Many women suffer severely from premenstrual syndrome with period pain, but there aren’t many GPs or gynaecologists who really take these problems seriously. Nutritional and lifestyle changes, as well as neutriceuticals and herbal remedies, provide many options to manage your health challenge.
Sleep (six to eight hours in darkness and quiet) is critical to health, general sense of well-being and longevity. It is a vital physical need to restore and replenish our bodies and minds. We require sleep for survival just as we need food, water and oxygen. There are a number of herbal and homeopathic remedies you could try, but the most important ‘remedy’ is to learn to relax before you go to bed.
Genetic predisposition can be a trigger to stress as can a wide variety of stressors in today’s fast-paced and competitive world. Dr Arien van der Merwe shares some stress-management tips from her book Stress Solutions to help you manage your time and prioritise.
Birth control pills or oral contraceptives frequently lead to deficiencies of the following nutrients: folic acid, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, vitamin C, and minerals including magnesium, selenium, zinc and the amino acid tyrosine. Dr Arien van der Merwe looks at the effect of low levels of these nutrients and offers some advice.
The human microbiome, which is comprised of all the microorganisms (the microbiota) that live on and in humans, plays an essential role in determining good health. Microbes cover every surface of our bodies, inside and out. They’re on our skin, inside our noses, mouths, whole respiratory tract, plentiful in our digestive tract, reproductive system, and so on. These microscopic life forms consist of thousands of species and outnumber our own 50 trillion cells by about 10 to one.