FitSugar

Tame Your Hormones Naturally

Heather Dale — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:20:25 PST

If you ever suffer from cramps, bloating, insomnia, breast tenderness, headaches, acne, or food cravings, your hormones may be in flux and need to be balanced. Hormones are crucial to our well-being since they impact our bodies at the cellular level and, if stabilized, many of the above symptoms can be alleviated.

According to The Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels, the toxins in processed foods, nonorganic produce, prescription medicine, and the environment can throw our hormones out of whack, wreaking havoc on our systems. In her book Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones For a Hot and Healthy Body!, Jillian talks about the important role our hormones play in our endocrine system and how we can rebalance them through diet, sleep, and exercise.

Reducing stress, drinking lots of water to flush out toxins, and getting your circadian rhythms on track are all steps in the right direction toward getting your hormones balanced out, but to learn about the easiest and most effective change you can make right now, just keep reading.

Feeling Hormonal?

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:45:00 PDT

Are you feeling hormonal? Hormones course through our veins regulating so many functions (and feelings) of our bodies. They ebb and flow too, with the levels of hormones changing throughout the month. Many of our everyday actions can affect our hormone levels.

So, if you are feeling hormonal maybe this quiz will help you figure out why!

Source

Take the Quiz

Women's Hips and Breast Cancer

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 03:30:00 PDT

You wouldn't think that your hips had anything to do with breast cancer, but new research shows a connection. The size and shape of a mother's hips may affect her daughter's risk of breast cancer.

There was a study conducted with 6,370 Finnish women. Those born to mothers with relatively wide hips had a rate of breast cancer that was three times higher than those born to mothers with thinner hips. The rate was nearly seven times higher if the daughter was not the first born.

What constitutes "relatively wide hips"? The widest distance between the wing-like structures at the top of the pelvis is called the intercristal diameter. A woman is more likely to develop breast cancer if her mother's hips have an intercristal diameter of more than 11.8 inches.

Why is that? To find out

read more Wide, rounded hips mean higher concentrations of estrogen, which may in turn boost a daughter's risk of breast cancer. It happens in the first trimester of pregnancy, when the embryo's developing breast tissue is exposed to their mother's estrogen levels. While I am not quite sure how to process or use this information, it certainly is interesting. Since we don't choose our mothers, I wouldn't worry too much about this bizarre connection. There's only a higher possibility of breast cancer risk, not a definite certainty. Just keep doing your monthly breast exams, especially if you are not the first born child of a wide hipped mama. Source

Sunscreen and Breast Cancer Risk

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 03:30:00 PDT

I have heard rumors lately that sunscreen can cause breast cancer. Sounds frightening doesn't it? Our tried and true enemy against skin cancer and wrinkling may be an enemy itself? Well, it doesn't seem to be true, but the answer is a little bit more complicated.

Here's the deal: some ultraviolet (UV) filters used in sunscreen may mimic estrogen according to animal and laboratory studies and thereby disrupt the endocrine system. Just to review a little human biology, the endocrine system uses hormones to regulate functions like metabolism, growth and development. However, there is no evidence that human exposure to these types of endocrine disruptors in the low levels used in sunscreen create health problems. In fact, a study using human volunteers found that even though UV filters were absorbed by the skin, they had no effect on the volunteers over all health or hormone levels, even estrogen.

Hopefully more research will be done on this matter. In the mean time, if you are concerned about messing with your endocrine system look for sunscreens containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide (these block the UV rays rather than filter them), since these ingredients are not absorbed by your skin and they don't mimic estrogen.

Source

How Does Hormonal Birth Control Prevent Pregnancy?

DearSugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 08:00:00 PDT

Many women use hormonal birth control to prevent pregnancy because it is considered to be the most effective method. The Pill is just one kind - the Patch and the NuvaRing contain hormones too.

The NuvaRing, the Patch, and some types of oral contraceptives contain a combination of 2 hormones - estrogen and progestin. Some pills can contain only progestin, but these tend to be less effective.

Estrogen and progestin are hormones that are already found in the female body but when a woman uses hormonal birth control, her body sees that there is already enough hormone in the bloodstream, so it decides that it doesn't need to produce anymore.

These kinds of birth control give your body a stable dose of hormones each day, so the levels in the body don't change. It's the fluctuation of hormones that make ovulation happen. The reason hormonal birth control works so well is because the stable levels of hormones prevent you from ovulating. If your ovaries don't release any eggs, then sperm can't fertilize them and you can't get pregnant.

Dear's Advice: If you're using hormonal birth control and you don't want to get pregnant, be responsible and remember to use it properly and consistently. Missing pills, or forgetting to change the NuvaRing or the Patch can cause you to ovulate resulting in an unplanned pregnancy.

Source

Essential Oils Enlarge Boys' Breasts?

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 13:00:00 PST

Hmmm? I wouldn't believe it unless I read it myself. But a recent study suggests that lavender and tea tree oils found in some shampoos, soaps, and lotions can temporarily leave boys with enlarged breasts in rare cases, apparently by disrupting their hormonal balance.

The condition, gynecomastia, developed (pun intended) with 3 boys, and researchers suspected that the oils might be upsetting the boys’ hormonal balance. So they did a series of laboratory tests to check how these oils work within human cells.

The oils appeared to mimic estrogen (the hormone in women that causes breast growth) and blocked the male hormone androgen.

The good news is that it happens infrequently and clears up when the oils are no longer used.

Isn't that crazy? My first question then would be, can this news work towards the advantage of women seeking bigger boobs? No word on that yet, but this definitely gives new meaning to the term "Man-boobs."

How to Get Your Metabolism Moving

Health — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:03:06 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

Does your metabolism grind to a halt after 35? Can certain foods rev it up? Answers ahead — and they're good.
By Paige Greenfield

Here's something to feel good about: your body is a calorie-burning machine. You'll even torch a few while reading this article. The point is, every single thing you do — from breathing to eating to sleeping — uses energy. The number of calories it would take just to lie in bed all day is called your resting metabolic rate. And just like your curly hair or warm personality, yours is unique.

"There are so many factors that determine your metabolic rate," says Janet Rankin, PhD, professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise at Virginia Tech. Among them: your height and weight (bigger people burn more calories), your gender (women have slower metabolisms than men), your age (your metabolic rate declines as you get older), how much muscle or fat you have (muscle burns more calories than fat does), and your DNA.

Health.com: Little Ways to Lose Big Pounds

Although you can't rewire your double helix or switch back the clock, there's still plenty you can do to be a fast burner, Rankin says. All you need to do is remember these four research-backed truths.

Cardio Revs Your Metabolism For Hours Afterward
Resistance training often hogs the metab-boosting spotlight. It's no wonder, since a pound of muscle at rest fries three times as many calories as a pound of fat. However, cardio is every bit as crucial for keeping your metabolism humming.

New research explains why: In a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, people pedaled a stationary bike as hard as they could for 47 minutes.
The finding: They slashed 190 calories above their resting metabolic rate for 14 hours after their workout. Add that to the 519 calories, on average, the cyclists scorched from the workout itself, and that's one heck of a sweat session.

"If you do just two to three vigorous bouts of exercise per week for 45 minutes, you could lose a pound of fat every two weeks from the combination of calories expended during exercise plus what you burn afterward," says study author David Nieman, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Appalachian State University.

So how can you tell if you're pushing hard enough? Any sweat-inducing activity you can sustain for 45 minutes will do the trick.

More useful tips after the break.

4 Toxic Foods That Should Never Cross Your Lips

Prevention — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:37:36 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Is your food loaded with toxins and chemicals? Here, simple swaps to protect yourself
By Anne Underwood

Clean eating means choosing fruits, vegetables, and meats that are raised, grown, and sold with minimal processing.

Often they're organic, and rarely (if ever) should they contain additives. But in some cases, the methods of today's food producers are neither clean nor sustainable. The result is damage to our health, the environment, or both. So we decided to take a fresh look at food through the eyes of the people who spend their lives uncovering what's safe - or not - to eat. We asked them a simple question: "What foods do you avoid?" Their answers don't necessarily make up a "banned foods" list. But reaching for the suggested alternatives might bring you better health - and peace of mind.

The Best Packaged Foods to Shop For

1. Canned Tomatoes

Fredrick Vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A, gives us the scoop:

The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people's body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. "You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that's a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young," says vom Saal. "I won't go near canned tomatoes."

The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe's and Pomi.

Budget tip: If your recipe allows, substitute bottled pasta sauce for canned tomatoes. Look for pasta sauces with low sodium and few added ingredients, or you may have to adjust the recipe.

Low-Sodium Alternative Dinner Options

Keep reading to three more foods to avoid.

Bizarre Home Cures That Work

Prevention — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:13:50 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Ease pesky health issues with vodka, duct tape — more
From the Editors of Prevention

Of course there are some health staples you should never be without - bandages or OTC pain relievers come to mind. But you can treat or cure a surprising number of minor ailments with these unexpected household objects and foods.

Home cure: Vodka
Use it for: Foot odor
If your feet smell less than swell, wipe them down with a vodka-soaked washcloth to get rid of the stench. It's the same principle as rubbing alcohol (which works equally well if you'd rather drink your Grey Goose). Vodka contains alcohol, which is antiseptic and drying, so it destroys odor-causing fungus and bacteria and dries out the moisture that lets these organisms grow.

Surprising Reasons Why You Smell

Home cure: Licorice
Use it for: Calluses and corns
"Licorice contains estrogen-like substances that soften the hard skin of calluses and corns," says Georgianna Donadio, PhD, director of the National Institute of Whole Health. Make this homemade licorice paste: grind up a few licorice sticks, mix them with 1/2 teaspoon of petroleum jelly, and rub the mixture into the rough areas of your feet.

How to Get Soft and Sexy Feet

Home cure: Baking soda
Use it for: Urinary tract infections
At the first sign of symptoms, drink a solution made with 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda mixed in eight ounces of water. Continue this once a day until you can get a culture done at a doctor's office and start antibiotics. Baking soda makes the bladder environment more alkaline, which reduces bacteria's ability to multiply, says Larrian Gillespie, MD, a retired assistant clinical professor of urology and urogynecology in Los Angeles.

Keep reading for more home cures.

Common Yoga Myths Busted

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:08:16 PDT

Yoga offers numerous health benefits, but there are some rumors about this ancient practice that need a little debunking. While it's obvious that regular Down Dogs won't cause instant enlightenment or help you live to 150, we'd like to dispel some persistent yoga myths before you step on your mat.

Hot Yoga Helps You Lose Weight
Certain types of yoga like Bikram and ashtanga are practiced in a heated room, and you end up sweating buckets. Weigh yourself after one of these intense classes, and after sweating so much you probably lost a couple pounds. This is only water weight and will quickly be "gained" back as soon as you rehydrate. While any type of exercise will help with weight loss, yoga is better for building muscle rather than burning calories. If it's pounds you're trying to drop, complement your yoga practice with cardio sessions.

It'll Give You Better Orgasms
Yoga improves sex right? Not exactly. I'm sorry to say hitting a few classes won't instantly turn you into a sex goddess and make your time under the sheets more satisfying. What practicing yoga can do is increase your flexibility, which increases your ability to try new and adventurous positions in the bedroom.

Continue reading to hear more yoga myths.