From the category archives:

Resources

The Perils of Belly Fat Explained

by Wendy on April 20, 2008

Belly FatBelly Fat

An interesting article was just published on the Mayo Clinic website about why it’s so important to control the amount of excess abdominal fat that women (more than men) experience with age.   The authors explain that “it’s not just the stuff out front that you can grab with your hand - but it’s the deeper fat you can’t see that’s really a cause for concern.”  [click to continue…]

{ 2 comments }

Rx for Memory: Circuit Training For the Brain!

by Wendy on April 15, 2008

Vibrant BrainVibrant Brain

A new gym has recently opened here in San Francisco that’s perfect for any one who thinks their memory is getting a bit mushy with age.  It’s called vibrantBrains and their focus is on building our mental muscle to improve and maintain memory and attention as we age.  [click to continue…]

{ 3 comments }

What Does the Research Really Say? A New Website Helps You Find Out

by Wendy on March 17, 2008

Web research

If you’ve discussed with your physician which approach you should take for alleviating menopausal symptoms — botanical, bio-identical or hormone replacement – you’ve probably heard him or her refer to research studies that have proven or dis-proven the efficacy of one treatment or another.  You might even have been tempted to track down a research study to see for yourself what conclusions were reported, but didn’t know where to start.   Now, there’s a new Website, available through the National Library of Medicine (NLM)that offers health research from scientific journals and other peer-reviewed sources. [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

An Online Calculator Predicts Your Risk for Hip Fracture

by Wendy on March 3, 2008

woman-jogging_a.jpg Much has been much written about the consequences of declining estrogen levels on bone health.  That’s why a dosage of 1200-1500 mg of calcium daily is recommended  for menopausal women along with a bisphosphonate like Fosamax and Boniva to stem or even reverse bone loss if it has already begun to occur.  If you’re concerned about your bone health, you should take a look at a new “risk calculator” developed by researchers from the Women’s Health Initiative that guages a woman’s risk of breaking a hip in the next five years. 

If you go to this website you’ll see an online questionnaire that identifies 11 factors that together may predict hip fractures more accurately than bone density (as measured by a DEXA scan) alone.  Included in the known risk factors are diabetes, inactivity, corticosteroid use, family history and smoking. It’s a good way to see how some lifestyle changes can improve your risk profile.

{ 2 comments }

Six Botanical Medicines That Can Help with Menopausal Symptoms

by Wendy on February 2, 2008

Ginkgo BilobaGinkgo BilobaIn my interview with Shaila Schwartz, a Naturopathic Doctor in San Francisco, I asked her about botanical medicines that she has found to be most helpful with her patients.  Her response follows: [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

A Naturopathic Doctor’s Approach to Treating Menopausal Symptoms

by Wendy on January 28, 2008

Shaila Schwartz N.D.In previous posts, I’ve written about my decision to forego synthetic hormone replacement therapy and try instead, a natural approach.  Both my general internist and gynecologist told me that for most women, natural, botanical products don’t alleviate menopausal symptoms, but I had heard enough anecdotal evidence from friends and friends of friends to want to try it.  [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

Is the FDA looking out for Women or Wyeth? A Physician’s Point of View

by Wendy on January 21, 2008

Marsha Nunley M.D.I recently had an opportunity to interview Dr. Marsha Nunley, a San Francisco-based physician, about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and her opinion about the FDA’s recent action against certain compounding pharmacies. She made several compelling points that I want to share with you on this blog. [click to continue…]

{ 5 comments }

About Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy - From the FDA

by Wendy on January 11, 2008

For an explanation of Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) — a term that the FDA does not recognize — and the issues that led to the FDA’s action this week against certain compounding pharmacies, see the agency’s latest update, “Bio-Identicals: Sorting Myths from Facts.”

What is your point-of-view on BHRT? Has it made a difference for you?

{ 1 comment }

Power Surge + Hot Flash = Insomnia

by Wendy on January 7, 2008

It happens just about every night.  After reading for about a half hour, I’m finally sleepy and relaxed. I turn out the light and sink into my down pillows and high thread-count sheets. I’m just falling asleep when, wham – it happens. It feels like my body has been plugged into an electrical socket and… who turned up the heat?  I throw off the covers, grab my fan and contemplate another sleepless night ahead. [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

Exercise Doesn’t Alleviate Hot Flashes After All

by Wendy on January 3, 2008

Contrary to what we’ve read (and hoped was true), exercise is not a cure for hot flashes, according to a study whose results were just published in the January issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.  Researchers had hoped to prove that exercise could be an alternative to HRT for women suffering from hot flashes, but apparently, it’s not that simple.  [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }