Hi, everyone....from rainy, icky North Carolina! We had an ice storm last night, and while everything is fine at my house (except for not being able to go to the quilt show today in Charlotte...temps above freezing but very heavy rain, and the venue had a terribly potholed and gravelly parking lot) over a quarter million people are without power in the state. Keep them in your prayers!
I haven't forgotten you, but there has been a dearth of "hormone" articles lately. However, a few articles are popping up that caught my attention:
Vitamin D Increases Breast Cancer Patient Survival A subject near to my heart lately, as one of my friends (who is 10 years younger than me!) is battling breast cancer. A UC/San Diego study of over 4000 breast cancer patients shows that higher levels of Vitamin D in the blood are associated with increased rates of survival. I still have way, way too many people tell me that their doctor says they don't need a Vitamin D test because their levels are normal, and when I ask the person how they know their level is normal, they tell me because their doctor says so. And, by the way, normal and optimal are two different things, it's normal for post menopausal women not to have any/many hormones in their bodies, but it sure as hell isn't optimal! My Vitamin D level is a nice, healthy 78 ng/ml, which is well within the optimal range of 70-100 ng/ml. I swear, a healthy Vitamin D level has helped keep me sane (relatively speaking) this winter, I am so, so ready for spring!
New testosterone drug is out called Aveed........it was rejected THREE times by the FDA, who now has declared the drug safe. Seems simpler and safer to just take bioidentical testosterone (I do, as do several of my male friends----obviously we take it in vastly different doses). I inject it once weekly, with no side effects other than the occasional pimple.
Bioidentical Hormone Health.....if you are not already subscribing to this newsletter, why not? Check out this great article on myths and facts about progesterone. Way too many people (including health professionals) try to tell patients that synthetic progestins (sometimes called progestegens) are the same as progesterone, and they are not.
That's it for today, and don't forget-----turn your clocks forward Saturday night! It's worth losing an hour's sleep (or in my case, just sleeping an extra hour on Sunday morning) to have it light longer in the day, I crave longer days this time of year. Have a great, healthy weekend!