Get the Skinny on Acai Berries/Juice

If you have visited more than one website in the last few years, you no doubt have had ads for Acai Berries and juice pop up at you. The Washington Post has an interesting article in its latest health newsletter warning that Acai may not be all it was first cracked up to be. I have heard stories about people losing hundreds of dollars on their credit cards by ordering "free trials" of online products containing Acai.

I'm off on an adventure tonight!

I'm taking a ride up the highway tonight to the Compounding Pharmacy in Hickory, NC. Once a month, they have seminars on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, and I am always interested in learning something new and connecting with others. I will post again after I attend. Have a great day, everyone, enjoy this lovely spring weather!

NY Times on FSH

Follicle Stimulating Hormone! Many of you ask about what the normal values are for this test, what it means, etc, and this article will give you some information to make you a better informed consumer. As always, discuss health issues with your doctor (that's what you're paying him for!)

Menopause? Bring It On! (Hey, that's what it says!)

From The Daily Mail in the UK------here's the link to the article. On a side note, I love reading articles from the British newspapers, their terminology is often a little different than ours. Be sure to read the comments after the article, I love it when one woman complained of gaining "2 stones". Enjoy, and happy Monday (says the woman who is going to spend $900 to get her car out of the shop!)

Insurance Shuns Those Taking Certain Medications

Here's part of the health care------no, make that disease care system in America! Read this article in the Miami Herald about how people who take certain medications are routinely denied access to individual health care insurance.

Many Lacking in Vitamin D Levels

Check this out---Health Day's article on how many American's are deficient in Vitamin D. Most of the new research suggests that the current "recommended daily amounts" of 200 to 400 IU's (International Units) are ridiculously inadequate. More recent studies are advising patients to consume closer to 1000-2000 IU's daily (but always check with your doctor first, I get crazy when people talk about reading a study and simply start taking a vitamin without talking to their doctor or getting their levels checked!). I take 5000 IU's of Vitamin D daily (with physician blessing), and I feel great!

In the UK, Being Menopausal is -------

Well, read about it here! A real post coming later, but this made me laugh, leave a comment and tell me what you think!

What do expect from a colonoscopy!

I found this article on Yahoo News the other day, and coincidentally, I am scheduled for my screening colonoscopy (I turned 50 last year) next Thursday. Getting necessary medical tests, along with proper hormonal balance, are very important facets of living healthy in the second half of our lives. Enjoy the article, and if you have not yet made an appointment for a screening, what the hell are you waiting for????

Some Ways You Can Reduce Your Healthcare Footprint

We all want to save some money these days, and this morning's Charlotte Observer details a number of ways to save money on health care. Most of these are common sense suggestions, and yet good reminders. One of the best ways I have saved money is by using bioidentical hormones, in figuring out the total financial cost (never mind all the long term savings in benefits to my health and well being)---my insurance company saves over $500 PER MONTH in cost, and I save over $100 per month in co-pays by my being off so many medications. Something to think about if you are determined that unless your insurance pays full shot for everything, you don't want to be bothered checking out bioidentical hormones.

Perimenopause Can Be Unpredictable----

Gee, really? This article was in this morning's Charlotte Observer, and I am willing to bet a lot of doctors (the ones prescribing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy) wouldn't agree with some of the hormonal recommendations. Click here to read the article, and don't forget to enjoy the neat illustration!

AD/HD, Hormones and Women

ADD tude magazine has an excellent article in the current issue on how hormonal levels affect women with AD/HD throughout their lives. Click here to read the story.

Great resource, sign up for her newsletter!

If I have not shared this link with you before, my apologies! Virginia Hopkins Health Watch website has a big library of articles on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and related men's and women's health issues. I HIGHLY recommend checking it out, and be sure to sign up for her e-newsletter, I love reading it. Have a great weekend, everyone, get out and enjoy the sunshine (great source of natural Vitamin D) and hope your favourite team wins in the March Madness (I'm pulling for Syracuse, I grew up in that area and my psychologist, Paul Cohen is an SU graduate-----GO ORANGE!)

The Truth about Hormones

With thanks to Terri Coburn at Hotze Health and Wellness Center for bringing this to my attention! Dr. Erica Schwartz, et. al, presents this well written article in The Wall Street Journal, click here to check it out!

I promise a real post tomorrow!

Hi everyone, a very busy day today and I just got home at 7 pm, so I will make this a very short post today. Just a reminder for everyone over 50, if you have not scheduled a screening colonoscopy, please do ------- it's very important and can be a life saver. I had an appointment today to arrange mine, tentatively April 2. Take care, more tomorrow!

Answering the Critics --- FDA

A great blog on bioidentical hormones can be found over at The Compounder----if you haven't already done so, make sure to add it to your reading list. Today's post is about the FDA trying to come down on compounding pharmacies, with the support and urging of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. The post is well written and clearly lays out how the FDA is trying to intimidate the compounding pharmacy industry. Some very good links, too! Be sure to check it out-----