Blog Archive
Your period has been a nuisance for most of your life, but once it goes away, new annoyances replace the cramps and bleeding. Menopause isn’t an event; it’s a process, and a unique one at that. Every woman experiences the symptoms differently and to differing degrees. Some women breeze through...
Healthy vaginal tissue is thick, slippery, and stretchy. In fact, that describes the ideal environment for sexual intercourse, so when your sexual experience changes, your lubrication level is the first thing you should check. One of the main culprits of a parched vagina is menopause. Because the hormone estrogen wanes...
With every step you take, your knees bear your entire body weight and then some. If you’re at an ideal weight, add on half again that amount and that’s how much pressure is applied to your knee joints. But if you’re packing 10, 20, or more pounds over what you...
There’s nothing better than taking on life’s daily challenges feeling energized and healthy. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Constantly feeling fatigued makes it difficult to do much of anything. And while it’s normal to experience some occasional tiredness, there comes a time when your chronic fatigue requires treatment. Amy...
You know testosterone — it’s the hormone that makes men male. It makes your voice deeper, gives you body hair during puberty, and it’s what makes sperm in your testicles. These are important during the development of boys to men and for reproductive health throughout the adult years, but you...
Menopause is one of the natural stages of life when you transition out of your childbearing years. Because you no longer need or want to reproduce, your body makes an adjustment to stop ovulating and sending eggs each month. Your estrogen and progesterone levels drop significantly, and your periods stop. ...
We ask a lot of our knees. Twisting, bending, lifting, kicking, kneeling, squatting, running, jumping, and walking, all while bearing our full body weight — and then some. Inflammation now and then is inevitable, and injuries are likely if we overwork these essential joints or don’t take care to use...
Whether you’re approaching menopause or you’re deep in the throes of it, you may be considering hormone replacement therapy to get your life back on track. But a quick internet search can make you more confused than ever. At Optimized Wellness, we help you sift through the rumors, myths, and...
Chronic fatigue syndrome, known in the medical community as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), is a complex condition that can baffle both patients and their health care providers. Symptoms can come and go and often mimic other illnesses, making it difficult to diagnose. That may be why almost 90% of...
Chronic joint pain is a common problem for many men and women as part of the aging process, years of wear-and-tear, or the result of a past injury. When pain in your shoulder, knee, or another joint affects your ability to enjoy an active lifestyle or participate in your favorite...
As with many things in life, you don’t realize the full significance of something until it’s gone, which can certainly be said of your hormones, namely testosterone. These hormones, which are considered the “male hormone,” have a widespread impact on your overall health and wellness, both physically and mentally. So...
World-class cyclists know the benefits of a little extra oxygen. Known as blood doping in professional sports, it gives athletes an unfair advantage over their competitors and has ruined the reputations of greats caught using it, such as Lance Armstrong. Clearly, oxygen has a powerful effect on the body, so...
Most women have heard the symptoms menopause will bring. They’re told they’ll be moody, have a constant need for a fan pointed in their direction during hot flashes, and can even soak through their nightgown with sweat. But did you know that menopause can cause you to have uncontrollable weight...