What does women’s health really depend on and what 5 rules will help support it?

Dear reader, we present to you our beauty columnist Inessa Tsarkova!

Inessa is an active nutritionist, gastroenterologist, therapist, naturopath and aromatherapist, health coach, integrative medicine doctor with a holistic approach. And now he will share with us his knowledge in the field of both physical and mental health, nutrition and much more.

In our previous article, we talked about the importance of regular examinations, in this article we will talk about the list of advanced examinations and what a woman should do to protect her health and prevent the development of diseases.

The female body has a special structure. A woman’s health is affected not only by her daily habits, but also by regular blood loss, which makes her intestinal condition and the influence of parasitic microflora particularly susceptible to the development of deficiency conditions and diseases resulting from them (for example, iron deficiency). anemia). An even more important influence is the woman’s mental state, which is closely linked to the metabolism of female sex hormones.

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What does women’s health depend on?

Endocrine organs produce hormones

The work of the female gonads is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary system of the brain and depends on the functional activity of the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, obstetric and gynecological background and, of course, the woman’s lifestyle (primarily sleep and rest). patterns, as well as the state of the nervous system and the presence of bad habits). For the correct synthesis of sex hormones, it is important to pay attention to nutrition and a sufficient content of antioxidants and healthy fats.

It is important to understand that female sex hormones affect not only the functioning of the uterus, but also the formation and functioning of neurotransmitters that affect the state of blood vessels (for example, reducing bad cholesterol), as well as mood.

From the metabolism of hormones to detoxification in the liver, depending on the functioning of the gallbladder

If estrogens are not neutralized over time and cleared by the liver, excessive estrogen accumulation occurs in the body, resulting in undesirable effects.

– Increased pro-inflammatory IL17 (interleukin 17), so autoimmune diseases mostly affect women.

– Decrease in the activity of the thyroid gland.

– Impairment of bile outflow.

– Fluid retention due to aldosterone.

– Increased histamine (may cause chronic migraine).

– Increased triglycerides leading to the development of atherosclerosis.

— Increased risk of fibrocystic mastopathy, myoma and cancer.

Absence of systemic inflammation

This directly depends on the condition of the intestinal wall and eating habits.

From studies on mitochondria

The work of mitochondria is associated with regular motor activity, elimination of spasms and the supply of oxygen to tissues. Chronic tissue hypoxia impairs cell function and increases inflammation. Lack of oxygen triggers the proliferation of blood vessels, which leads to the growth of endometriotic lesions.

It is also important to monitor the insulin resistance index. Regular measurement of waist circumference and timely normalization of weight will help in this.

For a healthy vaginal microbiome

Its composition is directly related to the state of the intestinal microbiome, which is affected primarily by stress, nutritional habits (overeating, lack of fiber, consumption of refined and flour products, sweets and alcohol), as well as frequent use of medications. for example, taking antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, hormonal drugs).

It is useful to regularly test saliva for Candida overgrowth to monitor the status of the microbiota. This should be done as follows:

— After waking up (before eating or drinking anything), spit a small amount of saliva into a glass of water.

— Evaluate the result after 30 minutes:

• saliva floating on the surface of the water indicates that the Candida fungus content in the body is normal;

• Saliva sinking or hanging in threads at the bottom of the glass indicates that there is an excess of fungus in the body;

• Saliva accumulated at the bottom of the glass indicates the presence of candidiasis, which requires immediate implementation of the anti-candida treatment protocol.

To get the most reliable result, you need to follow certain rules during the test:

• Do not consume dairy products the day before the test; because these can thicken the saliva and lead to a false positive result;

• Drink more water, as dehydration also causes heavy saliva.

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List of advanced tests for women

And here is a list of self-monitoring tests, as well as recommended advanced tests that will help timely detect violations and take measures to eliminate them.

— Complete blood count with expanded leukocyte formula (+ESR)

— blood biochemistry:

• Glucose

• Total protein

• Total bilirubin

• Lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL)

• Uric acid

• Creatinine

• Ferritin

• Alkaline phosphatase

• Total bilirubin

• BOTTOM

• AST

• Glucose

• Glycated hemoglobin and insulin (especially if there is overweight, latent obesity or metabolic disorders, a history of glucose fluctuations)

• Serum iron

• Transferrin

— Vitamins:

• B12

• Homocysteine ​​(increase is usually associated with vitamin B deficiency)

• D 25 (ON)

— microelements

Especially magnesium, zinc, iron (it is better to look at hair analysis)

— hormones

• TSH (if high, test for T3, T4, antibodies to thyroglobulin, and antibodies to thyroid peroxidase)

• Cortisol

If you have had problems with your menstrual cycle or have never used hormones, take these on day 5 of your period:

• Prolactin

• Testosterone

• Estrogen

— coagulogram (APTT, fibrinogen, prothrombin index). Testing is recommended if there are inflammatory processes in the body, thrombosis, heart attack, stroke in history or when taking hormonal contraceptives.

— General urine test. By the way, you can understand whether you drink enough water by its color. Normally, the color of urine should be light yellow, almost transparent.

— In addition to taking a fecal occult blood test, taking it will also be very informative. joint program analysis (with this the viability of enzyme systems can be determined).

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What should a woman do to prevent the development of diseases?

Rule 1. Regular monitoring of stress levels

To do this, it is useful to do daily breathing practices, use natural essential oils (instead of synthetic pills), meditation and affirmations.

Rule number 2. Working on cramps

For example, daily self-massage of the abdominal area, yoga classes, thermal treatments and aromatherapy.

Rule 3. Regulation of the gallbladder

It is directly affected by stress management practices, eating habits, fluid balance, and self-massage techniques. Here are a few techniques to help improve gallbladder functioning.

1. The simplest technique to reduce stress belly breathingActivating the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing tension. To do this, start paying attention to exactly how you breathe throughout the day; from your abdomen or chest? Mostly women breathe from the chest, and breathing from the chest, on the contrary, stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, causing increased breathing, palpitations, increased blood pressure and other phenomena of overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, disrupting the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and, above all, the gallbladder.

Try “Square” breathing according to the following count throughout the day:

– Breathe for 4 seconds, then hold your breath for 4 seconds,

– then exhale for 4 seconds and hold your breath for 4 seconds.

It is important to switch to abdominal breathing during practice. To follow this, place your palms on your stomach, try to breathe so that your stomach does not swell and your chest does not work.

Repeat these breathing cycles 4-5 times. Monitor your condition – you may begin to feel dizzy due to the supply of oxygen to the tissues. It is better to practice Square breathing while sitting or lying down. This practice before meals is very useful; so you eat less and food is digested better.

2. diet fix. Try to increase the proportion of fresh plant fiber in your diet (especially seasonal vegetables such as carrots, beets and cabbage) and fermented foods.

3. Correction of eating behavior. Try to separate physiological hunger from emotional hunger. By the way, I talked about this in detail in my article.

4. Normalization of drinking regime. Drink at least 30-35 ml of clean and warm water per 1 kg of weight (in winter it is most convenient to carry a thermal mug with you). When drinking cold water, additional stress occurs on the body and additional energy is spent on heating it (after all, only water heated to 38-40 degrees can be absorbed into the blood).

5. Taking mild choleretic preparations or rosehip decoction.

6. Preventive use of natural antiparasitic drugs herbs or nutritional supplements at least every 6 months. And if there are pets at home, then once every 3 months.

7. Helpful for relieving abdominal cramps daily light self-massage of the abdominal area on an empty stomach using your hand on the massage hemisphere (16 cm diameter) or lying face down: 5 minutes above the navel, 5 minutes below the navel and 5 minutes below the navel.

Rule number 4. Maintaining Intestinal Health

It is necessary not only for successful saturation of the body with nutrients and timely cleansing, but also for the good functioning of the immune and hormonal systems. And for this it is important to comply with various rules.

— Perform cleaning practices at least once a month (ideally for six months). Mild herbal laxatives / magnesium sulphate / Shank Prakshalana or water-salt colon cleansing are suitable for this. After cleansing it is nice to spend the fast with freshly squeezed vegetable juices / smoothies / herbal decoctions with honey and lemon / water or at least just a fasting day.

— Practice intermittent fasting. The simplest thing is to move breakfast to 10:00 and, on the contrary, have dinner earlier (around 17:00-18:00). Then the interval until the next meal will be 16 hours. Beginners to intermittent fasting can start with 12-hour intervals and gradually work up to 16 hours. It is important to ensure that the meal interval (10:00 – 18:00) includes foods that are high in nutrients and do not contain refined or flour. products.

— Adjust your diet to reduce pro-inflammatory factors and nourish beneficial microflora. To do this, try to be conscious about your food choices, reduce the amount of chemical additives, refined foods, sweets, flour and animal proteins in your diet. Try the Plate Rule: Ideally, half your plate should be filled with fresh salad, a quarter with whole grains, and the remaining quarter with animal or plant protein.

Rule number 5. Regular physical activity

This could be walking 10,000 steps a day (preferably at a brisk pace as a walk in the fresh air), 2- or 5-minute squats 6-8 times a day, morning exercises (you can always do it). (find 10 minutes in the morning if you wish) or do another moderate but enjoyable physical activity. It is very important that physical activity is enjoyable and varied, otherwise motivation can quickly decrease and internal self-sabotage can turn on.

But self-love and the correct psychological attitude towards a healthy, joyful and fulfilling life will help us maintain motivation.