NewsMakers

A personalized approach to women’s health and wellness is the way

Current healthcare systems and common wellness practices ought to develop in more ways possible to service and help women meet their evolving and exclusive health demands.

Published

3 years ago

April 3, 2023

ZestMag.com Staff

One-size-fits-all solutions for health and wellness are a thing of the past now. Filipinas have come a long way to realizing and embracing the unique builds of their minds, bodies, even their aspirations and priorities in life.

Challenges related to women’s health and fitness are to each her own. Current healthcare systems and common wellness practices ought to develop in more ways possible to service and help women meet their evolving and exclusive health demands. In the commencement of women’s month, here are practices to consider and digital tools that can be customized and convenient to you, to better and sustain your health this season and beyond.

Personalize your diet and fitness goals

You might have heard of trendy fitspiration workout and diet plans to stay healthy and fit. But how sure are you that it suits your unique physique’s needs and capacity? What works for one individual may not for another, more so for women.

Oprah Daily said hormones influence feelings of hunger and fullness, metabolism and body fat levels that overall affect women’s lifestyle.^[1] Hormone levels differ by age and reproductive or menstrual condition. Filipinas can pursue the latest intermittent fasting, ketogenic diet and calorie-counting trends to achieve their body goals, however, these should be done along with a consultation from your nutritionist or personal health providers. Approaches to your diet have to be an efficient and targeted program to achieve better and healthier results.

There are also high-tech fitness gadgets that can personalize and support your health and fitness journey, especially for female-body types. These gizmos can monitor one’s activity levels and notify workout, eating and water drinking schedules, overall helping users sustain personal diet and fitness programs.

Maximize women-focused tools and services

Thanks to technological advancements in modern society, gone are the days when women manually tracked and tested themselves for health issues. Female-focused virtual tools, in the form of mobile applications, have innovated primarily women’s reproductive, menstrual and sexual health monitoring for awareness and disease prevention. FemTech Analytics forecasted that by 2026, the Asia-Pacific region will see the world’s fastest growth in women’s health apps.^[2]

These can be period and pregnancy tracking apps available in android and iOS, which also houses teleconsultations to help women be more knowledgeable about their bodies and conscious of their hormonal status, equipping them to make informed decisions in these aspects of their wellbeing.

Meanwhile, women-centered high-tech facilities are also gaining momentum in the market and are becoming safe spaces for Filipinas to get treatment. These establishments started from serving women and assisting them through common reproductive, sexual or pregnancy issues, and has now developed to holistically address mental health and even dermatological or aesthetic needs of women. You may find a number of facilities, whether government-funded or privately listed, in many regions nationwide, especially accessible within metros in greater Manila areas.

Apotheca Integrative Pharmacy works closely with doctors and customers and considers factors such as patient age and allergy history in the process of customizing medicines to a patient’s needs.

Trust in customized medicines tailored to your specific needs

Forbes magazine revealed that Personalized Healthcare is one of the top trends in the industry this 2023, with emphasis on precision medicines that are tailored to patients based on age, genetics and other risk factors, rather than a generic approach.^[3]

For Apotheca Integrative Pharmacy (AIP), pioneer specialty compounding pharmacy in the Philippines, women may require customized dosages or delivery methods for medications related to their reproductive and hormonal health. Better and more targeted management of these can lead to stronger immunity and preventive health.

Through compounding– the science of customizing medications to a patient’s specific needs, medications can be tailored to meet their individual requirements. This process removes problem-causing excipients, adjusts dosage strengths to suit certain patients, such as infants or the elderly, adds flavors for better taste and even creates alternative form factors to make medicines easily ingestible such as lozenges, candies, gels, creams, capsules and liquid.

This month, AIP encourages Filipinas to explore Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) and Weight Loss Management solutions, two of their top categories in service of female patients.

Women who suffer from hormonal imbalances caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or menopause, common conditions of Filipinas young and old, can turn to hormone replacement therapy to treat their symptoms. BHRT is the process of replicating hormones using natural resources to supplement the body with the hormones it lacks. These can be: Thyroid Hormones Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4) that stimulate body oxygen and energy consumption, increasing basal metabolic rates; Progesterone that increases core temperature during ovulation, relaxes smooth muscle, reduces gall bladder activity, normalizes blood clotting and vascular tone, and assists in thyroid function; Melatonin that improves the circadian rhythm and induces drowsiness for better sleep; Dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA that strengthens the immune system, slows the natural changes in the body that come with age and provides more energy, improving mood and memory, and building up bone and muscle strength; Pregnenolone that improves energy, vision, memory, clarity of thinking, well-being, and libido, and many others.

AIP also provides prescribed weight management offerings, including clinically proven prescription medication, Phentermine Hydrochloride + Topiramate that is used to treat obesity type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. AIP also offers various nutrients like Methionine thatmayassist in the breakdown of fats to help to lower cholesterol thereby preventing excess fat buildup in the liver and throughout one’s body’s circulatory system; Inositol that promotes the health of cell structures and nerve synapses in aid of the metabolism of fats, helps reduce blood cholesterol, and participates in the action of serotonin, a neurotransmitter known to control mood and appetite; Choline that supports the liver in its processing and excretion of chemical waste products; and Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B-12) thatis has been shown toboost energy and overall metabolic rates, assisting in the burning of stored body fat, detoxifies the body, increase of red blood cell production, maintain a healthy liver, help regulate sleep, mood, appetite and energy, and works synergistically with other nutrients to improve health, and slow aging.

Women in healthcare supporting Filipina patients

AIP has been providing world-class health and pharmaceutical care for custom medication needs for 10 years. In the last three years, AIP’s study showed more than 70 percent of their subscribers are female patients, a significant increase of 72 percent in the number of female patients served from 2021 to 2022. The female patients’ profiles comprise of gen Z adults ages 18 and above at 53 percent, millennials ages 27 to 42 as the largest generational group at 23 percent, followed by Gen X ages 43 to 58 at 20 percent, and Boomers ages 59 to 68 at 4 percent.

AIP’s Managing Director Sofia Lista also harps on supporting women empowerment in the industry which is evident in their operations. “Many women work in the field of pharmaceutical compounding as pharmacists, technicians, or researchers, and their contributions are vital to advancing the field and improving patient care. In AIP, 66 percent of the workforce are women and hold leadership positions. Let’s celebrate the important role that women play in healthcare and medicine,” says Lista.

AIP works with female doctors who specialize in women’s health– gynecology, endocrinology and dermatology. It advocates for the pharmacy triad or finding accountability with doctors, patients and pharmacists to provide superior pharmaceutical care, strengthening patient confidence and compliance. Visit apotheca.com.ph to know more about their offerings, and follow AIP’s Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn channels.

Up Next

Children born preterm are more likely to have asthma or COPD in adulthood

Don't Miss

Health Carousel Philippines celebrates 100th DAISY Nursing Award

ZestMag.com Staff

Zest Magazine accepts contributions promoting everything about living the good life (and how to make this so). C'mon, give us a yell.

NewsMakers

The look and feel of your neighborhood may affect your sleep

Those living in neighborhoods rated as having a stronger sense of safety tended to sleep longer, and that this rating appeared to be shaped by the streetscape.

Published

3 weeks ago

August 25, 2026

ZestMag.com Staff

Your neighborhood’s “streetscape”—the physical environment of your street—is something that you have probably never consciously thought about, despite seeing it every day. But what if the streetscape was affecting you on a subconscious level and disrupting your sleep?

This intriguing question is posed by the findings of a study led by Professor Daisuke Matsushita of the Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology at Osaka Metropolitan University. The research team used AI to analyze more than 200,000 Google Street View images to identify visual neighborhood characteristics. They then linked these characteristics to the self-reported sleep of 1,089 working adults living on the lower floors of apartments in Tokyo, who were most likely to be affected by the streetscape.

They found that those living in neighborhoods rated as having a stronger sense of safety tended to sleep longer, and that this rating appeared to be shaped by the streetscape. Generally, people slept longer in areas with lots of greenery, such as leafy trees, on the street. Similarly, high “enclosure”—meaning many tall vertical buildings and few wide-open spaces—was also associated with longer sleep and fewer insomnia symptoms.

However, the study also made a surprising finding. The researchers found that highly walkable streetscapes, such as those with more sidewalks and traffic signs, were associated with a lowered sense of safety and shortened sleep duration.

This suggests that walkability does not always represent a reassuring environment. Instead, a possible explanation is that streets with extensive pedestrian infrastructure are often busier, more crowded, and used by more strangers, which may be perceived as less safe or less relaxing than quieter residential streets.

“This study demonstrates the potential for evaluating streetscape characteristics across large geographic areas in a cost-effective manner,” Dr. Matsushita said. “Based on the technique used in this study, cities could potentially measure perceived safety, beauty, liveliness, and enclosure as well as pollution and noise.”

“We hope that opening up this new perspective creates further possibilities for designing healthier neighborhoods,” he concludes.

The findings were published in Building and Environment.

NewsMakers

Workout or nap? Either can help your sleepless brain, study finds

People who either completed 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise or took a 90-minute nap performed about 22 per cent better on memory tests after 30 hours without sleep than those who did neither.

Published

3 weeks ago

August 25, 2026

ZestMag.com Staff

A short workout or a nap can help protect memory after a sleepless night, a McGill University-led study has found.

Researchers found people who either completed 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise or took a 90-minute nap performed about 22 per cent better on memory tests after 30 hours without sleep than those who did neither. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), point to practical ways to counter the effects of sleep deprivation.

“Sleep loss affects nearly every aspect of how we think and function, but many people can’t simply stop what they’re doing and get more sleep,” said senior author Marc Roig, Professor in McGill’s School of Physical and Occupational Therapy. “Our findings show that even a brief bout of exercise may help preserve one of our most important cognitive abilities.”

The study involved 54 healthy young adults who stayed awake for 30 consecutive hours under lab supervision. Participants were then assigned to one of three groups: a 20-minute cycling session, a 90-minute nap or a control condition. Three days later, researchers tested their memory for images they had viewed immediately after the intervention. Those who exercised or napped remembered significantly more images than participants who did neither.

Same result, different pathways

While the memory benefits were nearly identical, brain recordings revealed that exercise and napping helped in different ways.

Napping appeared to help the brain recharge, making it easier to take in and remember new information. Exercise, by contrast, helped the brain use its remaining resources more efficiently, without making participants feel more tired.

The findings could eventually inform fatigue-management strategies in workplaces where sleep loss is common and mistakes can have serious consequences, such as health care, transportation and emergency response.

“A nap isn’t always possible in the middle of a shift,” said first author Madhura Lotlikar, a doctoral candidate in McGill’s Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery. “Exercise is accessible, inexpensive and easy to implement. That makes it a promising tool to help people stay cognitively sharp when sleep is limited.”

The researchers emphasize that exercise cannot replace sleep, but it may help people function better when getting enough rest isn’t possible.

About the study

“Protecting episodic memory after sleep loss: Similar benefits of exercise and naps via distinct neural contributions” by Madhura Lotlikar and Marc Roig et al., was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

NewsMakers

Study links coffee consumption to metabolic health and sex hormones

Despite having a similar body mass index (BMI), individuals with higher coffee consumption had lower total and visceral fat and greater skeletal muscle mass than those who consumed less coffee.

Published

4 weeks ago

August 17, 2026

ZestMag.com Staff

Coffee is one of the world’s most widely consumed beverages, and previous research has linked its consumption to a lower risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the biological mechanisms behind these benefits remain unclear. A new Finnish study links habitual coffee consumption to healthier body composition and metabolic markers, while revealing distinct associations with sex hormones in men and women.

The study, conducted at the University of Oulu, analysed data from 2,264 participants aged 46 in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Researchers examined how habitual coffee consumption was associated with circulating metabolites, cardiometabolic risk markers and sex hormones.

Despite having a similar body mass index (BMI), individuals with higher coffee consumption had lower total and visceral fat and greater skeletal muscle mass than those who consumed less coffee.

In both men and women, higher coffee consumption was correlated with lower circulating levels of branched-chain amino acids, biomarkers that have previously been linked to insulin resistance and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes when chronically elevated.

The strongest sex-specific associations were observed in men. Higher coffee consumption was linked to a more favourable glucose–insulin profile, higher concentrations of total and bioavailable testosterone, and increased levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). At the same time, free testosterone and the free androgen index were modestly lower. In women, hormonal associations were more limited and were primarily characterised by higher SHBG and lower measures of free androgens.

“Coffee is consumed by millions of people every day, yet we still know surprisingly little about how it relates to our metabolism and hormones. What stood out in our findings was a distinct hormonal signature that didn’t disappear even after we took into account BMI and lifestyle factors, with several of these associations differing between men and women,” says Luca Verroest, lead author of the study and Doctoral Researcher at the University of Oulu.

The results suggest that hormonal pathways may partly explain the relationship between coffee consumption and metabolic health. However, as this was an observational study, the findings demonstrate associations rather than cause-and-effect relationships.

The study is particularly relevant in Finland, one of the world’s highest coffee-consuming countries, where annual consumption averages around 11.8 kilograms per person.

The researchers say the findings provide a foundation for future studies aimed at determining whether coffee itself drives these biological changes and identifying the compounds responsible. These questions are currently being investigated in animal models, with the long-term goal of progressing to human intervention studies. Further research will be needed before the findings could inform dietary recommendations.

The study, Associations of habitual coffee intake with testosterone and cardiometabolic markers: the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study, has been published in the European Journal of Nutrition.