Mens Health Blog. Medical Blog

Other specific forms of CSA include alveolar hypoventilation, which occurs during sleep when the breathing rate or the amount of air inhaled decreases. In some cases hypoventilation is a result of obesity; excess body weight prevents the lungs from expanding to their full capacity. In other patients the problem may be related to specific disorders of the muscles, nerves, or bones, or it may be due to some basic malfunctioning of the respiratory centers located in the brain stem. Yet another variety of CSA is Cheyne-Stokes breathing, the name given to the dyspnea (breathing difficulty) that afflicts patients with left ventricular failure. When heart failure occurs, possibly as a result of some disruption in the nerves, circulation is slowed, the oxygen level of the blood drops, and the level of acids and other toxins increases, giving rise to alternating periods of apnea (breathing cessation) and hyperpnea (gasping, panting breathing).

Victims of CSA are often unaware that the problem exists, because they breathe normally during the day. One clue may be that the patient snores at night; generally, however, snoring is more likely to be a symptom of obstructive apnea. CSA is usually worst during REM sleep because the system that responds to elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the blood is suspended during

REM sleep. Consequently, interruptions in breathing last longer, and the level of oxygen falls to a lower point than during NREM stages. Alcohol, which suppresses the central respiratory drive, only makes the problem worse. Patients with heart disease may experience arrhythmias or increased blood pressure, although these risks are even greater in cases of OSA.

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You may find it surprising to know that a woman s body converts her main sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, from cholesterol. So the hormones are inextricably linked and have the same starting block – cholesterol – although they have different functions.

Oestrogen’s role

- At puberty, oestrogen is responsible for our female shape, including the growth and development of our breasts and the growth of pubic and underarm hair.

- Oestrogen causes the womb lining to thicken in the first half of the menstrual cycle.

- Oestrogen softens the cervix and produces the right quality of vaginal secretions to allow the sperm to swim and to lubricate us during intercourse.

- Oestrogen maintains the health and functioning of our genital organs.

- This hormone has a stimulating effect on both the womb and breasts in terms of cell growth.

- Oestrogen lifts our mood and gives us a feeling of well-being.

Progesterone’s role

- Progesterone helps to maintain pregnancy.

- It protects us against the ‘building’ effects of oestrogen, which are linked to the development of breast and womb cancer.

- Progesterone prevents further ovulation taking place in the second half of the menstrual cycle, closes the cervix at that time and produces a thick mucus which is hostile to sperm and prevents its passage into the womb.

As these two hormones decline during the menopause, the pattern of our periods changes. The periods may:

1. Stop abruptly. After regular periods for many years you may find you just stop menstruating without any warning.

2.   The number of days you bleed in each cycle becomes shorter and shorter and the blood flow may also diminish but the periods are still regular.

3.   The periods may become very irregular. Some can become heavier with large gaps in between.

4.   Most women find they get less bleeding less often but there are plenty of variations. It is the change from your normal pattern that is the main indicator of the menopause.

Nature takes her time, she does things gradually. The change of life is a gradual process allowing your body to get used to the changes and to adapt accordingly. If your body is healthy, these changes can happen smoothly and comfortably. The hormone systems in your body are interlinked and work in harmony with each other. But modern gynecology looks at just the symptoms of the menopause and tries to correct those instead of looking at our bodies as whole integrated systems. When a woman goes through the menopause, modern medicine may prescribe her oestrogen because the level of that hormone is falling. But that is not the only thing that is happening. What about the progesterone which has stopped altogether? What about the FSH level which is soaring? What about all the other subtle changes in hormone balance which cannot even be measured or that we don’t even know about? As one thing changes, so does everything else; this is how nature works. Just as we drop a stone into a pond and the ripples are seen far away, so too, if we interfere with the balance of hormones, the body will try to compensate and the effects can be noticeable as a different imbalance. This is the single biggest reason why women should think twice – and a few more times – before taking Hormone Replacement Therapy. The real question to ask is what is causing you to feel these symptoms? What can be done to help your body go through this transition naturally, efficiently and comfortably? By increasing your health and using natural remedies where appropriate it is possible to help your body to balance itself.

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