Marla Ahlgrimm: What You Need To Know About Your Period

Marla Ahlgrimm answers questions related to the menstrual cycle on the following brief question-and-answer session.

Q: What is menstruation?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Menstruation is the time of the month when a woman bleeds. It is the body’s way of shedding the uterine lining. The menstrual cycle occurs on average in periods of 21 to 35 days and is marked by shifts in hormone levels.

Q: What happens during this cycle?

Marla Ahlgrimm: At the beginning of the cycle, estrogen levels begin to rise. Estrogen, also known as the “female hormone,” is essential in allowing the lining of the uterus to thicken and grow. Once a woman ovulates, her egg travels through the fallopian tube, alternating month-to-month. Her hormone levels rise in preparation of pregnancy. If conception does not occur, this uterine lining is released through a small opening in the cervix and expelled through the vagina.

Healthy Aging QA with Marla Ahlgrimm

In today’s brief interview, women’s healthcare expert, author, and entrepreneur Marla Ahlgrimm answer some of the most common questions related to healthy aging at different stages of life.

Q: How can a woman in her late teens and early 20s establish lifelong healthy habits?

Marla Ahlgrimm: One of the most important things you can do is begin a routine of having an annual well-woman visit. Most health insurance plans cover this visit 100% so, chances are, you won’t be anything out-of-pocket. Maintain a balanced diet and make sure you get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. Don’t forget about your sleep, women at this stage need seven to eight hours of sleep every night for optimum health benefits.

Q: How is self-care different between your 20s and 40s?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Women in their 20s and 40s have similar health care needs, with the exception of those entering to menopause. These women may need to speak with their doctor about ways to mitigate the negative effects of waning hormones. This could include dietary changes or hormone therapy.

Hormone Therapy an Innovative Breast Cancer Treatment | Marla Ahlgrimm

More than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States every year, says women’s health expert and hormone therapy pioneer Marla Ahlgrimm. Read on for more information about how hormone treatment can help treat hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers.

Q: What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Often, women experience no outward causes of concern. However, nipple discharge, swollen lymph nodes, inverted nipples, and breast tenderness are common. It’s important to have a mammogram according to your doctor’s recommendation and to perform self-breast exams every month.

Marla Ahlgrimm: The Value of Virtual Medicine

Social media and other technology has made it easier than ever to take advantage of virtual healthcare, says Marla Ahlgrimm. Women, especially, turned to the Internet with questions about everything from weight gain and acne to hormone disorders and animal bites. Has this unbridled access to information done more harm than good? Research indicates that the three key ways women utilize the World Wide Web for health related topics are finding information, accessing support, and communicating with healthcare providers. Here, Ahlgrimm outlines the pros and cons of each.

Finding medical information

Sites like Facebook are extremely valuable when it comes to connecting and keeping up with healthcare providers. Many physicians and medical practices regularly update their social media accounts with relevant information, notes Marla Ahlgrimm. However, a 2014 study found that the majority of online searchers depended upon information-oriented sites such as Wikipedia for their medical fact-finding. Unfortunately, these websites are not written nor reviewed by medical professionals and often contain advice or misinformation which could be damaging to a woman’s health.

Marla Ahlgrimm Discusses Food Allergies in Adults and Children

It is estimated that 15 million Americans suffer from some form of food allergy. This includes nearly one in every 13 children, reports Marla Ahlgrimm. Food allergies can be fatal and even with heightened precautions, complete avoidance cannot be guaranteed. In the following summary, Ahlgrimm touches on symptoms and risk factors of common food allergies.

Common allergens

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, shellfish, fish, tree nuts, soy, peanuts, eggs, cow’s milk, and wheat are the eight foods most likely to cause an allergic reaction. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology explains that most allergies make themselves known during early childhood. However, adults are not immune to sudden allergic responses, even in foods they have consumed their entire lives.

Marla Ahlgrimm on the Body’s Need to Stay the Same

Dieting is not easy, as nearly two-thirds of Americans currently trying to shed excess weight will find out, says Marla Ahlgrimm. Overweight people are often assumed to have gotten that way as a result of overeating and under-exercising. The truth may actually be more complicated.

A battle against biology

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, losing weight is not as easy as calories in/calories out. This is especially true for those who have been overweight their entire lives. During the initial dieting phase, a person’s biology tries to resist weight loss by any means possible. As mass is lost, leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells, declines. The brain interprets this as starvation and directs the rest of the body to conserve energy. One of the first things that happens after this internal alarm is triggered is a sudden drop in metabolism.

Marla Ahlgrimm | Alternative Treatments for Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a disease that manifests from damage to the peripheral nervous system. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, PN affects women more often than men. The disease presents with a number of troublesome symptoms including numbness and tingling, sensitivity to touch, muscle weakness, and lack of coordination. In severe cases, organ dysfunction and paralysis may occur. There is no cure for peripheral neuropathy, but several alternative treatments may help manage symptoms for the one in 15 women affected.

Acupuncture

Two separate studies in 2007 and 2010 found that acupuncture was significantly more effective at improving PN symptoms than a placebo or medication without acupuncture therapy, reports Marla Ahlgrimm.

Massage

Though it may seem counterintuitive, and despite sensitivity to touch, massage may actually help PN in several ways. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that a professional massage can help alleviate pain, increase flexibility, and improve sleep.