Cholesterol Lowered in Post-Menopause with an Apple a Day?

I don't know how valid this is----but since I like apples, I thought I would share this quick little article with your from Gather.com . I can't live without my Pampered Chef apple wedger/corer---just lay it on top of the apple, push down, apple is instantly cut into wedges and removed from the core. Yummy afternoon snack----not as much fun as a bag of M&M's (sigh), but a fun snack.

Made-to-order medicine

If any of you live in the Philadelphia area, you may want to check out this program discussed in this article from Philly.com . Doctors/healthcare providers who practice with bioidentical hormones are integrative medicine providers --- integrative medicine includes the mind, body and spirit as important pieces of overall health.

Two points:

Paragraph 2: "But it's not just the pellets - containing estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone - that foster her sense of well-being." I have an email in to my own doctor on this for clarification - I am pretty sure he told me that progesterone is likely never to be available in pellet form, as the molecule that makes up progesterone is too "oily" to be absorbed well intramuscularly. I will update this as soon as I hear back from him.

Paragraph 18 "Not everyone in the field agrees. Harvard emeritus professor Arnold Relman insists integrative medicine is "all nonsense." "I believe it's a whole collection of things said to be effective that have never been proven or tested. When patients who are tired or depressed or have no energy say they feel better" after trying integrated medicine, "it is only a placebo effect. They'd be better off going to church or joining an exercise program. Medicine is for people who are sick, not for people who are unhappy. This is just a waste of money." Placebo effect? Are you kidding me? My blood levels are so much better on bioidentical hormones, I am off 7 medications, my DEXA scan shows I no longer have osteopenia, and this is all a placebo effect? I would love about 15 minutes of uninterrupted conversation (one sided, with me talking) with this doctor. This sort of stuff drives me nuts. Thank you for allowing me to vent.

If You Want To Keep Smiling Through Menopause – Get More Dental Checkups!

Check out this article from BioidenticalHormoneHealth.com on dental visits and menopause. There has been a lot of discussion about this recently, it's definitely worth talking to your dentist and/or doctor to see if increasing your dental cleanings/checkups is right for you.

Women’s Health: What to Believe?

Last week the NY Times ran a piece called The Women's Health Initiative and The Body Politic, and it talked about the ever changing advice the media/mainstream medicine dictates to women about hormone replacement therapy (and it should be noted here the HRT the article talks about is synthetic hormones ie: Premarin and Prempro---NOT bioidentical hormones). Today's Letters To the Editor section contains some interesting responses to the article. Click here to check them out!

I'm celebrating spring!

Hi everyone, I have been off on another adventure----this time to the Biltmore House and Gardens in Ashville, NC (about 2 1/4 hours from where I live). I have been to the Biltmore before, but never when the tulips were at peak------and the views were breathtaking. As you can see, I thoroughly enjoyed it-----I will post a link to the album of pictures soon, but wanted you to know I haven't forgotten you all----but this time of year it's tough keeping me on schedule. Make it a great day, and I will be back with hormone postings by the end of the week!

Just letting you know-----

That the Dr. Oz show finally has message boards! Click here to access.....

The Women’s Health Initiative and the Body Politic

From the NYTimes.com-----it's good reading. That sound you hear is my grinding my teeth over the line in the article that states "Women without a uterus only take estrogen". Maybe in the WHI Study they did, but lots of women now (the ones taking bioidentical hormones who have doctors who know how to prescribe) are taking progesterone along with estrogen (or in some cases without taking estrogen for women who are estrogen dominant.).

In Pain? Try Meditation

I know that a lot of my readers are dealing with chronic pain issues of one kind of another, either from arthritis, fibromyalgia, trauma, or any other number of issues. I think most of you know that I deal with chronic back and hip pain from a car accident many years ago. I see a pain management specialist regularly in addition to seeing Dr. Carr for hormone balance.

Many years ago, after the accident, I was in therapy with a psychologist for a number of years. He helped me with a lot of issues and one of the things we worked on was ways to cope with the pain. He taught me a number of meditation techniques, and I found them very helpful learning to relax my muscles (tight muscles can worsen pain, but it's a catch 22 situation---when you hurt, you tense up). When my pain gets really bad, I sometimes go in my bedroom, lay down on the bed, and practice my meditation techniques. It helps distract me from the pain and it also allows me to not feel quite so rigid in my muscles. When my blood pressure used to get high, it even helped with that.

I have an IPhone, and I have found I particularly enjoy the programs by Andrew Johnson. He has a number of different programs for meditation focusing on relaxation, succcess, anger management, etc. He has a wonderful Scottish brogue that I find very soothing. I came across this article in the HuffingtonPost.com and thought it was worth sharing with you. If you have any particular meditation techniques or tips, share them with us in the comments section.

Playing hookey again-----

I just can't stay out of the gardens----today was a picture taking day! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, I'll be back Sunday or Monday with a hormone post!

Another day in the gardens!

I play hookey frequently from late March to mid May ---- it's the most beautiful time of year here in NC, and I love to get out and take flower pictures to make into notecards (I usually make enough that they last me for a year). Today was just too pretty a day in Charlotte to waste on the every day routine----here are a few pictures from today's shoot, and you can see more by clicking here (you don't need to be on Facebook to view the album of photos). Have a wonderful weekend, everyone----I'll be back posting Sunday or Monday (tomorrow I am off to a quilt show!)

Medicine on the Move

Good morning everyone---another beautiful day in Charlotte! A lot of news reports out now about how the infamous WHI study is being looked at again, and that it appears that for women who only took estrogen, and who were in their 50's, seemed to have a decreased risk of breast cancer. Bear in mind the hormones used in the WHI study were NOT bioidentical---they used Premarin and Prempro, which are synthetic (or as I like to refer to them, monster hormones). They are not the hormones that hopefully my readers are taking. Check out this article in this morning's NYTimes.com --- it gives you a pretty good idea of how confusing all these studies can be to the average lay person.

Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D? 5 Really Good Reasons to Pay Attention

Little to no Vitamin D from the sun today in much of the Eastern half of the country---we had wicked thunderstorms and wind blow through NC/SC last night----it woke me up several times. I guess today I will get my Vitamin D by supplements (I do that every day anyway!) and by sharing an article with you on Vitamin D (and five reasons you should take it) from The HuffingtonPost.com. One other thing to note (and I know I have mentioned this before, but I know I have some new readers)---always take a good brand of Vitamin D. Some of the drug store brands are ok, but some of the cheaper ones may not have the amount of Vitamin D that they say they do. I take Ortho Molecular brand---I get it through Dr. Carr's office, but it is also available online from a number of outlets. Make it a great Tuesday!

Fleur Women's Health Center is now on Twitter!

My hormone doctor, John Carr, works with Fleur Women's Health Center with three other practitioners. Their office has recently joined Twitter, so if you are a Tweeter, click here to access their page and become a follower!

Link Between Vitamin D Levels And Blood Vessel Health

On this lovely, sunny day in NC----another reason to get out and get some Vitamin D (and it just reminded me to take my vitamins!). From MedicalNewsToday.com, a study linking Vitamin D levels and the elasticity/stiffness of arteries. Remember, Vitamin D is actually a prohormone---and we all want to be hormonally balanced, right? Make it a great day!

Vitamin D levels are adequate in most Americans, survey finds

From the LA Times comes an article that says "most" Americans have "adequate" Vitamin D levels. OK, first of all, there is a big difference between "adequate" and "optimal" (Dr. Carr's optimal range for Vitamin D is 70-100 ng/ml, as always, check with your provider). Secondly, even here in the Southeast, where the sun is relatively abundant most of the year, I have very few friends/acquaintences who are anywhere near optimal levels. Most are only taking Vitamin D supplementation as part of a multivitamin, or in the case of women, with their calcium---and I know a bunch of people who have ended up taking the 50,000 IU pills once weekly to try to get their levels up. I personally take 5000 IUs daily, and in the winter I take 10,000 IUs (we get some sun in the winter here, but it's not strong enough to produce much Vitamin D.) My last Vitamin D reading was 60 ng/ml, which is close to optimal range. Blood testing again the end of this month. Good day to post a Vitamin D article, as it is very sunny here in NC. Tomorrow I am off on a mini-vacation adventure, so I will be back about Tuesday with new postings. Have a happy, safe, and sunny weekend!