Posts Tagged "menopause"

Wednesday Bubble: Rub-a-dub-dub

Posted by Liz on Sep 17, 2008 in appearance, estrogen | 2 comments

Is a youthful appearance only a rub-a-dub-dub away?

I ran across an interesting article in the UK’s Daily Telegraph on topical estrogen. Evidently, applying estrogen to the skin can stimulate collagen production and provide a more youthful appearance.

Seems like a great post for a Wednesday Bubble, right?

A closer read of the study on which the article was based suggests that it’s not quite that easy….or accurate.

Here’s what you need to know:

A University of Michigan research team evaluated the effects of applying various strengths of topical estrogen (estradiol) to the hip, forearm and face. Study participants comprised 40 postmenopausal women and 30 men (average age ~75 years). The cream, which varied in strength between 0.01% and 2.5%, was applied three times daily for two weeks. In addition to comparisons between the cream strengths, comparisons were also made to a placebo cream.

The results showed that topical estrogen applied to areas protected from the sun (i.e. the hip) increased production of procollagen I and III, and collagen I protein levels. For your information, pro-collagen type 1 is the precursor of collagen type 1, the most abundant form of collagen found in the body. Pro-collagen type III the precursor to the main component of the fibers that are found alongside the collagen.

However, no significant changes were observed in the photoaged skin of the forearm or the face, even though estrogen receptors were stimulated.

So, what’s the bottom line?

The study results suggest that while topical estrogen can stimulate collagen production in sun-protected areas, it does not affect the appearance of photo-aged skin, (i.e. skin that has been exposed to the sun or other elements).

In other words, topical estrogen is not yet a panacea for aging skin.

Like a Heatwave, Burning in My Heart

Posted by Liz on Sep 15, 2008 in heart disease, hot flash | 5 comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc7P65KNwVY]

It appears that hot flashes affect more than quality of life.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh report that hot flashes might actually damage the blood vessesls and increase the risk for atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease characterized by hardening of the arteries.

Study partciipants included 492 women, ages 45 to 58 years, who were participating in the community-based Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation.

The findings, which were published in the eary online edition of the journal Circulation, show a significant increase in calcium deposits and buildup  (i.e. calcification) in the greater coronary artery and aorta in women with hot flashes. In fact, these women were 1.5 times likely to develop calcification than women not experiencing hot flashes.

The researchers report that hot flashes may indicate underlying adverse vascular changes in women.

So what can you do? Because hot flashes may be signs of subclinical or underlying changes in blood vessels that can lead to heart disease, shutting them down is not enough.

Rather, lifestyle changes that promote heart health, such as a healthy diet, regular exercise, weight maintenance or reduction, quitting smoking and moderate alcohol use, seem like smart choices.

In fact, research confirms that lifestyle interventions that include healthy eating and regular exercise can confer protection against and slow different forms of heart disease, including atherosclerosis, if started during perimenipause.

“Nature’s Great Emmenagogue”

Posted by Liz on Sep 14, 2008 in Uncategorized | 3 comments

E-men-a-gogue. n. A drug that induces menstrual flow.

I discovered this advertisement for McELREE’S Wine of Cardui in a publication called “Patent Medicine. The Golden Days of Quackery.” This particular ad reportedly ran in a newspaper in Virginia in 1900.

The Wine of Cardui was a leading medicine in the South at the turn of the century. If you click on the ad, you’ll see that the “change” that afflicts “elderly women” often leads to “dreadful diseases such as cancer and consumption.”

Fortunately, the Wine of Cardui (which btw, is based on a traditional Native American recipe), will “strengthen and purify the entire system and bring the sufferer safety over these pitfalls.” The sales pitch that accompanied this product was based on the the contention that because “the great spirit planted it, one could take it and be healed.”

All these benefits for only $1.

Say no more.

Hair Today. Gone…

Posted by Liz on Sep 8, 2008 in hair loss | 2 comments

Have you been seeing a few extra hairs in your comb or brush? Thinning hair and bald spots (also known as alopecia) occurs in roughly 37% of postmenopausal women. Although declining levels of estrogen play an important role, researchers now say that low iron levels before menopause fully sets in is an important risk factor.

In a recent study published in the European Journal of Dermatology, investigators evaluated hair loss in 5,110 women between the ages of 35 and 60 years. They also collected blood samples and measured the level of a protein called serum ferritin, which is a determinant of overall iron levels stored by the body. In this study, “excessive” hair loss was described as losing lots of hair during washing, brushing or towel drying, and/or finding lots of hair on the pillow or on clothing).

The findings showed that a majority of the women (57%) who were affected by excessive hair loss also had low iron stores (serum ferritin <40 micrograms/liter).  Conversely, low iron stores affected only 23% of postmenopausal women. These findings remained after adjustments for factors such as age, use of oral contraceptives or IUDs, and levels of red blood cells.

Iron is important for maintaining growth of hair follicles. Consequently, it appears that maintaining adequate iron stores may be critical to prevent hair loss after menopause.

However, too much iron can increase risk of developing certain diseases such as diabetes or cancer. So, in the interest of maintaining a beautiful head of hair, it’s important not to overdo it. Recommended daily allowance is 8 mg daily for perimenopausal women, and 14 mg if you’re also a vegan.

Two types of iron can be found in food: heme iron, which is easily absorbable and present in red meat, seafood and poultry, and non-heme iron, which is less absorption. and found in fruits, vegetables, grain and nuts. However, adding vitamin C to non-heme sources and increase absorption up to six-fold. Fortunately, if you prefer the vegetable route, those rich in both nutrients (e.g. broccoli and bok choy) can help to insure better absorption. You can find a complete listing of iron in a variety of foods here.

Hell Hath No Fury

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

Hell appears to be amongst the number one search term on the Internet.

Do you think that folks are doing research on accommodations before their final visit? Exploring the esoteric fabric of our existence? Seeking a thrill by typing in their browsers a word that was once thought to be one of the worst of those four letter wonders?

I could probably spend hours pondering the why’s. But since Mother Nature is wreaking her hell on the East Coast this weekend with daughter Hanna, I’d rather revisit one of my most popular posts. This is a tribute of sorts and to remind us that there ain’t nothing more furious than Mama when she’s messed with. Double-entendre? You bet!

Enjoy!

Seems like menopause was viewed as a “woman’s hell” back in the 18th and 19th centuries. A time when the uterus was thrust into “tumultous state of utmost irritation and disorder.” Contributing to this were bad habits such as premature arousal of sexual desire, reading bad novels, and overly spicy and rich foods. Apparently, it was even exacerbated by lounging around all day and breathing the bad air in salons.

This throws my evening plans right out the window!

A woman’s hell? Medical perceptions of menopause in preindustrial Europe

Historical summary of views of menopause. First paper on this written in 1774, word “menopause” coined in 1812, and first popular women’s guidebooks on the subject in the early 1800s “sold out in a few months”. Early view was that with age the uterus became too weak to expel the vile humors of the menstrual fluid, which backed up to turn to fat, breast and uterine tumors, and many other diseases, creating a “woman’s hell”. Later view was that the menopause was more of a natural process (although a women should be at that point asexual), but that the problem was the perimenopause, when the uterus, felt connected to the nervous system, went through a “tumultuous state of utmost irritation and disorder” which was then transferred to the rest of the body. “She became more sensitive, agitated, and easily afflicted by disagreeable incidents; pleasure was indifferent to her; she became sad and easily grew upset against her children, her husband, those around her, sometimes yielding to violent outbursts.” It was also remarked that simple country women suffered few or no complaints compared to upper-class urban women, who “constantly exposed body and mind to all kinds of disturbances and irritations. The demands of social life, the premature arousal of sexual desire, masturbation and loose sexual mores, the reading of bad novels, the unnatural state of excitation caused by concerts and theater, dances and gambling, and overly rich and spicy food, the abuse of coffee, tea, tobacco, wine and spirits–all this created an unrelenting state of over-stimulation. It was made even worse by a life of idleness spent reclining on cushions and chaise lounges instead of attending to domestic duties, by an unwillingness to breast-feed, and by the bad air in overcrowded salons.”

Solberg M. 1999 Bull Hist Med 73;3:404-28.