Posts made in September, 2008

Like a Heatwave, Burning in My Heart

Posted by Liz on Sep 15, 2008 in heart disease, hot flash | 5 comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc7P65KNwVY]

It appears that hot flashes affect more than quality of life.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh report that hot flashes might actually damage the blood vessesls and increase the risk for atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease characterized by hardening of the arteries.

Study partciipants included 492 women, ages 45 to 58 years, who were participating in the community-based Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation.

The findings, which were published in the eary online edition of the journal Circulation, show a significant increase in calcium deposits and buildup  (i.e. calcification) in the greater coronary artery and aorta in women with hot flashes. In fact, these women were 1.5 times likely to develop calcification than women not experiencing hot flashes.

The researchers report that hot flashes may indicate underlying adverse vascular changes in women.

So what can you do? Because hot flashes may be signs of subclinical or underlying changes in blood vessels that can lead to heart disease, shutting them down is not enough.

Rather, lifestyle changes that promote heart health, such as a healthy diet, regular exercise, weight maintenance or reduction, quitting smoking and moderate alcohol use, seem like smart choices.

In fact, research confirms that lifestyle interventions that include healthy eating and regular exercise can confer protection against and slow different forms of heart disease, including atherosclerosis, if started during perimenipause.

“Nature’s Great Emmenagogue”

Posted by Liz on Sep 14, 2008 in Uncategorized | 3 comments

E-men-a-gogue. n. A drug that induces menstrual flow.

I discovered this advertisement for McELREE’S Wine of Cardui in a publication called “Patent Medicine. The Golden Days of Quackery.” This particular ad reportedly ran in a newspaper in Virginia in 1900.

The Wine of Cardui was a leading medicine in the South at the turn of the century. If you click on the ad, you’ll see that the “change” that afflicts “elderly women” often leads to “dreadful diseases such as cancer and consumption.”

Fortunately, the Wine of Cardui (which btw, is based on a traditional Native American recipe), will “strengthen and purify the entire system and bring the sufferer safety over these pitfalls.” The sales pitch that accompanied this product was based on the the contention that because “the great spirit planted it, one could take it and be healed.”

All these benefits for only $1.

Say no more.

Burn Baby Burn Part 2

Posted by Liz on Sep 12, 2008 in heartburn | 1 comment

Regular acid, Heartburn? Have you taken hormones lately? Used OTC products like soy, wild yam or progesterone cream?

If you’re in that postmenopausal state of mind and continue to take prescription or OTC hormones for lingering symptoms, you may be placing yourself at risk for developing gastroesophageal reflux disease, better known as GERD.

A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that use of estrogens,  SERMS, or OTC hormone preparations in the years following menopause (i.e. “postmenopause”)  is associated with a greater likelihood of GERD symptoms.

Researchers studied data from 51,637 postmenopausal women enrolled in the ongoing Nurses Health Study. 12,018 of women reported having GERD symptoms. What’s more, compared to women who had never used postmenopausal hormones, women who did had a 1.4 times greater odds of developing symptoms.

Here’s some other findings:

• Current users of estrogen had a 1.6 times greater odds of developing GERD symptoms
• Current SERM users had a 1.4 times greater odds of developing GERD symptoms
• Current OTC hormone estrogen users had 1.37 times greater odds of developing GERD symptoms.

The findings also suggested that risk increased with increasing estrogen dosage and increasing duration of use.

The researchers offered no suggestions for dealing with this problem.

I don’t know which is worse as symptoms are waning: continued flashing, sweating,  or a new one – burping?

National Menopause Awareness Month

Posted by Liz on Sep 10, 2008 in women's health | 3 comments

[image source: 123NewYear]

I received an email from menopauseexpert.com the other day touting National Menopause Awareness Month. I have a lot of respect for Rebecca Hulem and the programs she has in place to educate women about menopause. However, I think that there are a few problems with this initiative.

National Menopause Awareness Month was started by the FDA in 2004 primarily to raise awareness and provide education about hormone replacement therapy. Since its inception, there have been efforts to broaden the topics to include some alternative treatments but a quick glance at available materials says “outdated information” and “not broad enough”  to me. So, do we really want to tout a dated and data-limited campaign that is probably driven by lots of manufacturers of hormone replacement? I say a resounding “NO!”

Mind you, there are a lot of organizations and independents who are using the month as a springboard for promoting solid health information and advice on how to deal with symptoms and diseases related to menopause. I applaud those groups.

I believe that the effort to educate women about menopause needs to be ongoing and more importantly, all-inclusive and not relegated to a single month in the year.

The original intent of the month was to raise awareness about HRT. To promote the medicalization of menopause.  As I wrote last week, menopause is not a disease.

Let’s get out of the disease mindset. And start looking at ways to raise awareness in a consistent and meaningful fashion that that doesn’t pigeonhole, exclude or minimize.

What do you think?

Hair Today. Gone…

Posted by Liz on Sep 8, 2008 in hair loss | 2 comments

Have you been seeing a few extra hairs in your comb or brush? Thinning hair and bald spots (also known as alopecia) occurs in roughly 37% of postmenopausal women. Although declining levels of estrogen play an important role, researchers now say that low iron levels before menopause fully sets in is an important risk factor.

In a recent study published in the European Journal of Dermatology, investigators evaluated hair loss in 5,110 women between the ages of 35 and 60 years. They also collected blood samples and measured the level of a protein called serum ferritin, which is a determinant of overall iron levels stored by the body. In this study, “excessive” hair loss was described as losing lots of hair during washing, brushing or towel drying, and/or finding lots of hair on the pillow or on clothing).

The findings showed that a majority of the women (57%) who were affected by excessive hair loss also had low iron stores (serum ferritin <40 micrograms/liter).  Conversely, low iron stores affected only 23% of postmenopausal women. These findings remained after adjustments for factors such as age, use of oral contraceptives or IUDs, and levels of red blood cells.

Iron is important for maintaining growth of hair follicles. Consequently, it appears that maintaining adequate iron stores may be critical to prevent hair loss after menopause.

However, too much iron can increase risk of developing certain diseases such as diabetes or cancer. So, in the interest of maintaining a beautiful head of hair, it’s important not to overdo it. Recommended daily allowance is 8 mg daily for perimenopausal women, and 14 mg if you’re also a vegan.

Two types of iron can be found in food: heme iron, which is easily absorbable and present in red meat, seafood and poultry, and non-heme iron, which is less absorption. and found in fruits, vegetables, grain and nuts. However, adding vitamin C to non-heme sources and increase absorption up to six-fold. Fortunately, if you prefer the vegetable route, those rich in both nutrients (e.g. broccoli and bok choy) can help to insure better absorption. You can find a complete listing of iron in a variety of foods here.