Bladder Health and Nutrition: Empowering Women in Mid-Life
Release Date: 12/27/2024
Women Positively Ageing
In this episode we're diving into a topic that's crucial for many, especially as we navigate mid-life: bladder health. We'll be exploring the top five challenges women often face with their bladder health during this stage of life and offering practical advice on how nutrition can play a pivotal role in managing these issues. From urinary incontinence to overactive bladder, pelvic floor weakness, hormonal changes and lifestyle factors we'll cover the key concerns that can impact your daily life. But don't worry, we're not just here to talk about the problems. We'll also provide you with...
info_outline How to retire wellWomen Positively Ageing
Today, we're delving into a topic that many of us will face at some point: retirement. This significant life transition brings about a host of changes, and one area that often gets overlooked is how it affects our eating habits. Guests My guests today are dietitian Avril Aslett-Bentley and Olive Strachan MBE. Avril Aslett-Bentley is a very experienced Registered Nutritionist and Dietitian, whose career covers diverse aspects of Nutrition & Dietetics, across the UK & beyond and has semi-retired from her previous full-time academic role. Olive is a Dominican born, business woman...
info_outline Healthy ageing: Empowering African and Caribbean communities in the UKWomen Positively Ageing
In this episode, we'll explore the main challenges African and Caribbean people encounter while ageing. My guest today is Dr Sophia Amenyah is an Assistant Professor in Nutrition and Registered Nutritionist of African heritage at Northumbria University. She specialises in culturally-tailored nutrition and how this influences ageing well particularly for African and Caribbean individuals. She believes that food is a big part of our heritage and wellbeing. She is passionate and dedicated to empowering our community to eat well, keep active, and maintain strong social connections especially...
info_outline How to eat well during menopauseWomen Positively Ageing
Brief summary of episode: Menopause is a period of transition that can affect women in a range of different ways. The way in which we respond to the changes can have a lasting impact on the quality of our health. In today’s episode we discuss how the food we eat can help us to live well through menopause and beyond. Laura is an award-winning Freelance Registered Nutritionist who specialises in nutrition writing, workplace wellness and nutrition communications. Laura studied public health and nutrition at the University of Aberdeen. Now, with...
info_outline Depression, anxiety and ageing wellWomen Positively Ageing
Depression is one of the leading causes of disease related disability in women and they are nearly twice as likely as men to suffer from an episode of depression. The prevalence has been reported to be particularly high during the menopause transition. Women with a history of anxiety and depression report worse quality of life during their mid-years. My guest today is Dr Charlotte Marriot is a Consultant NHS Psychiatrist, a Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician and a nature-based coach. She likes to inspire and empower people to make small changes to their lifestyles to...
info_outline How to sleep betterWomen Positively Ageing
Sleep is crucial for our overall health and well-being, affecting both our physical and mental health. This is why a lack of it impairs a range of functions from task performance and post-physical activity recovery to cognitive performance and mood. Poor sleep quality also impairs decision-making. What can we do to manage episodes of poor sleep? Is it just sleep that’s an issue and where does tiredness come into it? What impact can menopause have on our sleep? In today’s episode, I’ll be asking these questions to Dr Jonny Bloomfield, health and performance coach and I’ll also be...
info_outline Letting go of wanting to lose weightWomen Positively Ageing
Welcome to today’s episode “Letting go of wanting to lose weight” with non-diet counsellor Mel Wakeman and guest Amy Wilkinson sharing her lived experience. Mel is a highly experienced and neurodivergent registered nutritionist specialising in intuitive eating, non-diet nutrition and counselling for eating disorders, disordered eating and body image issues. She developed an eating disorder herself at 16 (now recovered) which fed her interest in nutrition, before beginning a long lecturing career in 1997. Since launching Wakeman Nutrition in 2017 Mel is on a mission to...
info_outline How good is your bone health?Women Positively Ageing
As we age from mid-life we lose muscle mass and our bone strength gradually declines. Keeping our bone health for as long as possible is important to prevent us from becoming frail. What does ‘bone health’ mean? ● Bone health is about keeping your bones healthy for life, so you can live well for longer. ● Good bone health can prevent fractures and the health consequences of this - pain, disability, loss of independence, poor quality of life. How do we maintain good bone health as we age? Is it...
info_outline Heart health and menopauseWomen Positively Ageing
Heart disease tends to be considered a man’s problem and high blood pressure, cholesterol, stress and too much drinking and smoking are common problems for men. The reality is that the risk of coronary heart disease increases for women after menopause. The good news is that there are changes that we can make in our daily lives that can reduce the risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke. We’ll hear about how changes to the diet can help reduce cholesterol levels, disease risk and manage other menopausal symptoms. Join me in this episode to hear from our researcher Dr Laura...
info_outline How to protect your brain healthWomen Positively Ageing
Brief summary of episode: The brain is a complex organ that controls our movement, our emotions and stores our precious memories. When we talk about brain health, there are a few definitions and the one I have chosen is from World Health Organisation (WHO) due to its inclusive language. “Brain health is the state of brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioural and motor domains, allowing a person to realize their full potential over the life course, irrespective of the presence or absence of disorders.” How do we...
info_outlineIn this episode we're diving into a topic that's crucial for many, especially as we navigate mid-life: bladder health. We'll be exploring the top five challenges women often face with their bladder health during this stage of life and offering practical advice on how nutrition can play a pivotal role in managing these issues.
From urinary incontinence to overactive bladder, pelvic floor weakness, hormonal changes and lifestyle factors we'll cover the key concerns that can impact your daily life. But don't worry, we're not just here to talk about the problems. We'll also provide you with actionable tips on how to support your bladder health through mindful nutrition choices.
My guests are Registered Public Health nutritionist Lynn Burns, author of Eating Well for Menopause and Catriona Bannon, Medical Device Business Consultant, middle aged, menopausal and living the life! ( Menopause is not all negative!). Lynn suffered 12 years of bladder issues as a result of an underactive thyroid and Catriona experienced latch-key incontinence during her menopause and used her professional experience in the urology sector to find a solution. Both Lynn Catriona Bannon share personal experiences and practical advice on managing these challenges through nutrition and lifestyle adjustments.
We emphasise the importance of seeking medical help and understanding the underlying causes of bladder issues throughout the conversation. Lynn delves into the intricate connections between bladder health, neurotransmitters, hydration, lifestyle factors, and dietary considerations, particularly in the context of menopause. The speakers discuss how stress and hormonal changes can impact bladder function, the importance of proper hydration, and how lifestyle choices can exacerbate bladder issues. They emphasise the need for symptom tracking and personalised approaches to managing bladder health, highlighting that solutions are available and that individuals should not suffer in silence.
NB: this information does not replace personalised advice from a Health Care Professional
Keywords
bladder health, women's health, menopause, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor, nutrition, hydration, hormonal changes, bladder issues, health challenges, bladder health, menopause, hydration, lifestyle factors, dietary considerations, neurotransmitters, sleep, bladder issues, women's health, symptom tracking
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Bladder Health Challenges
03:06 Understanding Common Bladder Issues
06:01 The Importance of Seeking Help
08:53 Personal Experiences with Bladder Health
11:55 Hormonal Changes and Their Impact on Bladder Health
17:28 Understanding the Neurotransmitter Connection
20:23 The Impact of Hydration on Bladder Health
23:30 Lifestyle Factors and Their Effects
26:29 Dietary Considerations for Bladder Health
32:13 Tracking Symptoms for Better Management
Notes:
Lynn Burns RNutr
Lynn Burns has been a Registered Nutritionist for more than 20 years and is co-author of Eating Well for Menopause. Her experience of living with Interstitial Cystitis followed by learning how many women experience some of the same issues around the time of menopause and beyond listening to a talk by a woman’s physiotherapists led to a chapter on bladder health in the book.
Lynn began her career with the UK Government, which gave her a solid grounding in public health nutrition and sparked her interest in adapting nutrition messages to different groups for the most impact on health. Writing, developing on-line nutrition courses and running workshops on a range of nutrition topics is her passion and when not doing that she loves working with young people in the outdoors as a Scout Leader.
Follow Lynn on Instagram @lynnburnsnutrition, or lynnburnsnutrition.com
Let’s Talk Food Newsletters:
Links & Resources
https://letstalkfood.thinkific.com/pages/free-bladder-health-download
https://letstalkfood.thinkific.com/pages/free-lesson-offer
For giggles
Judi Dench Made Lesley Manville Laugh So Hard She Wet Herself | The Graham Norton Show
https://youtu.be/-9Bc_lzxVeI?si=bMTzu7ami6th40q2
Elaine Millar, specialist pelvic health physiotherapist and comedian https://youtu.be/J9ZNINhdhN0?si=YjIlOsGl-lL2KNbK
Tip
I’m loving creating this podcast, but there are costs with it, so if you could tip me the price of a cup of coffee that would be a big help to creating some more of the fantastic content you’ve been enjoying.