Tag: women

Memory loss – Peri-menopause or Ageing?

Todays post is about Memory loss, is it Peri-menopause or Ageing?

Over the last few months, some of my female work colleagues and I have been discussing how occasionally we find ourselves suffering from a lack of concentration, memory loss and feeling a bit ‘scatterbrained’.

This got me thinking. Is this a sign of ageing or is this is another reminder of ‘peri-menopause’? Or maybe both!

About Memory

Webster’s Dictionary defines memory as “the mental capacity or faculty of retaining or recalling facts, events, impressions, or previous experiences”. Therefore memory loss would be fleeting periods when a person loses the mental capacity or faculty of retaining or recalling information.

As we get older, one of the most common changes that we notice is memory change.

Scientists say that the brain begins to lose sharpness of memory and powers of reasoning and understanding not from 60 as previously thought, but from as early as 45.

Their evidence comes from a large study of more than 7,000 civil servants aged between 45 and 70. The 5,000 men and 2,000 women agreed to undergo verbal and written tests on three occasions over a 10-year period for what is called the Whitehall II study.

Knowledge of how memory changes as we get older is a lot more positive than in the past. Memory change with healthy ageing certainly doesn’t interfere with everyday life in a dramatic way.
However, everyone is different and the effect of getting older on memory is different for each person.
Ageing can affect the memory in different ways, such as attention processes, the ability to get new information into storage, the time it takes to recall things, and “on the tip of the tongue” experiences.

Research also suggests that immediate memory and lifetime memory do not change as we get older.

The difficulty of being able to think straight is also a common symptom associated with the onset of peri-menopause.

What causes memory loss during peri-menopause?

In the case of memory lapses, oestrogen plays a special key role. It has a large effect on the functions of the brain and influences language skills, mood, attention, and a number of other functions, including memory. Oestrogen is directly linked to verbal word fluency (the ability to remember names and words). It’s no wonder then that as a woman’s oestrogen levels begin to drop, her memory may suffer.

Many women start to experience peri-menopausal symptoms from the age of 45 onwards.

Add to that now that our memory is affected by ageing from the age of 45 onwards, ageing women have a lot to deal with.

All is not lost, as there are some things we can do to exercise our brain and improve our brain ‘fitness’.

  • Avoid harmful substances and eat a well balanced diet. Excessive drinking and drug abuse damages brain cells.
  • Challenge the brain by reading widely, keeping mentally active, and learning new skills. These pursuits strengthen the brain connections and promote new ones.
  • Make sure we get regular and adequate sleep.
  • Use a notepad and carry a calendar. This may not keep your memory sharp, but does compensate for any memory lapses.
  • Organise some of those personal belongings. Use a special place for necessary items, such as car keys and glasses.

 

All of this science is great and helps me to understand that it’s not ‘just me’, though it does not help my brain cope with the occasional lapses in memory.

However, dairies and calendars have become quite important fixtures in my life lately. This ensures I don’t forget important things. I will also keep up my creative pursuits, quizzes and crossword puzzles for that bit of ‘brain training’.

Till the next post,

 

Live Clean n Prosper

Sources – www.fightdementia.org.au – www.theguardian.com

Is ‘Man Flu’ a real thing?

Today’s post is about ‘Man Flu’.

One of my work colleagues was making comments about catching man flu and how bad it was, so I thought I would investigate and share.

So, about Man Flu

We have all heard of the notorious “Man Flu”. It can affect men from all walks of life and render them miserable for days. They claim that they are ‘dying’ and ‘it’s the worst flu ever’. Many women, myself included, tend to consider “Man Flu” an exaggeration of the common cold.

Are women just more resilient and able to cope with this common ailment or is there really such a thing as “Man Flu”?

What do the scientists say?

A research paper published in December 2017 explored whether men exaggerated the severity of symptoms or their immune system is actually inferior.

The researchers found that there is some evidence clearly supporting men suffering more symptoms and dying from viral respiratory illness than women. They found that men do have a less robust immune system.

Since flu symptoms are in large part due to the body’s immune reaction, a lessened immune response in women may translate to milder symptoms.

Other studies have found that an Influenza vaccination tends to cause more reactions and better antibody response in women. Testosterone may play a role, as men with the highest levels tended to have a lower antibody response. A better antibody response may lessen the severity of flu. Therefore it’s possible that vaccinated men get more severe symptoms than women because they don’t respond to vaccination as well.

Another possibility is that men actually experience respiratory viral illnesses differently than women. This is supported by scientific data for other conditions. Pain due to coronary artery disease (as with a heart attack or angina) is a good example. Men tend to have “classic” crushing chest pain, while women are more likely to have “atypical” symptoms such as nausea or shortness of breath.

 There’s more…

In several studies using mice, the adult male mice displayed more symptoms of sickness than females when they were exposed to bacteria that cause an illness with symptoms similar to the flu. The males also had more fluctuations in body temperature, fever and signs of inflammation, and took longer to recover.

A group of researchers from the University of Cambridge conducted a study in 2010. They put forward a theory that men have evolved to have weaker immune systems and lower immunity because of their tendency for risk-taking behaviours. Still other research suggests that because women more easily pass pathogens onto their children, they’ve built up more natural defences against them.

The scientific evidence for this is far from conclusive, but some research has shown that male and female immune cells do react differently to invading viruses.

 Whichever theory rings true for you, it seems that there is some scientific basis to “Man Flu” after all.

Will we ever hear the end of it now?!

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

Sources – Harvard Medical Publishing – BMJ Resource Centre 

Coping with Menopause or Perimenopause

Todays post is about Menopause, or is it Perimenopause?

Lately the topic of menopause has been coming up in conversation with several of my friends and work colleagues. Probably because we are all around an age where menopause is starting to affect our lives in some way.

For me personally, the most common symptom of ‘hot flushes’ started about 2 years ago.

They were only occurring every so often at first. I visited my G.P. and he advised that this was probably the start of ‘perimenopause’. This was a new term for me and it was the beginning of some new learning.

I think most of us have the terminology wrong. We think that the term ‘Menopause’ relates to the period when we are actually suffering from ‘hot flushes, night sweats, irritability and disruptive sleep. In fact, Perimenopause refers to the time when the symptoms start.

Changing levels of hormone production in our bodies, particularly the reduction of oestrogen produced in our ovaries, are the cause.  Typically symptoms start in the mid-40s and at this stage the symptoms may be mild. This is what is called the perimenopause.

The duration of these symptoms is different for everyone and can last from months to several years. The term Menopause actually refers to the total cessation of menstrual periods as well as a decrease in oestrogen and progesterone production by the ovaries.

Now all of this is very educational, but dealing with the symptoms is different for everyone.

I have chosen to deal with the symptoms by taking specific nutritional supplements.

A friend of mine introduced me to a company that manufactures a supplement specifically for the transitioning hormones of women.

I am so grateful to my friend for sharing this with me, as the results have been fabulous.

My sleep was also starting to become restless, so I started using a natural hormone balancing cream and a supplement at night to aid my sleep.

I can honestly say that I can no longer go without these  items. They are what keep the ‘heat’ away and keep my sleep restful.

So, why are they great?

First, the supplement contains herbal ingredients such as Black Cohosh and Red Clover. These herbs have been used for centuries to help relieve menopausal symptoms.

Next, the hormone balancing cream called Balancing cream. This fantastic smelling cream contains herbs such as Wild Yam and Chaste Tree, which have been used to relieve menopausal symptoms for centuries. It also contains the essential oils of Roman chamomile, lavender, ylang ylang and geranium, which help to relax you and ease stress.

Finally, to help with sleep and general stress – Stress Health. This supplement contains a compound called Lactium, which inhibits the stress response.

St Johns Wort, which also helps reduce anxiety, and Valerian, a herb that has been used for centuries to treat insomnia.

Together these 3 things have been essential in my daily routine to make this ‘Menopausal’ stage a negligible obstacle. I have included the links to the website where I purchase my supplements, if you wish to know more.

There is so much information, as well as remedies, available to us. It just takes a little research to find out what works for you. As always, I prefer to try the most natural approach first.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper