From the monthly archives:

December 2008

A New, In-Home Test Kit Makes it Easy to Know If You Have Enough Vitamin D

by Wendy on December 30, 2008

Vitamin D Supplements

I’ve written several blog posts this year on the importance of vitamin D in our diets.   Often called the “sunshine vitamin,” because sunlight is required for our bodies to produce it, vitamin D is best known for maintaining bone and muscle mass.  More recent research has suggested that it may have numerous other benefits such as lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of some cancers, improving mood and even offering protection from autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. It also is particularly beneficial for menopausal women, as Dr. James Dowd, author of “The Vitamin D Cure”  explained to me in an interview earlier this year; [click to continue...]

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A Holiday Gift to Yourself: Health & Vitality in Midlife

by Wendy on December 22, 2008

A View From Kriaplu Center by StepanK

If you’ve resolved to live a healthful life and want to do something good for yourself that will have an impact beyond the expiration date of most new year resolutions,  take your next vacation at the beautiful Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lenox, Massachusetts and sign up for one of their week-long courses such as Health & Vitality in Midlife, Integrative Weight Loss, and Food as Medicine.  The first two are being offered on two consecutive weeks in January – a perfect way to begin the year! [click to continue...]

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A Physician’s View of Complementary & Alternative Medicine Therapies for Menopause

by Wendy on December 8, 2008

Complementary & Alternative MedicineThere’s an interesting study underway of 3300 women who are being followed as they progress through their menopause transition.  The multi ethnic Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) began in 1996 and is expected to be completed next month when participants have their final annual follow-up visit.  One aspect of the study involves how women cope with mid-life changes.  To date, almost half of the women in the study, aged 42-52 used some kind of complementary or alternative medical (CAM) treatment in the previous year.

Clearly, there is growing use of CAM treatments to ease menopausal symptoms, particularly for hot flashes and insomnia. But there’s still a lot of confusion about what really works. [click to continue...]

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