Menopause: Hot Flashes for Life

I thought menopause had an end, timed somewhat like puberty. You start it, you reach its zenith, then it fades away to nothing and you are a new, more responsible, rational, peaceful person. But, just like the child’s song, menopause is the event “that never ends. It just goes on and on, my friend.” I’m talking hot flashes.

As I complained about still being victim to these sweaty terrors two years past the date of my last period, a friend mentioned her mother had them for the rest of her life. This seems very unreasonable to me. Rather than be forever reminded of my reproductive system, I should be rewarded somehow for letting my body, month after month, prepare itself for the perpetuation of the species. And, think about how I’ve helped the economy with my endless purchases of feminine products as well as the sheets and underpants I replaced due to periodic overflow. Instead, I get a jail sentence of hot flashes for life.

So, I figure I have anywhere from 30-50 years left of hot flashes, of never knowing if I’ll keep snuggled under a comforter when the wind chill equals my age or if I’ll toss off the blankets in the middle of the night, wishing the furnace would go out. Another generation or two of shedding layers like a lizard, although, unlike that creature, I do not intend to eat the offending garments. Then again, if I did eat them, it would be an excuse to go shopping. Hey, I may be on to something here. Let me get my purse; I feel a hot flash coming on.

[Via http://menonotes.wordpress.com]

Why optimism is powerful medicine

I’ve always thought that optimism beats the heck out of pessimism?

Why?  How much fun can it be to always expect the worst from others, and the world in general?  How can that improve your day or your life?

Now, a recent article in the journal CIRCULATION provides hard evidence that optimism and health are directly connected.

Researchers studied nearly 100,000 women over eight years, tracking how many heart attacks they suffered and how long they lived.  Their conclusion?  Optimism is good for you!  Optimists had a 16% lower risk of having a heart attack.  A 2004 study of nearly 1000 elderly Dutch people also found a connection between optimism and a lowered risk of death from heart disease.

So what is the specific mechanism behind these findings?  Scientists aren’t sure.  If we are predisposed to more positive future expectations, we are more likely to have a can-do attitude about improving our health and our lives.  We know there is a better way to live and so we find it.

Pessimists habitually view life as a bunch of setbacks, permanent, unchangable and pervasive, so they feel helpless when things go wrong.  These attitudes tend to increase stress and contribute to depression.  And depression is never helpful when we need to do some serious problem solving.

However, being optimistic does not mean taking a “don’t worry, be happy” approach.  Excessive optimism can lead to making some terrible choices.  Believing that bad things cannot happen to you can lead to poor choices like taking the risk of getting a bad infection or smoking because you don’t believe you could ever get lung cancer.  Bad things can and do happen to optimists.  They just don’t spend their entire lives expecting the worst!

There is new type of resilience training to help convert pessimists to a more positive world view.  The key to this training is learning to recognize your natural thought patterns.  By identifying your own negative patterns of thought, you can learn to then replace them with more positive alternatives.  This training usually requires work with an experienced therapist.

This is exactly the focus of my own practice.  As a life change coach, I take my clients’ negative perceptions and turn them on their head.  For example, most of us have a gigantic and irrational fear of changing our lives.  We fear that change can only lead to bad outcomes.  When, in actuality, the only way our lives can improve is to make major changes in our attitudes, our thought patterns and our lives.  I know.  I’ve changed it all in the past few years!

[Via http://agingresearch.wordpress.com]

Stress-Induced Insomnia Linked to Hormonal Imbalance

Over 60 million American men and women suffer from insomnia and sleeplessness each year and recent studies have indicated that the cause may be largely attributed to an underlying hormonal imbalance.  

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is a condition typified by the inability to fall or stay asleep, regardless of how exhausted one may be. Insomnia is often accompanied by other symptoms related to lack of sleep such as foggy thinking, irritability, depression, anxiety and difficulty concentrating. Men and women suffering from insomnia often seek out treatments such as prescription tranquilizers and sleep aides to help them achieve a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately much of the relief is short-lived. It’s important to understand that these medications are only short-term solution to what will ultimately become a more serious condition if left unresolved.

The Connection:

The link between stress and insomnia is really quite simple. The human body contains a “stress hormone” known as cortisol. Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands, which are located above the kidneys and then released into our bloodstream as a fight or flight response to stress. It’s the body’s way of keeping us alert during times of peril. Cortisol doesn’t only affect sleep patterns; it also has a negative impact on the metabolism. Cortisol has been linked to adrenal fatigue and weight gain, especially in the abdominal region, at times leading to obesity and medical morbidities such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Elevated stress levels cause cortisol to wreak havoc on our bodies. Sleep medications are able to mitigate some of the effects of cortisol imbalance such as insomnia, but they don’t relieve stress to reduce the production of cortisol. Stress-reduction techniques such as yoga and meditation paired with balanced nutrition and regular exercise can help to normalize stress levels and in turn properly regulate the production of cortisol. The overproduction of cortisol is classified as a hormonal imbalance and if you think you may be experiencing insomnia, weight gain, fatigue or any other symptoms associated with perimenopause, menopause or andropause (the male menopause), it would be in your best interest to seek out a hormone specialist and consider some simple, minimally invasive blood and saliva tests to determine if a hormonal imbalance is to blame. 

[Via http://bioidenticalhormoneexperts.com]

Antidepressants may have risks after menopause

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Dec 16, 2009 – Older women who take an antidepressant seem to have a small but noteworthy increased risk of stroke and death compared to older women not on an antidepressant medication, a new study shows.

But given that depression itself is a well-established risk factor for early death, heart disease and other ills, the study’s author told Reuters Health, women who need to take these medications shouldn’t see the new findings as a reason to quit.

“Women should not stop taking the medications based on this one study,” Dr. Jordan W. Smoller of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said in an interview. “What our study does is give patients and doctors a little bit more information about the risk-benefit calculation for older women.”

Antidepressant use in the US has more than quintupled since the early 1990s, Smoller and his colleagues note in their report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

So-called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac and Zoloft are now the first-line treatment for most patients, having replaced older medications called tricyclic antidepressants that may harm the heart.

But little is known about how SSRIs affect heart health, especially in postmenopausal women, who are at increased risk for both heart disease and depression.

To investigate, Smoller and his team looked at 136,293 women participating in the Women’s Health Initiative, an ongoing investigation of women’s health after menopause. None of the women were taking antidepressants at the study’s outset.

During follow-up, which lasted about six years, 5,496 of the study participants started taking antidepressants. While there was no association between antidepressant use and heart disease, the researchers did find that women taking SSRIs had a 45 percent increase in risk of stroke and a 32 percent increase in risk of dying from any cause during follow up, compared with nonusers. Use of older tricyclic antidepressants wasn’t linked to stroke, but it did increase by 67 percent the risk of death during follow up.

It’s important to remember, Smoller said, that these numbers represent “relative risk.” The actual risk of stroke or death for women taking the medications was higher than for women who weren’t using them, but it was still quite small.

For example, he explained, during a given year 0.8 percent of the women not using antidepressants would die, compared to 1.2 percent to 1.4 percent of the women taking the medications. And while 0.3 percent of women who weren’t taking SSRIs would have had a stroke in a typical year, 0.42 percent of women using SSRIs would suffer a stroke annually.

Another limitation to the findings, Smoller added, is that the effect observed with antidepressants could have been related to the fact that women who used the medications had other risk factors that couldn’t be completely accounted for — like being depressed.

The increased risk of death and stroke associated with depression itself, he added, is similar to that seen with the antidepressants used in the study.

No matter what, the researcher said, the relationship between antidepressants and death must be investigated further. “More than 10 percent of Americans are taking antidepressants,” he said. “It’s an important category of medication for us to understand better.”

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, December 14/28, 2009.

http://health.yahoo.com/news/reuters/us_antidepressants_menopause.html

My 2 Cents:  I feel like I’m doomed.

[Via http://cherished79.wordpress.com]

What is DHEA Anyways?

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about DHEA and how it’s been coined as the “Mother of all Hormones,” but what exactly is DHEA? Where does it come from and what makes it so important?

 

DHEA (dehydroepiandosterone) is hormone secreted by the two endocrine glands that sit atop the kidneys known as the adrenals or adrenal glands. Experts say that levels of DHEA peak around age 25 and by the time we reach 70, our DHEA levels are only a mere 10% to 20% of what they were when we were in our 20’s. Like all hormones, when DHEA levels begins to decline, the hormonal imbalance can manifest itself into a host of symptoms such as memory loss, loss of muscle mass, bone loss, fatigue and weight gain.  This is primarily due to the fact that DHEA is is a prohormone. The hormone serves as a precursor to sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone and as the production of DHEA tapers off, women and men begin to experience symptoms commonly associated with perimenopause, menopause and andropause (the male menopause). 

Being that DHEA is a prohormone, it plays a large role in the production of other hormones – so when DHEA is out of whack, hormonal balance can fall to pieces. If you’re over the age of 35, it’s important to have your hormone levels tested regularly to stay on top of your hormonal health and wellness.

DHEA is said to be the most abundant hormone in humans, having various effects throughout the body. DHEA supplementation has proven to be useful in the treatment of many diseases and conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus or lupus and has also been found to help lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. Studies have also revealed that DHEA also has preventive qualities – it turns out that adequate levels of DHEA can significantly lower one’s risk of cardiovascular problems including atherosclerosis, stoke and heart attack. DHEA has also been found to restore oxidative balance in diabetic patients. Our delicate interplay of hormones is like a big game of Jenga - you take one block away and the others can come toppling over is you’re not careful.

[Via http://bioidenticalhormoneexperts.com]

Thyroid Problems and Hormone Replacement Therapy during Menopause

The thyroid is a little but significant gland that is established in the neck and its function is to make hormones that are controlled by the pituitary gland. TSH, or Thyroid thought-provoking Hormone, is dispatched out by the pituitary gland and outcomes in the output of thyroxin by the thyroid. Thyroxin sways several purposes in the human body, and this encompasses feelings, heart speed, body heat, metabolic process, body heat, skin and hair development, recollection, power, and periods.

Thyroid difficulties and Hormone Replacement Therapy

There are several connections when it arrives to thyroid difficulty and hormone replacement therapy. Firstly, one thing to note is that some of the symptoms of thyroid difficulties can be very alike to those of menopause. This means that women of menopausal age that evolve thyroid difficulties may not even recognize any thing is amiss, putting the symptoms down to menopause. These situation can often arrive about at round the identical time in a woman’s life, and thus if your medical practitioner does not propose it, you may furthermore desire to inquire for a thyroid function check if you proceed to glimpse your medical practitioner for menopausal symptoms. As numerous as 26% of women are identified with reduced thyroid function round the time of menopause.

Another thing to note is that thyroid difficulties can be an outcome of the onset of the menopause. Dr Christiane Northrup cites the work of John R Lee MD when she composes that “there seems to be a cause-and-effect connection between hypothyroidism, in which there are insufficient grades of thyroid hormone, and estrogen supremacy.”

In alignment to decrease the risk of thyroid difficulties or to help alleviate thyroid difficulties HRT patients should double-check that they have their thyroid function checked frequently, as well as her other growth hormone levels. This means at the start of HRT remedy and furthermore in the happening that you change your HRT or change the dosage that you are taking. And granted that despondency is affiliated with thyroid difficulties, if this is not assisted, or becomes poorer after taking HRT, then the broader hormonal image actually desires to be taken into account.

With hypothyroidism the symptoms can encompass despondency, heaviness gain, fatigue, listlessness, itchy and dry skin, dry or thinning hair, sinew cramps, constipation, feeling freezing, junction throbbing, facial enlarging, feeling swings, snoring, faintness, lightweight understanding, difficulties with time span, tiredness, and lack of memory.

In alignment to try and bypass thyroid difficulties hormone replacement patients should search recommendations from their medical practitioner with considers to normal checking while on HRT. And those that seem that they are experiencing the onset of the menopause should furthermore talk to their medical practitioner about thyroid checking to double-check that the symptoms are not getting bewildered and their thyroid difficulty does not proceed undetected.

[Via http://womenhealthcareblog.wordpress.com]

Stress No More With The Kegel Workout

I think I’ve extolled the virtues of exercising your Kegels before on this blog. Not for nothing have I summarily discombobulated three rabbits and expelled not one, but two IUDs with the strength of my pelvic floor.

However, I have to face facts. I’m getting older. The Menopause is fast approaching along with the possibility of the long arms of her hormone-deficient outriders: loss of libido, vaginal atrophy and bladder weakness.

Having had my children by Caesarean section, I’m very lucky. I don’t automatically wee myself when I sneeze or laugh. However, I have noticed a lack of sensitivity in terms of my pelvic and core muscles due to having them cut and stitched back together more than once. I have also suffered a lot with frequency-related cystitis and, if my bladder is full, I am conscious that I have to really concentrate to hold on to everything when I make a sudden involuntary movement.

So, when I stumbled upon a site that whose main purpose was to provide the means to eradicate this bane of so many women’s lives, I was intrigued.

Code – SNM8796

Promotion – 5% Off

Expires – 31st January 2010.

The products at Stress No More focus on health and wellbeing, with particular emphasis on the female pelvic floor but also addressing male incontinence. Because it’s not just confined to us ladies. For men of a certain age, prostate malfunction can cause similar problems.

The current featured weapon in this on-going battle is the new Kegel 8 machine. This is a bit like a TENS machine in that it exudes an electrical pulse onto the required muscle in order to stimulate it. Scientific studies have shown that this type of electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor muscles can improve the tone and performance of the area, thus reducing urge and frequency problems as well as helping with sensitivity and other sexual issues that can be adversely affected by the rise and fall of the different hormone levels of Menopause.

The Kegel 8 literature explains:

The aim of Kegel exercises is to restore muscle tone and strength to the pubococcygeus muscles (PC muscles) in order to prevent or reduce pelvic floor problems and to increase sexual satisfaction. Kegel exercises have been proven to help in the treatment of vaginal prolapse and preventing uterine prolapse in women, bladder weakness and poor sexual response.

Kegel exercises have been proven to be beneficial treating urinary and fecal incontinence in both men and women. Here in the UK they are known as PC Exercises or Pelvic Floor Exercises, and more recently ‘Kegels’ after Dr Arnold Kegel, a world-renowned gynaecologist.

When it’s in top shape the pubococcygeus (PC) muscle also known as the “love” muscle” helps a woman to have strong and lasting orgasms. But with age, pregnancy, and even lack of sex, this pelvic muscle can weaken. Women have long used their squeeze and release exercises Kegel exercises to help, but they’re not enough.

“Many women who do self-guided Kegels don’t improve because they don’t do them right” says Howard I Glazer Ph.D a NYC-based psychologist who specializes in pelvic-floor muscle diagnosis and rehabilitation.

The Kegel8 Pelvic Exerciser makes sure you exercise safely and efficiently, and results will be apparent in just a few weeks. The adage of “use it or lose it” is certainly true for women and their pelvic floor muscles, with Kegel8 improved pelvic health is easily achievable, and the benefits are amazing in all areas of a woman’s life.

Basically, it’s a small probe that can be inserted either vaginally or rectally. You should apply the special lubricant to aid insertion and conductivity. Then plug the leads into the main body of the machine and select your programme. There are eight different workouts for varying degrees of problem plus three do-it-youself plans.

I used the device each day over the Easter break whilst staying with Ruf and have continued to make the time daily upon my return. Normally the week following my visit would see me trying to fight off a bad attack of cystitis so I’m looking forward to discovering if the Tight and Tone can improve my muscle tone sufficiently to prevent this.

So far, I am very impressed and I can definitely feel some differences down there. Full explanation of using the device to follow next week and a proper progress report in May when, hopefully, the man himself will give his verdict during our next encounter.

In the meantime, Stress No More’s pelvic exercising products were mentioned on the Channel 4 programme ‘Embarrassing Bodies’ this week as part of their campaign to ‘Use it or Lose it’ vis a vis our pelvic floors. If you want to have a look at the programme online plus the reviews have a look here and skip to about 40 minutes. Basically, the electrically stimulating devices seemed to produce the best results and were the easiest to use.

If you do feel that you would like to purchase something from their large range of pelvic muscle stimulants, I would be really grateful if you could do so via my affiliate link.

For those of you in the US, this product is approved by the FDA but can only be sold there under prescription. However, many American women have ordered direct from StressNoMore in the UK, so you can still use this link. Postage is £20 by Swiftair for quick delivery.

Code – SNM8796

Promotion – 5% Off

Expires – 31st January 2010

[Via http://havingmycakeandeatingit2.wordpress.com]

Menopause Treatment - Bioidentical Hormone Therapy

For female Hormone replacement therapy has been one of the foremost means of healing pain from indications and diseases conveyed about by menopause. Throughout this remedy, estrogen, progesterone, and a mixture of other stationary constituents are injected into the woman to supply the much required grades of hormones lost because of the physiological situation of menopausal uniqueness.

When unnaturally organized hormones have verified incurable. Even if there was the identical agree of estrogen per se, the groundwork and artificial components to contain the hormones in its hardworking state may have verified too unsafe to swallow in some condition.

Bioidentical Hormones

Due to long research the Scientists have issued bioidentical hormones for treatment of hormone declines throughout menopause. This bioidentical hormone groundwork’s are normalized exact replicates of chemical symphony of those of humans. The effect thus is a less intrusive and promise infuriating equation that consigns the proposed reason of hormone replacement. There are furthermore arrive pharmaceuticals which arrange a more characterized and made-to-order bioidentical hormone equation to match the any person needs.

Though there are some setbacks for made-to-order bioidentical hormone groundwork’s for example non acceptance by the FDA, or possibly untested outcomes, researchers and investigators are hopeful that the restraint of having a made-to-order equation would have to be with lessening some other agencies or natural components utilized in the creation of the benchmark formula. This is to address the topic of some overexcited reactivity and allergic dangers by a couple of persons to some of the components.

If the bioidentical hormone therapy utilized is the identical one made and utilized by the body throughout premenopausal stage, it does not inevitably signify that the bioidentical treatment would be optimal for an indefinite time. Even routinely happening and made constituents in our bodies occasionally assist to a broad variety of difficulties, feeling swings, anomalousness’s, and irritations.

[Via http://womenhealthcareblog.wordpress.com]

ICE FIRST

An ice massage is quick, free, easy to do, and it can provide significant pain relief for many types of pain. In a world of sophisticated medical care, a simple ice massage can still be one of the more effective, proven methods to treat a soreness.

Most episodes of pain are caused by muscle strain. Muscles can become inflamed and spasm, causing pain and significant stiffness.

While it sounds like a simple injury, a muscle strain can create a surprising amount of pain. In fact, this type of injury is one of the most common reasons people go to the emergency room. However, not much can be done for a strained muscle except for rest (e.g. for up to two days), pain relief medications, and ice and/or heat application.

How ice provides pain relief

Ice can help provide relief for back pain in a number of ways, including:

• Ice application slows the inflammation and swelling that occurs after injury. Most pain is accompanied by some type of inflammation, and addressing the inflammation helps reduce the pain.
• Numbs sore tissues (providing pain relief like a local anesthetic)
• Slows the nerve impulses in the area, which interrupts the pain-spasm reaction between the nerves
• Decreases tissue damage

Ice is most effective if it is applied soon after the injury occurs. The cold makes the veins in the tissue contract, reducing circulation. Once the cold is removed, the veins overcompensate and dilate and blood rushes into the area. The blood brings with it the necessary nutrients to allow the injured muscles, ligaments and tendons to heal.

As with all pain relief treatments, there are some cautions with ice. Never apply ice directly to the skin. Instead, be sure that there is a protective barrier between the ice and skin, such as a towel. Additionally, ice should also not be used for patients who have rheumatoid arthritis, Raynaud’s Syndrome, cold allergic conditions, paralysis, or areas of impaired sensation.

[Via http://evolwithin.wordpress.com]

Factory “Farmaceuticals”

Jessica Morowitz

Premarin® is a hormone replacement therapy drug manufactured by Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals.  The drug is widely prescribed to an estimated nine million women to help them cope with the symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats.  Premarin® gets its name by virtue of what it is made from—PREgnant MARes’ urINe (PMU).  That means that in order to manufacture this drug, Wyeth needs a constant supply of pregnant mares.

It is not surprising that the conditions these mares experience are not unlike those experienced by animals raised for food in factory farms.  According to the Humane Society of the United States, the mares enter the barns in September, and remain tethered in their stalls until March or April.  The stalls are very narrow, and do not allow the mares to turn around or move more than a step or two in any direction.  While inside they are constantly hooked up to a collection system that even further restricts their movements, and can make it uncomfortable to even lie down.  Moreover, the mares are often denied access to an adequate supply of water in an effort to concentrate the hormones in their urine and increase profits.  Typically, the mares will be ‘in production’ for about eight or nine years consecutively, getting pregnant and giving birth year after year.

What is just as bad if not worse than the way these mares are treated, is the inevitable by-product of all these pregnant mares—the foals.  Sadly, they are usually weaned from their mothers too early, at around three or four months of age instead of six months.  This is due to the nature of the production system.  The mares are usually bred-back right after giving birth (within a few weeks), and need to move back into the barns in September to begin urine collection.  Like the fate of many of the mares when they are no longer able to produce, these foals are often sent to auction.  From auction these horses often find their way to into feedlots, and eventually slaughterhouses.    While there are a few rescue organizations out there dedicated to the adoption of PMU mares and foals, there are not nearly enough of them to keep up with the estimated 40,000 PMU foals born each year.

An alarming New York Times article written in early August revealed that ghostwriters paid by Wyeth “played a major role in producing 26 scientific papers backing the use of hormone replacement therapy in women.”  The articles were published between 1998 and 2005 and of course emphasized the benefits and down-played the risks associated with hormone replacement therapy.  These articles most likely played a role in the nearly $2 billion in sales experienced by Wyeth in 2001.  But shortly after in 2002, a “federal study on hormone therapy was stopped after researchers found that menopausal women who took certain hormones had an increased risk of invasive breast cancer, heart disease and stroke.”  When a story like this comes out that shows how a pharmaceutical company, like Wyeth, is willing to put human lives at risk to turn a profit, should we even be surprised that the welfare of the tens of thousands of horses they rely on and exploit each day does not factor into that equation?  Of course not.

[Via http://animalblawg.wordpress.com]

10 Ways To Know You Are Becoming Your Mother

When I was about 16, I distinctly remember watching my mother try on a pair of pants, elastic waisted, with total disdain.  I will never wear “granny” pants like that, I will always wear pants with a zipper, I told her!  How can you were those things?My how things have changed!

Help, I am becoming my mother.  How do I know?  Check these tips:)

10 Ways To Know You Are Becoming Your Mother!

1. You find elastic waisted pants comfortable and wear them daily to work.  You do save a little face by NOT tucking in your shirt.
2. You talk to anybody that will listen at the grocery store, or any other public place while you are shopping.  You talk without shame and even enjoy talking to total strangers about anything that comes to mind.  The filter between your brain and mouth has disappeared.
3. You try on clothes over your clothes in the aisles at stores, again with no shame or embarrassment.  After all, it does save time doesn’t it?
4. You complain often about small print.  How can they expect a person to read this!  This small print is just ridiculous and rather thoughtless of the goof balls that print it this small. 
5. You actually worry and listen to all the news reports about Social Security, Medicare, and what the government is doing.
6. You carry your own personal fan, year-round, and love it!, feeling sorry your mother didn’t have one herself when she just used anything handy as a “fan”, like your homework, checkbook, or napkins.
7. You read the obituaries, daily, relieved when there is no one you know, and you don’t see your own name as well.
8. You find that you would rather take a nap above doing almost anything else.  Besides, you just fall asleep without even knowing it.  You just can’t help it.
9. You have found new hobbies, like putting together puzzles of pretty scenes, falling asleep while reading the paper,  and buy and do those word puzzle books.  And you really love those puzzles!
10. You look in the mirror one morning, scream with shock, then realize that it is you, not a surprise visit from your mom, hiding in your bathroom.

Let’s Talk About Sex…

Love is by far one of the most powerful emotions one can experience in life. Love has the absolute power to manifest the lowest of lows and the highest of highs within all of us. So why is it that so many relationships start off with a bang and end with a thud? At first, our relationships seem to take on the often clichéd “honeymoon phase,” where both man and woman are overcome by the boundless energies of love, falling helplessly head over heels for one another. Be it 2 months or 2 years, the once radiant glow begins to fade and the relationship has begun to plateau. When things “level out” like this, it’s important to know what you and your partner can do to spice things up a bit. Here’s five great ways to rekindle that lovin’ feelin’!

• Take it beyond the bedroom – By now the bedroom has become a comfort zone for both you and your partner. So step outside the box and shake things up a bit! Take it to the streets! Go Public! Now I wouldn’t recommend putting yourself in a situation where you could get in serious legal trouble, but the idea of getting caught can be riveting! The paranoia adds a whole new dimension to sex. For starters, try it in a different room of the house – perhaps the kitchen or laundry room. Once you and your partner are comfortable, you can graduate to more exotic settings like an elevator or the beach. Now I agree that this may not sound like a scene from “The Notebook,” but sex in public places really is a great way to dust those cobwebs off your sex life.
• Trash the haggard clothing – I know that when you’re at home alone as a couple, there’s little reason to “dress to impress.” But nothing says turn-off like tattered, oversized t-shirts, maternity sweatpants and a limp ponytail pushed off to the side with a cumbersome scrunchee. A great way to refresh your sex life is to make yourself more desirable for your partner. As a relationship matures, a man and woman become much more comfortable with one another and as a result they aren’t so much concerned about their physical appearance at home, as they once were. Wear something that’s comfortable, but something that doesn’t scream “I’m a hot mess.”
• Take dinner to the next level – Even if you and your partner are sharing an extra large pepperoni pizza on a Friday evening, spice it up a bit with some candles, a table cloth and some music to set the mood. The romantic lighting and subtle music can make for an intimate dining experience. Maybe incorporate some aphrodisiacs to the meal for little kick-start. Finger food also gives you a great excuse to feed one another.
• Take a vacation – Escape the ordinary. Sometimes work schedules and personal commitments make it difficult for a couple to share intimacy. One of the first things a relationship coach will recommend is a romantic getaway. You don’t have to go far. In fact, a trip down the street to a local Marriott will do just fine. The feeling of detachment makes it easier to let go and get lost within the moment. Find a quiet hotel suite, grab a bottle of champagne and bucket of ice and have peace of mind knowing that the only thing you’re waking up for the next day is breakfast in bed.
• Balance your hormones – As we age, our hormones naturally begin to decline. The result is a hormonal imbalance, usually identified as perimenopause or menopause in women and andropause in men. Although there are many unpleasant side-effects of hormonal imbalance such as weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, depression and loss of muscle mass, the chief complaint from both men and women alike is low libido. Hormonal imbalance affects millions of men and women each year. The good news is, there’s something you can do about it. Comprehensive hormone testing is available to determine if indeed a hormonal imbalance is present. Once the imbalance has been identified, physicians can use bioidentical hormones to restore the balance and in turn relieve the associated symptoms.

Alternative Menopause Treatment Options

There is lots of option, and then you are probably lucky that you are going through menopause today. No longer will you be told that the symptoms are all “in your head” and that you should just “deal with it”. Menopause is talked about and recognized and specialists are studying a diversity of treatment options to treat menopause and its connected symptoms.

There is much contradictory proof out there and it can be hard to work out what is accurate and what is not when looking at treatment options. Many women are also looking for natural remedy options as they are concerned about the effects associated with hormone replacement therapy. Below you will find some information on menopause treatments.

Well admired natural treatment is through the use of phytoestrogens. These are naturally occurring compounds in plants and the reason that they are often used for the treatment of menopause is that they have a very similar make up to the female sex hormone estrogen.

A popular treatment of menopause is the use of progesterone creams. Progesterone is another naturally occurring growth hormone in the female body and many studies have suggested that correcting progesterone imbalances can help alleviate menopause. Progesterone cream is often used in conjunction with a variety of other treatments such as estrogen treatments

Herbal treatments for menopause are also extremely popular. Herbal treatments are commonly prescribed by naturopaths and herbal specialists as a treatment for the symptoms associated with menopause, whilst not necessarily attacking the causes of menopause itself.

If you are looking at your options in regards to menopause treatments, then researching the variety of treatments available is important. You may try one of these treatment options or a mixture. If you have concerns, I would recommend you go and see a specialist.

Replens the best way to ease menopause effect

Menopause can cause serious psychological effects in women. Most of the women under menopause go through many changes emotionally and physically. A popular women’s magazine stated that during menopause women’s attitude towards life may sometime become negative, this often lead to serious conflict breaking families apart. The sexual pattern also changes in women during menopause.
Many women also develop eating disorder in which they try to eat more to cope up with the menopause syndrome. It is important to note that women at this age must not develop weight, as this could lead to some serious medical conditions like high blood pressure, kidney failure, and diabetes. Women during menopause must undergo cholesterol test to check in their cholesterol levels. It is significant that patients must undergo regular cholesterol test in every six months. You can ask your doctor to help you undergo cholesterol test.
Menopausal women often suffer from blood pressure problem, sometimes the blood pressure could aggravate. Thus it is better to check in blood pressure, you can use blood pressure monitor to check in your blood pressure. Blood pressure monitor kit will help you to measure your blood pressure at regular intervals in a day. There are various types of blood pressure monitors available in the market; you can use any one of them as per your convenience.
During menopause many women suffer from excess bleeding through vagina which often leads to dry vagina. Dry vagina condition can be very irritating as it can affect women’s sexual life. The best way to alleviate the symptoms of dry vagina is to use Replens cream. Replens acts as a hormone-free long lasting vaginal moisturizer and it provides relief from the symptoms of vaginal atrophy, dryness, irritation, discomfort and painful intercourse. It is important to note that dry vaginal problem can occur at any age, the effects of dry vagina may vary from women to women. However, it is most common during menopause.
Even lactating mother suffer from dry vaginal condition. To alleviate the symptoms like itching, burning, soreness in the vagina you can use Replens Long-Lasting Feminine Moisturizer. Its patented formula Polycarbophil helps in retaining natural moisture rejuvenating it t normal levels. It also increases alkalinity in the vagina, reducing vaginal infections. With just one application you can ease the discomfort due to dry vagina.

Menopause the Musical

Are you kidding me? There is apparently a  musical play called Menopause the Musical playing. Now why on earth would I want to see a bunch a gals sweating to the hot flashes? Do I need to watch insomniac women get out of their stage beds and burst into song? No I do not. I don’t see the humor, but then again – I have recently come through the other side of menopause and while I no longer have periods I certainly have a string of other delights. Is it hot in here or is it me? Now I’m cold – I’m irritated – that commercial is making me cry – Yeah yeah yeah….wow – what a musical. And how about costume changes? Slipping from one layer of cotton into another – no satin and sequins going here – they don’t absorb very well. Maybe these actresses will be preforming with a towel draped elegantly across their shoulders for a quick sweat dab.

Menopause the Musical? No thanks – I think I’ll just stick to cryin’ the Blues instead.

Burn Baby Burn....reposted

Last year, I wrote a post about burning mouth syndrome. I am reposting it today because a reader commented that there is an informational questionnaire that many of you may be interested in. Here’s the link. By sharing your experiences, perhaps the sponsors can find a common thread among women who suffer from burning mouth syndrome and an effective treatment.

In my last post, I mentioned that menopause has been linked to altered sensitivity in the roof of the mouth and a decreased ability to detect sweet taste. Interestingly, I heard from a friend that she recently started experiencing a burning sensation in her mouth and that her doctors have been attributing it to menopause. Say what?!

Seems that the Queen Bee of Menopause, the Sister of Love and Destruction, the Lady of Light and Dark, estrogen herself, is wreaking havoc on more than the tastebuds.

I was intrigued so I did a search. I found over 500 articles in the National Library of Medicine Database, PubMed, and also located this article in the journal American Family Physician.

Although burning mouth syndrome primarily appears to primarily affect women after menopause, some 10% to 40% of women in menopause can suffer from its effects. These may may include burning in the tongue or oral mucus membranes, dry mouth and taste alterations.

The causes of burning mouth syndrome range from depression and anxiety to underlying illness, high glucose levels and of course, hormones. Researchers have also identified alterations in the cranial sacral nerves that serve taste and pain sensations as possible culprits.

Currently, unproven treatments include benzodiazapines, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and capsaicin. However, I’m wondering whether or not craniosacral therapy might offer an alternative to women who don’t want to go the drug route. Mind you, there are lots of naysayers out there who claim that CST is quakery but having used it successfully for pain, I am a huge fan.

A fellow blogger also directed me to this extensive site on burning mouth syndrome. I can’t vouch for its content but it is definitely worth checking out for backgrounding purposes. Do you suffer from Burning Mouth Syndrome? What are you doing to treat your symptoms? Inquiring minds want to know!

Soy Isoflavone Tablets Do Not Appear to Prevent Menopausal Bone Loss

With hormone replacement therapy falling out of favor after findings from the Women’s Health Initiative linked estrogen and progestin therapies to breast cancer and cardiovascular complications, some women turned to soy in the belief that its high isoflavone content could help prevent or slow menopause-related bone loss.

But studies examining the effect of soy isoflavone tablets on bone for postmenopausal women have demonstrated little effect on bone mineral density.

For the full article click here

Menopause and Herbal solutions

 MENOPAUSE, What can I use herbally for the symptoms of MENOPAUSE?

As a certified herbalist and health management educator I am often asked for recommendations of alternative herbal options to aid in the fight against various medical issues.  These are only my opinions, as a result of experiences gathered from clients, friends and family who have shared with me the results of using various teas and tinctures I have created to assist them.   

Menopause can come with a plethora of symptoms or just a few.  They don’t come always come at once, and you may not experience all of them.  There are some herbs specific to particular symptoms such as Black Cohosh for HOT FLASHES (most common) and there are herbs then help to balance and regulate the hormones, while others influence the Estrogen or Progesterone levels in the body. 

• My favorite herbs are those providing a balancing effect that will also target some of the key symptoms of menopause: hot flashes, irregular periods, low libido, vaginal dryness, skin changes, sleep changes and depression. 

A few of  my favorite choices include Vitex, Donq quai and Maca root.  Vitex,also known as chaste tree berry, targets hormonal balancing.  It can alleviate emotional instability = PMS related to menstrual cycle, help to regulate the cycle as the changes occur and improve hormonally caused skin changes.  It can be taken as a tea, capsule, or tincture but should be consumed with foods.  Chaste tree is quite safe, however (there is possibility it can interfere with birth control pills and should not be taken by pregnant women. i say this even though we are talking about Menopause here.)  Donq quai is another great balancer.  It’s great for improving the skin, especially as we age and does an excellent job of warding off depression and hot flashes and alleviates vaginal dryness.  Lastly, one of my favorite herbs, Maca root, is superb for increases the libido, raises energy levels, alleviating depression and it can even stimulate the immune system, all that from the equivalent of a radish! 

All of these herbs are safe however as always, use caution if your taking a prescription drugs and if you’re pregnant or nursing.  

Mommy-T helps hormone balance

If you would like to try my 100% organic, natural tea for these symptoms, go with my MOMMY-T. It has all the safe ingredients you see here and if helps with those hormonal issues. Nicole answers your herbal Alternative medicines here. feel free to comment here. 

helps with Menopause symptoms naturally

  

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60 Seconds With Dr. Lisa Gorn

Take a minute to get to know Lisa Gorn, D.O. of BodyLogicMD of Dallas!

Dr. Gorn’s goal is to help patients live a healthier life so that there are fewer complications down the road. By using bioidentical hormones along with lifestyle changes that include better nutrition and supplementation, stress management and an increase in physical activity, she offers her patients a more effective, natural solution to the many symptoms most often associated with aging. 

Dr. Gorn’s advice: ”I want the millions of men and women suffering from hormonal imbalance to know that it doesn’t have to be this way – with a proper fitness regime, nutritional counseling and supplementation along with the use of bioidentical hormones when necessary, many of my patients begin feeling as good as they did in their early 30’s!”

Read Dr. Gorn’s Bio

It has been a minute, eh?

I figured I should at least update this thing. The good news is that a lot of the symptoms are starting to die down. It could be my odd concoction of vitamins, minerals, and pharmaceuticals, or it could be the cooler temperatures, or it could just be resilience and my luck that my body adjusts to things rapidly, but there it is.

Saw my regular doctor last week. She warned me not to do any ab work for another month. Oh no! Not the briar patch! But she did tell me to go ahead and start lifting weights with my arms. She said I’m doing everything right in terms of what vitamins I’m taking (calcium + D, biotin, E, magnesium), and she gave me a discount card from the company that makes my blood pressure medication, so I’ll be paying $20 instead of $50 each month for it.

She also said that my ex oby/gyn “could have been nicer about it” with reference to the whole mammogram thing. She said that she understood how I could be burned out on being poked and prodded — “it’s been a lot this year” — and said if I got one next year, I should get a sonogram with it. Then I would only have to do sonograms thereafter. “Especially because you’re young, young women have denser breasts, and they’re probably going to have a hard time imaging you with a mammogram anyway.”

She ain’t kidding. Between my sisters’ and friends’ false positives, my fibrocystic breast disease, and what I know to be plain ol’ dense boobs, I am willing to bet the rent that when and if I do go for one mammogram, there will be all kinds of urgent phone calls in the aftermath. That’s why my mother didn’t get one. She didn’t want to deal with it, and her breasts were so dense that when she had a stroke and went to the hospital in her early 60s and they gave her a breast exam as part of a complete work-up, the nurse asked her if she had implants.

Anyway, my doctor wrote the directions out and handed them to me like so many other doctors have before, but she said, “I’m not dating it. If you want to do it next year, that’s fine. We like to screen for these things because we can. That’s all.”

Amen, alleluia, she gets it!

I still say mammograms before age 50 are a crock, as is the whole 1-in-8 thing. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone did a big study when I’m 70 comparing women who didn’t get mammograms before age 50 with those who did and found that those who did had a higher rate and risk of breast cancer.

Oh, and happy National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Think before you pink.

More Natural Remedies for Menopause

Here are some more natural menopause remedies that I found in a related article.
 

This decade is said to be the time when the so-called baby boomers have reached the end of their prime. Half of these baby boomers are women and are most likely experiencing menopause.

Here are some common, as well as natural menopause treatments that a woman can take to facilitate relief and comfort during this crucial period in her life.

1…It is best to eat the right kind of food at this point and complement the healthy diet with vitamins so that you still get your daily allowance. Vitamin E (500IU) and Calcium (1,000 to 1,500 mg) daily has been proven to help with the symptoms.

5…In terms of hot flashes, exercise is said to be the ultimate remedy. Exercise keeps the body active and promotes the health of the heart

feminestra, natural menopause relief, menopause relief

Sleeping - Together or Alone?

This writer’s article seems to be making the rounds of blogs…and it must’ve been Neil Stanley I saw on the news the other day.

When I look at my in-laws, both pushing 70 and having slept together for nearly 50 years, I wonder how much healthier they could be?  Could this sleeping together business affect their life expectancies?  They’re both quite fit and very active, but they do tease each other about the fact that they both snore…so they might live longer and even healthier lives if they slept apart…

D and I both snore as well…so here I am, home alone on a Saturday night, the third night D is on a four-night series of night shifts, and, tired as I am, I probably won’t go to bed until close to midnight.  I don’t mind being alone, but I don’t sleep well when he’s not here.  I don’t sleep well when he is here either!  I think we would probably both sleep best if we were both in the house, but in separate rooms!  I THINK our problem is due to snoring only.  By that, I mean that if either of us gets up during the night for the bathroom, the other rarely awakens.  Neither of us wave our arms around in our sleep or have restless legs…on those nights when we’re not aware of each other snoring, we both sleep well.  But, we’ve decided that we probably both snore EVERY night… some nights, we both fall too soundly asleep quickly to be aware.

My biggest problem with sleeping, though, is menopause-related – either a hot flash or needing the toilet during the night – I’m lucky to get more than two hours of sleep at a stretch.  This rarely disturbs D, but there are, indeed, those nights where I wake up in the middle of the night and have a great deal of trouble falling back to sleep. There have only been a few times where I’ve awoken in this manner and the reason I can’t back to sleep is his snoring!

Eventually, the answer for us may be a bigger bed and ear plugs!  In the meantime, we’ll struggle along because the positives seems to outweigh the negatives.  There is a major positive for us when it comes to sharing a bed.  We generally go to bed at the same time, although I might get there first with a book.  He might read for a bit too, but then it’s lights out…once the lights go out and we’re lying comfortably, the conversation starts.  Seems like we have our best conversations while lying in the dark, until we just get too drowsy to keep talking…and then the snoring begins!

An Effective Menopause Treatment Through Homone Replecement Therapy

Hormone replacement is very appreciable for women looking for relief from menopause symptoms, but women are starting to be aware of possible contraindications and widely published studies suggest hormone replacement therapy isn’t the best route to take. Others prefer a more holistic approach to their health, and menopause is no different for them. For women looking to improve some of their painful menopausal symptoms there are abundance of herbal remedies available on the market.

Women seem to prefer alternative medicines because the use of hormone replacement therapies might be harmful. Natural menopause treatment is known to be effective with its teas, elixirs and topical applications. Natural menopause treatments decrease the symptoms and this is why so many women try them before starting conventional hormone therapy.

The old women saying that the treatment can be poorer than the disease can be applied here. The side effects of traditional menopause treatment are not really pleasant and you should pay attention to the correct dosage. Apart from that, symptoms are not fully controlled even when having traditional treatment. After all natural menopause treatment is much safer than the traditional hormone replacement therapy. Herbal remedies are commonly used in natural menopause treatment. They might be black cohosh, dong quai, maca root and red clover.

Black cohosh is the thing that decreases menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. It also helps to reduce the bad temper and it stabilizes mood swings. If you are taking black cohosh, it is also good to know that it reveals depression and anxiety. It also fights against night sweats and heart palpitations. Dong quai is herb that also treats menopause symptoms naturally. What this herb does best is to dilate blood vessels. When dong quai is combined with black cohosh is it most effective.

There are some women who shouldn’t use natural menopause treatments because they are not right for them and might have negative effects on them. Before starting any kind of natural menopause treatment you should very carefully read the labels. To conclude with, natural treatments have helped many women live easily in their menopause. If they can work for the others, they might be effective for you, as well.

Read more articles from here: Hormone Health Blog

Life After Menopause: Osteoporosis

Contents Causes Menopause Symptoms Risk Factors Prevention

Osteoporosis is a disease which weakens bones making them more prone to breakage. Many times, osteoporosis is not found until a fracture has already happened, which, unfortunately, increases the risk of having another fracture due to the disease. It is hard to catch osteoporosis early because it does not have any visible or painful symptoms. However, there are steps that you can take to prevent the onset of osteoporosis, or slow the progression if you already have the disease.

Causes

The exact cause of osteoporosis is not yet known, however, we do know how it develops. Bones consist of two parts, a hard outer shell, and a sponge-like inner core. Your bones, like most of your body, are made up of living tissue which grows and dies just like any other tissue in your body. Normally, the body can build more bone than it loses. But when a bone is weakened by osteoporosis, the inner core becomes less dense and loses mass. In other words, the “holes” in the “sponge” part of your bones become larger. This loss in bone mass is a normal part of the aging process starting around the age of 30, but when it reaches a certain point then osteoporosis has set in.

Menopause

Osteoporosis has been linked to menopause as well. The lack of estrogen and absence of menstrual periods can cause and/or accelerate the progression of osteoporosis. Women who have or are experiencing early menopause are at an even greater risk for the disease.

Symptoms

Symptoms of osteoporosis may not be initially seen until the disease has progressed quite a bit. It is often called the “silent disease” because many people do not know they have osteoporosis until they suddenly break a bone. The symptoms that do show, besides a broken bone, may be stooped posture, loss of height, and back pain caused by collapsed vertebrae. To determine if you have osteoporosis you should receive a bone mineral density (BMD) test. These are painless, accurate test using low-power x-rays to determine bone strength. These tests can provide information about your bone health and determine if you have osteoporosis before problems begin.

Risk Factors

There are several risk factors that are linked to osteoporosis. These include age, gender, ethnicity, bone structure, and family history. Maximum bone density is reached around the age of 30 after which, bone mass begins to decline naturally with age. The greatest risk for the disease occurs around the age of 50. Women are also at a higher risk for the disease, as much as four times as likely as men. This may be due to women’s naturally lighter, thinner bones, longer life spans, and loss of estrogen due to menopause. Ethnicity also plays a big part in the onset of osteoporosis. Studies have shown that Caucasian and Asian women have the greatest risk for the disease. Studies also showed that Caucasian women are more likely to have hip fractures then Asian and African-American women. Your natural body structure may also put you at a greater risk. People who have smaller frames are at a greater risk for the disease because they have less bone to lose than people that have bigger frames. Probably the biggest factor for whether or not you may get osteoporosis is your family history. If your parents or grandparents had or showed signs of osteoporosis, you may be at a greater risk of the disease.

Prevention

There are ways to protect against the onset or progression of osteoporosis. Most of these are simple lifestyle and dietary changes that can have a greatly change your risk for the disease. Exercise is a good way to help make your bones stronger and prevent bone loss. Try to establish a regular exercise program that has you doing weight-bearing exercises at least four times a week. These can be as simple as jogging, playing tennis, and dancing. Your diet plays a big role is the health of your bones. Try to increase your intake of calcium (1,500mg a day) which can be found in milk, salmon, and dark green vegetables, and vitamin D (400-800 IU a day) which can be found in eggs, fortified milk, and fatty fish like salmon. Also limiting your alcohol consumption and not smoking can reduce your risk.

Osteoporosis can be a debilitating disease, even deadly. However, there are steps that can be taken to prevent or slow the progression of the disease. Those preventative steps will help you live a longer, healthier life.

-Feminestra