Women's Health Center
See Below for:
Wellness Plan |
Pharmacist Recommendations |
Related Health Concerns | Additional Information
General Health Information
Women need special attention to maintain optimal health through their body’s many changes and cycles throughout life … most notably menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. A woman’s nutritional and lifestyle requirements modify each time her body passes into another phase. A woman should be sensitive to the needs of her ever-changing body to insure smooth transitions into and through its many cycles.
Dietary and lifestyle habits early on in life can help to reduce a woman’s risk of osteoporosis, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. A diet rich in calcium throughout life can help build strong bones long before the onset of menopause, when the bones begin to thin. Adequate calcium intake is also beneficial before, during, and after pregnancy. During gestation, the baby uses some of the mother’s store of calcium for their own new bone formation. Providing the unborn baby with plenty of calcium while replenishing the mother’s stores of calcium is crucial to the good health of them both.
Another mineral that is important to a woman’s good health is iron. Iron is lost in the blood flow during monthly menstruation. In order to prevent iron deficiency anemia, adequate intake of iron is necessary. Adequate amounts of iron are also necessary during pregnancy because of the increased blood volume required by the addition of the fetus. In fact, more of all nutrients are needed to ensure the good health of both mother and the unborn baby.
Breast, cervical, uterine, endometrial, colorectal, and ovarian cancers are common among women. While the causes of cancer are only partially understood, proper diet, exercise, and good lifestyle habits can play a role in prevention. Increased dietary fat and body fat can add to a woman’s risk of developing cancer. Exercise plus a low-calorie diet that is high in fiber can help in the prevention of cancer. Avoiding food additives, environmental toxins, smoking, and moderating alcohol intake are also helpful. And, since some cancers can take up to ten years or more before they develop clinical signs, women should develop these healthy diet and lifestyle patterns early in life as well as having a physical exam each year.
A natural supply of estrogen hormone through the child-bearing years tends to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular problems for women. But from the onset of menopause on, women are no longer protected by natural estrogen and become more prone to developing cardiovascular problems. But estrogen is not the only factor that helps to promote cardiovascular health. A diet low in fat and sugar that is high in fiber also helps to ensure good cardiovascular function. Reducing stress and increasing exercise is also beneficial to a healthy cardiovascular system. Eliminating chemical additives, environmental toxins, and smoking are also helpful. This cardioprotective lifestyle is most beneficial when adopted early in life.
There are numerous supplements that can assist women through menopause, protect against osteoporosis, and reduce cancer risks. These include soy isoflavones, black cohosh, calcium and magnesium, and others. Consult your physician or pharmacist for proper guidance when considering supplementing your diet. There are some supplements that all women should consider taking throughout life including high quality multivitamins and minerals, calcium and magnesium, soy, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants.
Wellness Plan
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Regular exercise and weight control
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Well balance diet: low fat, high fiber, with added soy protein
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Avoid smoking, especially if taking the pill, and moderate alcohol intake
- Pharmacist’s Supplemental Recommendations:
- Herbs and Phytonutrients - soy, dong quai, damiana, bioflavonoids, primrose oil
- Vitamins and Minerals - increased need for calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins B6, C, D, and E
- AntiOxidants - especially grape seed extract and vitamin E
- Essential Fatty Acids - omega-3 (DHA, EPA), omega-6 (GLA)
These products are recommended by licensed pharmacists who have specialized in natural medicines and dietary supplements. For maximum benefit from these recommendations, be sure to read the Wellness Center Guidelines.
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Womens Extra $23.44
This formula is designed for women as an extra benefit to their foundation of supplemental vitamins and minerals. It contains many important herbs, essential fatty acids, soy, and other nutrients known to benefit women especially. Additionally, it adds more of vitamins B-6, B-12, and folic acid to complete the additional requirements women have for these particular nutrients. Some of the many nutrients included are:
- Damiana and Dong Quai - herbs well known for their benefits in women which promote hormonal balance
- Fortified Soy - phytonutrient which also helps with hormone balance and is well documented for its cardiovascular benefits
- Astragalus, Schisandra, and Shiitake - immune stimulating herbals
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Womens Total Health $41.07
This multivitamin and mineral formula is designed especially for women. To ensure good health, a woman needs a high quality vitamin and mineral supplement with key nutrients designed for a woman’s special physiology. Calcium is needed continually throughout a woman’s life, and iron is needed usually only during child-bearing years. Daily intake of all of the important nutrients allows a woman transition smoothly throughout her cycles of life, and to perform all of her physiological functions in good health. Women's Total Health is the perfect formulation providing the foundation of sound nutrition for women.
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Bone Health Support $26.25
Low calcium intake is a risk factor for osteoporosis, which is most prevalent in women. Lifelong adequate calcium intake helps maintain bone health by increasing as much as genetically possible the amount of bone formed in the teens and early adult life and by helping to slow the rate of bone loss that occurs later in life. Proper calcium supplementation can help prevent osteoporosis by providing this critical nutrient for bone health. Our Bone Health Support contains the highest quality, most absorbable form of calcium and magnesium with vitamin D, soy, ipraflavone and boron added to “maximize” calcium retention in the bone. Our pharmacists recommend this as the best calcium supplement for women.
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AntiOxidant Essentials $25.25
Antioxidants help protect the body from the formation of damaging free radicals. Free radicals damage our DNA and our cell membranes, and are a factor in degenerative diseases as well as aging. Free radicals are often caused by environmental toxins, stress, tobacco smoke, and ozone. Antioxidants are free radical scavengers which neutralize the damaging effects these free radicals. Since free radicals are an unavoidable part of daily life, antioxidants are necessary to guard against their damage to our health.
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Omega Max $18.43
Every living cell in our bodies needs a daily supply of essential fatty acids, and that’s why they are called “essential.” Essential fatty acids must be taken in from an outside source such as a supplement. They are the “good fats” that are necessary for the reproduction of new cells, and also play a part in the body’s many natural biochemical processes. Supplementing daily with essential fatty acids helps to provide the body with plenty of the essential fatty acids necessary for good health.
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Additional Products for Women's Health
| Iron |
Hair, Skin, & Nails Formula |
| Flax Seed Oil / 1000mg |
Evening Primrose Oil |
| Essential Minerals |
Calcium Plus |
| Calcium & Magnesium Plus |
Soy Isoflavones |
| Menopause Support |
Wellness Centers Related to Women's Health
Additional Information on Women's Health
- Women and Nutrition - published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Countdown for a Healthier Life - guide by the National Womens Health Information Center
- Womens Health and the Environment - statement by the National Institute of Environmental Sciences
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