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We are diving into the top 4 women health myths.

This months theme at Clear Connections is “Luck Be A Lady,” and that means we are focusing on women’s health!

These days we are so inundated with media messages – fat is good, fat is bad – eat more, more – exercise more, exercise less – eat grapefruit – eat all you want! No wonder women everywhere are confused!

To make good health choices, we need good information – not the flood of information that comes in piecemeal to use over the internet, on a magazine cover or in an infomercial.

1. Women don’t need multivitamins if they eat well.

Ideally, we would get all the nutrients we need from the foods we choose –  unfortunately, that just isn’t the case in today’s world. Current farming practices and packaging methods offer to deplete nutrients from our foods. When you couple that with the choices some women must make the given location, convenience, knowledge base, and finance, it’s no wonder that women aren’t able to take in the nutrients we need. What’s more, our bodies are constantly being inundated with toxins and free radicals – in ways in which we are sometimes unaware or helpless to control. Additional support is needed to help our bodies detoxify heavier and heavier toxic burdens. The better you can support your body’s nutritional needs, the better chance you have of keeping your body in balance!

Remember! Toxins subluxate your body. Regular chiropractic care counteracts stress to your body, but having optimal nutrition to fuel your cells is key to enhancing your chiropractic care. Ask about our Standard Process products if you need help with selecting high quality, whole foods based supplementation for your enhanced nutritional plan.

2. All women gain weight during menopause – and few ever lose it.

It’s common for women to gain weight during the perimenopausal years – but this weight certainly doesn’t have to be a permanent weight gain – pounds which you will never be able to shed.

It’s important to remember that our bodies are biologically programmed to protect fertility. In the perimenopausal years as the ovaries decrease estrogen production, the body works to store more fat – fat cells can provide another source of estrogen. As ovarian function winds down, our adrenal glands start to produce small amounts of estrogen and other sex hormones. If our adrenals are compromised by chronic stress, more cortisol than we need may be produced affecting our delicate hormonal balance even more. It’s important to remember that our hormones are all interconnected –and explains why weight gain can be caused by imbalances in estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, insulin, cortisol, DHEA and HGH. These hormones work in symphony to regulate metabolism and weight.

Remember! The nervous system is in control of all your organs and in turn your hormonal output and regulation. Keep your nervous system working properly! Stay on track with your recommended care plan.

3. To lose weight you should eat low fat, low-calorie diet.

Weight and weight loss is a common, ongoing concern for many women. For some women, calorie reduction may be the answer for weight loss, but in my years of experience, I’ve found it’s not what we eat, it’s how we metabolize our food.

Our bodies have evolved to metabolize food slowly, conserving fat to protect us against periods of starvation. In modern times, it would be unusual for women to suffer long bouts of starvation – but when we cut calories, our bodies are conditioned to slow our metabolism which makes it more difficult to lose weight.

I help women every day understand how complex our bodies really are – those undiscovered imbalances can also affect metabolism. The most common imbalances are:

  • Insulin resistance
  • Thyroid imbalance
  • Toxic overload
  • Adrenal imbalances
  • Food sensitivities

These imbalances affect the way we metabolize food and store fat. Almost all the women I see as patients realize the best results when they take the time to investigate the underlying cause of weight gain.

Our bodies are designed to eat! Most of the women I see are not overeaters! They have underlying imbalances which need to be addressed.

Research has shown that diets higher in healthy fats, lean proteins, and fresh fruits and veggies tend to be best for overall health and maintaining a healthy weight. Moderation is key…watch your serving sizes!

4. Your body requires more sleep as you age.

Our sleep does seem to change as we age – but we don’t require less of it! Women need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night – sleep is critical to help rebuild and restore. While we may not sleep as deeply or uninterrupted as we did in our 20’s and 30’s…our body’s need for sleep doesn’t change.

Many of my patients report disrupted sleep patterns. Cortisol can be a primary factor in keeping you awake when you want to fall asleep or waking you before you’d like! Evaluating and managing your stress levels are so important to your sleep cycle!

Good sleep hygiene practices include:

  • Keep your room dark. Light blocking shades are helpful. Cover alarm clocks or electronics with LED lights.
  • Exercise early in the day.
  • Turn off all electronics one hour before bed.
  • Keep reading material light – disturbing books can affect your sleep!
  • Eat your last meal of the day several hours before bed.
  • Ensure your bedroom is a comfortable temperature.

There’s certainly a lot of information out there concerning our health – I urge you to listen to your inner self. Listen to what feels right to you – investigate if you are interested – or disregard messages which don’t resonate with you. Use your inner wisdom to decide what is good for you.

Yours in Health,
Team at CCC