Just breathe
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuq7RYQ8Wa0]
Are you having hot flashes? If you are like about 75% of menopausal women, you’re likely to experience a hot flash in some form or the other. In fact, researchers say that some women only have 5 a year while others might have as many as 50 a day. Yikes – that’s some serious flashing.
I’ve spent a lot of time in search of alternatives to hormones for you women out there who are flashing regularly. And more alternatives. The one consistent factor in all of these solutions, whether it’s yoga, black cohosh, acupuncture or hops, is that some women respond and others don’t. What’s also consistent is that there are few really well designed clinical trials examining alternative therapies.
The latest strategy that I’ve run across is slow, deep breathing (also called “paced respiration”). In three separate studies, women who practiced slow, deep breathing over a period of six to eight weeks experienced a decline in the frequency of their hot flashes by as much as 50% compared with biofeedback or muscle relaxation exercise. Another study showed that when deep breathing was combined with mental focusing, the intensity of the flash also declined.
About paced respiration
Paced respiration, slow, deep, controlled breathing from one’s diaphragm is a painless, relaxing approach to controlling hot flashes. Experts recommend that women find a quiet, private place.
1) Keep the rib cage as still as possible and inhale slowly for five seconds using the stomach muscles.(You should notice your abdominal muscles extending and distending, not your rib cage or shoulders.)
2) Exhale slowly over five seconds, again, using the stomach muscles.
3) Practice twice daily, preferably in the morning and evenings for at least 15 minutes. The focus should be on the breathe and nothing else.
When you feel a hot flash coming on, start inhalation and then exhalation slowly until the flash passes.
Interestingly, experts who have studied this technique are unsure why it works in some women. However, I do like the idea of using relaxation and focus to stave off a hot flash. Have you tried this? Does it work? I’d love to know!
Read MoreThe Roundup: January News and Tidbits
[Credit: Special thanks to artist Darryl Willison of whimsicalwest.com. Please visit his site and support his work.]
Is it already February? This year is going to fly by. Into the tens and closer to Spring! Let’s take a look at what January brought in terms of menopause and midlife:
- Needling your way into the ’10s- ACUFLASH is back in a big way, with more data showing the power of acupuncture for alleviating hot flashes.
- Wednesday Bubble: What’s black and red and so not over? – Are black cohosh and red clover safe and effective for menopausal symptoms? Take a look at this comparison to other treatments.
- Got ‘tude? – Leave those negative thoughts and impressions behind. They may be affecting how you experience menopause and even worsen symptoms.
- When it comes to physical fitness, forget the hormones –If you’re taking hormones to stave off the physical decline of old age, you’re wasting your time.
- Wednesday Bubble: Fiagra – Sex sells. Even during menopause.
- Preventing heart disease in menopause: it’s as easy as L-D-L – Wondering why heart disease risk increases as women age? Apparently, a surge in cholesterol levels just before menopause sets in is an important piece of the puzzle.
- Baby got back – That ass and thighs you’re trying to shed? Wait a minute; it might actually prolong your life.
- Wednesday bubble: take care of your wants and needles – Fear of needles may lead to laser acupuncture. However, there’s not a lot of evidence that it works.
- Keep it cool: SHEEX – This breathable fabric takes you off the court and into bed, night sweats – no worries!
- A doc and a diva walk up to a rooftop – Red not-so-hot Mama’s founder takes the conversation to the rooftop and pow wows with a doc about a hormonal patch. No, this is way too good to make up.
- Wednesday Bubble: Scentuelle seduction – deux – Time for the reveal! Here’s what I think about Scentuelle and its role in menopause strategies.
Wednesday Bubble: Cool like dat
Hey Ladies! Wondering how to rid yourself of those hot flashes forever? Just a drink of ‘GEM Keep it Cool’, and voila, your hot flashes will disappear! Heck, Marie Osmond swears by it.
Evidently, ‘Keep it Cool’ works on irritability and night sweats as well.
A glance at the nutrition panel shows that ‘Keep it Cool’ contains black cohosh as well as a proprietary blend of adaptogen herbs. ( Adaptogens are agents that theoretically, boost the body’s ability to fight off physical, chemical, or biological stressors by raising its resistance level.) GEM also makes drinks that relieve stress, boost mental acuity, promote bone strength and prevent aging.
If only it were that easy. Cool like dat….not!
One drink a day.
What do you think? This bubble’s bursting so wide that I can hardly stand it.
Read MoreSomething to chew on: menopause gum
Hey ladies! Now you can just chew the menopause [blues/anxiety/hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats, heart palpitations, urinary problems AND vaginal dryness] away! Wow – who knew it was so simple? In fact, Zoft Menopause Gum will cure what ails you in just weeks if not days, with the added benefit of fighting dental decay.
So what’s in this miracle gum you ask?
“Zoft Menopause Gum is a space age blend of Dong Quai Root, Black Cohosh Root Extract, Damiana Leaf, and Mexican Wild Yam Root. Until now, no culture has had all these ingredients in a single formula.”
This space-age product has evidently been featured on ‘The View’ not once, but twice, which of course, provides an authoritative testimonial as to its efficacy.
Wait! There’s more….the company also offers breast gum to enlarge your breasts WITHOUT surgery, and hoodia gum to help you get back into that size 4 pair of jeans. And just in case your partner feels left out, the company also manufactures stress gum and virility gum.
Guess if you order now you might even get ‘My Lil Reminder’ as an added bonus.
Read MoreOne size fits all
Like Zappa, I’ve never been one to be confined to a box. Or to be so presumptuous to believe that I am like any other woman out there (except, perhaps my mother but that’s an entirely different topic!). So why do manufacturers continue to assume that a single neutraceutical or combination supplement is going to address all of the major attributes of perimenopause, e.g., hot flashes AND night sweats AND mood swings AND sexual desire and so on and so on and so on? Am I missing something here?
One of the reasons I continue to encourage women to speak to a licensed practitioner is so that they can obtain advice that is individualized and personalized to their unique needs. I may be having night sweats every other night and regularly waking at 3 am, while you might be experiencing hot flashes every two hours. Should we believe that a single pill that combines, say, isoflavones, black cohosh and chaste berry will be helpful for both of us?
So, once again, I was dumbstruck when I ran across a site for yet another menopausal supplement: Menozac™, your one-stop pill for:
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- vaginal dryness
- forgetfulness
- mood swings
- bloating
- anxiety
- emotional issues (which in turn, will benefit sexual issues)
Have you tried Menozac™? Was it “all that and more?” Did you “graduate to maturity and being free of the responsibility of being fertile?” Did Mother Nature’s “helper” save you from being bedeviled by the menopause?
I swear, I didn’t write this copy. I simply took poetic license with it. In fact, it’s so “all that” that I don’t believe that I am creative enough to come up with the degree of hype that permeates each sentence.
Dear readers – please be safe, be diligent, do your homework and make conscious decisions. Be skeptical. Be suspicious. Ask questions. Speak to a trained expert. Read. Explore.
One size does not fit all.
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