Menopause

The 30s have recently come to be known as ‘the new 20s’, but it’s still the time when the signs of aging begin to appear. If you haven’t already established healthy habits, now’s the time to do so.

During your 30s, you start to lose up to three percent of the hormones that keep your mind and body youthful and energetic. Melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle, decreases and you may find yourself feeling run down, less energetic, more forgetful, and unable to focus. DHEA, which plays a key role in protecting against age-related illnesses, also begins a rapid decline.

Most people in their 30s also notice that fat accumulates faster, as your metabolism has slowed. It’s also not as easy to get rid of fat as it was in the past. Your workouts require increasing effort to achieve results similar to those of your earlier years.

Now is the time to take steps that can make your later life more vibrant. You can begin by eating a healthy diet, which can reduce your risk for many cancers and heart disease and help with weight management. Taking the proper supplements will help increase energy and overall well-being. You should also incorporate physical activity in your daily schedule.

You may want to consider hormone therapy to better manage the increasing imbalance of your system. Hormone replacement can result in increased sexual arousal, mental and physical capacity, bone density, fat-free mass, and insulin sensitivity that improves the lining of the coronary arteries, lowering the risk of heart disease.

There are many options to help you feel your best during your 30s and beyond. Call Dr. Berger today, to find out what you can do to age well.

During your 40s, life becomes very busy, with the constant challenge to balance family, work, and caring for yourself. You are entering midlife and even more noticeable symptoms of aging may be occurring. These changes need to be addressed before they become problems.

In general, your metabolism begins to slow by two percent each decade, your muscle mass is down by six to seven pounds from 10 years ago, and your bone mass is decreasing by about one percent a year. Sedentary adults in their 40s can lose about half a pound of muscle per year, which turns into about 2.6 pounds of fat due to metabolic slowdown.

Obligations to family, career, and finances bring increasing stress levels. Your libido is declining due to high stress levels and hormonal changes and depression is increasingly likely. Your risk of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure also increase.

Women are approaching menopause, and may begin to experience perimenopause. During this time, you may have irregular periods, hot flashes, fatigue, mood swings, and insomnia.

As is often the case, you can begin maintenance of your body by regulating your diet and implementing supplementation. The addition of supplements to your diet can elevate levels of mood-lifting neurotransmitters in the brain, relieving depression, slow thinking, and poor memory. Eating well, being active with appropriate weight training, and properly managing stress can increase your resting metabolism, help control your weight, and decrease your risk of heart attack and stroke.

With menopause quickly approaching for women, and andropause for men, hormone replacement therapy becomes especially important. For both sexes, HRT can bring energy, sexual desire, increased muscle mass, and better mental focus. For women specifically, HRT can treat menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness, improve psychological well-being, and reduce the incidence of coronary artery disease and osteoporosis.

Aging is no longer in the distant future. You need to actively deal with health risks that are now more likely to be visible.

During your 50s, your risk for heart disease increases, aches and pains may restrict activities, and you may not recover from injury quite as well as you used to. While you may lose some of your appetite and not eat as well, weight gain can still be a problem, especially in the midsection, increasing your risk of diabetes.

Problems that often result from hormone loss, such as urinary incontinence, sleep problems, and memory loss become more apparent. Estrogen levels are dropping in women because of menopause, causing hot flashes and night sweats, and raising the risk of osteoporosis.

One way to recapture some of the abilities of your youth is with human growth hormone, which promotes healthy metabolism, can increase bone density and muscle mass, decrease body fat, bolster the heart’s ability to contract, improve mood, and increase exercise capacity. Talk to Dr. Berger about the possibility of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to replace the hormones your body no longer produces.

To ensure you’re getting all the necessary nutrients, you should continue to incorporate supplements into your diet. In addition, foods rich in antioxidants and calcium will help defend against the symptoms of aging. You should also integrate low impact and resistance activities, such as walking or gardening to manage your weight and decrease the risks of cognitive decline.

If you established good habits in your 40s and 50s, you likely still have many good years of health and independence ahead of you.

Levels of key nutrients, like B12 and Vitamin D, are decreasing. Low levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, anemia, and Alzheimer’s disease, weak bones, elevated risks of diabetes, high blood pressure, and breast and colon cancers.
Adjusting your supplementation with your age is key in combating the risks associated with age. You should also maintain your strength and flexibility through walking and resistance exercises, lifting small to moderate weights.

To keep your mind clear and alert, you should try to learn new things by taking classes, joining a club, or gardening.

The healthier you are, the better you’ll feel, and the more you’ll enjoy life.