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Supplements Women Need

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Find original post at:  http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/7082-supplements-women-need.html

Natural Woman

The number of nutritional supplements which are available today can be pretty intimidating to those who are not familiar with the benefits which they confer on those who take them.  If you also consider the performance supplements which are marketed to fitness-minded individuals, and which are marketed mostly to men, women are often left bewildered.  Since it is my aim to address the issues of women in this article, I will not discuss general supplements such as multivitamins, CLA, fish oil, CoQ10 or the like.  Rather, I will focus on supplements which have demonstrated efficacy in treating female-specific woes.

Biotin:   This substance promotes growth of healthy hair and nails and is something I have taken daily for many years.  Though I have horribly thin nails (and continue to suffer from them despite biotin), my hair has actually gotten considerably thicker in the past ten years, and I honestly believe that biotin has played a large role with respect to my hair health.  Another great benefit of biotin is the demonstrated effect it has on regulation of blood glucose.  I recommend taking the maximum dose possible, 5,000 micrograms per day.

Calcium:  Calcium is a mineral which is a critical component of bone health.  There are three mistakes I see people making when taking this supplement:

  1.  Taking it without Vitamin D or magnesium – Both Vitamin D and magnesium must be present in order for the body to be able to absorb calcium.
  2. Taking it on an empty stomach – Calcium is best absorbed when taken with food.
  3. Taking large doses at one time – The body is unable to absorb much more than 500 milligrams of calcium at one time.  Since the general daily dose in women of childbearing age is 1,000 mg, supplementation should be broken up into 2 doses of 500 milligrams each per day.

DHEA: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a precursor hormone which is produced in the adrenal glands which is later converted to sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone.  Levels of DHEA fall with advancing age and can also decline as a result of exposure to stress.  Signs of declining DHEA include stress, fatigue, memory loss, depression, dry skin, and decreased libido.  Women are struggling with infertility may also find that DHEA will increase their fertility by promoting hormonal balance and ovulation.  I generally feel that any woman over the age of 35 would benefit from supplementation with DHEA at 5 to 15 milligrams per day.

Folic Acid:  Many women are aware that supplementation with folic acid decreases the risk of neural tube defects in a developing fetus, but not many know that folic acid has been proven to lower blood pressure in women and prevent development of hypertension.  A daily dose of 800 micrograms is advised.

ALA:  Alpha lipoic acid, or ALA for short, is effective in regulating blood glucose, optimizing carbohydrate consumption and reducing sugar cravings.  Effective dose ranges are between 100 to 200 milligrams, taken two to three times daily.

Chromium Picolinate:  Chromium picolinate can decrease sugar cravings and is effective at regulating blood glucose.  A dose of 200 micrograms three times daily is optimal.

Vanadyl Sulfate:  This is another supplement which can curb sugar cravings.  Take 10 milligrams three times daily.

Phosphatidylserine Complex:  This supplement supports the adrenal glands during stressful times.  Those with poorly functioning adrenal glands should not take this supplement.  A daily dose of  200 milligrams taken earlier in the day is recommended.

Help! My Face Is Falling!

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Original post can be found at http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/7293-help-my-face-is-falling.html

Filler Tx

An inevitable consequence of the aging process is the loss of elasticity in the skin that we often take for granted when we are young.  This loss of firmness is amplified by competition diets and training which can trim storage fat stores to the point that female competitors’ faces look positively skeletal.  My eye is trained to scan a person’s face for areas of lipoatrophy, elastosis, rhytids, shifting of malar fat pads, etc….in other words, sunken, sagging, drooping, wrinkled skin.  The degree of elastic breakdown and loss of soft tissue fullness that I see in an average fifty year old is something I commonly see in many female competitors as young as their late 20’s.  This process only gets worse over time unless the competitor is willing to do something to prevent progression.

What can a competitor do once her skin has started this dreaded sagging process?

There are laser treatments available which help to resurface and refine the skin and which can also tighten the skin somewhat.  However, these treatments are often too expensive for competitors, especially when considering all the costs associated with competing.  Another viable and cost-effective solution to the issue of loosening skin is a chemical peel.  There are many different types of chemical peels available, ranging from very light glycolic acid peels to an aggressive TCA (trichloroacetic acid) peel.   One composite peel (phenol, TCA, salicylic acid and Retin-A) which is my personal favorite is the Vi-Peel which is well tolerated, painless, and confers a good tightening effect on the skin.

Another wonderful option to correct the loss of volume in the face and add structural support is fillers.  There are a number of hyaluronic acid based fillers available now (Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm, Belotero) which last 6 months to a year.  Radiesse is another natural filler option which is comprised of calcium hydroxylapatite.  Radiesse also acts as a biostimulator, stimulating cells in the skin to produce collagen over time.  Another wonderful feature of Radiesse is the fact that it lasts 18 months or more.

If you have wrinkles in the forehead and around the eyes, Botox and Dysport are excellent treatments and will last for 3 to 6 months.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, I offer filler and Vi-Peel treatments.  Please go to my medical website for more information:  www.staceynaito.com

New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work

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2013By no means am I trying to destroy the motivation that some of you may be experiencing with the fresh slate of a new year and some new goals placed before you.  But it drives me nuts when people make these promises to themselves to eat healthy foods, start going to the gym regularly, quit drinking, etc., then give up after only weeks or even days because they supposedly blew it for the year. I fully expect, along with countless other fitness people, to see a major influx of new faces at the gym next week, hogging the equipment without knowing how to use it and increasing the temperature of the gym to hatching-baby-chicks hot, only to see a drop off shortly after Valentine’s Day.  It really is a shame that many individuals lack the drive to keep after their goals and only find yet another excuse to abandon the idea of bettering themselves for the long run.  SO WHAT if it is a new year, and SO WHAT if you mess up after a few days or weeks?  The most important thing is to keep your eye on the prize and get back up on that horse!

If you think I don’t have moments of weakness, I will tell you right now that I am human just like the rest of you.  While I do not indulge in bad foods frequently, I will have an occasional treat, meal or feast that is well outside the definition of a clean meal.  On rare occasions I will miss a workout, though this happens once a year (in fact it just happened today because I have been battling the flu since yesterday).    But if I were to say, “okay, I blew it for 2013”, then of course that would be the perfect cop-out and I would no longer have the pressure to conform to a schedule or continue to pursue a goal.

Ask yourself this:  WHY do you have a goal to lose weight, eat better, (fill in the blank)?  If you have an understanding of the psychology behind your goal, and if you develop a do-or-die attitude, you will increase the chances of reaching your goal dramatically.  Make your choices the types of choices that are made for a lifetime.   Be specific about your goal and have a SPECIFIC PLAN in place, whether that plan is a written workout schedule, printed meal plan, timeline for when and how you will make measures to get that promotion at work, etc.

Every day spent with a focused mindset will get you closer to your goals.  Allow yourself the occasional slipup but also refrain from allowing such incidents to completely derail you from what it is you really want.