A doc and a diva walk up to the rooftop
Taking the mystery out of menopause, one rooftop conversation at a time. Drifters optional.
Yup ladies, the Nation’s own ‘Red Hot Mama’s”, THE source for everything menopause, has teamed up with Novagyne Pharmaceuticals to promote VIVELLE-Dot®, a hormone replacement topical patch. Perched up on the roof, the doc and diva discuss the changes of menopause, hot flashes and more. The conversation is lively and takes the “pause” out of menopause, so much so that makes you wonder what the heck you’re doing up on a roof with these two ladies.
Better yet, why are they up on a roof?!
Let’s talk about Vivelle for just a minute.
VIVELLE-Dot is a patch that is applied to the skin. It delivers a constant dose of a form of a natural (as opposed to synthetic) estrogen called estradiol, which enters the body through a very small skin patch. VIVELLE-Dot is applied twice weekly.
Granted, transdermal, or ‘through-the-skin’ delivery of medications is generally associated with fewer side effects than oral medications since the drug bypasses the liver and directly enters the blood stream. Still, although estradiol is a bioidentical hormone, with the same molecular structure as estrogen found naturally in the body, potentially seriously risks associated with taking estrogen, endogenous or not, include:
- a 2- to 12-fold risk of developing endometrial cancer, depending on length of time taken and dose
- breast cancer
- dementia
- a 2- to 4-fold increased risk for gallbladder disease
- increased risk of heart attack, stroke and blood clots
Note that using bioidentical hormones is not the same as using bioidentical hormone replacement that is customized to your needs. This is an important distinction to keep in mind the next time that you see the phrase.
Here’s my question: still hanging on the roof with the doc and the diva? Or do you want to drift away?
Menopause isn’t something to “fix,” it’s something to address with safe, effective strategies that don’t turn women into long-term guinea pigs. Do you want to be a Red Hot Mama? Or do you want give the Mama’s a run for their money?
This ain’t your mama’s menopause, it’s yours.’
Read MoreWednesday Bubble: take care of your wants and needles
Thinking about trying acupuncture for those menopausal symptoms? Make sure they are the real deal!
Researchers say that non-invasive acupuncture, often preferred by the needle-phobic, will not have much effect on hot flashes and symptoms. In fact, in a small scientific study published in the online edition of Menopause, women with daytime and nighttime hot flashes and symptoms received laser acupuncture treatments or fake laser treatments once every two weeks over a three-month period. (Laser acupuncture (laser acupoint stimulation) is a technique that uses laser light that is applied to — but not inserted into — the skin to stimulate common acupuncture points.) Specific acupuncture points were selected from a series of 10 points and then individualized for each participant and her respective needs.
At the study’s end, no differences were seen between the groups in terms of menopausal symptoms.
Does this mean that acupuncture doesn’t work for hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms? No, not at all. In fact, acupuncture has shown to be effective for alleviating hot flashes and the like. But you need real needles. If you are needle-phobic, speak a licensed acupuncturist or check out some of these wonderful links provided by the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. I’ve a huge fan of acupuncture and don’t care for needles. Yet, my experience with acupuncture is that in most cases, it is virtually painless and may simply be associated with mild tingling or brief ache that quickly dissipates.
How about you? How has acupuncture worked for your symptoms?
Read MoreBaby got back
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ImZTwYwCug]
Maybe Sir Mix-a-Lot has a point. It seems that a large derriere and thighs may actually extend your life. The reason? Researchers say that fat particles that end up in these areas help trap harmful fatty acids in our diet.
Although they are unsure of the exact reasons why, researchers do say that unlike abdominal fat, which has been linked to metabolic syndrome, lower body fat, i.e., fat that accumulates in the thighs and backside, has actually been confirmed to play a protective role in the body. In fact, it not only stores unhealthy fatty acids, but may also release harmful compounds more slowly than say, abdominal fat.
So if you’ve got back, are you in the clear to eat whatever you want? Not so fast. Even though “back” may offer a protective role, there are other reasons to eat and stay healthy – not only to maintain optimal cholesterol levels, but also to counteract some of the natural effects of declining estrogen, such as weakening bones.
(The study appeared in the January 12 online edition of the International Journal of Obesity.)
Read MorePreventing heart disease in menopause. It’s as simple as L-D-L
Aging. It’s associated with all sorts of diseases. In women in particular, heart disease is a big red flag since there is a lot of evidence showing that after age 40, risk for developing heart disease rises and continues to rise.
So, is increased risk due to to aging in general or to menopause in particular? Moreover, is there anything you can do now to reverse the trend?
Researchers have recently solved an important piece of the puzzle, discovering that significant increases in cholesterol coincide with the period right before and immediately after menopause sets in. Coincidentally, at the same time, women experience significant declines in estrogen. In this particular trial, which involved over a thousand women, researchers examined various factors that might contribute to increased heart disease risk (e.g. blood fat levels, blood sugar and blood pressure). They then compared changes in these factors over time and whether they were more in sync with aging or with ovarian changes associated with menopause.
Over the course of three to five years before menopause, a year after, and then three to five years thereafter, substantial changes were noticed in blood fats, namely low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which rose as average of 12 points between the first two time periods and then leveled off a few points higher (from 113 and 116, to 125 to 130. Current guidelines suggest that optimal LDL levels are below 100 and that at the very least, individuals attain LDL cholesterol levels of <130 if they have two more heart disease risk factors (and preferably, lower).
So, what are the take-away messages?
- First, declining levels of estrogen place women at risk for heart disease as they approach menopause, namely due to significant increases in LDL and total cholesterol.
- Second, women nearing menopause need to know their cholesterol numbers and insure that that becomes a priority during a normal checkup.
- Lastly, exercise and diet are key to lowering cholesterol levels, at least initially.
Both the National Lung Blood and Lung Institute and the American Heart Association recommend diets low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, and rich in whole grains, fiber, fish, lean meats and poultry. Exercise is essential, at least 30 minutes worth daily. Finally watch those risk factors and talk to your practitioner about those that may be problematic and what you can do to address them.
We may not be able to control declining estrogen but we can take positive steps to make sure that it doesn’t affect our risk for heart disease.
Read MoreWednesday Bubble: Fiagra
Sex sells. Even when it comes to menopause.
There is no such thing as Fiagra. But why not, heck, this manufacturer is hoping to make a mint off of your declining hormones.
For two weeks now, I’ve been a member of a user study examining aromatherapy for stimulating sexual desire and arousal. I won’t reveal what I have (or have not) experienced until the study is over. However, I have gained a few important insights into sexual desire during midlife and how manufacturers are approaching it.
In the meantime, if it smells like a rat, and looks like a rat, well…
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