Wednesday Bubble: a poke and voila!
Researchers are suggesting that a single injection of an anesthetic into the sympathetic nervous system may shut down hot flashes all together.
What?!
Is this a bubble to be burst or a solution to celebrate? Only time can tell.
True confession – much as I try, I cannot locate the original study. So I am going to share what I’ve learned through what I can find and you can draw your own conclusions!
Theoretically, the new strategy involves injecting a local anesthetic into the sympathetic nerves in the neck to block norepinephrine. (Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter that has been posited as a possible explanation for hot flashes, i.e. both norepinephrine and serotonin lower the set point in how the body regulates temperature, meaning that heat loss mechanisms can be triggered by subtle changes in core body temperature.)
In this small study, which involved 15 women, all experienced decreases in the severity of their hot flashes by as much as 80% for up to two weeks.
A larger study is evidently in the works to determine if this approach can help alleviate and possibly even eliminate hot flashes. Meanwhile, I am going to see if I can find more information. It’s an interesting strategy and one that could truly revolutionize the way that we address hot flashes if if proves to be true.
Read MoreMenopause. The app.
Yes! There is an application for menopause! No longer do you need to scramble in the middle of the night to find a pen to write in your Hot Flush Diary! Now you can turn on your phone, go to the application, and voila! All your symptoms, moods swings, night sweats, hot flashes and lack of libido in one place!
Introducing My pause the must have app that allows you to track your symptoms, create a treatment plan and hey, even share it with family and friends on Twitter!
As I’ve written previously, a diary is the last thing I want to keep on my nightstand. The same goes for an application for my phone. In fact, the idea of taking notes on all of my hot flashes and night sweats and when/why/how they occur and how they make feel gets me pretty hot under the collar. As a friend said “I’m hot and grumpy and not getting sleep. Who needs an app for that?”
I’m all for having a thorough, informative vision of what you are suffering through so that you can discuss your symptoms with a licensed practitioner and come up with a viable strategy to address them. But putting menopause into a category that requires a disease tracker? That’s taking this whole “pause” thing a bit too far.
Developers – take a note from this page. This transition is a natural part of a woman’s life. It doesn’t need to be treated; it needs to be accepted and supported. I don’t want to note my symptoms/moods/fatigue/anxiety/depression/sexual desire (or lack thereof) on my phone everyday. Instead, how about “Freeze it!” The app that stops flashes in their tracks! Now, there’s an app I can get my head around!
Seriously, who thinks of this crap? What’s next? Anyone?
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Wednesday Bubble: Scentuelle seduction
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1PVmANeyAg]
About a week ago, a friend of mine sent me a link to Scentuelle™, an “aroma” patch that uses a woman’s sense of smell to enhance sexual response. According to the website, Scentuelle targets smell receptors at the back of nose closest to the brain “with a sensuous blend of aromas” that mimic dopamine, a naturally-occurring chemical associated with pleasure. Dopamine has been directly linked with sexual activity, food and other pleasurable experiences. Manufacturers of Scentuelle claim that because it acts like dopamine, it increases happiness and by default, arousal. Evidently, Scentuelle’s effect is cumulative and reaches optimal level after three weeks.
Aromatherapy is not a new concept and I’m willing, as with Zestra, to give Scentuelle a go. In fact, I’ve registered to participate in a user study to check it out.
I’d like to believe the hype. But who knows? Zestra turned out to be a major dud although the Company’s president recently sent me an email with a link to a New York Times piece that “proves” otherwise. Personally, the smell and feel of Zestra alone was enough to turn off three women who tested it for this blog, all within a short period of time, but if it works for some, hey, good for them.
I’ll make a formal announcement when the study commences and I start testing it out. Hey, why not? I’m all for a bit of Scentuelle seduction!
Happy Wednesday!
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