Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Right now during this pandemic, we all want to make sure we are taking the appropriate steps and measures to enhance our immune defenses. Nucleotides are a really beneficial way to do that.
Amanda Williams, MPH discusses the important role of micronutrients and the immune system, and understanding how the immune system itself is working based on levels of key vitamins and minerals.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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Most women entering and throughout their menopausal years will experience hot flashes. They are not a disease but they can definitely impact your quality of life. Some women may not experience them so much, they will be mild or maybe even short-lived. But for many others, hot flashes can start years before your last menstrual period and go on for years after. You can experience flushing of the face and upper body, severe sweating which could be followed by chills, clammy feeling. A hot flash can last anywhere from 30 seconds to up to five minutes. About 85% of women experience them.
Hormone replacement therapy is used as a treatment for hot flashes. But remember, hot flashes are just a quality of life issue and not a disease. So many women would rather not take these medications in order to avoid the increased risk of cancer or blood clot development that are related to the hormone replacement therapy.
What is a hot flash?
Estrogen and other sex hormones are fluctuating rapidly up and down. A part of your brain senses this – your hypothalamus – and tries to balance them out. But it gets confused and responds inaccurately, thinking your body is overheating because the fluctuation in these hormones effect your blood vessels. The brain causes your blood vessels near your skin to dilate, or widen, to let off the excess heat. This occurs mostly in the skin near your head, face, neck and chest. When your blood vessels return to normal, you can cool down again.
Interested in learning more about Resveratrol? Click here >>
How a hot flash impacts your body?
Hot flashes can impact your sleep, which can lead to daytime fatigue, depression and anxiety. It can also make your blood pressure rise when you’re having a hot flash and your heart can actually race.
Lifestyle Modifications
The good news is that lifestyle changes can help. For instance, you’ll want to stay away from caffeine. Caffeine has been shown to increase the effect of the hot flashes. Avoid smoking, as this effects your blood vessels, the number of hot flashes you have and how severe they are. Alcohol always raises your temperature a bit initially and then it makes you cool down. This will further complicate the hot flashes.
Being obese is also something you will want to manage. It is time to get rid of excess fat, as fat is metabolically active and is not just storing calories for later use; fat is giving off chemicals that make you inflamed and they do complicate your hot flashes. Wearing lo0se clothing can help to regulate your temperature, especially during a flash.
Resveratrol is found typically in the skin of red grapes in tiny amounts. In studies, researchers use Japanese Knotweed, a type of grass. As far as Grape Seed extract, the best comes from the pip of white grapes. Both Grape Seed and Resveratrol are extremely safe and have been shown to support brain health, circulation and heart health.
How Grape Seed Extract Supports Healthy Circulation. Listen Now >>
In a three month long study on older women by the Mayo Clinic looking at the safety of Grape Seed extract, researchers found the that extract did not impact the participants hormone levels and worked by improving blood vessel health.†
The Department of Women’s Health, Tokyo Medical and Dental University gave Grape Seed extract – 100mg or 200mg – to women who had hot flashes everyday for 60 days. Some women also received placebo. Grape seed extract, very successfully, reduced the number of hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety, improved depression and was good for blood pressure.†
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
In today’s world, screen time takes up most of our day. Overtime, this can create potential damage to our eyes from the blue light, the fatigue and strain within the eye muscles. The good news is that there are some nutrients that can be beneficial to your eyes.
On today’s episode, Amanda Williams, MPH discusses how you can assess your level of stress. This is a really interesting way to see how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting your cellular health.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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Choline is a necessary nutrient for your memory and is an essential nutrient for all activities in your brain related to your memory. Here’s the issue; most Americans – about 90% – do not get enough Choline in their food or their diet, according to NHANES. Additionally, older individuals and pregnant women need more Choline than the rest of the population.
Sources of Choline
You need to have Choline every day, as you lose it in your urine. Men need about 550mg and women need about 450mg, according to NHANES. Choline is neither a vitamin nor a mineral, but it is an essential nutrient. It’s loosely related to the B-complex of vitamins and is water soluble so you must have it daily. Without sufficient Choline, all of the other nutrients you consume for your memory or any supplement you take for your memory will not work effectively. It is extremely safe.
Foods that contain this nutrient include:
Choline was first recognized as an essential nutrient by the United States Institute of Medicine in 1998. Your body cannot make enough so you must get it from your food. But you would need large amounts of these foods to get sufficient levels; you would need three or four eggs to get enough Choline for your brain. Eight ounces of steak or fish gives you about 174mg of Choline.
How Fish and Krill Oil Benefit Your Brain Health. Listen Now >>
There are supplements that dependently supply this nutrient. Now, multivitamins generally contain some Choline and it benefits your heart, your muscle function, your nerves and liver. Choline typically used in multivitamins is choline bitartrate or choline citrate, which is good for your body overall. But this type of Choline does not get into your brain effectively. Other forms of Choline work better in the brain.
What does choline do for your brain?
Choline is tagged with a tiny molecule called the acetyl-group, which becomes a very important messenger in your brain called acetyl-choline. Acetyl-choline works throughout your brain and body. In the back part of your brain, the more primitive part that controls your muscles, balance, coordination, heart rhythm and beat, and your lungs ability to breathe, acetyl-choline interacts with a second neurotransmitter, called dopamine, for these functions. In the more advanced part of your brain, it is incredibly important to repair your brain cells, as some medications or prescriptions block the acetyl-choline from the transmission of messages between brain cells.
The Importance of Resveratrol For Brain Health. Listen Now >>
Other Key Topics
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.