Posts Tagged "menopause"

Chamo chamo chamomile-on

Posted by Liz on Apr 16, 2010 in anxiety, depression, herbal medicine | 2 comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcA9LIIXWw]

Is chamomile the ultimate chameleon, good for both anxiety in depression?

Back in February, I posted information about a small study that showed that a daily chamomile tablets (containing 220 mg of pharmaceutical grade extract) significant reduced anxiety and improved well-being among postmenopausal women. Thanks to a fellow reporter and Twitter colleague Miriam Tucker, I learned that the researchers of this study presented findings at a recent Anxiety Disorders of American meeting that might be of equal interest, i.e. that benefits of chamomile might extend to depression as well.

In a second part of this study, the researchers looked at the effect of chamomile on the same women who currently suffered from anxiety and depression, who had a past history of depression or who had never had depressive symptoms. Although the results were not as striking as in the first study, they did see what they characterized as meaningful reductions in depression ratings among women who had both anxiety and depression. Across all the groups, the researchers observed significant declines in depressed mood, guilt and thoughts of suicide).

Women entering perimenopause have twice the risk for developing depressive symptoms than during other phases of their lives. Researchers have also shown that attitude towards menopause can also increase the risk. While various interventions including antidepressants, exercise and maybe even moderate intake of red wine may help, it’s wonderful to know that scientists are seriously looking into the role of chamomile and studying it under controlled conditions to prove or disprove its power over our moods.

Is chamomile the ultimate panacea when it comes to mood swings and the blues? Perhaps not. But it may provide a wonderful option to women and men alike, who are seeking solutions out of the medicine cabinet.

Sets – a Freudian Slip?

Posted by Liz on Apr 9, 2010 in apparel, hot flash, nightsweats | 0 comments

Remember Cool Sets? Last year I was asked to try out their wicking PJs —  (sounds wicked), which rely on Cool Balance technology  — a unique weave that allows the fabric to draw moisture away from your body, speeds evaporation and leaves you cool rather than soaked and suddenly cold from that awful night sweat or hot flash. You may recall I loved the concept but wasn’t too psyched about the fashion.

Well, the folks at Cool Sets approached me again to see if they could change my mind with some of their new designs. Admittedly, when it comes to what I put on my body, I’m pretty picky, even if it’s just a tee and shorts. I was even more skeptical when the company representative wrote and described what she was sending as “sassy.” Uh-oh.

Cool Sets – I love love love what you are doing for women everywhere. But the “fun and flirty” item of clothing you sent reminds me of a vintage slip, actually, the vintage slip that I wore to a Halloween Party several years as a ‘Freudian Slip.’

Is the fashion statement behind Cool Sets a Freudian Slip? Honestly, I do believe that you are meaning one thing, and producing another. And yet again, I willing to overlook the fashion wrong to see the product right: I remain thoroughly impressed by what your product does, not how it looks.

Now, can we get you on Project Runway for a redesign?

p.s. The photo is not a close up of a Cool Sets nightgown. It is a piece of vintage lace.

[Disclosure: I received no payment from Cool Sets to write this post. They did, however, send me an article of clothing to “test drive.” No terms were expressed by other me or the company regarding what I would write or when or if I would write it.]

Wednesday Bubble: the soy controversy

Posted by Liz on Apr 7, 2010 in bone health, emotions, hot flash | 0 comments

Do they or don’t they?

Soy isoflavones have been touted as beneficial in everything from improving body composition and lowering breast and colorectal cancer, to addressing menopausal hot flashes and moods. You can read about some of these findings on Flashfree. This week, Reuters Health reported that eating foods rich in soy protein (i.e. 25 grams of soy protein and 60 mg isoflavones) daily did not provide favorable responses from blood fats, implying that soy has little benefit in terms of lowering cholesterol levels and in turn, promoting heart health.

Are you confused yet?

Increasingly, women are turning to soy and other compounds as alternatives to estrogen and hormone replacement therapy, which mounting evidence shows can be associated with a broad range of risks including  increased breast, lung and ovarian cancer to heart disease. And yet, findings from clinical trials examining soy are often contradictory, making it difficult to come to any firm conclusion about its benefits.

What’s the problem? Well, researchers say that part of the problem is poorly designed studies, small number of study participants, wide range of ages and years from menopause, studies that don’t examine the pros and cons of an agent or strategy for a long enough period of time (i.e. longer than a year). In other cases (as I’ve argued previously), the study design does not account for certain factors that are critical to a therapeutic strategy, for example, the opportunity to clearly focus an intervention so that individual factors are accounted for (this was borne out by findings from a trial that examined and provided evidence for the role of acupuncture in easing hot flashes).

There’s good news though! Researchers finally appear to be getting their act together on the soy fron. They’ve announced that they are conducting a well-designed, large trial of soy phytoestrogens. Called  SPARE (Soy Phytoestrogens as Replacement Estrogen), this new study will be looking at the effects of 200 mg soy versus sugar tablet daily — namely on bone health and symptoms —  in 248 menopausal women over a two- year period. They will also be taking daily calcium carbonate plus vitamin D (in ranges of 500 mg to 1000 mg calcium and 200 to 400 IU vitamin D, depending on previous intake).

The study is specifically geared towards looking at spine bone density, but will also be looking at hip density, thyroid levels, menopausal symptoms, mood changes, depression, and quality of life, as well as any changes in blood fats. Study participants are between the ages of 45 and 60 and are within five years from menopause. What’s more, the researchers have also included a large percentage of hispanic women, which allows them to focus on how soy affects this minority group (Notably, the large multiethnic population of women in this study includes Asians, Blacks and Caucasians.)

The researchers say that they hope that the results of SPARE will provide a range of information that is especially relevant to Boomers reaching menopause. They also note that the dose of soy isoflavones being studied is much larger than what’s been studied in previously and are roughly twice that typically consumed in the Asian diet.

I realize that this post is pretty scientific. But what makes it most relevant is that it appears that researchers are finally starting to design studies that might actually show benefit of some of the alternative strategies we have available to us on the market. For those of you who insist on calling these alternatives “snake oil,” all I can say is ‘stay tuned.’

This bubble might finally be shattered; perhaps all that is needed is a better understanding of what it needs to test these substances appropriately.

It’s about time…weight, that is

Posted by Liz on Apr 5, 2010 in weight, weight gain | 5 comments

Findings from a new study suggest that time of day may play a critical role in how much weight you do or do not gain. In fact, you may be better off eating fat first thing upon waking as opposed to at the end of the day.

Mind you, this study was conducted in mice and not humans, so it’s way too early to know for sure. However, what they found that was when mice were fed a high-fat diet constantly throughout a waking period, they did not gain substantial amounts of weight, body fat or develop unusually high blood sugar. In fact, they appeared to adjust their metabolism accordingly. However, when mice were fed either high fat or carbohydrate rich diets at different times during the day, the paradigm shifted and their bodies were not always able to adjust metabolically. Here’s the skinny:

• Mice who ate a calorically-rich, high-fat meal immediately following the four hours after waking were able to adjust their metabolism and the amount of energy they used up so that weight remained normal. However,
• Mice who ate a calorically-rich, high-carbohydrate meal in the first four hours after wakening and then a high-fat meal four hours before rest had gained excessive amounts of weight and body fat, had blood sugar abnormalities associated with diabetes, and had increased levels of fats in the blood. Ironically this occurred regardless of total daily calories or total calories from fat.

The researchers say there is plenty of evidence showing that people who skip breakfast tend to have higher a body-mass index (BMI), as do people who engage in night eating. They also note that like the mice in the study, our circadian clocks do play a huge role in both our appetite and how we expend calories during the course of a day. Although individuals tend to vary how and what they eat throughout any given day, there is a tendency to eat carbohydrates early in the day and higher fat or more calorie dense meals later. So, it’s possible by reversing this pattern, we may be able to affect how we respond to carbohydrate rich meals (and associated weight gain) later in the day.

Granted, only time can tell and it’s essential to repeat this study in human. Plus there’s another fact that women in particular need to be aware of: hormones and age play a critical role in controlling metabolism, and how, when and where we gain weight.

Right now, the best strategy is to eat healthy foods, unsaturated fats and exercise. But if you are craving bacon, you may want to have it in the morning and not in a BLT or wrapped around a scallop later in the day.

Round-up: March news and tidbits

Posted by Liz on Apr 2, 2010 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_0UXRY_rY]

Seriously, this isn’t an April’s Fool’s post, one day late. In fact, I’ve been so distracted lately that apparently, I forgot to do a round up for the last two months running. Shameful, isn’t it. In any case, even though it’s brilliantly April and March will soon be a distant memory, I thought I’d provide a recap. Don’t want to miss a thing and neither should you. Enjoy!

• Trans fats are not your friend – Trans Fats – yeah, best to skip them. It appears that they may increase your risk for ischemic stroke by as much as 40%.
• Osteoporosis – all bets are off – Is it age or hormones? Hormones or age? The chicken or the egg? What truly drives a woman’s risk for osteoporosis?
• What’s your flava? – Boy, I got slammed for this post but I’ll leave it to you to decide whether it was fair or not. Labiaplasty is the next best thing to enhance a couple’s chance of staying together. At least according to several hundred male plastic surgeons. Mind you, the procedure is necessary and an excellent choice for certain women – be sure to read the post comments.
• In celebration of women. My conversation with chef/author Mollie Katzen – There’s no country for old woman..I talk to Mollie Katzen how to recapture our (self)-image as we age.
• One drink makes you smaller – Can alcohol help you lose weight? The reports were all over the news. But wait til you see the miniscule amounts.
• Every breath you take. Lung cancer & HRT – Seems that researchers are saying that HRT not only increases deaths from lung cancer but also, the risk of developing lung cancer.
• Just breathe – that’s right, controlled, mindful breathing exercises may be just what the doctor ordered for halting those bothersome hot flashes.
• Bedfan – the real deal – I made fun of it last year but evidently, this nifty product is a hot seller for cool outcomes.
• WISHFIT – women’s research takes a village – Want research that works? Involve the community! Rush University Medical Center is letting women in the neighborhood help design their next study. Health 2.0 meets social meets research.
• Got fat? Soyrry but soy won’t work – Love love love soy products. But they aren’t going to help your overall body composition.
• No pain, no. Killing two birds with one stone – Can analgesics prevent breast cancer? Only time will tell.
• Just an hour a day keeps the weight away – Looks like if you want to stave off weight, you need to step up the program. Here’s why…
• This is your brain on midlife – I’ve lost my brain. Have you seen it?