Middle-Aged Women and Hormones: Estrogen, Fat Cells, and Weight Loss

November 30, 2011 – 10:20 am

Many studies have been conducted to determine what effect aging, and menopause have on women. Not only do middle-aged women experience hormonal changes, but the side effect can sometimes be additional fat in the abdominal area. The aging process, genetic factors, lifestyle changes and changes in diet, are all factors of this dreaded, seemingly sudden weight gain. As in life, there are certain factors that may be controlled, and others which may not. The trick is to work with what you can change, to get the desired result.

Middle-aged women may experience a decreasing level of estrogen. Estrogen refers to three different sex hormones. Estrone, estriol, and estradiol are steroidal hormones made from cholesterol, that make up estrogen. It is produced by the ovaries, and its function is to stimulate ovulation. Estrogen affects the development and health of the reproductive system as well as the breast tissue. Middle-aged women experiencing perimenopause, and menopause, produce less estrogen. The body tries to compensate for the decrease in estrogen, by producing more from fat cells. In order for the cells to make more estrogen, the cells must store more fat, therefore slowing the body’s metabolism, which leads to weight gain. When the body’s metabolism is slowed down, the fat cells are not transformed into energy as quickly, and the fat is stored in the cells. When you lose weight, you lose estrogen, and your body is alerted that it needs to produce more, starting the cycle all over again. That is why it is so difficult to keep the weight off, while dieting.

Weight loss also creates a fluctuation in the levels of other hormones such as leptin and ghrelin. Leptin signals your brain, indicating that you are full, and ghrelin stimulates hunger. Leptin will decrease with a drop in body-fat percentage, while ghrelin levels will increase. So if you have less leptin, you will continue to feel hungry, and increased ghrelin continues to stimulate your hunger. Androgen is a hormone which also affects weight gain around the abdomen. Testosterone, a steroid from the androgen group, is the hormone that helps create lean muscle, and boosts metabolism. With weight loss, this hormone is also decreased. Muscle mass decreases, and the speed in which fat is transformed into energy is decreased due to lower levels of testosterone. These hormone levels continue to fluctuate even a year after losing weight, so it is important to maintain your dieting habits in order to keep the weight from coming back.

Fat cells make up highly complex tissue, to coordinate the storage of fat and to regulate metabolic processes. These cells secrete hormones and proteins, regulate the reproductive system, and indicate to the body when it is time to make more, to maintain a constant number in the body. When you lose weight, you do not reduce the number of fat cells, they just reduce in size. When fat cell shrink, triglycerides are broken down into glycerol and fatty acids. The fatty acids and glycerols are absorbed by the liver, kidneys, and muscles. They are further broken down to produce energy for your body. The number of fat cells in your body is established during puberty. The more calories that you burn, the more your body uses the fat cells for energy. So, shrinking the fat cells, is the goal of any weight-loss program. Then you must deal with the fluctuating hormones, signaling to your brain that you are still hungry.

The middle-aged woman’s bulge is not just a concern because of vanity. It has very pronounced effects on the body. Increased abdominal fat may lead to heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes. Metabolism decreases with age, and that is a normal aging process. Genetic pre-disposition to obesity is also a factor, so it cannot be said that hormones exclusively cause the middle age bulge. It is a factor to be considered however, and although hormone-replacement therapy, or HRT is available, it has been found to have possible dangerous side effects. Many of the studies conducted suggest that long-term treatments are necessary to counteract changes in hormones, and to reduce appetite. It seems that the best way to lose the additional pounds is by a sustainable lifestyle choice, physical activity, and a healthy diet.

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What Does Endometriosis Feel Like?

November 24, 2011 – 5:12 am

It feels like Endometriosis is affecting more and more women but yet it still seems to take doctors ages to determine if you have the condition. It is not easy to detect on an ultrasound and often drastic surgery is the only way to know for sure if you have the condition.

I have endometriosis and can share some of the symptoms and what it feels like to have Endometriosis, so perhaps you can determine if it is Endometriosis a little easier and take action to reduce your pain levels.

It can get easier and the pain has subsided since I have gone all natural with my healing, so please don’t feel like it is the end of the world for having Endometriosis.

The most common feeling you have with Endometriosis is emotional feelings. You get over emotional easily and over react easily. This is actually one of first symptoms I notice with girls with Endometriosis.

The second most common symptom is period pain. It is also evident in the way you have your period. If your period is particularly heavy or has large lumps in it, this could indicate Endometriosis. Your lower abdominal area will also bloat up for the days leading up to your period and will remain quite bloated for a few days after your period. This was one of the key symptoms I experienced at 16, which I had no idea was not normal.

As Endometriosis sufferers, we also experience digestive problems, skin reactions and sensitivities. You are likely to have trouble with your eyes or eyesight. You are also likely to have varicose veins or bruise easily.

Endometriosis is also really obvious when you have sex. It will likely hurt during and after sex. You will probably find deep penetration the worst pain and it is likely to cause a tense, pulsating pain in your abdomen afterwards. I have found doing Yoga to release tension in the abdominal area, really helps with this.

For me it took over 2 years to discover I had Endometriosis and many of my symptoms were dismissed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome or bladder infections. These are actually a symptom of Endometriosis, so the doctors didn’t get it completely wrong!Both are related to our hormone levels and their imbalance.

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The Different Types of Hair Weaves

November 18, 2011 – 5:15 am

Nowadays the term “weave” is used to describe non braided hair extensions in general. It is a collective term encompassing the traditional sewn in weave, bonded or glued in weaves, and clip on hair extensions.

The term however originated from the first type of weaves and probably still the most commonly used weave – the traditional weave. It primarily involves attaching hair extension wefts to the head by sewing them to hair that has been plaited into narrow strips called cornrows. The needle used to sew the hair is specially made for the purpose and is curved to prevent it from pricking the scalp as it is passed through the cornrow. The cornrows are often referred to as tracks due to their likeness to rail tracks.

The pattern the cornrows are plaited in is dependent on the final desired hairstyle. If there is to be a parting, usually some natural hair is left out where the parting is to be located in order to give the illusion the weave is the wearer’s natural hair. When the tracks cover the entire head, with no hair left out at all, this is referred to as a full head weave.

Another common way of using track hair extensions is to add volume to natural hair. Three or four lines of tracks are braided to the scalp leaving gaps of loose hair in between. When the hair extensions are sewn in they blend in with the natural hair, making it appear thicker provided the extensions match the natural hair texture and colour.

Bonded weaves use adhesives to attach hair extension wefts to the head instead of tracks. The glue is usually applied to the hair weft then firmly pressed against the scalp after creating a line or parting where the hair is to be positioned. The glues or adhesives used for bonding are also purpose made and usually have anti fungal properties to discourage the growth of bacteria on the scalp while the hair weft is stuck to the head. This method is a lot less time consuming than the track method and is very appealing because the resulting weave tends to look more natural than a sewn in weave. An oil based remover is usually required to break down the bond before the wefts can be removed safely from the head. Improper removal can lead to traction alopecia.

Clip on extensions are attached by sewing specially made hair clips onto hair wefts which are then clipped into the hair along parted lines. These are usually used to add highlights or volume to hair.

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