Search results for friendships

Is Flashfree for me?

Posted by Liz on Nov 19, 2010 in Inspiration, women's health | 0 comments

There’s a misconception going around that only women who are entering or have entered menopause should read this blog. And it’s not true. So, I thought that I’d use this opportunity to highlight some of the common themes and issues that run through an adult woman’s life, no matter her age:

• Health. Women’s health is so important. And so misunderstood. While some of that misunderstanding can be attributed to an early failure to evaluate drugs in important studies, for example, heart disease, the broader issue is that women are intricately wired beings whose systems are truly integrated and connected. Our physical health is so often influenced by our emotions and environment that it can be difficult to discern cause and effect,  and by default, treat appropriately and effectively. However, there are important steps that can be taken to stave off some of the unwanted effects of aging or even some diseases. Just think…exercise and heart health, bone health, mind health; a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight and helping prevent heart disease and diabetes; or, stress reduction, yoga, focused breathing to maintain balance and energy and promote immune health.

• Friendships and Networks. No matter our age, situation, relationship status, creed, religion, or color we rely on our relationships and networks to raise us up and bring us out of the darkness into the light, to fully blossom, thrive and grow, to create, express and love. Just think…strengthening friendships and support networks to maintain emotional and physical health or boosting self esteem to help with career and achievement

My point is that if you are in your late 30s or 40s and premenopausal, there are many things you can do now that will benefit you later. And many of these tips are addressed within the archives of this blog.

So,is Flashfree just for menopausal set?

Nope. Flashfree is for you. And although many posts focus on menopause, there is often a subtext of lessons that can be learned from and followed early rather than later.

Join me on the journey…won’t you?

The Roundup – Guest posts you don’t want to miss

Posted by Liz on Nov 8, 2010 in women's health | 0 comments

[Credit: Special thanks to artist Darryl Willison of whimsicalwest.com. Please visit his site and support his work!]

Time to go outside the Roundup box. This month, I’ve decided to feature guest posts from 2010 that you don’t want to miss. These authors deserve your attention and your feedback. And my sincerest thanks to these beautiful women for adorning the pages of this blog and taking the time to share their thoughts, ideals and passions.

• Weight Loss: It’s in the Sea, by Danielle Omar – If you’re looking for the magic bullet, it doesn’t exist. But  when it comes to weight loss, the sea may help us in ways we’ve never considered.
• Designer Muffs: Cosmetic Surgery Below the Belt by Jesse Mendes – Designer vaginas. How did we get here? More importantly, where do we go from here?
• A Different Kind of Hot Flash by Erika Napoletano – Do you need? Erika explores the distinction between wants and needs and finds the love somewhere in the middle.
• Writing Your Way Through Change by Joanna Paterson – Are you a ‘Writer’ or a ‘writer?’ The written word may be the path that we’re all looking for.
• Do Women Lie When They Act Perfect by Kathy Korman Frey – Kathy teaches us about raising the bar on self-empowerment and change, one woman (and girl) at a time.
• Health Rx – The Buddy System by Sheryl Kraft – Friendships have a profound effect on physical and psychological health. Are you nuturing yours’?
• Taking on Self-Doubt, One Recipe at a Time by Wendy Scherer – Failed meal? It’s not rocket science; it’s learning an appreciation of self. You too, can do it. Wendy tells us why.

Health Rx: The Buddy System. A guest post by Sheryl Kraft

Posted by Liz on Nov 1, 2010 in women's health | 4 comments

Last year, I was asked to sit on an Advisory Board for the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s Life…Supplemented Campaign. What I found (or should I say “who”) were several like-minded souls who not only embraced their health and wellness, but also recognized that relationships and support are an integral part of both. If we lose our ‘sistahs,’ we lose a huge part of our hearts and our souls, not to mention our health. Research supports this contention, which is why I’ve written about relationships and support networks several times on Flashfree.

Sheryl Kraft is not only a fellow Board member but also writes about all matters of midlife. In the blogger world, she is the cheese to my macaroni, so to speak. I am grateful for her voice and her wisdom, and mostly for sharing this post on Flashfree. Thanks Sheryl!

Sporadically throughout my life, I’ve been without lots of things: sleep, money, the right dress, electricity, the perfect pair of shoes, an inspired idea. You get the picture.

But there’s one thing that’s been a consistent comfort; one thing I’ve never been without. And I am always so very grateful for that one thing.

That one thing? It’s FRIENDS.

Friends are essential for a happy life. For me, they keep me afloat when I feel myself going under; they’re my first line of defense when I’m down or troubled. There is something about the solidity of friendship that feels thrilling and comforting all at once. Some people might say: if you have a husband, a boyfriend, a partner that you enjoy a good relationship with, why do you still need friends?

To that, I say: it’s different. Friendships, at their best, are uncomplicated and sustaining; reasonable and free of emotional hurdles. They’re an invisible force that holds your hand securely and keeps you in a safe place.

The importance of friends and social networks is finally being acknowledged. Indeed, friendship has a profound effect on your physical and psychological health. Friends can be a powerful weapon in keeping your immune system functioning at its peak; study after study bears this out.

Need proof?

Strong social networks go a long way: During a 10-year study period, older people with a large network of friends were 22 percent less likely to die than those with fewer friends.

Friends are important for your head:  Harvard researchers found that having strong friendships is a champion of brain health as we age.

Close friends and cancer: A 2006 study of 3,000 nurses with breast cancer found that women without close friends were four times more likely to die of the disease than women with 10 or more friends.

Low social interaction was compared with other well-known health risk factors by scientists at Bringham Young University . Here’s what they found:

–       Equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day

–       Equivalent to being an alcoholic

–       More harmful than not exercising

–       Twice as harmful as obesity

Losing a friend can have a powerful impact on health, too. Whether it is through death or disagreement, the pain and mourning packs a punch on immunity. Stress, sadness, loneliness, grief – they all follow loss. And what follows such intense emotions is a downward dive in your overall health. Stress hormones are released, causing a spike in blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar levels. And if stress hangs on for the long-term, other health problems crop up: depression, anxiety, obesity, and more.

Over the years, I’ve lost friends. I’m sure you have, too. It’s inevitable they will come and go. Lucky is the woman who is able to keep their childhood friends well into adulthood.

My two best friends both died within a year of one another; both of breast cancer. With each loss, a piece of myself was torn from me. With each loss, sadness and a huge empty space followed me wherever I went. I felt exposed and raw, yet strangely alone in my grief.

As with everything else, resiliency eventually surfaces and I moved on. I nurtured my other friendships, cherishing them even more than before.  But I can’t help but wonder what life would be like if those two friends were still here.

Keep your friends close. Take pleasure in the benefits you gain from one another.

Your health depends on it.

About the author… Sheryl Kraft is a health writer and essayist. Her work has appeared in JAMA, AARP the Magazine, Prevention Magazine, weightwatchers.com, and more. Her blog, MidlifeMatters appears on the website www.healthywomen.org, which was named the top women’s health website by Good Housekeeping magazine. In addition, Sheryl is the health & wellness editor at www.EndlessBeauty.com.

The social ties that bind…life

Posted by Liz on Aug 6, 2010 in emotions, women's health | 0 comments

[Henri Matisse, Dance II, Late Summer 1909]

Research has shown that social support networks are essential to our overall mood and well-being, especially as we age. Now, it appears that social support, i.e. relationships whether it comes from friends, partners or other family members, can actually prolong our lives.In fact, researchers who analyzed 148 studies in over 300,000 men and women say that  people with strong social relationships are as much as 50% likelier to survive than individuals without them or whose relationships are poor. Moreover, having good social relationships may be as beneficial as quitting smoking, while bad relationships can more harmful than being obese or sedentary.

While these findings certainly don’t mean that poor habits and risky behavior can be wiped out by having strong relationships, they do imply that social support is critical to more than our mental health. Still, the researchers say that over the past 20 years, there has been a three-fold increase in the number of Americans who report having no confidant and that globally, people are actually becoming more isolated. This runs counter to the proposition that social networks á la the web foster stronger social connections. Although this may be true for the some individuals, it isn’t for others and the quality of these online relationships appear to have quite an impact on our health.

So, what is social support exactly?

Social support is actually multifaceted and highly individual. It deals with how we perceive the support we receive, be it emotional, informational, tangible or intangible (such as a sense of belonging), the size of our networks and how they are defined (e.g. marital or intimate relationship status, number of social contacts,  degree of active engagement in activities or relationships, and whether or not we live or alone or with others) as well as an integration of the two. People who were able to successfully integrate the two were actually shown to have a 91% increased likelihood for surviving longer.

One of the most striking things about this report is the fact that the researchers believe that the estimates on the benefits of the social relationships in terms of having a longer life may be conservative. However, they do caution that many of the data they looked at did not account for the quality of the relationships, an important and risky variable.

The bottom line, it seems, is something that women have known all along: strong, quality friendships are critical to our emotional health and well-being. However, we’ve not been able to link that to lengthier survival…until now. As always, keep it real, go for quality not quantity and keep sowing those seeds. Who knew that the social ties that bind us are truly life?

The Roundup: June’s News and Tidbits

Posted by Liz on Jun 29, 2009 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

[Credit: Special Thanks to artist Darryl Willison of Whimsicalwest.com  Please visit his site and support his work.]

I’ve decided to start a new monthly feature — The Roundup.

Developed for my dear readers who only visit this blog periodically, The Roundup will provide an ‘at-a-glance’ overview of the month’s posts. The goal? To help you save time and access the posts you care most about.

I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts about this new feature so please, share your comments.

Hence, without further ado, here are June’s highlights:

• More news on the HRT front: lung cancer – Preempro shown to increase the risk for death among women who develop lung cancer.
• Something for da guyz – Writer Dana Jennings shares his personal experience with hot flashes. Yes, “his!”
• Gal pals – your second self – Emotional closeness boosts progesterone levels. Can friendships help in ways we’ve never imagined?
• She’s so hot and it’s so cold – A new book lays the groundwork for how western medicine has turned menopause into a disease, and what we can do about it.
• Age ain’t nothing but…. – Is it possible that some of the symptoms we associate with menopause are actually associated with aging?
• Feeling irritable? – Researchers finally pinpoint the exact hormones responsible for irritability towards others during menopause.
• Early menopause, part I – Ever wonder about the distinction between early and regular menopause? Here’s a brief primer.
• A panacea for aging skin? An anticancer creams fights wrinkles. But should you try it?
• Hot, hot hot! – Did you start and then stop HRT? Your hot flashes are likely to return.
• Are you rubberstamping the cougar narrative? Meet Lina, a hot Brazilian 73-year-old who is defying boundaries in more ways than one.
• Flava flavonoid – Good news for all you berry lovers. Tastes good and good for you…in ways that you could never imagine!
• Something to chew on – menopause gum –  A one-stop shop for gum chewers? Or another scam?