 Interview with Lyra Heller, MA Our bodies change as we age—as hard as we might fight it. For women who want to maintain a sexually active life with a partner, that may mean accommodating some physical changes. We talked to Lyra Heller, MA to learn her advice on what we can do in order to keep that libido alive. How does menopause affect sex? This is a complex question because women’s sexuality is complex. Part of your experience around sexuality and your sexual response is governed by changing hormones. The major impact centers on what menopause means to you, what it symbolizes, your relationship with your partner, and your general health and sense of wellbeing. How do changing hormones affect sex? Menopause is a process. It’s a major life transition marked by declines in sex hormones that signal the end of your reproductive years. Perimenopause is the first phase. It can begin sometime in your 40s and may extend into your mid-50s. The symptoms are related to fluctuating hormone levels that cause changes in menstrual cycle quality and frequency, hot flashes, spontaneous sweats leading to poor sleep quality, anxiety, and moodiness. You may notice some weight gain. Desire to engage in sex can be the last thing on your mind because you are tired, uncomfortable, possibly self-conscious. As estrogen levels continue to decline, vaginal dryness, which loosely translates as you don’t lubricate as well when you’re sexually aroused, may become an issue. This can result in painful intercourse, and it can produce a sense of negativity as you approach sex, because it hurts. Part of the menopausal experience is the vaginal lining tends to thin, and sometimes the walls of your vagina can narrow, so intercourse in general can be hurtful. How do your feelings and thoughts about menopausal changes affect sex? Christiane Northrup, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing says, “Thoughts are an important part of your inner wisdom, and they are very powerful. A thought held long enough and repeated often enough becomes a belief. A belief then becomes your biology. ”1 Menopause is a time of physical transformation that encompasses the aging process. Desiring an active sex life at times requires engaging in difficult and rewarding conversations with yourself and your partner because your body may not perform as before. Sounds simple enough, but it can be challenging to communicate “what turns you on.” Yet this may become a core issue. Other considerations that dampen sexual desire are:
Aging seems to come with increased aches and pains, whether from arthritis or just general physical deterioration. How can pain affect a healthy sex life? Pain hurts a healthy sex life! You don’t want to have sex when you hurt. So what happens is, you decide to control the pain. And there are pain medications that will actually reduce your desire to have sex. In fact, a lot of medications can cause sexual problems. Plus, drug combinations and mixtures of prescription with over-the-counter (OTC) medications are all capable of inducing disinterest in sex. This is where lifestyle becomes really important. If you’re suffering from a chronic health condition, the trajectory of seeking relief should start with a self-focused approach in partnership with your healthcare practitioner. Some of the major issues requiring medications that might affect your sex life can be elevated blood pressure, depression, anxiety, gut problems, and others2—these are all things that can in some instances also be helped by diet and lifestyle and becoming more physically active. With minor health concerns, a healthcare practitioner can provide guidance on what lifestyle modifications may help. Think in terms of being more proactive in how you approach your food choices, how you want to deal with the excess burden of weight, how you want to deal with blood pressure, adrenal function, and elevated blood fats—these are all capable of being modified by a healthy lifestyle. If you have had a heart attack or have coronary artery disease, do you need to be concerned with continuing normal sexual activities? Typically there is no concern as long as there is doctor oversight. If you experience shortness of breath, can’t walk very far, have poorly controlled blood pressure, those kinds of things are going to affect sexual vitality. That said, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women.3 It is important to appreciate your heart disease risk may go unrecognized even though knowledge about gender differences grows.4 New research suggests that women experiencing hot flashes before age 42 may have an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease when compared to women with late onset vasomotor symptoms (older than 42).5So heart disease is not restricted to women over 65. A baby aspirin a day may not be enough protection.6 Take your heart health seriously. If you are under the age of 65, and especially if you have a family history of heart disease, pay close attention to heart disease risk factors. The risk factors for heart disease are the same as for premature estrogen decline associated with early perimenopause: smoking, physical inactivity, overweight, standard American diet.7 Be proactive. Talk with your doctor. Are there any options out there that can help with libido?Experiencing perimenopause and libido is different from experiencing postmenopause and libido. Perimenopause is a rollercoaster ride of fluctuating hormones. Hot flashes and night sweats reduce your sleep. With the exception of some women whose sex drive may increase during perimenopause, you’re tired or irritable or anxious. If you’re depressed, it may worsen. You may feel old and ugly. As the extreme symptoms subside, if your libido is still hovering around zero, see a doctor to discuss possible interventions. There are several noteworthy methods: vaginal lubricants, moisturizers, and topical hormones. Water-based vaginal lubricants have a short-term effect on dryness. Vaginal moisturizers differ in that they have a longer-term effect and are prescribed on a regular basis—daily or every 2–3 days, depending on the extent of the dryness. Hyaluronic acid vaginal gel may improve symptoms of vaginal dryness, comparable with the effect of topical estrogen therapy. Both are recommended to reduce friction contributing to painful intercourse. Low-dose vaginal topical estriol, a weak estrogen, is an effective way to kindle sexual desire in some women and reduce vaginal dryness. The effect is different from oral hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Topical estriol seems to exert local as opposed to systemic effects. There are other topical hormones available that your doctor can prescribe, as well. If want to be sexually active throughout life, you can. It is a choice—a healthy, rewarding choice. Libido can be nourished. Discovering your capacity for creativity, curiosity, and experimentation is critical to being “turned on.” Grappling with the physical changes of menopause stimulates the need to explore your beliefs and feelings about what is means to be sexually intimate as we age. This can involve venturing into uncharted waters on the adventure of a lifetime. This content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individuals should always consult with their healthcare professional for advice on medical issues. REFERENCES:
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 By Robert Silverman, DC, DACBN, DCBCN, MS, CCN, CNS, CSCS, CIISN, CKTP, CES, HKC, FAKTR In a perfect world, we would garner all the vitamins and nutritional minerals we need from the foods we eat. We’d also be able to maintain robust, resilient immune systems to fight against all toxins and disease. Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in. The nutrients we need to maintain our day-to-day health, like magnesium, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids, are also critical for maintaining our health over the long term.1 Yet Americans on average get about 11 percent of their daily calories from low-nutrient fast food.2 Even when we skip fast food and junk food, we aren’t always as careful about our diet as we should be. Stress and poor lifestyle behaviors, including smoking and alcohol use, reduce our ability to absorb nutrients. Taking a daily multivitamin can help when your food isn’t as nutritious as it should be, but is that enough—even if you lead a generally healthy lifestyle? Aside from specific dietary needs that should be addressed with your functional health practitioner, here are five instances when I recommend leveraging the power of supplements. To aid healthy sleep patterns Among the many reasons to get a good night’s sleep is the link between sleep deprivation and negative health consequences. For example, people with high blood sugar often don’t sleep well. There’s evidence that not sleeping well can increase your risk of developing more serious complications. When choosing supplements for quality, restorative sleep, look to ingredients that help ease tension, support deep sleep, and promote physical regeneration during sleep. L-theanine enables the body to produce other calming amino acids, such as dopamine, GABA, and tryptophan and helps support concentration, focus, deep muscle relaxation, and improved quality sleep. Ashwagandha, another sleep-supporting supplement, contains active constituents called glyco-withanolides, which mimic certain corticosteroids, supporting healthy cortisol levels and the circadian rhythm. The best-known ingredient, melatonin, supports sleep onset, quality of sleep, increased REM time, deep sleep, and dreaming—all factors that lead to better quality sleep and produce greater mental, physical, and emotional rejuvenation. Melatonin can decrease the amount of time required to fall asleep, increase the number of sleeping hours, and support daytime alertness. I recommend taking just 5 mg of melatonin, as taking too much can impair the body’s natural production of it and may cause us to become dependent on the artificial form. Magnesium, a calming nutrient, can also help induce a deeper sleep, especially when taken together with calcium. Research from the Biochemistry and Neurophysiology Unit at the University of Geneva, Department of Psychiatry indicates that higher levels of magnesium helped provide better, more consistent sleep.3 Other natural supplements containing lavender oil work to encourage a restful night’s sleep by modulating the metabolism of melatonin and promoting relaxation.4 To support your brain health Getting consistent, sufficient sleep lays a solid foundation for your brain’s health, but how you feed your brain plays a critical role in its wellbeing over time. By combining a brain-healthy diet with nutritional supplements, you’ll provide your brain with the fuel it needs for optimum levels of functioning. Here are four supplements I’d recommend to support brain health:
To feed your gut We all know the old adage: “go with your gut.” But it turns out listening to your gut is much more than following your natural instinct. To support your gut’s health, start first with prebiotics—ingredients that induce the growth of beneficial microorganisms in your gut. You’ll also want to consume foods packed with probiotics. The combination of prebiotics and probiotics can help keep your microbiome in a healthy balance, with a good diversity of intestinal bacteria in your gut. When you have plenty of good bacteria, the harmful ones get crowded out. Your digestion also improves, because your ability to absorb macronutrients and micronutrients is better when your beneficial bacteria are diverse and balanced. To properly rehydrate after exercise After exercising, proper fueling requires more than just replenishing calories and fluids; it also involves consistent and adequate electrolyte support. Electrolytes are substances that are utilized by the body to create electrically charged fluids. Many bodily functions depend on electrolytes, especially in muscle and nervous system tissue. Major electrolytes found in the body include sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphate, and bicarbonate. The right rehydration supplements are scientifically designed to help support fluid balance; supply sodium and potassium to help replenish the electrolytes lost during exercise; deliver key electrolytes to help replace those lost through sweating during exercise, activity, or hot weather conditions; and support hydration during exercise.5 Whether you practice health-forward habits—like consuming gut-healthy prebiotics and probiotics and exercising regularly—or your diet consists of mostly empty calories and low levels of nutrients, incorporating supplements can help. In our fast-paced, modern world, supplements provide the support our bodies need to keep up—and sustain our health for the long run. This content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individuals should always consult with their healthcare professional for advice on medical issues. References:
 Inflammation is a popular buzzword these days. But what causes it exactly? How can you know you have it, and if it’s something your body does naturally to help you heal, then what’s the big deal?
We’ve all been there: It’s late, you’re tired, and you don’t feel like turning the lights on just to cross a room…then bam! Shin finds coffee table. The resulting egg-shaped lump is formed when blood flow increases to the area, bringing with it neutrophils and macrophages as part of the immune response. Symptoms of this acute inflammation are typical: redness, swelling, heat, and pain. The swelling that occurs as fluid collects in the area is also called “edema.” The symptoms last for a limited period of time—minutes to days—as the body heals itself. Acute inflammation vs. chronic inflammation When the body isn’t given enough time, or if the body is unable to resolve the immune response due to deficiency of certain nutrients, it can lead to chronic inflammation. This can also be caused by untreated infectious pathogens such as bacteria or viruses, as well as the adverse effects of long-term exposure to pollutants or chemicals, including smoking.1,2 Stress and obesity are also known factors that lead to chronic inflammation.3,4 Common symptoms of chronic inflammation include:
What can we do?While acute inflammation is one way your body can heal itself, chronic inflammation should be avoided, as a prolonged inflammatory response can cause damage to healthy cells and tissue. Consider adopting a few simple ways to decrease inflammation. If you have been experiencing the symptoms described herein and are concerned you may have chronic inflammation, make an appointment with your healthcare practitioner. This content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individuals should always consult with their healthcare professional for advice on medical issues. References:
 By Robert Silverman, DC, DACBN, DCBCN, MS, CCN, CNS, CSCS, CIISN, CKTP, CES, HKC, FAKTR
Take a freelancer, an office worker, and an orthodontist; what do they all have in common? They spend the majority of their workday sitting. Worse, they all likely take part in sedentary out-of-office behaviors, too—like watching TV, playing video games, or scrolling through social media. According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity ranks fourth on the list of leading preventable killers, with an estimated 3.2 million people dying each year as a result.1 The Centers for Disease Control reports that we spend 75 cents of every healthcare dollar on chronic conditions linked to sedentary behavior. Why? When we sit, muscles in our lower body turn off and automatically adopt positions that shut off our glutes as well as our trunk and spine muscles. As a result, we experience compromised body function, increased blood sugar levels, and joint and soft-tissue injuries; injuries can vary from neck and back muscle soreness all the way to chronic illness. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to prevent, and/or reduce, the adverse effects of sitting that almost every professional can start doing today. Take a stand Standing desks are becoming increasingly common in the workplace, and with good reason. Seated office workers have more musculoskeletal injuries than any other industry sector worker. Those who sit for more than nine hours each day are also prone to developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.2 If acquiring a standing desk is not an option for you, there are inexpensive desktop converters that enable you to convert your current desk to a standing desk. Especially for those who aren’t sure if they can manage standing up all day, desktop converters are an easy way to try out this new way of working. Sit ergonomically While standing is better than sitting, if you have to sit, do so in an ergonomic manner. To start, practice good sitting habits. When sitting at a desk, your feet should be flat on the floor, and the height of the chair should allow your thighs to angle down slightly. This position allows you to place your weight through your “sitting bones,” rather than rounding your lower back and causing your shoulders to round and your posture to slump forward. As for your keyboard height, set the keyboard high enough so that your elbows are bent approximately 90 degrees. If the tray is too low and cannot be adjusted, place the keyboard on your desk. Finally, the mouse should be placed at the same level as the keyboard. A great way to improve your posture while sitting is swapping out your office chair for an exercise ball. While seated on an exercise ball, you engage your core muscles to support your back and maintain proper posture. Plus, it’s nearly impossible to slump forward into that slouching position without risking losing your balance. Schedule regular breaks In a recent study published in the journal Sports Medicine, researchers compared the effects of individuals sitting for prolonged periods with those who took breaks from sitting and engaged in light to moderate activity.3 The results of the study suggest that taking a break from sitting every 30 minutes and incorporating even light activity had significant effects. In those individuals who took breaks, physical activity of any intensity was shown to reduce their concentrations of glucose and insulin in the blood up to 9 hours after eating a meal. So whether you sit or stand, taking breaks from your desk every 30 minutes should become part of your normal routine. Remember, even a quick walk to the break room or bathroom will help. Better yet, a 20-minute walk around the office block promotes blood flow that brings important nutrients to all spinal structures and reduces blood glucose and insulin levels. If remembering to take twice hourly breaks seems unrealistic, put your smartphone to use. Download an app—such as Stand Up! or Sitting Timer—to remind yourself to take breaks from your desk. It may not be possible to get up every time the reminder goes off, but it will help you be more cognisant that you’ve been sitting for a while—and that your health depends on your taking sufficient breaks. Stretch at your desk If you don’t have time to leave the office on regular intervals, take your break at your desk and stretch. Depending on the amount of space you have in your work area, a variety of stretches, like ankle and wrist rolls, a hands-over-head stretch, head rolls, and shoulder rolls, can all help relieve the stress sitting causes your body. If you have room to move around a bit, try these stretches and exercises:
Those who want to reverse the negative effects of sitting should start right away. Switching to a standing desk, taking regular breaks, prioritising short busts of light activity, and stretching can all help expedite the body’s ability to recover from long hours spent sitting. Mild back and neck soreness may be just an inconvenience now, but sustained sitting habits can lead to chronic health problems down the road. The time to take a stand against the sitting epidemic is now. This content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individuals should always consult with their healthcare professional for advice on medical issues. References:
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