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Monterrey Wigglesworth is a pharmacist with a passion for nutritional medicine and following the motto “as nature intended.” Monterrey worked as a compounding pharmacist in Vancouver, working with physicians in the area of hormone health since 1997. She does research with (and is on the Scientific Advisory Council for) the Centre of Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (www.cemcor.ubc.ca). She has further trained with ACNEM (Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine) and member of AIMA (Australasian Integrative Medicine Association) so she can keep up to date and work with like minded colleagues here in New Zealand. Monterrey works in the community pharmacy Albany Village Care Chemist and gives seminars on nutritional medicine topics including perimenopause.
SERVICES
Welcome to Albany care Chemist
Valuable informative Seminar for Women:
Menopause
Education, Choices, Sharing
A North Shore pharmacist is offering education for women going through one of the least understood times in their life.
Monterrey Wigglesworth (nee Marks), a pharmacist at Albany Village Care Chemist, runs seminars on perimenopause – the period of transition between regular menstrual cycles and menopause.
Monterrey, originally from Vancouver, says: “Women may notice their PMS getting worse, heavy periods, trouble sleeping, mood changes and hot flushes – things we call menopausal but they’re happening to women in their 40’s and can last for up to 10 years”
These evening sessions tell women what occurs during perimenopause and menopause and look at lifestyle and nutrition issues which can ease the transition and improve general health. She also aims to clear up the widespread confusion about hormones (often grouped together and called HRT).
Monterrey, who is qualified in nutritional and hormone medicine also offers private consultations at the pharmacy, for a chance to create a personal plan, based on your preferred approach. She can help bridge the gap by working together with physician and other health practitioners.
Next Dates:Tuesday November 18th 2008
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm (1 hour for talk and 1 hour open for questions)
Place: Albany Village Care Chemist 7/231 State Highway 17, Albany Village
Speaker:Monterrey Wigglesworth (consulting pharmacist)
Cost: $20.00 ($5 store voucher for attendees)
Register: Call (09) 415 9676 (space is limited – prior payment must be received to reserve space)
Monterrey Wigglesworth has been a consulting pharmacist since 1997. She has further trained in compounding, hormone and nutritional medicine in Canada, Australia and the US. Her aim is to bridge the gap amongst health professionals, as a speaker and via one on one consultations.
Special for attendees:
$5 voucher for store purchase
50% off the book: You’re Reached Menopause; Now What? Retail $20
Lifestyle and Supplement Basics for Women
Perimenopause – 40 year old Woman are NOT going crazy, though sometimes they feel like they are.
Perimenopause has been the least understood period of a woman’s life, by both health professionals and women themselves. Perimenopause is the transition between the regular menstrual cycles to no cycles at menopause, and can last up to 10 years. We all know cycles can change even younger than 40, especially those women trying to get pregnant, so being aware of the sometimes stormy time of perimenopause is a MUST for every woman.
Many believe the only other option they have is to go on the birth control pill to suppress their menstrual cycle altogether, anti-depressants or possibly just cope with it. But, women are pressing for other options and many health professionals are investigating further. For some, lifestyle, food choice and/or supplements may be helpful enough. Others may require a hormone approach (non-synthetic) to help achieve hormone balance. This article will focus on some background and then some lifestyle and supplement suggestions.
Changes characteristic of perimenopause onset in regularly cycling women.
Any three of the following can be used to define perimenopause onset:
New heavy and/or longer menstrual flow
Shorter menstrual cycle lengths (25 days or less)
New sore, swollen, and/or lumpy breasts
New or increased menstrual cramps
New mid-sleep wakening
Onset of night sweats, especially around flow
New or markedly increased migraine headaches
New or increased premenstrual mood swings
Notable weight gain without changes in exercise or food intake
This transition can be slow, so PMS gradually gets worse, sleep starts to get disrupted, hot flushes occasionally occur, and irritability happens a little more often than we’d like. And because hormone levels now swing, every day can be different and cycles can be more unpredictable.
North American studies suggest 15% of women will experience minimal changes and barely notice perimenopause, 70% will notice changes and seek options and 15% will experience important and life-disrupting changes.
The biggest misconception now being rethought is that the hormone oestrogen lowers as we progress to menopause. We now know that oestrogen can instead go haywire during perimenopause, sometimes fluctuating from high to low. The process leading to ovulation gets weaker or may not occur from month to month. Ovulation produces the hormone progesterone, which keeps oestrogen under control, helps oestrogen to work better, as well as act like a diuretic and have calming properties.
In the past we gave oestrogen (in HRT), which immediately helped symptoms, but in the long run it caused more harm than good because it just added to the imbalance, let alone possibly causing weight gain, sleep problems and risk of cancer at an already vulnerable age. Most of my recommendations will help to rid the body of excess oestrogen and help to encourage ovulation and progesterone production for as long as possible.
Perimenopause is getting worse and is much more prevalent in “western world” countries. If we didn’t have pesticides, hormones in our meat, soft plastics etc. we wouldn’t be exposed to as many compounds which act like oestrogen. We also eat too little fibre, bad fats, and processed foods. Then, lack of exercise and increased stress doesn’t help our body to cope with hormone changes, and must be addressed. Many suggest a genetic component, but take a Japanese woman out of Japan, modify her diet and lifestyle from her traditional way and suddenly she may experience perimenopause too.
Lifestyle considerations
Mostly related to ridding of excess oestrogens and/or encouraging progesterone production and supporting the adrenal glands and thyroid.
What you eat, exercise and stress reduction will have a HUGE impact on hormones, which may improve PMS, perimenopause and menopause symptoms… as well as help to prevent cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes etc.
Some Diet Basics:
Low Stress Diet: Low stress on the body, therefore diet low in processed, allergenic, chemical afftected, hard to digest foods. Drink the bulk of fluids away from meal times, so digestive juices aren’t diluted.
Confection vs Nutrition
You can tell me it’s low fat, low carb, low calorie…but, Is it nutritious??? Is it full of sugar, artificial sweetener, colours? Coffee/tea/alcohol may be ok for some, but moderation is key.
Protein: Don’t forget protein throughout the day. Maximum 30% of total diet:
1 gram/kg ideal body weight per day (kids and athletes should have 1.25-1.5g/kg)
100g = palm size serving (these are all approximate guide lines)
1 palm of ;
red meat = 30g protein
chicken = 22g protein
fish = 20g (Omega 3!!! for brain/heart/antiinflammatory etc. too)
beans = 10-15g protein
nuts/seeds = 10g protein
1 egg = 7g protein
Remember: vegetarians need to mix proteins to make a complete protein, therefore mix two out of three of; nuts/seeds, or beans or brown rice.
Fibre: Intestinal Clean Out!!!
Fibre (eg. ground linseed) + acidophilus + good oil (fish oil) = happy digestion
Insoluble dietary fibre found in linseeds (flax seeds), when ground (and fresh in freezer) and bran layer of grains, beans and seeds improves intestinal bacteria which is extremely beneficial for digestion. (of course acidophilus is great too and in conjunction with fibre and our “good oils”). If you think of insoluble fibre as swelling into a gel in your digestive tract and cleaning the walls as it goes, you can imagine it taking unwanted waste (including excess/bad oestrogen) with it.
Eat “good carbs” in moderation.The Glycemic Index (Low GI) Diet helps, to start (but still think about nutritious vs confection…gluten in excess doesn’t agree with most of us)
Blood sugar regulation is so important for general health, and then as hormone levels change it gets more challenging to control highs and lows. The Glycemic Index is based on how much your insulin is spiked by white sugar. All other foods are measured in comparison. The obvious things to avoid are white, processed sugars and flour and not to overcook foods to their “sugary” state.
Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
Use "grainy" breads made with whole seeds
Enjoy all types of fruit and vegetables (some say 2 fruit and 8 or 9 serves of veg per day, including juice)
Eat plenty of salad vegetables with vinaigrette dressing (make your own dressing; olive/safflower/flax oil plus apple cider vinegar, garlic and lemon)
Veggies against cancer
certain vegetables have proven protective effects against oestrogen dependent cancers (although most veggies are great for anti-oxidants, minerals etc.)
Improves ratio of good to “bad” oestrogen.
Found mainly in cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, bok choy (should be cooked)
But also mustard greens and kale
Can even supplement with di-indole methane (DIM) capsules (the anti-oestrogen part of these veggies) if there is a close family history of oestrogen dependent cancer.
Sulphur containing foods
helpful for ridding “bad oestrogen” from the body.
Mostly from proteins in diet
Foods include onions, garlic, meat, eggs..
Not the sulphur found in processed foods..
Not saying to overdo it, but eat your onions and garlic!
Don’t forget protein throughout the day.
Prepare ahead with good snacks such as fruit and nuts.
Drink fluids away from meal times, so digestive juices aren’t diluted.
Environmental oestrogens: may be difficult to avoid but being aware, so you can lessen exposure, without creating paranoia, is easy. In general;
wash fruits and veggies (organic would be ideal)
use harder plastics when needed (ideally, glass is best)
avoid heating plastics and cool food before putting them into plastic containers
decrease use of petroleum based products (body creams are a big one)
Stress Reduction may be easier said than done, but must be addressed. If your answer is a book, walk, or yoga or a combination, please make the time. The pay off will be more energy and better health, in the long run.
Exercise: the basics: DO IT…decreases stress, great for heart, bones…
Supplement Considerations – For all Women with Hormone related issues. ALONG WITH food and lifestyle choices of course:
Multivitamin – a general all round daily supplement is a good idea for many women. It will include a background of vitamins (B vitamins, antioxidants) and minerals.
If the multi doesn’t contain enough of a particular component, such as iodine, zinc or magnesium, we may consider supplementing it on its own in addition.
A few Individual examples:
Magnesium: *key nutrient for migraine sufferers*
Very often low in diet, then affected by hormone imbalances further
In diet, eat plenty of organic leafy green vegetables (and “green drinks”), nuts and seeds every day.
B-Vitamins – often called the “stress vitamins,” Certain individual B’s are also helpful for improving PMS symptoms and preventing heart disease.
found in whole, “unrefined” grains and many fruits and vegetables
Considerations for Thyroid. Lacking or low in New Zealand soils and vital for many body functions Doses below are a conservative start :
Selenium – 150mcg daily (antioxidant, cancer & cardiovascular protective)
Zinc – 15mg daily (enzyme function, immune system, healing)
Iodine – 150mcg Also helps with estrogen balance/detox and fibrous tissue breakdown (such as fibrocystic breast, breast pain or uterine fibroids). Kelp is another source, either as powder/food or tablets.
Antioxidants – Most of us know that antioxidants are good, but we must stress that in general you shouldn’t take high doses of one antioxidant. Having antioxidants together enables them to work with each other and not as likely to “go bad” when we eat the wrong foods, like coffee, trans fats, alcohol, processed foods etc. (which, we should decrease/eliminate, of course) A good background of fruits and vegetables, and possibly a multivitamin will ensure your antioxidants are doing you good (also important if supplementing with essential fatty acids).
Example: Vitamin C is cheap and a great antioxidant to add in to most people’s basic nutrition. It can be increased as tolerated when you feel sickness coming on (loose stool is the guide to lower dose) and slowly decreased back down to what you take on a daily basis. Dose: 1000mg or more per day.
Example: Vitamin E – Research has shown Vitamin E to help flushing, depression, anxiety, vulvovaginitis. Usual dose: 400IU per day as mixed tocopherols including Gamma (never synthetic and not just d-alpha tocopherol)
Essential Fatty Acids: In general, we get enough Omega 6, and are sadly lacking in Omega 3 fatty acids. Trans-fats, insulin excess (see glycemic index) and deficiency of zinc and magnesium contribute to decreasing the body’s ability to convert “good oils” into their active by-products. In general, only take Omega 6 if you take MORE of Omega 3.
Fish Oil (Omega 3) (high DHA and EPA) – So great for MANY body functions (brain, blood vessels, joints...) as well as hormone balance. Most of us would benefit from a high quality fish oil supplement.
Ensure heavy metal free and not oxidised (doesn’t smell bad).
We should eat fatty deep sea fish. We also worry about heavy metals such as mercury, so as far off shore as possible.
Omega 6 – The best choices are Evening Primrose, Borage and Black Currant Seed (sources of gamma-linolenic acid (not as effected by dietary insufficiencies, so get more activity as result)
The above suggestions are good healthy suggestions for every woman, whether she feels the extremes of perimenopause or not. There are also some very useful and safe herbs which can help. If hormones are considered for perimenopausal symptoms not controlled by the above, I suggest bioidentical hormone use (not synthetic) and speaking with well informed practitioners, as not all hormone use is safe.
Monterrey Wigglesworth has been a consulting/compounding pharmacist in Vancouver, Canada since 1997. Her specialty is woman’s health, with the aim to bridge the gap amongst health professionals, as a speaker and via one on one appointments.
Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too
-Voltaire
Service Categories
Nutrition, Weight Loss, Womens Health
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