Exercise Eases Some Menopausal Symptoms

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Registered: 03-24-2003
Exercise Eases Some Menopausal Symptoms
Sat, 01-05-2008 - 2:08pm

From iVillage's Total Health Center Newsletter: 


Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise is not a cure for hot flashes, but it does help postmenopausal women cope with stress, anxiety and depression, a Pennsylvania study has found.


The researchers had hoped to prove that exercise could be a less risky alternative to hormone replacement therapy for women suffering from hot flashes, said study author Deborah B. Nelson, a professor of public health and obstetrics and gynecology at Temple University in Philadelphia.


But, she added, "we didn't find a relationship between physical activity and hot flashes."


However, the study did find that more exercise led to lowered levels of perceived stress. "The level of anxiety, stress and depression were significantly lower among physically active, postmenopausal women compared to postmenopausal women in the lowest" level of physical activity, the researchers reported in the January issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.


Still, the results are significant, because the hot flashes women experience as they go through the menopausal transition are often a temporary problem, Nelson explained. Women live a long time in postmenopause, which can be a period when they may struggle with stress, anxiety and depression, she said.


You can read the rest of the article here: http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/exercise-eases-some-menopause-symptoms.html


To be honest, chocolate also helps with stress, anxiety and depression.  :-D 


Chocolate stress

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