Many women complain of increasing 'girth' as they pass through the menopausal and then post menopausal years. In some it is predominantly the stomach that greatly increases its size, becoming exceedingly extended.
In most this change in appearance is caused by the intake of food exceeding the output of energy. As you get older the output of energy often greatly decreases, but food intake often stays the same, resulting in a gradual increase in weight. Decreasing the amount of food eaten and at the same time eliminating all added sugars (this includes all wine, beer, soft drinks, dried fruits and only using a very small amount of honey), greatly reducing carbohydrate (bread, potatoes, pasta, white rice) intake and increasing proteins (eggs, chicken, fish, nuts, yoghurt, cottage cheese etc) can make all the difference.
If sugar cravings become a problem, taking extra Chromium can help, however generally if mineral levels are kept at a premium and protein levels increased, then cravings do not happen. Take Colloidal minerals 10-15ml daily. See page on Minerals.
Ideally this change in diet should be combined with an increase in exercise. A walk once or twice a week does not usually suffice. The muscles need to be kept strong and toned, specifically the abdominal muscles. Join a yoga or Tai Chi club, go dancing or swimming regularly. Swimming is one of the best ways of loosing excess fluid if fluid retention is adding to your worries.
Some menopausal women will find that supplementing with a little extra Iodine will greatly help their energy levels and therefore their ability to exercise. Iodine is found in Iodised salt, sea salt, kelp granules, many 'Thyroid' supplements or in Colloidal minerals. A good guide to whether you need to supplement or not can be the state of the late afternoon energy levels. If you get exceedingly tired in the late afternoon it could just be the problem. Blood tests for thyroid function do not always accurately show a mild iodine deficiency.
I often use a product which contains B12 and Potassium Iodide and one which I find works very well. Click here for product information.
If these measure are strictly adhered to over some months and there is no reduction in abdominal mass then the cause could possibly be a problem with the liver. This usually accompanied though by other symptoms such as fatigue in the morning rather than the afternoon, moodiness, indigestion, nausea, over heating of the body and possibly high cholesterol levels. In this case you would be well advised to use herbal liver tonic for several months. These would normally contain herbs such as St. Mary's Thistle, Dandelion, Globe Artichoke, Schizandra etc.
See page on 'Liver'.
NOTE: While the information on these pages can be extremely helpful to many, each of you are individuals and as such may require more specific assessment. Please use the Contact page to request an appointment, or alternatively, to request personal advice. Be sure to send as many details as possible. I may be able to help further.
There is a small charge for advice sent by email. Details are on the 'Contact' page All information on this page has been compiled by Alison Odey from personal research and from results seen and experienced over 20 years in private practice. It is not intended to diagnose or to be construed as medical advice, but to inform the reader of alternative options that may be available to them. Any remedy mentioned in the text can be obtained by contacting the writer:
Contacts: Phone -64 7 5721147 Website www.alisonodey.com
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