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Salud Femenina
Hierbas para aliviar los sofocos de la menopausia
Spain
Desde el punto de vista fisiológico, la menopausia corresponde a la interrupción de la operación de los ovarios. Es un mecanismo natural que ocurre con la edad, generalmente alrededor de los 50 años.
Una oleada de calor que empieza en el pecho y sube hacia la cabeza generando abundante sudor, sobre todo en la zona del escote, el cuello, la cara y las axilas, aunque no hayas hecho ninguna actividad física. En algunos casos, puedes percibir palpitaciones, sensación de angustia y frío o escalofríos. Esta desagradable sensación es la que perciben las mujeres que sufren sofocos. Y no les ocurre a todas las mujeres que han llegado a la menopausia ni tampoco solo pasa en esta etapa: unos años antes de que la menstruación se retire definitivamente ya pueden empezar a percibirse.
El origen principal de este problema es que se altera la autorregulación de la temperatura corporal, motivado por una bajada en la producción de estrógenos que se experimenta durante este periodo.
Los molestos síntomas que acompañan la menopausia, como los calores y la hipersudoración nocturna, se pueden mitigar con las siguientes plantas de acción específica.
El trébol rojo:
Es conocido por ser una de las fuentes más ricas de isoflavonas, las cuales son un compuesto químico que actúa de forma similar a los estrógenos. Es similar al compuesto que poseen los frijoles de soja, por esta razón se incluye en las recomendaciones para mujeres qué se encuentran en la menopausia y que sufren los famosos sofocos o calores. También es ideal para mujeres jóvenes que experimentan síntomas agresivos del síndrome premenstrual.
Es rico en vitaminas y minerales como fósforo, potasio, calcio, magnesio, vitamina c, tiamina y niacina.
Recomendamos tomarlo en infusión y tener en cuenta que resulta especialmente más efectivo combinado con salvia.
El extracto de regaliz:
Los expertos creen que las sustancias químicas del extracto de regaliz imitan el efecto de la hormona femenina: el estrógeno. Puede ayudar a aliviar los sofocos y sudores nocturnos mejorando la calidad del sueño, disminuir las molestias ocasionadas por la sequedad vaginal e incluso equilibrar los repentinos cambios de humor, síntomas muy frecuentes en la menopausia.
Raíz de diente de león:
La raíz de diente de león fortalece el hígado y es un diurético muy suave que ayuda a desintoxicar el exceso de estrógenos y hormonas que desencadenan los sofocos, con lo que ayuda a reducir la hinchazón y la retención de líquidos que produce el desequilibrio hormonal durante la menopausia.
Extracto de Manzanilla:
Esta hierba es conocida por tener propiedades calmantes y relajantes. Beber té de manzanilla puede ayudar a reducir el estrés que producen los sofocos, por lo que hace que sea más fácil hacer frente a los síntomas y aliviar la ansiedad. Si empleamos esta planta en baños en la zona genital, reduce la irritación y sensación de comezón, gracias a su capacidad antiinflamatoria.
Salvia:
De esta planta se utilizan medicinalmente las hojas y las sumidades floridas, pues son ricas en aceite esencial, ácido rosmarínico y flavonoides. Es común combinarla con el trébol y ejerce una excelente acción contra los sofocos y los sudores nocturnos.
En uso externo, puedes aplicarla mediante compresas o baños, que te ayudarán a reducir el sudor. Otra opción es tomarla por vía oral. Puedes beber hasta tres tazas de infusión al día, o bien optar por cápsulas o el extracto líquido.
Valeriana:
La valeriana puede ser de gran ayuda en el periodo de la menopausia ya que puede ayudarte a relajarte y a conciliar el sueño.
La menopausia es un periodo de cambios en la mujer en el que incluso se ven alterados los ciclos del sueño, por lo que se recomienda el consumo de valeriana para combatir los síntomas de los desórdenes del sueño.
Consejos:
Te aconsejamos seguir unos pasos para poder llevar mejor este proceso, que son los siguientes:
-Reduce el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas, ya que estas incrementan la temperatura corporal. Por el mismo motivo, conviene evitar las bebidas calientes o el picante.
-Controla la temperatura ambiente, ya que esta afecta a la frecuencia e intensidad de los sofocos, así que procura llevar ropa fresca y de algodón y evitar lugares con calefacción.
-Hidratarte es fundamental. Toma unos dos litros de agua al día. Lleva siempre una botellita en el bolso y bebe de forma continua.
-Deja de lado el tabaco ya que las mujeres fumadoras sufren con más frecuencia sofocos, por lo que abandonar este hábito nocivo mejorará el proceso.
¡Esperamos que este artículo te haya resultado de ayuda!
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In the UK, men on average die four to six years earlier than women, have a life expectancy of 79.1 years, are significantly less likely to attend routine health screenings, are more likely to delay seeking medical attention for concerning symptoms, and face higher rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and suicide.
The dietary patterns, movement habits, sleep, stress management, and relationship with healthcare that men establish can have a profound influence on health outcomes across the lifespan.
Cardiovascular Health
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature death in men in the UK, and men develop it on average ten years earlier than women. The protective effect of oestrogen that delays cardiovascular disease in premenopausal women does not apply to men, meaning that risk accumulates from earlier in adulthood.
The key modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease include:
high blood pressure
elevated LDL cholesterol
high triglycerides,
insulin resistance,
smoking
excess visceral adiposity
physical inactivity
chronic stress
poor sleep
alcohol use and diet quality
Most of these can be influenced by nutrition and lifestyle, meaning that the everyday choices men make have a significant and compounding effect on their long-term cardiovascular risk.
Dietary patterns most strongly associated with reduced cardiovascular risk include:
Mediterranean diet
diets rich in vegetables and fruit
wholegrains
legumes
olive oil
nuts
oily fish
Focus should fall on predominantly whole food dietary patterns that are balanced, high in fibre and low in saturated fats.
Specific nutrients with the strongest cardiovascular evidence include omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce triglycerides and inflammation, soluble fibre from oats, barley, chia seeds, legumes, certain vegetables and fruit, which reduces LDL cholesterol, potassium from vegetables and fruit, which supports healthy blood pressure, and extra virgin olive oil for its anti-inflammatory properties.
In the UK, men are encouraged to have regular blood pressure and cholesterol screenings from their forties onward, and earlier for those with a family history of cardiovascular disease. Many men have elevated cardiovascular risk markers like LDL cholesterol for years before any symptoms arise, making regular monitoring genuinely important rather than optional.
Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Health
Men are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes than women at equivalent body weights, partly due to the tendency of men to accumulate visceral fat (fat around the internal organs) rather than subcutaneous fat (fat beneath the skin).
Visceral adiposity is metabolically active and drives insulin resistance, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk in ways that subcutaneous fat does not to the same degree.
Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable and in its early stages often reversible through dietary and lifestyle change. The evidence for dietary approaches to improving insulin sensitivity and metabolic health consistently points toward reducing refined carbohydrate and added sugar intake, increasing dietary fibre, eating regular meals with adequate protein, fibre and fat to moderate blood glucose response, and regular physical activity.
Waist circumference is a more informative marker of metabolic risk than body weight or BMI alone. A waist circumference above 94cm in men is associated with increased metabolic risk, and above 102cm with substantially elevated risk.
This is worth knowing not as a point of shame, but as a practical piece of health information that is easy to measure and track.
Dietary quality improvements, increased physical activity, and better sleep can all improve insulin sensitivity and reduce visceral fat independently of changes in overall body weight.
Prostate Health
According to Cancer Research, 1 in 6 men in the UK will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. When detected early, it is one of the most survivable cancers and so regular screening is particularly important for men over 50 and men with a family history of prostate cancer or with Black African or Caribbean heritage.
In epidemiological research, those who consume diets rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that gives fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon their red pigment, has been linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer, though evidence is mixed.
Lycopene is significantly more bioavailable from cooked or processed tomatoes than raw, with tomato paste, passata, and canned tomatoes providing more absorbable lycopene than fresh tomatoes.
The overall dietary pattern matters more than any single nutrient. Higher vegetable, fruit and wholegrains intake, adequate zinc, and a predominantly whole food dietary pattern are associated with better prostate health outcomes. Diets high in processed meat and very high in saturated fat are associated with modestly increased risk in large prospective studies.
Testosterone and Hormonal Health
Testosterone levels in men decline gradually from the mid-thirties onward, with research suggesting an average decline of around 1 to 2% per year after age 40. This is a normal part of aging, but the trajectory and rate of decline are influenced by lifestyle factors, meaning that the choices men make in their thirties and forties meaningfully affect their hormonal health in their fifties and beyond.
Several nutritional and lifestyle factors are associated with better testosterone status. Adequate zinc intake is directly relevant: zinc is essential for testosterone synthesis, and deficiency is associated with reduced testosterone levels.
Good sources include shellfish, pumpkin seeds, and legumes. Adequate dietary fat intake, particularly from monounsaturated and saturated fat sources in moderate amounts, supports testosterone production, as testosterone is synthesised from cholesterol.
Vitamin D deficiency, which is widespread in the UK, is associated with lower testosterone levels so correcting any deficiency may improve testosterone status. Maintaining adequate vitamin D year-round through blood work to assess levels and supplementation when needed can therefore be relevant to hormonal health.
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which directly suppresses testosterone production. This is one of several reasons why stress management is not separate from men's hormonal health but integral to it.
Sleep is equally relevant: testosterone is primarily produced during sleep, and research has found that even one week of sleeping five hours per night reduces testosterone levels by approximately 10 to 15% in young men, a reduction equivalent to ageing ten to fifteen years.
Sleep and Sleep Apnoea
Sleep affects testosterone, cardiovascular health, metabolic function, immune resilience, cognitive performance, emotional regulation, and physical recovery.
Sleep apnoea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, is significantly more common in men than in women, and is associated with fatigue, poor cognitive function, elevated cardiovascular risk, and reduced testosterone. It is frequently undiagnosed because the primary symptom is snoring combined with daytime sleepiness, which many men normalise. If you or your partner have noticed loud or irregular snoring combined with daytime fatigue, discussing this with a GP is worthwhile.
Seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night is the evidence-supported range for most adults. Consistent sleep and wake times, a cool dark bedroom, limiting alcohol, avoiding caffeine after midday, and managing stress are the most consistently evidence-supported sleep hygiene strategies.
Alcohol
Men in the UK drink more alcohol on average than women and are more likely to drink at hazardous or harmful levels. The NHS guidelines recommend no more than 14 units of alcohol per week spread across at least three days, with alcohol-free days each week.
Alcohol at higher intake levels is associated with liver disease, several cancers including colorectal and liver cancer, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, depression, cognitive decline, impaired sleep, reduced testosterone, and reduced fertility.
The relationship between alcohol and health is not linear, and while low-level drinking has historically been associated with some cardiovascular benefits, more recent research applying Mendelian randomisation methods suggests that even moderate drinking carries some increased risk.
This is not about prohibition. It is about honest awareness that alcohol is one of the most significant modifiable risk factors for serious health conditions in men, and that staying within recommended guidelines meaningfully reduces long-term risk.
Engaging With Healthcare
One of the most impactful things men can do for their long-term health is engage proactively with healthcare rather than reactively. This means attending NHS health checks when invited (available to those aged 40 to 74), discussing blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose screening with a GP, being aware of bowel cancer screening (offered to those over 60 in the UK), having conversations about prostate health from the mid-forties onward for those with risk factors, and not dismissing symptoms or delaying seeking help when something feels wrong.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 15 to 49 afd is highly treatable when caught early. Regular self-examination and prompt reporting of any lumps or changes to a GP are important habits. Skin cancer rates are higher in men partly due to lower rates of sun protection, and regular skin checks for changing moles or lesions are worthwhile.
Mental Health
Men are less likely to seek help for depression and anxiety, less likely to discuss emotional difficulties with friends or family, and more likely to manage distress through avoidance, alcohol, or other external coping strategies rather than directly addressing the underlying issue. These patterns can have devastating consequences when unaddressed, and they are deeply connected to social norms around masculinity that equate emotional expression with weakness.
The most important message regarding men's mental health is to reach out. To your GP, to a therapist, to a trusted friend, to a helpline and to engage in psychological therapies like CBT and ACT for mental health support.
Closing Thoughts
Men's health is shaped by the accumulation of daily choices across decades: what is eaten, how much movement happens, how sleep is prioritised, how stress is managed, how much alcohol is consumed, and whether medical or mental health care is sought when needed.
None of these are binary or all-or-nothing. Small, consistent improvements in multiple areas compound meaningfully over time.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace the advice of a qualified healthcare or nutrition professional. If you're experiencing persistent or severe symptoms, please consult your healthcare provider.
Sources:
https://www.nmcd-journal.com/article/S0939-4753(23)00385-X/fulltexthttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6906176/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11958419/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960076021000716?via%3Dihubhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8743653/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949789225000881https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9566.13257
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