Holistic Health Care for Women Starts with... Hormonal Balance

Holistic Health Care (Holistic approach) to achieve optimal health in every aspect and at every stage of a woman’s life is the key to slowing down aging, leading to strength, reducing the risk of illness, and looking younger than actual age, which is like a reward for the body. Especially when entering the ‘menopausal’ stage, the matter of “hormones are one of the most important things to pay attention to” whether it is growth hormone, thyroid hormone, cortisol hormone, and mineralocorticoid hormone from the adrenal glands and sex hormones. Maintaining appropriate levels of various hormones will allow all systems in the body to work harmoniously and efficiently. Therefore, maintaining hormonal balance is something every woman should not overlook.

How to take care of yourself? To help “slow down aging”

Health care requires attention at every stage of life without waiting until old age because having a good health foundation with consistent self-care from childhood or youth means a higher likelihood of good health in old age compared to those who neglect health care.

• Health care from childhood until before puberty

From childhood until before puberty, it is important to instill the habit of eating a balanced diet with all five food groups in appropriate proportions and quantities, exercising regularly, and getting enough rest and sleep. These factors help all organs develop properly to grow into healthy adolescents and adults of reproductive age.

Reproductive age is the period with the highest levels of sex hormones. Due to the influence of estrogen, the “external aspect” of women in reproductive age shows radiant, glowing, and firm skin, with fat accumulation in key areas, creating a beautiful body shape. ‘The balance of estrogen and progesterone hormones is what makes menstruation regular and normal’, indicating readiness for pregnancy and childbirth. “Internally,” high hormone levels during this period promote strong bone mass, help prevent cardiovascular diseases, and improve memory and learning abilities.

Importantly, women at this age should learn mindfulness and practice meditation to develop wisdom and mental resilience to cope with problems that may arise from living with others in society, at work, and within the family. If pregnancy occurs, it is a very important time. Fortunately, modern women have obstetricians and gynecologists ready to advise on nutrition, vitamin, and mineral supplementation necessary to care for both mother and fetus. Postpartum women nowadays can maintain their beauty and strength even after having multiple children if they discipline themselves in self-care.

• Health care from premenopause to menopause

When entering perimenopause, ovarian function begins to decline, and sex hormone levels gradually decrease. The speed of this decline depends on the individual’s past lifestyle. This difference can be easily observed, for example, some people still look very youthful at reunions, while many others start to look older. If asked whether genetics play a role, the answer is that genetics have only a minor effect compared to lifestyle behaviors.

Until ‘menopause (Menopause) is simply defined as the complete absence of menstruation for 1 full year’. At this stage, the reduction of sex hormones is quite rapid, and many people show symptoms of hormone deficiency such as skin becoming wrinkled and dry, muscle sagging, difficulty sleeping, easy anxiety, unexplained depression, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and irritation, frequent urination, etc.

With current medical advances, new comprehensive knowledge has been compiled into “a holistic approach to health care for menopausal women or Total lifestyle modification”, focusing on safety and maximum benefits for menopausal women. One key summary is that the most important health foundation is having a correct lifestyle starting from…

• Choosing good food such as complex carbohydrates for the starch group; high-quality protein from various beans, fish, chicken, eggs, and milk for the protein group; and appropriate fats depending on cooking methods because the smoke points of different fats vary. For example, if consuming without heat, choose monounsaturated fats like olive oil for maximum benefit. If cooking with heat, choose polyunsaturated fats with high smoke points like rice bran oil for stir-frying or frying. However, it is best to reduce and avoid frying, baking, grilling, or roasting because high heat causes trans fats that contribute to vascular deterioration.
• Eating vegetables and fruits daily is recommended with 6-8 servings of vegetables per day and 2-4 servings of low-sugar fruits per day (1 serving = 1 medium green apple or 1 cup of fresh vegetables or 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables).
• Drinking clean water is recommended at 2-3 liters of mineral water per day.
• Getting deep and sufficient sleep in a quiet and completely dark room to promote effective secretion of melatonin and growth hormone.
• Exercising regularly with both aerobic exercises, which are good for the circulatory system, and resistance exercises to build muscle.
• Relaxing and reducing stress through enjoyable activities to maintain consistency.
• Having sexual intercourse with a spouse because research has proven that sexual activity benefits the cardiovascular system and strengthens emotional bonds.
• Avoiding smoking and reducing alcohol or caffeine intake, with recommended limits such as no more than 120 cc of red wine and 1-2 cups of black coffee per day.
• Getting daily sunlight exposure in the morning or evening for at least 20 minutes to produce vitamin D, which benefits almost every body system, and avoiding polluted environments.

Taking good care of yourself but still have hormone deficiency symptoms, what to do?

For some women, even with good self-care, symptoms of sex hormone deficiency may appear, and if they meet the criteria for hormone therapy as defined by the International Menopause Society (IMS), doctors will consider “hormone replacement therapy”. Currently, the hormones used are very safe. The estrogen used is structurally identical to the body’s natural hormone and is applied transdermally, avoiding liver metabolism as with oral intake, thus not stimulating clotting factors and not increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Progesterone is natural hormone type and can be used orally or transdermally.

‘Estrogen hormone’ helps regulate the body’s temperature control center in the hypothalamus and increases neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, effectively reducing hot flashes, thickening and moisturizing the vaginal lining, promoting bone formation and preventing bone resorption, effectively reducing osteoporosis, and improving memory and preventing dementia in the long term.

‘Oral progesterone hormone’ helps increase the neurotransmitter GABA, promoting relaxation and better sleep, and also helps prevent endometrial cancer. Additionally, doctors add safety measures by supplementing vitamins and specific phytochemicals with hormone replacement therapy to ensure hormone metabolism produces safe substances before elimination from the body. Ultimately, what women at this age want is good health and a good appearance. Doctors provide comprehensive consultation and continuous care for healthy and good-looking aging.

Preparing before entering old age

We cannot stop deterioration and aging over time, even with good and holistic self-care, because every organ will have problems and degenerate with age. Nutrition is very important at this stage. If nutrient intake is insufficient, supplementation of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals commonly deficient in the elderly should be provided, or blood tests may be done to identify specific vitamin deficiencies for proper supplementation from menopause through old age.

To be an elderly person with a good immune system, protein intake must be sufficient at 1-1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. If high-quality protein from food is insufficient, supplementation with protein isolates such as whey protein from cow’s milk or soy protein isolates is recommended to help build and maintain muscle mass. Adequate vitamin B6 and zinc minerals are also very important for the immune system.

To be an elderly person with good mobility, preventing the risk of falls is crucial because falls greatly reduce quality of life. The bone and muscle systems must be strong, so protein, calcium, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2 must not be deficient as they play key roles in building bones and muscles. Don’t forget resistance exercises or jogging as well.

To be an elderly person who is refreshed and active, good thinking, memory, and mood require sufficient vitamin B12 and folate, which are essential for nervous system and brain function, as well as iron, which is necessary for blood cell production.

To be a happy elderly person, avoid stress, think positively, find enjoyable activities, join group activities with friends, socialize with loved ones such as family and classmates, practice mindfulness and meditation to develop wisdom. Preparing both body and mind to cope with all changes is the smartest way to be a happy, strong, self-caring elderly person who is not a burden and serves as a good role model for descendants.