most significant factor seems to be the desire couples have to start their families when they’re a little older, after they’ve established themselves in their careers. Clearly this affects a woman’s chances of reproducing, since fertility in women declines after age 35. And conception after age 45 is rather rare. Aside from trying to reproduce earlier in her life, there are some surprisingly simple steps a woman can take to increase her likelihood of becoming pregnant. It amazes me (although perhaps it should not) how little emphasis is placed on lifestyle issues and good nutrition by either gynecologists or infertility specialists. In all parts of the world, “wise women” have been using herbs for centuries to help their infertile daughters.

May 5, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, I, Knowledge Base, Women's HealthTagged inability to conceive

Fibrocystic Breast Changes

By the time they’ve reached their mid-forties or so, almost half of all women develop some degree of a condition called fibrocystic breast syndrome (FBS) in which their breast tissue becomes either more dense (“fibrous”) or it contains fluid-filled cysts, which can be tender or “lumpy.” In addition, because these cysts are under hormonal control, they often change size during a woman’s cycle and become exquisitely tender and painful during the week or so before her menstrual flow begins.

May 5, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in B, Blog, Diseases, F, Knowledge Base, Women's HealthTagged breast, breast discomfort, fibrocystic, lumpy breasts

Endometriosis

Although theories abound, just why some women develop endometriosis and others don’t remains a mystery. Or why endometrosis produces painful or heavy periods in some and no symptoms in others. Or why some women with endometriosis are infertile and others are not. What doctors do agree on is what endometriosis is. Pieces of the lining of the uterus called the endometrium find their way outside the uterus and into the pelvis, where they implant themselves and grow.

May 4, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Diseases, E, Knowledge Base, Women's HealthTagged infertility, low back pain, pain during sexual intercourse, severe cramping

Bioidentical Hormones

If you’re miserable from menopause symptoms, give serious thought to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). You may not realize it, but a diabetic using insulin is using hormone replacement therapy, with the hormone is insulin. Taking Synthroid for an underactive thyroid is hormone replacement, too. Is there a problem with replacing your sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, when you’re suffering because their levels have gone into the free-fall of menopause?

April 30, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in B, Blog, H, Integrative Medicine, Knowledge Base, Thyroid, Adrenal, & Sex Hormone Issues, Women's HealthTagged estrogen, HRT, progesterone

Breast Thermogram

Click here for the Health Tip link. We’ve had so many inquiries from women about breast thermograms during the past year that we decided to do some homework before offering it to our patients. The test’s complete name is “digital infrared thermal imaging,” or DITI. For the test, your breasts are photographed with an infrared […]

February 10, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in B, Blog, Knowledge Base, Women's HealthTagged breast, breast cancer, imaging, thermogram, thermography

Oprah: Poster Child for My Book, The Triple Whammy Cure

Click here for the Health Tip link. It comes with being a doctor, I suppose. I just can’t keep myself from reading about illnesses of the rich and famous. So when I saw Oprah’s name linked with the words “depressed,” “overweight,” and “thyroid,” I had to explore further. You can read about her major health […]

January 13, 2009 by WholeHealth Chicago

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Posted in Blog, Knowledge Base, O, T, Women's HealthTagged hormones, Oprah, serotonin, stress, triple whammy cure