When you reach middle age, you go through the second puberty of your life, ‘menopause’. During menopause, physical, mental and sexual problems come at the same time. It is no exaggeration to say that the health and happiness of middle-aged couples depends on how they overcome the menopause.
◇ Men and women go through menopause… caused by hormonal changes
Menopause is often referred to as menopause in women. This is because women have a reference point called menopause, so it is relatively easy to know if they are menopausal or not. However, men also go through menopause as they age. The level of the male hormone testosterone decreases by 1% every year from around the age of 30, and 30-50% of men in their 50s and 70s have testosterone concentrations below the normal level. It is known that 1 in 2 women will go through menopause around menopause in their mid to late 40s, and 1 in 3 men will go through menopause starting in their late 40s. The main cause of menopause symptoms is a decrease in sex hormones.
▷ Female =Facial flushing with flushed face and fever due to autonomic nervous system imbalance due to hormonal imbalance is common. Vaginal dryness occurs due to atrophy of the genitourinary system, which can cause difficulties in marital relations. In addition, you may suffer from cystitis, painful urination, concentration problems, short-term memory problems, muscle pain, joint pain, insomnia, and osteoporosis. Emotional moods intensify, and at this time, many complain of depression due to ’empty nest syndrome’ due to the feeling of emptiness they experience when their children grow up and leave home.
▷ Male =Muscle weakness, hair loss, nervousness, depression, loss of memory and concentration, fatigue, insomnia, etc. Poor sexual function and prone to erectile dysfunction. The greater the reduction in testosterone concentration, the greater the risk of metabolic diseases such as dyslipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension. Normally, testosterone plays a key role in fat, carbohydrate and protein metabolism, affecting body fat and muscle mass. However, as this number decreases, bone and muscle density decreases, body fat increases, cholesterol levels increase, and the action of insulin, which lowers blood sugar, is inhibited.
◇ Intake of red ginseng and dandelion helps to improve symptoms
Lifestyle management is essential for both men and women to improve menopausal symptoms. It is good to maintain an appropriate weight through aerobic exercise, strength training, and diet control, and regular stretching. In particular, when middle-aged couples participate in hobbies such as exercise, they deepen their understanding of each other and are effective in overcoming menopause.
It is also good to supplement with nutrients that are good for improving menopausal symptoms. Red ginseng is a representative example. Red ginseng boosts immunity, relieves fatigue, improves blood circulation, improves memory, and acts as an antioxidant, as well as helping the health of menopausal women. In 2012, a research team from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dismissal Hospital carried out a study on 72 menopausal women, and found that menopausal symptoms improved by 30% in the menopause index (Kupperman index) of the group that consumed red ginseng for 12. weeks. However, when choosing a red ginseng product, you need to look carefully whether it is a health functional food with correct content labeling or a red ginseng drink without raw material regulations.
MR-10, a complex extract of dandelion and rooibos, is a functional ingredient that has been confirmed to improve male menopause symptoms and male hormone (testosterone). In an experiment with 96 males in their 40s to 60s, when 400mg of MR-10 was consumed daily for 4 weeks, the concentrations of total testosterone and free testosterone (active male hormone) in the blood were 14.4% and 22.4%, in that order he seemed to have recovered. In addition, it is good to control blood vessels with ginkgo leaf extract. Circulatory health affects sexual dysfunction and erectile dysfunction in men. The flavonoid complex components of ginkgo biloba extract can improve blood vessel wall damage, brain metabolism and neurotransmitter disorders, and induce nitric oxide (NO) substances in vascular epithelial cells to affect blood vessel dilation.
