Menopause -Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements 

Good Health depends upon good nutrition. Vitamin D, Magnesium and CoQ10  are three of the most common deficiency for women at mid life.

 For more Information and an excellent resource for Nutrition and Hormonal Supplements check out Life Extention 

Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant and low tissue stores of this mineral can cause shoulder and neck muscle stress among other things. Low magnesium effects the adrenal gland and when we get stressed this deficiency can contribute to weight gain due to a rise in cortisol. 

Vitamin D is extremely important and is instrumental in maintaining calcium and phosphorus blood levels in the body. By midlife many people, especially women are deficient in this  vitamin .

There are two different kinds of Vitamin D in the body; ergocalciferol or Vitamin D2 , which comes from plants; and cholecalciferol or Vitamin D3, which comes from exposure to morning sunlight and some specific foods. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and is the chemical in the body that transfers calcium from digested food in the stomach to the blood stream, and keeps the bones strong and healthy.

Vitamin D aids in controlling the supply of calcium between the bones and the blood. It is also essential for growth of bones and bone remodeling. Vitamin D is instrumental in combating depression, osteoporosis, breast cancer, prostate cancer, high blood pressure, some cardiovascular diseases, phagocytosis activity and it is known to boosts anti-tumor activity. Additionally it controls the secretion of the parathyroid hormone from the parathyroid gland. Vitamin D is essential for health and a healthy immune system.

One reasons to work with a doctor who has an expertise in nutrition as well as hormone replacement is to help identify the differences between nutritional deficiency and hormone imbalance as the symptoms can mimic each other.

There is recent research that suggest that women with low CoQ10 are eight hundred times more likely to get breast cancer! CoQ10’s primary function in cells is in generating energy in the mitochondria. This supplement is also good for the heart.

If you don’t deal with the big hormones, Insulin and Cortisol refining the smaller hormones, estrogen , progesterone and testosterone won’t be as effective. Hormone balance on all fronts is the goal. One little supplement  that many find really helpful is Melatonin. Melatonin is actually a hormone, you can buy it at any health food store in pill form and take it before going to bed – it helps me sleep better and fall asleep faster. It is also a powerful antioxidant. 

For more information about Bioidentical Hormone Replacement please check out our home page at www.bioidenticalhormonereplacement.net

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