Karen Reynolds Acupuncture

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Perimenopause symptoms: 7-Easy Actions You Can Take to Feel Better {Part II of II}

July 7, 2016 By Karen Reynolds

Did you have any “yes” answers to yesterday’s quiz ?

(See Part I if you missed it.) Perimenopause symptoms can be associated with inflammation. Any yes answers indicate inflammation. Inflammation can be temporary or can be chronic and can often be improved with diet and lifestyle changes.
One way to look at this “silent” inflammation is that it is like oil build-up inside your car engine. Your engine needs oil to lubricate your gears. However, if the oil is dirty, build-up occurs, your gears are stressed, and things may grind to a halt. You might drive around for a long time before your car acts up; but ultimately there is an impact to your vehicle. Your body is like this with respect to inner inflammation. In the beginning you may not be aware it is mounting until joint or vascular changes occur. Atherosclerosis (fatty build up inside blood vessels) is one common example of a vascular issue connected to chronic inflammation.

7 Steps you can take right now to reduce inflammation and reduce perimenopause symptoms:

1.)Avoid environmental and nutritional things to which you are sensitive.

perimenopause symptoms

Photo courtesy of David Castilla Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It sounds simple, right? Most of us know we don’t tolerate specific foods or beverages. Yet we still “try them” now and again. It’s like poking a bear with a stick. It’s not worth it. If curry always does a number on your digestive tract: it’s not worth the stress to your system. If you have suddenly become reactive to a wine or a spice or a fruit, it’s really better to avoid it as opposed to mourning that it was once in your diet.

2.)Give up gluten in your diet… ALL gluten.

Even if you are not formally allergic to gluten, there are multiple reasons to avoid it.
Firstly, gluten is highly inflammatory. It is like tossing gasoline onto any inflammation fire inside your body. Professional athletes will avoid gluten after injuries in order to speed wound healing and not burden their systems while trying to heal. If this method works for people in the greatest shape of their lives, it will benefit you too.
Secondly, gluten found in the typical American diet is a hybridized and genetically modified (GMO). It is a foreign substance to our bodies kind of like margarine.
Lastly, gluten is consumed in too much and too often. Gluten will substantially ramp up any inflammatory process happening in your system. A wealth of availability currently exists on gluten-free foods; so do some research.

Specifically avoid:

Wheat, Spelt, Semolina, Barley, Bulgur, and Rye.
Some women can substitute these complex carbohydrates into their diet:
Rice, Potatoes, Quinoa, Wheat-free oats.

 Corn is a wild card. It is a possibility but keep in mind that most corn products in the U.S. are also GMO like wheat (so a foreign substance to our bodies). Corn is also highly inflammatory though, not to the degree of wheat.
The newest research is finding that ALL grains contain gluten-like substances, which can trigger reactions. Many women, myself included are finding that with hormone changes the ability to digest grains becomes problematic.

3.)Weigh yourself each day.

Perimenopause

This photo courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you notice an appreciable increase (for example 2 pounds overnight) after eating a certain food you are witnessing inflammation first hand. It is an indicator of intolerance which may be temporary or may not depending upon your unique system. Sometimes cutting an offending food or beverage out for 3-6 months will desensitize your system and you may be able to reintroduce it later.

4.)Increase in your muscle mass and decrease in your body fat.

This does not mean hours and hours in the gym. Even modest shifts in body fat and muscle greatly reduce your tendency to make inflammatory substances. Incorporating weight bearing exercise like free weights will build muscle mass, burn fat and will also strengthen your bones.

5.)Give your body antioxidant rich foods and supplements like:

Berries,
Broccoli,
Carrots,
Tomatoes, ID-100351263
Red grapes,
Garlic,
Spinach,
Green tea.
Vitamin C,
Vitamin E,
Selenium,
Beta Carotene.

6.)Increase your intake of Omega-3 Fatty Acids like:

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA). You can also supplement with Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) but this Omega-3 is sometimes harder to absorb if you have multiple inflammatory signs.
Dietary sources of Omega-3’s:
Salmon,
Mackerel,
Tuna,
Flaxseed oil,
Algal oil,
Krill oil.

7.)Get acupuncture!

Research consistently shows that acupuncture reduces inflammation, speeds healing, and reduces things like cortisol levels which ramp up with stress. For scheduling information and appointment availability, do please visit my website at: KReynoldsAcupuncture.com.
Thank you for reading!
  • Please leave any questions you may have here and I am happy to answer them.
  • If you found this article helpful, I would appreciate your like for my Facebook page at: Karen Reynolds, LAc, RN Acupuncture for Optimal Health
  • All content here is written personally by me in with the goal that it is be helpful to you. As long as you include the link for this blog entry to credit me as the author, it is fine to repost or share if you wish. Be well! Karen Reynolds, RN, MS, LAc

Filed Under: Acupuncture, Perimenopause/Menopause, Women's Health Tagged With: acupuncture, menopause, perimenopause

Perimenopause symptoms: 7-Easy Actions You Can Take to Feel Better {Part I of II}

July 6, 2016 By Karen Reynolds

Real comments from clients with perimenopause symptoms:

Perimenopause symptoms

Photo courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  • “Gail”: Don’t mind me: I’m having my own private summer over here. Rapid disrobing in a seat near you soon.
  • “Ann”: Why is my waist size growing but my diet has not changed?
  • “Lynn”: My body has decided there is apparently no sleeping between the wee hours of 1:30AM and 4AM.
  • “Stephanie”: It’s safe to say I can never sneak up on anyone anymore, because my joints click so much it’s like I have a jingle bell around my neck.
  • “Julie”: I think I need to park a broom outside my front door because I am being such a witch to my poor family!

‘Sound familiar? In my acupuncture clinic, I address both perimenopause symptoms every day. Many problems occur due to hormone shifts, but the other key issue is inflammation. Inflammation is the silent menopausal change you want to consider. The good news is that there are many things you can do to address it.

 

What does inflammation have to do with perimenopause symptoms and feeling better?

Perimenopause symptoms

Photo courtesy of lekkyjustdoit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

During peri-menopause, hormone levels bump up and down. At menopause, estrogen remains reduced and other organs, such as the adrenals, kick in to make estrogen-like substances. This is a normal process.

While estrogen naturally drops, inflammation naturally increases during peri-menopause. Estrogen is protective for the female body. When it changes: inflammation can and does frequently occur. It might show up as joint pains like frozen shoulder or arthritis or circulation issues like plantar fasciitis or numbness and tingling of the feet. These too are common complaints that respond well to acupuncture.

Inflammation in one respect can be like a scraped knee. There is redness, swelling, pain and heat, right? There are obvious, visual changes. However inflammation in another respect can exist inside your body. Though it’s not visible, it still has an impact. It shows up with things like changes in metabolism, cardiovascular issues, and joint or skeletal problems.

All of this being said: don’t be alarmed. Just be informed. Inflammation serves a valuable purpose of fixing tissue damage; so it’s not all bad. In fact our bodies require it in manageable amounts. For example: exercise creates tiny muscle tears (small inflammations) which actually stimulate growth and health. Tissue repair is important and necessary. However ongoing or raging inflammation, which does not resolve, is problematic. Remember you always have options and action to guide your body from being more inflamed to less inflamed. That is what this blog post will help you to do.

Take this quick quiz below to see if you may have any internal inflammation.

Do you have any of the following?

  • Allergies which may be getting worse?

    Menopause symptoms helped by acupuncture

    Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  • Popping or clicking joints?
  • Redness or broken blood vessels in your face or neck?
  • Increasing sensitivities to foods or things in your environment?
  • High blood pressure?
  • Elevations in your cholesterol?
  • High blood sugar?
  • Cravings for sugar?
  • Drowsiness after meals?
  • Extra weight around your mid section?

Yes to any of the above, indicates inflammation.

Part II of this blog will post tomorrow. Stay tuned for steps you can take feel better!

Thank you for reading!

  • Please leave any questions you may have here and I am happy to answer them.
  • If you found this article helpful, I would appreciate you liking my Facebook page at:Karen Reynolds, LAc, RN Acupuncture for Optimal Health

  All content here is written personally by me in with the goal that it is be helpful to you. As long as you include the link for this blog entry to credit me as the author, it is fine to repost or share if you wish.

For scheduling information and appointment availability, do please visit my website at: KReynoldsAcupuncture.com.

Be well!

Karen Reynolds, RN, MS, LAc

Filed Under: Acupuncture, Perimenopause/Menopause, Women's Health

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Karen Reynolds Acupuncture offers acupuncture sessions, that help with women's health and fertility, healing after surgery and performance in sports.
KRA also offers Microneedling for wrinkles, anti-aging, acne, scarring and hair loss.

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