Total Health Work

Your New Year’s resolution to exercise more often could also help relieve some common symptoms of menopause.  A new study done in Pennsylvania suggested that regular physical exercise may help reduce many of the menopausal afflictions that women deal with, including stress, anxiety and depression.

This approach seems much safer than hormonal replacement therapy for women afflicted by the effects of menopause, although the researchers admit that there doesn’t seem to be a significant relationship between exercise and the elimination of hot flashes.

There is, however, a substantial reduction in the levels of depression, anxiety and stress among women who are physically active.  Women who do not engage in regular physical activity are much more likely to suffer from these negative symptoms.

The study is significant for several reasons.  While exercise does not appear to impact some of temporary symptoms, such as hot flashes, it has a much more substantial effect on many of the long-term ailments that are associated with menopause.

The surprising aspect of the study was that the level of physical activity necessary to decrease the symptoms of menopause was minimal.  Just walking a short distance as a part of a daily routine, for example, was enough to have a positive impact.

It was interesting to note that, as a group, black women tend to suffer more from menopausal symptoms than whites and that moderate exercise seems to have a more significant impact for this demographic as well. 

One reason for hot flashes in women is a fluctuation of hormone levels which affect the brain’s center controlling body temperature.

Other research indicated that while exercise does not appear to reduce the number of hot flashes that menopausal women experience, those who are physically active tend to "care less about having them."  

This finding supports the psychological, as well as physical, benefits that exercise offers.  The reduced levels of estrogen that accompanies menopause does lead to an increase of stress, anxiety and depression.  The mental benefits of physical activity is significant in terms of reducing the intensity of these symptoms.

For more information on menopause visit the National Women’s Health Information Center.

Stay Healthy.

A  recent study reported by MSNBC suggested that women who are sad or suffer from mild depression have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.

The research also suggested that the longer a patient suffers with feeling of sadness or being depressed, the stronger the relationship with breast cancer becomes.  The research is published in the journals Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health.

The risk of breast cancer is increased by as much as 12% for women who wrestle with depression.  Another study found that these women are more than two and a half times more likely to develop breast cancer than those who are not depressed.

These findings are extremely disturbing.  One problem is that the news itself is depressing.  It seems like the unhappy souls that are afflicted with this are trapped in a vicious cycle.

One idea might be to be more proactive in taking steps to overcome depression.  Much easier to say than accomplish, I’m sure, but definitely worth a try.  Especially for the loved ones who care about these women.

Two resources I’ve seen recently are the world laughter tour, an online resource that focuses on the power of laughter to improve our health; and emotion release, a new resource for learning how to overcome mild depression and feelings of sadness.

The threat of breast cancer is a constant enemy lurking in the shadows of many women’s lives.  The fact that depression can be a contributing factor is even more unsettling.

So take what steps you can to change your mood (or help someone you love to change theirs).  The long-term effects of their unhappiness can take a bigger toll on their health than we realize.

Stay Healthy.