women’s health

Burn Baby Burn

Posted by Liz on Jul 8, 2008 in women's health | 27 comments

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

In my last post, I mentioned that menopause has been linked to altered sensitivity in the roof of the mouth and a decreased ability to detect sweet taste. Interestingly, I heard from a friend that she recently started experiencing a burning sensation in her mouth and that her doctors have been attributing it to menopause. Say what?!

Seems that the Queen Bee of Menopause, the Sister of Love and Destruction, the Lady of Light and Dark, estrogen herself, is wreaking havoc on more than the tastebuds.

I was intrigued so I did a search. I found over 500 articles in the National Library of Medicine Database, PubMed, and also located this article in the journal American Family Physician.

Although burning mouth syndrome primarily appears to primarily affect women after menopause, some 10% to 40% of women in menopause can suffer from its effects. These may may include burning in the tongue or oral mucus membranes, dry mouth and taste alterations.

The causes of burning mouth syndrome range from depression and anxiety to underlying illness, high glucose levels and of course, hormones. Researchers have also identified alterations in the cranial sacral nerves that serve taste and pain sensations as possible culprits.

Currently, unproven treatments include benzodiazapines, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and capsaicin. However, I’m wondering whether or not craniosacral therapy might offer an alternative to women who don’t want to go the drug route. Mind you, there are lots of naysayers out there who claim that CST is quakery but having used it successfully for pain, I am a huge fan.

A fellow blogger also directed me to this extensive site on burning mouth syndrome. I can’t vouch for its content but it is definitely worth checking out for backgrounding purposes. Do you suffer from Burning Mouth Syndrome? What are you doing to treat your symptoms? Inquiring minds want to know!

Sun, Sun, Sun, Here It Comes

Posted by Liz on Jul 6, 2008 in women's health | 1 comment

In an earlier post, I questioned the term ‘menopause skin’ and products that theoretically protect against it. One important point I overlooked, however, was the need to protect the skin from the sun, regardless of whether or not you are peri or postmenopausal.

This week, a friend sent me a link to a new site created by the Environmental Working Group that evaluates the safety of ingredients in products that we use on our skin, including sunscreens. I was a bit shocked to learn that many of the most common sunscreens on the market are either ineffective in terms of protection or more importantly, may be fairly toxic.

If you’re at all curious, the list, along with the rest of the site, is well worth checking out. Afterall, we only have one birthday suit this go-around. Might as well do what we can to protect our assets while we’ve got ’em.

Sisterhood

Posted by Liz on Jun 30, 2008 in women's health | 0 comments

A friend recently commented that the type of resources available to women living in rural areas are very different than those available to women living in urban areas. Hence, the ability to access alternative medicine practitioners or even find trusted sources of information really depends on where you live.

This has been borne out by results of a study conducted earlier this year among 25 menopausal women living in rural areas of Nova Scotia. Participants described a need to understand the intensity of their symptoms but often found it difficult to sift through “excessive and conflicting” information on the web. This was further compounded by the lack of trusting relationships with healthcare providers due to their scarcity and also, the fact that local facilities failed to retain good people.

So, who should you turn to when available information is seemingly overwhelming and inconsistent, and medical expertise is unavailable?

The researchers explain that women who participated in this study drew heavily on shared experiences and the ability to communicate freely and openly with women who were going through similar things. More often than not, they continuously sought validation from their peers to avoid feeling confused and alone. And found that a great way to deal menopause was through humour.

Whether a woman resides in rural Nova Scotia or New York City, a sense of community, mixed with open communication and a little bit of humour, can go a long way.

Fasten your seatbelts

Posted by Liz on Jun 26, 2008 in emotions, herbal medicine, women's health | 0 comments

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Are extreme mood swings that occur primarily in perimenopausal women solely the result of fluctuating and declining ovarian hormones?

Experts disagree over the cause of mood issues during the menopause, and raise questions about the role of co-stressors, such as empty nest syndrome, aging, work, assessment and expectations about goals and achievements, and of course, vasomotor symptoms and associated problems (e.g. hot flashes/night sweats/sleep disturbances/cycle changes, etc).

Of late, a lot of attention has been focused on the link between depression and menopause. Yet, research suggests that a history of PMS and depression earlier in life as well as other psyschosocial and cultural factors, actually account for depressed mood and depression among menopausal women.  Other study findings have shown that PMS and perceived stress are significantly linked to irritability and mood swings.

The good news is that across the board, studies show that mood disturbances tend to diminish as one moves through the menopause. However, what should you do when the blues/anger/irritability/fatigue/crying spells hit?

In previous posts, I’ve discussed the potential benefits of exercise, meditation, red wine (!) and St. John’s wort. I’ve also run across a few things written about the benefits of phytoestrogens (plant-like compounds that act in the body like estrogen). However, presently, a preponderance of evidence appears to support a greater role for phytoestrogens for bone and heart than for mental health.  I’m committed to searching the literature for additional interventions but in the interim, I welcome your feedback and personal experiences.

Transition

Posted by Liz on Jun 18, 2008 in women's health | 0 comments

Menopause is called “the transition,” a time when the character and frequency of menstrual periods start to change and eventually cease. This transition is often accompanied by a larger life transition, a “crossroads” as you will, one that can make decisions difficult. I know several women around my age whose children are leaving (or have left) the nest, who are going through divorce, who are experiencing self-doubt and are feeling confused about what’s next and how to go about finding one’s way though the obstacles, be they their health, career, or family.

Social media guru Jeff Pulver has an interesting blogpost today about transitions and trusting oneself. I strongly encourage you to check it out.

One of the things that struck me during my conversation with Denise Polacek the other day was the fact that she left a successful, lucrative career as a technology transfer professional to pursue her own path. Using contacts, networking, experience, desire and commitment, Denise created a company, Life Quality Technologies, that is poised to revolutionize the way that women approach the transition and the symptoms that accompany it. Her goal? To provide women experiencing hot flashes with an alternative to drug therapy with one simple idea: cooling.

Denise told that she strongly believes, as I do, that a majority of women are open-minded and willing to explore alternative paths. Jeff Pulver says to trust ourselves. I think that both of these visionaries succeed because trying something new is viewed as a challenge that despite hardships, can yield growth and reveal unexpected surprises,

This transition that many of us are going through — in our bodies, in our lives, in our careers — is universal. Perhaps as we forge our paths, we should remember that it is only one of the many crossroads that we will face in our lives, that there will be good days and bad days and that stumbling (and even falling on our faces) is the rule, not the exception. As Queen wrote, “your every day is filled with sunshine. But into every life a little rain must fall…”

Bioidenti what?

Posted by Liz on Jun 13, 2008 in women's health | 0 comments

Bioidentical hormones (also known in many circles as “compounded biodentical hormones”) are compounds that have exactly the same chemical and molecular structure as hormones produced in the human body. The term is most often used in the context of estrogen and progesterone (and androgens), although any hormone can be made this way. Notably, there are a few of these agents that are actually FDA-regulated and available from retail and not compounding pharmacies (meaning that dosage and purity are theoretically on par with synthetic types).

There’s been a lot of hullaballoo over these products from many of the major associations that are involved in women’s health (e.g. The Endocrine Society, North American Menopause Society) primarily because: 1) they are not regulated by the FDA or have any oversight whatsoever and 2) potency is inconsistent. In fact, the FDA sent warning letters to nine pharmacies in January due to what the agency felt were unsupported claims about safety and effectiveness.

FDA does not just randomly go after pharmacists who practice traditional compounding and who don’t make false claims about their products. Traditional compounding, in fact, involves the preparation of a drug for a specific patient based on a doctor’s request.

Consequently, FDA action might have been driven, in party, by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, who filed a Citizens Petition that claimed: 1 that compounding pharmacies were not actually compounding but “manufacturing” mimics of approved agents; 2) that they used a form of estrogen known as “estradiol” not commonly found in “traditional” hormone therapies; 3) that they were engaging in illegal promotional practices. (BTW, Wyeth manufactures several estrogen products, including Premarin, Prempro, and Premphase.) You can read the rest of the petition here.

It’s important to recognize that not all compounded products are bad. In fact, compounding pharmacies continue to provide options to patients with contraindications to commercially-produced therapies. An article in a large monograph sponsored by the North American Menopause Society explains that pharmacies were compounding micronized progesterone years before an agent (Prometrium) was approved in the US. It also goes on to highlight several advantages that compounded hormones might offer over conventional products, including greater dosing flexibility, lower doses for women who are especially sensitive and the avoidance of potential allergens.

Organizations such as the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP) have become quite outspoken about what they consider to be the FDA’s interference in physician decisions to prescribe estriol to their patients. Congress has even introduced a bipartisan-sponsored bill (Resolution 342) to reverse the FDA’s decision on estriol. There’s a website that further explains these efforts.

In the meantime, if you decide you want to try bioidentical hormones, speak to your health practitioner. S/he can devise a regimen that best meets your needs (and not the needs of the masses) and may be able to recommend a credible compounding pharmacy. The IACP might also be able to assist with your search.