Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Don't miss this post (or this blog)!
Peter Koshland over at the Compounder's Forum has a terrific post today (he is one of the few blogs I never miss) on estrogen dominance. Be sure to check it out for a great explanation!
Cool Jams
No, it's not some 80's rock group! Cool Jams are nightwear designed to wick away perspiration and keep you cool if you suffer from night sweats. That was one of the few menopausal symptoms I DIDN'T have, but for those who deal with it, it's a nightmare (no pun intended). Here's the link to check them out!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Vitamin D Deficiency Related To Increased Inflammation In Healthy Women
ScienceDaily (Apr. 14, 2009) —
According to a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 75 percent of Americans do not get enough Vitamin D. Researchers have found that the deficiency may negatively impact immune function and cardiovascular health and increase cancer risk. Now, a University of Missouri nutritional sciences researcher has found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with inflammation, a negative response of the immune system, in healthy women.
Increased concentrations of serum TNF-α, an inflammatory marker, were found in women who had insufficient vitamin D levels. This study is the first to find an inverse relationship between vitamin D levels and concentrations of TNF-α in a healthy, non-diseased population. This may explain the vitamin's role in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases, including heart disease, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
"The findings reveal that low vitamin D levels negatively impact inflammation and immune response, even in healthy women," said Catherine Peterson, assistant professor in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences. "Increased inflammation normally is found in people with obesity or chronic diseases; a small decrease in vitamin D levels may aggravate symptoms in people who are sick."
The results support the need to re-examine the biological basis for determining the dietary reference intake (DRI) of vitamin D, Peterson said. The Institute of Medicine's DRI for vitamin D is 200 IU for people age 50 and younger and 400 IU for people 50 to 70 years old. The guidelines, created in 1997, are being revised to reflect new research, and Peterson is confident the DRI will be increased.
"Adequate vitamin D levels identified in this study are consistent with recent research that suggests the DRI should be increased," Peterson said. "To improve vitamin D status and achieve its related health benefits, most people should get at least 1000 IU of vitamin D per day. Sunlight is a readily-available, free source of vitamin D. Exposing 25 percent of the skin's surface area to 10 minutes of sunlight three days per week will maintain adequate levels in the majority of people; however, people with darkly-pigmented skin need more. Only a few foods contain vitamin D naturally, such as fatty fish; other sources are dietary supplements and vitamin-D-fortified foods, including milk and orange juice."
In future studies, Peterson will determine the effectiveness of Vitamin D in reducing disease symptoms and reducing blood glucose levels in diabetics. The study, "Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations are negatively correlated with serum 25(OH) D concentrations in healthy women," was published in the July, 2008 issue of the Journal of Inflammation.
Adapted from materials provided by University of Missouri-Columbia.
(Note from Andrea: I take 5000 IU's daily)
According to a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 75 percent of Americans do not get enough Vitamin D. Researchers have found that the deficiency may negatively impact immune function and cardiovascular health and increase cancer risk. Now, a University of Missouri nutritional sciences researcher has found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with inflammation, a negative response of the immune system, in healthy women.
Increased concentrations of serum TNF-α, an inflammatory marker, were found in women who had insufficient vitamin D levels. This study is the first to find an inverse relationship between vitamin D levels and concentrations of TNF-α in a healthy, non-diseased population. This may explain the vitamin's role in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases, including heart disease, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
"The findings reveal that low vitamin D levels negatively impact inflammation and immune response, even in healthy women," said Catherine Peterson, assistant professor in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences. "Increased inflammation normally is found in people with obesity or chronic diseases; a small decrease in vitamin D levels may aggravate symptoms in people who are sick."
The results support the need to re-examine the biological basis for determining the dietary reference intake (DRI) of vitamin D, Peterson said. The Institute of Medicine's DRI for vitamin D is 200 IU for people age 50 and younger and 400 IU for people 50 to 70 years old. The guidelines, created in 1997, are being revised to reflect new research, and Peterson is confident the DRI will be increased.
"Adequate vitamin D levels identified in this study are consistent with recent research that suggests the DRI should be increased," Peterson said. "To improve vitamin D status and achieve its related health benefits, most people should get at least 1000 IU of vitamin D per day. Sunlight is a readily-available, free source of vitamin D. Exposing 25 percent of the skin's surface area to 10 minutes of sunlight three days per week will maintain adequate levels in the majority of people; however, people with darkly-pigmented skin need more. Only a few foods contain vitamin D naturally, such as fatty fish; other sources are dietary supplements and vitamin-D-fortified foods, including milk and orange juice."
In future studies, Peterson will determine the effectiveness of Vitamin D in reducing disease symptoms and reducing blood glucose levels in diabetics. The study, "Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations are negatively correlated with serum 25(OH) D concentrations in healthy women," was published in the July, 2008 issue of the Journal of Inflammation.
Adapted from materials provided by University of Missouri-Columbia.
(Note from Andrea: I take 5000 IU's daily)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Blood Pressure and Progesterone
From Medical News, evidence that higher progesterone levels in women may lead to increased vascular health and lower blood pressure. I know I have eliminated one blood pressure medication since I have been on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
10 Ways to Fight Menopause Symptoms Nutritionally
This piece was written by a dietician and she talks about 10 ways we can (naturally) reduce the effects of menopause. Some of them I do (exercise, water, and flax seed oil, I'm pretty good about fruits too, not so much veggies!) but others I need to work on. Have a great Easter weekend, everyone!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Something to be aware of ------
It's very tempting to cut corners by either skipping vitamins or getting them at your local big box stores (and I have on occasion done it myself) but this posting on Yahoo News is important reading. Vitamins have the power to help or hurt the right or wrong doses. Buyer beware!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Sleeping Pill Use Grows as Economy Keeps Us Up At Night
The LA Times recently posted an article about the increased use of sleeping pills, at least in part blamed on how the bad economy is affecting us emotionally. Read about it here!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Forbes Magazine Article
This article from Forbes Magazine came across my email today, and I am furious! What a one sided, poorly researched article, not one mention of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy! Read it and then comment below it (I did!). Ugh.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Bioidentical Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk
A great article from the Virginia Hopkins Newsletter (and truly, think about subscribing to it, I really enjoy the information presented). Click here to read!
The National Medical Report Announces a New Public TV Series on Age Modification
The National Medical Report is currently launching a new series in 2009 on regaining your youth, highlighting some of the top doctors, procedures and products that are helping millions of Americans, "Turn Back the Hands of Time.”
(1888PressRelease) April 07, 2009 - In today’s scientific world people are constantly looking to innovative ways to live longer, and remain healthier. One way that has not gained enough television exposure is Biodentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. Bioidentical hormones are part of what science calls "Age Modification" in the world of Anti Aging. These hormones can be manufactured, or they can be natural as with NHRT – Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy.When used for health purposes, Hormone Replacement Therapy has tremendous advantages such as lowering cholesterol levels, improving mental health, improving the look and feel of hair and skin, decreasing the risk of osteoporosis, heart attack and stroke. “Everyone on the planet is aging, and all of us will get older,” said the senior producer for the series, “but getting older does not have to be something we dread, rather through proper supervision by a specialist, HRT can help us perform as we did in our younger days.”In this series the National Medical Report will be covering important Age Modification procedures. About National Medical Report: The National Medical Report is part of a privately owned and operated television production company and series that is on the leading edge of the documentary television industry. The series is distributed to Public TV across the country and is hosted by Mr. Hugh Downs. For more information visit http://www.nationalmedicalreport.tv or call Mark Miller at 954-652-8674 or visit http://www.nationalmedicalreport.tv/pressreleases/AgeModification.htm
(1888PressRelease) April 07, 2009 - In today’s scientific world people are constantly looking to innovative ways to live longer, and remain healthier. One way that has not gained enough television exposure is Biodentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. Bioidentical hormones are part of what science calls "Age Modification" in the world of Anti Aging. These hormones can be manufactured, or they can be natural as with NHRT – Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy.When used for health purposes, Hormone Replacement Therapy has tremendous advantages such as lowering cholesterol levels, improving mental health, improving the look and feel of hair and skin, decreasing the risk of osteoporosis, heart attack and stroke. “Everyone on the planet is aging, and all of us will get older,” said the senior producer for the series, “but getting older does not have to be something we dread, rather through proper supervision by a specialist, HRT can help us perform as we did in our younger days.”In this series the National Medical Report will be covering important Age Modification procedures. About National Medical Report: The National Medical Report is part of a privately owned and operated television production company and series that is on the leading edge of the documentary television industry. The series is distributed to Public TV across the country and is hosted by Mr. Hugh Downs. For more information visit http://www.nationalmedicalreport.tv or call Mark Miller at 954-652-8674 or visit http://www.nationalmedicalreport.tv/pressreleases/AgeModification.htm
Testsosterone Boost Does Not Fuel Risky Behaviour In Women
From Nature News.........click here to read the entire article (full disclosure, I take a small amount of testosterone cream every other day, but I don't make a move without a financial planner!)
Monday, April 6, 2009
Minicourses on Menopause and Perimenopause
The folks over at Women's Health America are offering email "minicourses" in menopause and perimenopause.....it's a series of six weekly emails, great reading to add to your arsenal on learning about hormones and how they affect your health. Click here to get to the site and register. Have a great week, everyone!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Sorry I haven't posted for a couple days----
It's been a crazy week here.
I had my screening colonoscopy on Thursday. If you are over 50, and have not yet had one, what the hell are you waiting for? Whatever anyone tells you about how "horrible" and "awful" the preparation is, no, it's not. I took a bunch of pills (I have a sensitive gag reflex and the liquid prep wouldn't work for me) and it just wasn't that bad. You have to fast (clear liquids only) for 24 hours beforehand, which isn't a lot of fun, but my guess is that colon cancer is a lot less fun. The procedure itself is painless, and I was in and out of the endoscopy center in under 2 hours. We as a society moan and complain about how much healthcare costs, but we put off getting necessary screenings that most insurances pay for because we're too busy or we don't want to be inconvenienced or it's unpleasant. Then we bitch about expensive treatments that could very well be prevented if we took better care of ourselves in the first place. We can all do better (me included) to lessen the burden on the healthcare system. I want to live a lot healthier in the second half of my life than I did the first 50 years.
I went to the most AWESOME seminar on Tuesday evening in Hickory. It was presented by the Compounding Pharmacy, and the subject was on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. The scheduled time was 2 1/2 hours, it went three with a five minute break, and it was absolutely fascinating. Pat Mixon, who along with her husband own the pharmacy, knows her stuff inside and out. I urge any of you who are in the Piedmont of NC are and are interested in bioidentical hormones, call the pharmacy 828-324-4115 and make a reservation to attend one of the upcoming seminars.
Pat covered a number of topics in the seminar, including why the drug companies are so against bioidentical hormones (can't be patented), why we are unlikely to get large studies done on the efficacy of bioidentical hormones (drug companies won't financially support something they can't profit from). We talked about how changing one molecule in the composition of a substance can dramatically alter the make up (think carbon dioxide versus carbon monoxide), and how to pick apart an article on hormone replacement therapy. She gave numerous examples of how even health care professionals (who should know better) interchangably use the words progesterone and progestin (I've seen this repeatedly). Her best line was something about how women who have heavy bleeding are shocked to discover the products in the maxi pad aisle don't come in "single mattress size". Everyone in the audience (about 30, and several were men) just howled! A great evening all in all.
I promise to be more consistent in posting this week! I have a couple articles I am reviewing to share with you. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, it's going to be 75 degres here in NC, great spring weather.
I had my screening colonoscopy on Thursday. If you are over 50, and have not yet had one, what the hell are you waiting for? Whatever anyone tells you about how "horrible" and "awful" the preparation is, no, it's not. I took a bunch of pills (I have a sensitive gag reflex and the liquid prep wouldn't work for me) and it just wasn't that bad. You have to fast (clear liquids only) for 24 hours beforehand, which isn't a lot of fun, but my guess is that colon cancer is a lot less fun. The procedure itself is painless, and I was in and out of the endoscopy center in under 2 hours. We as a society moan and complain about how much healthcare costs, but we put off getting necessary screenings that most insurances pay for because we're too busy or we don't want to be inconvenienced or it's unpleasant. Then we bitch about expensive treatments that could very well be prevented if we took better care of ourselves in the first place. We can all do better (me included) to lessen the burden on the healthcare system. I want to live a lot healthier in the second half of my life than I did the first 50 years.
I went to the most AWESOME seminar on Tuesday evening in Hickory. It was presented by the Compounding Pharmacy, and the subject was on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. The scheduled time was 2 1/2 hours, it went three with a five minute break, and it was absolutely fascinating. Pat Mixon, who along with her husband own the pharmacy, knows her stuff inside and out. I urge any of you who are in the Piedmont of NC are and are interested in bioidentical hormones, call the pharmacy 828-324-4115 and make a reservation to attend one of the upcoming seminars.
Pat covered a number of topics in the seminar, including why the drug companies are so against bioidentical hormones (can't be patented), why we are unlikely to get large studies done on the efficacy of bioidentical hormones (drug companies won't financially support something they can't profit from). We talked about how changing one molecule in the composition of a substance can dramatically alter the make up (think carbon dioxide versus carbon monoxide), and how to pick apart an article on hormone replacement therapy. She gave numerous examples of how even health care professionals (who should know better) interchangably use the words progesterone and progestin (I've seen this repeatedly). Her best line was something about how women who have heavy bleeding are shocked to discover the products in the maxi pad aisle don't come in "single mattress size". Everyone in the audience (about 30, and several were men) just howled! A great evening all in all.
I promise to be more consistent in posting this week! I have a couple articles I am reviewing to share with you. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, it's going to be 75 degres here in NC, great spring weather.
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