During perimenopause, many women develop a heightened sense for smells that family members or co-workers may not notice. (I certainly did.) A woman may also become sensitized to smells emanating from her, other family members, an office space, or her household that were previously never noticed. Not surprisingly, along with all the changes that occur […]
Food Sensitivity: Histamines
(Part 4 of the Food Sensitivity series) Did you ever lay down at night and notice a new runny congested nose, itching, scratchy throat, or vague gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort? Maybe it was something you ate—food and drink containing histamines. For some people, especially foodies, edible sources of histamines add up to cause these and other […]
Food Sensitivities
We all know someone with a “cast-iron” stomach, but most of us know more people with food intolerances. While food allergies are taken quite seriously, food sensitivities are sometimes made light of although their resulting symptoms can be just as painful or debilitating. Initially, GI distress after eating may be written off as food poisoning […]
VITAMIN K2: The Vitamin You Don’t Know About, But Should
If there was a vitamin that could help you maintain bone strength, improve cardiovascular health, and perhaps protect brain function, wouldn’t you want to know about it? For many decades, vitamin K was thought to be required only for blood coagulation, but a separate form of vitamin K—K2—has roles in bone, heart, and perhaps, brain […]
THE RIGHT STUFF: Choosing Vaginal Lubricants & Moisturizers
Experiencing hot flashes during the menopause transition is bad enough, but coincidental vaginal dryness removes the spontaneity from sex, predisposes to urinary issues, causes vaginal itching, and, for some, makes it uncomfortable to sit on our fannies. As estrogen diminishes during perimenopause, the vaginal lining thins, and its walls lose their folds. These changes were […]
The Highly Sensitive Person & the Menopause Transition
With diminishing estrogen, or rather, the roller coaster of its fluctuating levels during perimenopause, anything can happen, and not just to the hormonally targeted female organs and tissues. While changing menstrual patterns and flows are predictable, the most common complaints are hot flashes, insomnia, vaginal dryness, and mood changes, the latter referring to depression (new, […]