loving the change!

You can keep your skin radiant—First, if you smoke, here’s another reason to quit. Smoking damages your skin and most smokers see wrinkles earlier in life. (Smokers will also enter menopause earlier.) Make sure you use a face cleanser that is cream based, since soap or gel cleansers tend to dry out middle-age skin. Exfoliate once a week and mask once a week (not on the same day). Finally, supplement with omega 3 fats like flaxseed oil, cod liver oil and/or primrose oil. Vitamins C and E are also very important, as is coenzyme Q10. Water and fiber are also very important for your skin and body.

Keeping your mind sharp and heart strong— The more the link between estrogen and cardiovascular disease is investigated, the more apparent it becomes that the cardiovascular protection estrogen has been thought to offer may not apply to everyone, and in fact, should not be given to women with a history of cardiovascular disease. As for the mind, it is difficult to determine if a woman’s feelings of “scatteredness and forgetfulness” are caused by hormones as opposed to stress or aging. It is still unknown whether there is any connection between estrogen and Alzheimer’s, but it does appear that a minimum amount of estrogens are essential for certain memory functions. Also, good health habits have been tied to improved memory function. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, supplement with B-vitamins, E and zinc, and get plenty of antioxidants such as vitamin C. Ginkgo Biloba can also help, but it’s important to choose a reliable brand and look for standardized extracts.Whether you are symptomatic or not, menopause is a great reminder to take a serious look at your health. As modern medicine has now extended our life span to almost twice what it used to be, our bodies undergo profound physiologic changes. The importance of the mind-body connection cannot be underestimated, and choosing to deal with what ails you is a big first step. Find an approach to menopausal symptoms that you are comfortable with and works for you, and you can begin to spend this time focusing on the positive aspects of this transitional time, instead of suffering unnecessarily. This is an opportunity to make adjustments that could ensure that the years to come are most enjoyable. You’ve earned it.