Monthly Archives: January 2009

Consumer Reports Health – A Resource for Unbiased Ratings & Recommendations – Even for HRT Treatments

I’ve always admired Consumer Union – the non-profit publisher of the magazine you know so well – for providing unbiased, fact-based information about the products we use in our daily lives – from vacuum cleaners and televisions to cars and food products.  I’ve relied upon their ratings for just about every major purchase I’ve made.

Last year, they expanded their research and ratings to include treatment approaches for 200+ conditions, prescription drugs  (see the one for Menopause shown below) and natural medicines; nutrition, wellness and fitness product ratings; and even health care services like nursing homes.  They also launched the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center for rating hospitals and other health-care providers.

In describing the mission of Consumer Reports Health, they state; “as consumers become increasingly involved in their own health decisions and turn to the Web for answers to their questions, they need unbiased, accurate, evidenced-based information to compare their options and to make appropriate choices for themselves and their families.” … [Read more]

Dr. Christiane Northrup to Appear on Oprah…Again!

The overwhelming response to Oprah’s first show on hormone therapy has led to a second, follow-up show with Dr. Christiane Northrup and Suzanne Somers on Thursday of this week.  Somers first raised awareness about the benefits of bio-identical hormones in her book, Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones.

Later that day, Dr. Northrup will also host a special Hormone Webcast through www.oprah.com to answer questions about hormone replacement and bio-identical hormones. … [Read more]

Oprah To Repeat Show on Bio-Identicals Thursday

If  you missed Oprah’s show on hormone therapy last week, be sure to tune in Thursday for a repeat performance.  Dr. Christiane Northrup did an excellent job explaining the role that hormones play in our body’s “control center” and what happens when they get out of whack (menopause).   See my blog post below for a full review.

Dear Oprah: Thank you!

It was refreshing to hear an open, frank discussion about Menopause, hormones and hot flashes on national TV – and on the most popular talk show for women to boot.  It was downright historic! And long overdue. As Oprah put it, it’s about time that “the veil of shame” around menopause was lifted and that we should “get a conversation started about it.”

Only someone like Oprah, with a worldwide platform, could pull this off, so I thank her profusely! Hopefully, her initiative will begin an “oral tradition” of sharing information about Menopause with our friends and daughters so that women can take control of their own lives and, as she put it, “demand to feel better!” … [Read more]

Watch Oprah Today To Get the 4-1-1- on BioIdentical Hormones

If you’re curious or confused about bio-identical hormones, tune into the Oprah show today for a good explanation from Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of The Wisdom of Menopause  (# 1 on Amazon’s long list of books on the topic) and more recently The Secret Pleasures of Menopause.

Once you’ve made a decision to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT), you have a choice of taking synthetic hormones such as Premarin, which is made from a mare’s urine; or, you can choose to take something like the Vivelle Dot Estrogen patch or Prometrium, which is structurally identical to the naturally occurring substance in our bodies. Most bio-identical estrogens and progesterone come from soy (estrogen) or yams (progesterone). … [Read more]

Urinary Incontinence: Is There a Connection with Menopause?

 If TV commercials are an accurate reflection of our lives, then you’d have to conclude that bladder problems are a big concern for women and men.  Since the ads I’ve seen show people who appear to be 50-ish in age, they suggest that incontinence isn’t just a problem of the elderly.  It’s one of the few health conditions still considered too private to discuss openly,  so I wondered just how prevalent it is for women in mid-life and if there’s a connection with Menopause.  For expert information and advice, I contacted Dr. L. Elaine Waetjen, an OB-GYN with a specialty in Urogynecology, as well as a researcher and associate professor at the University of California, Davis. I asked her at what age do women typically notice bladder problems?

Dr. Waetjen: Bladder problems can happen at any point in our lives, but for many women, they seem to begin occurring in mid-life and symptoms, including incontinence, may increase due to the direct effects of aging. For example, as women get older, the bladder capacity can decrease due to changes in the wall of the bladder, making it less elastic.  Older women are more likely to lose strength and/or coordination of their pelvic floor muscles, which can also affect how the bladder functions to store and empty urine. The rise in incontinence may also be related to other factors associated with aging. For example, women tend to gain weight as they get older and weight gain is associated with incontinence. … [Read more]

Dear Oprah – IT’S MENOPAUSE!!!

Oprah kicked off her first program in the New Year with a show about her year-long odyssey with health problems and weight gain.  She told viewers that everything in her life –and body –was humming along until she hit 53, when, as she put it, “life took over.” She had heart palpitations. Her blood pressure was creeping up.  She was having trouble sleeping and was so exhausted during her entire 53rd year that there had been times when she didn’t even want to go to work.  (sound familiar?) She stopped exercising and ate more. Her friend, the exercise and nutrition guru, Bob Greene, told her she seemed depressed.  “There’s a dullness about you - you’re not really there,” he recalled saying to her.

Though Oprah has mentioned in the past that Dr. Christiane Northrup’s book on Menopause was helpful in figuring out what was happening to her, and her website offers several links to articles on the topic, Oprah nevertheless attributed all of these symptoms to thyroid disease (cured now) and the fact that her life was out of balance.  But to me, and probably every other 50-something viewer who has been through the same experience, it sure sounds like Menopause. Unfortunately, she didn’t utter the M word once during the one-hour show. What a missed opportunity to educate millions of women! … [Read more]