Easing Menopause Symptoms With Food

Good morning! Ah, food, one of my favourite and least favourite topics (I have such a love/hate relationship with food, and although I am better at controlling it, I still am an emotional eater).

Check out this morning's article from TheHuffingtonPost.com. It is true in many other cultures that women do not deal with menopause the way we do in the Western world, and it is thought perhaps one of the reasons is the vastly different way they eat as opposed to the fast food, chemical laden diet so prevalent in the US. Enjoy!

Integrative Way: Hope for menopausal symptoms

A few points about this article in the SacramentoBee.com (and yes, that is me commenting at the end of the article on their site):

1. I am so SICK of every article that mentions hormones and menopause only cites the WHI Study in 2002. You would think that no other study had ever been done on the efficacy of hormones.

2. Media articles are more often than not using the terms "progesterone" and "progestin" interchangeably. One more time, progesterone is bioidentical, progestin is a DRUG, and is NOT bioidentical. I'm amazed (and saddened) at how often even health care providers use the terms interchangeably. Drives. Me. Crazy.

3. Women without a uterus (and from talking to a lot of women, there sure are a lot of us out there!) absolutely need progesterone for true hormone optimization. If they are not making enough of it on their own (and most aren't), they need supplementation. My male doctor takes progesterone 3 times a day-----and he told me he doesn't have a uterus.

4. I have taken a course that uses the Jon Kabat-Zinn program for meditation/stress reduction. I did learn some things from it, but it was one of those things where I had a hard time because his voice drove me nuts. That's a very subjective thing in any meditation program, some people loved his voice and found it very soothing, I found it akin to hearing fingernails on a chalkboard. I now use Andrew Johnson's meditation apps on my IPhone, he has a very gentle Scottish brogue that makes me just want to relax and go with the flow. As I said in my comment on the article, I am all for complementary therapies to deal with hot flashes or any other health concern----and I agree that good meditation hygiene will lessen the suffering of hot flashes for some people. However, to get to the root of the hot flashes, you need hormone balance. Period.

U.S. Supreme Court lets $58 million award stand

Any of my regular blog readers will tell you I am not a fan of Wyeth/Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, nor am I a fan of Premarin or Prempro. They are NOT bioidentical hormones, they are the drugs used in the WHI Study that was halted in 20o2 because of increased health risks, and that study is the reason that it is still so hard to get wide accepance of bioidentical hormone therapy (as I am sure you know!)

Saw this article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, thought it was worth sharing with you. Gives me some hope in the judicial system.

This is how I feel about working out:

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."

- Arthur Ashe

Study: The Best and Worst Foods For Weight Loss

Groan, why can't the foods I like be good for weight loss? Common complaint, I bet most of you say the same thing! Check out this article from Time.com about what foods are most likely to pack on the pounds, and which ones are good for our waistlines (I do like yogurt, so the news isn't all bad!)

Ooooppps!

The month is slipping away, and I have not yet acknowledged that June is National Men's Health Month! So ladies, celebrate by making the man in your life get checked out for hormonal balance, a PSA blood test for prostate cancer, nag him to eat right and exercise, whatever you need to do to ensure his health! For more information, click here!

Celiac disease linked to earlier menopause

Saw this article on Reuters.com this morning----untreated celiac disease can lead to earlier menopause. I thought at the end of the article that an interesting point was made: if a woman experiences premature menopause, she should at least consider the possibility of celiac disease. Getting a diagnosis and treatment (gluten free diet) can improve the quality of life.

Celebrating another trip around the sun-------

Yep, today is my birthday and so I am taking the weekend off from blogging (well, today at least, tomorrow I plan to have a quiet day so I will probably spend some time on the computer catching up!) We had a birthday celebration yesterday-----I am blessed to have so many friends in my life:

And as you can see, I am enjoying the time with my friends----today I have been gifted a ticket to go see Shrek the Musical -----heading into Charlotte this afternoon. Later on, dinner with friends, so I can't ask for a better couple of days!

Have a great weekend, everyone, and Happy Father's Day!

The Causes of Women's Fatigue

Besides hot flashes, fatigue is the most common complaint I get from women in the peri/menopausal transition. I've been there, I remember before getting my hormones balanced and getting healthy sobbing in my doctor's office more than once because I couldn't sleep and I was a zombie during the day. It's miserable! My sleep still isn't perfect (back pain issues and years of not sleeping), but it's much better and most nights I get at least some quality sleep.

Check out this article from WebMD.com about some of the common reasons that women are so tired. As always, talk to your doctor about any sleep or tiredness issues.

Vitamin D levels should be higher in people taking certain osteoporosis drugs, experts say

I really hope that my blog readers are using biodientical hormones, Vitamin D and regular bone stressing exercise (weight training) to keep their bones healthy, but if you or anyone you know are taking the osteoporosis drugs, be sure to check out this article from the LATimes.com (yes, I did comment at the bottom of the article.)

Monitoring thyroid hormone therapy is necessary

I never thought about this before, since my thyroid levels are checked several times a year, but a number of women write to me about thyroid issues and tell me they have been taking the same dose of thyroid medication for 5 years or more----without any additional testing being done by their healthcare practitioner. When I tell them that they need to have their levels checked if they are symptomatic, they often tell me their doctor doesn't see a need to test since they have "found the right dosage". I find that strange, as the body is dynamic, always changin, and thus, our medication/hormone needs change (thyroid is a hormone, by the way.)

Some good information in this article from the TorontoSun.com----and the emphasis is that if you are taking thyroid medication, you need regular monitoring by a health care professional (ideally one who knows what the hell he or she is doing in regards to thyroid treatment!). If you have not had your thyroid levels checked in the last year or more, be sure to ask about it at your next appointment!

The Sun, Collagen, Wrinkles And Bone Strength: All Related?

Hi everyone! Before you read today's article------go take a look in the mirror and assess your wrinkles. Go ahead, I'll wait.

OK. Now read this article from MedicalNewsToday.com. According to a study being presented this week at the Endocrine Society meeting, the more wrinkled you are, the higher your chances are of having low bone density. Yes, I know, now that you know that you are going to take a second look at all your friends with the idea of trying to guess at what their last DEXA scan results were, aren't you?

I find it kind of fascinating because in my 40's, I wasn't terribly wrinkled (all my fat kept me pretty smoothed out---I weighed over 300 pounds), but I did have osteopenia. Now that I am in my early 50's (I'll be 53 next week), I no longer have osteopenia----cured it with a combination of weight bearing exercise, bioidentical hormones and getting my Vitamin D level up to optimal range. I lost quite a bit of weight last summer and fall, so my face is a little more wrinkled, but actually I have been pretty lucky......I don't have that droopy look that so many women my age get when they drop a lot of pounds. I do get out in the sun, also-----I don't lay out and bake myself, but I walk about 5 days a week, and this time of year I am doing about 4-5 water workouts each week, so I am pretty tan (I'm convinced the optimal levels of Vitamin D help with that also, I don't burn like I used to, just get a nice golden glow).

Hope everyone is doing ok in this heat------today it was just too hot for me to go for a walk, even at 8 am. I did a weight workout and some water aerobics, so it was ok, but I do like my morning fitness walks. I've got a lot of Lady GaGa music downloaded into my IPod, as well as Black Eyed Peas, good walking music. Leave me a comment below and tell me what is your favourite walking music, I am always looking for new artists/songs to download. Stay cool, stay hydrated, make it a great June!

Heart attacks: No. 1 killer of women

Heart attacks kill far more women each year than breast cancer----but breast cancer seems to have a better public relations image, because they sure get a lot more coverage. Check out this article from this morning's Charlotte Observer.

Age Is No Barrier to Muscle Building

Good morning, and yes, I know I haven't posted in a week! A combination of very busy week, a lack of good articles to share, and a few thunderstorms in the area that have limited my computer time.

If you don't already read Dr. Weil's blog----think about adding it to your list of things to do. He has some good, concrete tips for aging successfully. Check out his blog post from last week----I harp and harp to my friends that weight training is an absolute crucial part of a fitness program. So many people focus on cario workouts only. I take a circuit training class twice a week, and then do a third workout with weights at home each week. I also walk, do water aerobics and stretches (very bad back so this is all pretty much physical therapy for me.)

Again, and I can't stress this enough in the hot weather, be sure to hydrate!!!!!