Drinking 2 Beers for Your Hot Flashes

Nancy (name has been changed to protect the guilty!),
complained constantly of chronic fatigue, low back aches,
joint pain, constipation, and hot flashes. She tried eating
well, but when she did, she got sick!

Her worst complaint was that she could never sleep
all night. She would either have problems falling
asleep, or wake up at two or three a.m.

She heard from a friend that drinking two cans of
beer a night would help her sleep better.

Believe it or not, it worked! She did sleep better!
I couldn't believe it so I asked her how her other
symptoms were coming along.

She said that although she was sleeping better,
her other symptoms had gotten worse! Her hot
flashes were now coming every 30 minutes, her
joints ached non-stop, and she felt even
more tired by the afternoon.

My advice - stop listening to others! Tune into
your body and realize that your menopausal
symptoms can be alleviated once and for all by
eliminating spicy foods and alcohol.

Until next time,
Dr. Judy

Hot Flash Free Tip

Red wine, white wine, beer...any and all alcoholic beverages
cause your night sweats to be sweatier and your hot flashes
hotter!

Why does alcohol make your hot flashes worse?

The answer lies in one of the most important hormone
balancing organs in your body - your liver! Its the livers
job to:

1) Help your body turn glucose into glycogen for storage in
your liver. This simply means that the liver glycogen can
release glucose into your bloodstream to maintain blood
sugar levels.

This is why you crave a 'pick me up' in the middle of
the day. Instead, reach for fresh fruit, raw veggies,
to take the load off your liver.

2) The liver also stores vitamins A, D, and many of the
B vitamins as well as iron and copper.

3) The liver also has the daunting task of getting rid of
all the junk food you put in your mouth. Even though
your mouth thinks it tastes good, it doesn't mean its
good for you, and your liver will be the first to protest.

If there is a toxic overload, your liver gets fed up and
you can end up with jaundice, severe depression,
chronic fatigue, extreme abdominal swelling, mental
confusion, just to name a few.

4) A healthy liver is essential for a good sex drive.
(bet you didn't know that about your liver!). I hear
so many women complain to me in the clinic as they
enter into their menopause years that their sex
drive has declined dramatically.

It's a complicate process to explain, but here's the
easiest way I know to explain it. The liver makes a
sex hormone binding globulin which is the protein
that binds the steriod sex hormones. If your liver
is producing too much of the protein sex hormone,
your libido goes down.

I'll share with you a case of a patient who drank
2 beers a night to sleep better! (next post)

Until next time,
Dr. Judy

Hot Flash Free Tip

Red wine, white wine, beer...any and all alcoholic beverages
cause your night sweats to be sweatier and your hot flashes
hotter!

Why does alcohol make your hot flashes worse?

The answer lies in one of the most important hormone
balancing organs in your body - your liver! Its the livers
job to:

1) Help your body turn glucose into glycogen for storage in
your liver. This simply means that the liver glycogen can
release glucose into your bloodstream to maintain blood
sugar levels.

This is why you crave a 'pick me up' in the middle of
the day. Instead, reach for fresh fruit, raw veggies,
to take the load off your liver.

2) The liver also stores vitamins A, D, and many of the
B vitamins as well as iron and copper.

3) The liver also has the daunting task of getting rid of
all the junk food you put in your mouth. Even though
your mouth thinks it tastes good, it doesn't mean its
good for you, and your liver will be the first to protest.

If there is a toxic overload, your liver gets fed up and
you can end up with jaundice, severe depression,
chronic fatigue, extreme abdominal swelling, mental
confusion, just to name a few.

4) A healthy liver is essential for a good sex drive.
(bet you didn't know that about your liver!). I hear
so many women complain to me in the clinic as they
enter into their menopause years that their sex
drive has declined dramatically.

It's a complicate process to explain, but here's the
easiest way I know to explain it. The liver makes a
sex hormone binding globulin which is the protein
that binds the steriod sex hormones. If your liver
is producing too much of the protein sex hormone,
your libido goes down.

I'll share with you a case of a patient who drank
2 beers a night to sleep better! (next post)

Until next time,
Dr. Judy

On the Lighter Side of Menopause

"I've given up losing weight, I'm going to lose depth instead.
If I can't be thin, at least I can be shallow!"