Category Archives: Resources

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]

An Overview of Non-Hormonal Treatment Options for Menopausal Symptoms

There’s a new brochure, available online, that offers detailed information on non-hormonal treatment options that may alleviate menopausal symptoms. It was developed jointly by the The University of Calgary (Canada) andAlberta Health Servicesto help women make sound decisions about complementary and alternative treatment options.   It’s an excellent resource for any one who is seeking straight-forward, unbiased information and it can be downloaded at no cost!

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Attend the BHRT World Congress From Home

I’ve just registered for the second BHRT World Summit, which begins this Monday and continues for two weeks.  The (Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy) Summit consists of a series of 10  one-hour video seminars that you can view online, at your convenience either on the date of broadcast or anytime during the Summit period, depending on the admission package you select. Costs begin at a reasonable $29 for access to all ten seminars and includes a free one-year subscription to Life Extension Magazine.

This will be a good opportunity to learn more about bio-identical hormones as well as other therapies that can improve the quality of your life as you age.

Here is the list of seminars that will be presented over a two week period.  A complete description of each seminar along with registration information can be found on the BHRT World Summit website:

• Peri-menopause & Menopause: Gracefully & In Good Health
• Clinical Uses of Insulin & Growth Hormone
• SottoPelle Therapy & How it Can Help You
• Get your Diabetes Under control
• Osteoporosis- Preventing & Reversing
• Natural Methods for Vaginal Health & Comfort
• Energy Medicine, Hormones & Health
• Menopause: A Journey Toward Self Love
• The Secret of Pueraria Mirifica Root
• Did you know that your Digestive Tract Can Be Your Biggest Drain on your Body’s Hormones?

If you do tune in beginning Monday, please let others know your opinion of it by leaving comments below.

The Perils of Belly Fat Explained

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.”

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Rx for Memory: Circuit Training For the 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.

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

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.

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An Online Calculator Predicts Your Risk for Hip Fracture

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.

Six Botanical Medicines That Can Help with Menopausal Symptoms

In 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: … [Read more]

A Naturopathic Doctor’s Approach to Treating Menopausal Symptoms

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.  … [Read more]

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

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. … [Read more]