Studies suggest that fluctuating hormone levels during the menopause can cause lack of coordination, poor concentration and clumsiness so you may feel more accident prone and forgetful. For example, you may need to read a page over and over again to get the sense of it or you may find yourself daydreaming when you need to be concentrating. The following natural therapies should help but bear in mind that the menopause isn’t always to blame. Difficulty concentrating and becoming absent-minded may also be related to poor diet, lack of exercise, fluid retention, lack of sleep and stress.

• Pay particular attention to eating little and often and cutting down on caffeine, to ensure that your nervous system isn’t being overworked by too much adrenaline.
• Make sure that your diet is sufficient in B vitamins – especially vitamin B5 found in food such as whole grains like brown rice, oats, whole meal bread and also in legumes, broccoli and tomatoes. Vitamin B5 is essential for optimum functioning of your nervous system. If lack of co-ordination is a real problem you may want to supplement with a good B complex containing 50 mg of vitamin B5 a day.  (See the Resources Page.)
• Make sure your diet is sufficient in iron as low iron levels can be associated with memory problems and poor coordination.
• Decrease your intake of stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine and sugar.
• Regular exercise also helps to keep you alert and sharp and can improve your concentration too. A brisk walk in the fresh air every day for around 20 minutes will tone up both your mind and your body.
• Learn a relaxation technique to give your nervous system a chance to repair and relax. Just a few minutes a day of relaxation is enough.
• Try some essential oils to soothe your mind and body and reduce stress. Melissa, lavender, and chamomile all have a calming effect which can help problems that contribute to clumsiness.
• Research has shown that Ginkgo Biloba can improve concentration, memory and reaction time. Gingko helps deliver oxygen to your nerve cells and your brain. A study in the Lancet showed that Gingko can improve blood flow to the head. If mental and/or physical disorientation is a problem you may want to take gingko for a period of three to four months. Remember herbs take a few weeks of daily use to show improvement.   (See the Resources Page for an excellent Ginkgo supplement.)
• Practise yoga and meditation to help improve concentration and alertness. While you are doing your yoga you may want to silently and slowly count backwards from 100 once you are in a relaxed state as this will help stimulate circuitry in the brain. As your concentration improves start back from 200 or even 500.

It’s a case of use it or lose it with your brain. Contrary to popular belief brain power does not decrease as you get older and studies show you can be just as sharp in your 60s as your teens. The secret is to use your brain and keep it active. So if you do find yourself becoming forgetful keep your brain alive with new interests, new challenges and try your hand at crosswords or Sudoku every day.

Stress, hormone changes, physical exertion, certain medications and intense sensory stimuli can all trigger headaches or migraines but food can also act as a major trigger for many people.

The following foods are among the most common offenders. If you are prone to headaches or migraines and discover that one of the foods listed here is a trigger, then you know that you need to avoid that particular food if you want to minimise migraine frequency. Unfortunately symptoms often don’t hit you immediately after eating these foods, so you need to keep a diary for several weeks to notice a pattern. The time lag is due to the fact that the problem arises when the food reaches the liver, and should be broken down by enzymes. 

 

Tyramine or phenylethylamine:

Two amino acids found in chocolate, aged or fermented cheese, soya foods, all nuts and most seeds, citrus fruits, and vinegar (red and balsamic). Bear in mind that tyramine content in food increases over time, especially if food is improperly stored; so you may need to avoid eating leftovers.

 

Alcohol:

Beer, red wine, sherry, and vermouth contain large amounts of tyramine, which can cause migraines. In addition, all alcohol can cause dehydration, which also can trigger headaches.

 

Tannins:

Tea, red-skinned apples and pears, apple juice and cider, and red wine, which contain tannins.

 

Deli meats and other foods containing nitrites:

These include pepperoni, bacon, hot dogs, sausages (including chicken, turkey and soya sausages/bacon/hot dogs that list nitrites in their ingredients), bologna, pastrami, jerky (beef and turkey), corned beef, and all other beef/poultry/pork/wild game/fish that has been cured, smoked, pickled, canned or preserved with nitrites. 

 

Sulphites:

This preservative is commonly found in wine (more so in white wine), most dried fruits (including prunes, figs, apricots), canned vegetables and many processed foods. Check labels.

 

Additives:

Check labels carefully and avoid foods that contain monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolysed vegetable protein (HVP), hydrolysed plant protein (HPP) and any products claiming to have “natural flavour” or “natural flavourings.”

 

Aspartame:

Be cautious of foods and beverages made with this artificial sweetener.

 

Caffeine:

People with sensitivity to caffeine can develop migraines after drinking black tea, green tea, coffee, cola soft drinks, or other caffeinated soft drinks. But caffeine can also be used to stop a migraine that is just beginning — that’s why many over-the-counter migraine medications contain caffeine. Test your personal response to caffeine. If it gives you headaches, avoid it.

 

Nutrients, supplements and self-help tips to reduce headaches:

 

• Magnesium helps your muscles to relax and a deficiency can trigger headaches. So make sure your diet includes foods such as leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds, soya beans and whole grains. One study showed that women who took 300 mg twice a day of magnesium reported fewer headaches than those who did not.  (An excellent form of magnesium I use in the clinic is Magnesium EAP, see the Resources Page).
• Make sure your diet is rich in essential fatty acids – especially omega 3 – found in oily fish, nuts and seeds. Another study suggested that migraine sufferers showed a significant reduction in symptoms when they took omega 3 fish oils every day.  With migraines the blood vessels in the brain constrict and then dilate.  These engorged blood vessels irritate and inflame the nerves.  This stimulates the vessels to swell further, causing a cycle of pain which can last for hours or even days.  Prostaglandins can also be stimulated and there can be an increase in the production of PGE2 or ‘bad’ prostaglandins, which can increase the inflammatory response and pain.  Omega 3 fatty acids produce PGE3, the ‘good’ prostaglandin, which is anti-inflammatory and that is why they can help to reduce the pain during a migraine attack.  (I use Omega 3 Plus which is an excellent fish oil combination of both EPA and DHA – see the Resources Page).
• Folic acid, the vitamin found in dark green leafy vegetables, which lowers the risk of birth defects, may help reduce the risk of migraines with auras according to new research.
• One study showed that 70 percent of migraine sufferers had less frequent attacks when taking the herb feverfew. Feverfew blocks the production of the inflammatory prostaglandin PGE2. 
• Some women only get premenstrual or menstrual migraines and in this case it is important that your liver is functioning efficiently.  Your liver eliminates hormones and waste products and can help to eliminate ‘old’ hormones safely and efficiently during each cycle.  To improve liver function use the herb milk thistle.  The more effectively your liver is working, the better it will be able to deal with fluctuating hormones leading up to your period.  A healthy liver will also be able to produce all the enzymes needed to break down certain foods that might trigger a migraine.  (See the Resources Page for a good milk thistle.).

 

Missing meals or nutrients can trigger a headache so make sure you don’t leave more than three hours between meals and snacks.

 

Activities that require repetitive motion such as chewing gum or grinding teeth can also trigger headaches.

 

Learn to relax. By reducing muscles tension you may be able to ward off a fair number of headaches. Sit or lie down in a dark, quiet room for 20 minutes. Place an ice pack on your forehead. Tension headaches sometimes respond better to the application of heat. When headaches or migraines play a part in your process, try to regard them as evidence that the body needs time to be alone, to recharge. Lie in total silence, in complete darkness, and sleep, if possible, until the headache is gone.

           

Regular exercise and stretching can prevent many tension headaches.

Treat yourself to a neck, shoulder and head massage. Whether it is a traditional massage or acupressure, releasing physical tension and improving circulation can promote feelings of wellbeing and even prevent headaches. Simply rubbing your temples can relieve pain.

 

It is also possible to suffer pain as a result of taking too many painkillers. It can be a vicious circle as many over-the-counter painkillers contain codeine or caffeine, which makes them addictive. It is also possible to develop an intolerance to painkillers so that the dosage has to be increased to get an effect, which leads to a rebound headache and a need for more painkillers.

           

Note: Don’t ignore headaches that occur over and over again. They could be a sign of an underlying health problem. If you have tried various DIY measures or your headaches become more intense or persistent ask your doctor for advice.

Are your thoughts making you fat? Here’s how changing your mindset can help you lose weight.

Motivation to lose weight is often high in springtime when buds start to appear, reminding us that bathing suit season is not far behind. Although there is no escaping the need to exercise regularly and eat healthily to lose weight, experts say that having the right attitude can help you lose weight and stay slim.

 

Research shows that you really can think yourself thin. Scientists at Harvard University, USA told 42 women housework burns calories. After four weeks they had lost an average of 2 lbs and lowered their blood pressure by 10 percent, while 42 women who weren’t told the information showed no weight changes. Neither group altered their lifestyles; just their mind sets.

 

If you want to succeed at weight loss looking at the thought patterns and habits in your life that can sabotage your efforts can make all the difference. Everyone has his or her own excuses and weakness but whatever your weak spot to lose weight and keep it off your mindset needs to be right.

 

The following think thin strategies are all designed to help you get the right mindset for long term weight loss:

 

– A little patience: First of all you need to have patience. One major mental block to weight loss is wanting too much, too fast. But you’ll get the best results when you lose weight slowly.  If you lose weight too quickly, you’re just losing water and muscle, not fat and when you lose muscle, metabolism slows down, making it even harder to lose weight.

 

– Imagine yourself thin: If you want to be thin, see yourself that way. Visualise yourself slim and see how good you look and feel. Alternatively you could imagine what you would look like five years from now if you continue gaining weight; sometimes this Scrooge ghost of Christmas future exercise alone is enough of a shocker to be an incentive.  There is also a brilliant service where you can send in a photograph of yourself and they can now send it back showing you what you will look when you are slim.  The photo can then be stuck on the fridge to keep you motivated. You can also specify how much weight you want to lose.   It is on www.naturalhealthpractice.com and click on Fat around the Middle products (called Slimmer You Photograph).

 

– Set small goals: Make a list of small goals that will all help you lose weight. These small goals should all be things that improve your lifestyle and are realistically simple to achieve, such as

• Eating more fruits and vegetables every day
• Getting some kind of physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day
• Drinking alcohol only on the weekends
• Ordering a side salad instead of chips.
• Losing around 1 pound a week.

 

– Change is tough and it is even tougher if you make too many changes at once, so start small and gradually make lifestyle improvements.

 

– Get connected: Find a friend, family member or support group you can connect with on a regular basis. Studies show people who are connected with others, whether it’s in person or online, do better than dieters who try to go it alone.

 

– Plan ahead: Every night plan your healthy meals and fitness routine for the day ahead. Planning ahead is 80% of the battle. If you’re equipped with a detailed plan, results will follow. Schedule your 30 minute walk as you would a dentist’s or hairdresser’s appointment. Prepare dried fruits, veggies or nuts and seeds so you won’t be tempted to eat the wrong kinds of foods.

 

– Pat yourself on the back: Give yourself a non food reward with a trip to the movies, a massage or whatever will help you feel good about your accomplishments after you have met one of your mini goals for a week. It is important to recognise and celebrate the steps you are taking to be leaner and healthier.

 

– Keep track: Studies show that keeping track of what you are eating and how you feel about eating helps promote positive behaviours and minimise the unhealthy ones. So buy a note book and keep a food diary. Food diaries are a form of accountability. When you are accountable, you are less likely to over eat or eat unhealthily.  It is interesting that when women come to the clinic they are asked to fill out a questionnaire, which includes a food diary, they often say that they are surprised, as they did not realise what or how much they were eating of certain things until they had written them down.  A lot of what you eat can be unconscious so being aware of what you are doing can be a big first step.

 

– Change your habits: You can’t continue to do things the way you used to or think negatively about yourself if you want to succeed at weight loss. Try to identify where you are engaging in behaviours or thought patterns that lead to weight gain and turn them around with little steps that you can easily handle without feeling deprived. For example, if you always slump in front of the television when you get home hide the remote and phone a friend or go for a walk instead. If you always reach for a bar of chocolate when you feel stressed get rid of any tempting, empty-calorie foods in your kitchen and replace them with healthier options. And if you always feel guilty when you do indulge don’t make things worse by thinking you’ve blown it. Remind yourself that no one is perfect and that as long as you are eating healthily 80 per cent of the time you are doing fine. Instead of thinking of yourself as overweight think of yourself as a person who is on the road to reaching their ideal weight.