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We can do what ever men can do – but are we happy?

April 27, 2010 By Andrea Leave a Comment

An article to get Modern Women thinking.

We have babies and rear children. We nurture our young, breastfeed them, make their lunches, cook their dinners, wipe their grubby hands. We cuddle, hug, encourage and laugh with our kids. We parent, scold, educate and teach our children that they can be ANYTHING in the world.

We drop kids to school, we shop for groceries, clothes for the family, manage the household budget and still attend Tupperware parties! From mothers, cleaners, teachers, nurses to now ANY career we want.

In 2010 you will find us in space, in labs, in hospitals, and in boardrooms. (How come we still don’t earn the same incomes as our male counterparts ).

We walk around building sites with pencils behind our ears, construction hats on, sturdy boots and overalls. We wear work suits, shorts, jackets and vests. Some wear ties, but not many are choosing Y briefs, yet…

We can dance, sing, act and break sporting records – we can run parent and teachers meetings, organize fund raisers and even run countries!

BUT ARE WE HAPPY?

Why did we stop wearing dresses? Why are wrinkles suddenly not cool? Why did we burn our bras again?

The gender pendulum has swung too far. Not just aesthetically but biologically.

Woman are developing higher levels of male hormones, feeling aggressive, stressed and de-feminized.

We have made many demands – we have essentially what we want, and yet most of us are confused, uptight and are experiencing physically hormone changes that are incongruent with our natural chemistry. Basically we, the female component of the human species, don’t know how to make ourselves happy.

What are the men folk doing? Well they are becoming too scared to say anything. They are not turning to self help and personal development courses. They are not trying to get another 10 certificates or degrees to find true happiness. Instead they are going to pubs, clubs and sheds. They are protecting themselves from an endemic of aggressive, hairy woman.

Sam Beau Patrick is dedicated to assisting individuals, groups and companies to be the healthiest and happiest they can be. She specializes in hormone management (stress, sleep and female hormones in particular) and tries to achieve your health and happiness goals through natural and safe methods. For more information about Sam and her services visit www.byebyebridget.com

Filed Under: Hormones

Bushwalking- Improve Your Wellbeing

April 6, 2010 By Andrea Leave a Comment

Bushwalking in a Aussie thing to do. It provides a sense of wellbeing. Getting out of your daily routine and back into nature is great in so many ways.

When you suffer from period pain, and your hormones are out of whack, it can be very therapeutic to get back into nature- mother nature.

Here are 3 positive things that bushwalking will do for your health

1. Have you ever been to the beach and you feel ‘so much better’ afterwards? Walking where there is running water- a creek, stream or rain, creates negative ions. John Grey, who wrote Men Are From Mars and Women are from Venus, talks about how negative ions give us a feeling of vitality when we get into nature. And even more negative ions are created in running water.

2. Exercising helps to release endorphins. Endorphins are feel good brain chemicals that transmit enjoyment, contentment and euphoria. Estrogen levels rule the release of endorphins, so if your estrogen is low, then you may not be getting your usual release of endorphins. This is common in women who aren’t ovulating and menopausal women. If you don’t get a release of endorphins, you can feel teary and emotional. To overcome feeling teary and emotional, seeing a naturopath to help raise estrogen levels to a safe level is important, but you can start right now in helping your body raise endorphin levels by bushwalking or doing your favorite exercise.

3. Exercise- walking, climbing over rocks, jumping through puddles all provides exercise. Exercise helps to improve the tone of your muscle, burn up unwanted calories and gives you a sense of wellbeing.

If you do go bushwalking, there are a few things that you need to do before you go. Preparation is the key to safe bushwalking. Check with the local information centre that the track is safe and right for your level of fitness and ask then for an estimate of how long the walk will take. Make sure you have enough daylight hours to walk in. If you are unsure about your level of fitness, see your local trainer at the gym. Make sure you stick to the walking track. Don’t deviate from it. Carry enough water (plus a bit extra), some food- good energy food like a banana or some nuts and seeds is important. Make sure you have the correct walking shoes are you are dressed for the weather. Keep a mobile phone on you- even if it does go out of range, you may find somewhere that picks up reception in an emergency. Take a small first aid kit with you. And lastly, make sure you have Ambulance cover/ health insurance.

These safety precautions that need to be taken, far outweigh the benefits that walking in Mother Nature can do your your health, hormones and wellbeing.

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The Period Pain Guru & Naturopath Andrea Hepner has been helping women who experience period pain and related symptoms for many years. She is also a specialist in hormonal imbalance and fertility issues. To contact Andrea Hepner for treatment call 1300 21 44 25 or go to www.periodpain.com.au/

Filed Under: Wellbeing

How to Make Hommous

March 20, 2010 By Andrea Leave a Comment

Hommous is really easy to make & it tastes great! It can be used as a dip or with falafel.

Ingredients:
Chickpeas, preferably organic. You can use either a can or soak chickpeas over night.
Lemon jiuce, of one lemon
Tahini (hulled sesame seeds), 1-2 tbs. You can buy this in the health food section of the supermarket.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
Rinse canned or soaked chickpeas and let drain. In a blender add lemon jiuce, tahini, chickpeas and salt and pepper and wizz until it makes a dip consistency. A small amount of water can be added if it is too dry.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Recipe

Is Stress Contributing to Your Period Pain?

February 25, 2010 By Andrea Leave a Comment

If 10 is the hightest on a scale of one to ten, what would your stress levels be? Is it getting up there 7? 8? 9? or even 10?

Stress in our daily lives is very much linked with period pain. Cortisol, our stress hormone is used when we are ‘under the pump’. Progesterone, which is one of our female balancing hormones, is robbed by cortisol if we are stressed. Therefore we make much less progesterone when we are stressed and this can cause period pain.

Here are 3 Tips which will help to cut the stress down, which in the long run, will help with your period pain.

Tip One

Get out into nature. Nature helps to absorb your ‘stress’ energy. Getting down to the beach and going for a stroll will help to reduce your stress levels.

Tip Two

Focus on your breath for one minute. When we focus on our breath, our mind switches ‘off’ and we become aware of our body again. When one first starts doing this technique, their mind can wander offen thoughout the minute with things link ‘what am i going to have for dinner’ and ‘ I need to call such and such’. If this happens, just recognise it and bring your mind back to your breathing. This technique shouldn’t be done when you are driving in the car.

Tip Three

Block out some ‘Me Time’ in your diary. These days we seem to schedule everything into our diary except relaxation time for ourselves. It is really important that we do take time out and make it a high priority. Scheduling it into your diary will help make it happen. If someone calls up and asks you to do something at that time, you can say that you have something on, it’s written in your diary!

Keeping stress levels low, will help, in the long run, keep your period pain at a minimum, so become aware of you, and enjoy some time out.

Filed Under: Period pain

Can Lack of Sleep Contribute to Period Pain?

February 24, 2010 By Andrea Leave a Comment

Hormones can be out of balance for many reasons and one is to do with sleep- or lack there of.

When you sleep, you produce a sleep hormone called melatonin. Melatonin allows you to stay asleep. It works in rhythm with your day/ night cycle.

A good nights’ sleep is really important for keeping your hormones balanced because melatonin helps to keep your estrogen levels on an even keel. Estrogen is the hormone that if imbalanced, can cause period pain, menstrual cramps and other women related issues.

Here are 3 tips for keeping your sleep hormone levels in tip top shape!

1) Be in bed by 10pm.

This can be easier said than done. If you are a night owl or do night shift, then it can seem like an impossible task to get to bed by that time. Try to be in bed by 10pm with the lights out. You may lie there for the first few nights, but soon your body will return to its natural rhythm.

2) Lights out, means all lights out.

Your body is affected by light. If you have a clock radio with illuminated numbers or a small light shinning from other appliances, this can affect your sleep hormone, so turn them off or turn them away from you. That also means computers!

3) Have a glass or warm milk before bed

Milk has special nutrients in it which help to raise melatonin levels, so warm milk can help you to nod off.

So make sure you get a good night’s sleep or see your naturopath who can put you on the right path!

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Filed Under: Period pain