Posts Tagged "menopause"

Ca

Posted by Liz on Jul 23, 2008 in bone health | 1 comment

No bones about it ladies. As you enter the early stages of menopause, your bones lose their ability to retain their mass and manufacture new bone tissue, resulting in bone loss and increasing the risk for osteoporosis. In addition to exercise and eating calcium-rich foods, experts recommend calcium supplements to make up for what you might be lacking.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, adults ages 50 and over need about 1200 mg daily, while adults up to age 50 need about 1,000 mg daily. Calcium supplements have been shown to slow bone loss in postmenopausal women but for in some, may also cause bloating and constipation.

Fortunately, new research published in the early online edition of the journal Calcified Tissue International shows that supplements containing 500 mg calcium citrate are absorbed more efficiently than those containing 1000 mg calcium carbonate. What’s more, the lower dose of calcium citrate also causes fewer side effects.

The bottom line is less may be more, except for when it comes to side effects.

For those of you who don’t know the difference between the two forms of calcium, calcium citrate is derived from the citric acid while calcium carbonate comes from the shells of marine organisms, snails and eggs.

Finally, it’s Wednesday! For whatever reason, the calcium symbol reminds me of the following scene from Singing in the Rain. Enjoy!

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=vH_OKzzZhw8]

To Bo or Not to Bo…

Posted by Liz on Jul 20, 2008 in women's health | 6 comments

Over 2.4 million botox procedures were performed in US women in 2007, according to statistical data from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. 25% of these injections were performed in women between the ages of 51 and 64, while 47% were perfomed in women between the ages of 30 and 50.

What these stats imply is that menopausal women are getting a lot of botox done.

In the youth-obsessed culture in which we live, cutting, reshaping, lifting and plumping has become the norm, not the exception.  Yet, I do wonder whether or not too much of a good thing is well, is too much of a good thing. When I see photos of celebrities like Nicole Kidman or Cher, I just cringe. And isn’t it ironic that one of the most potent poisons we know of is used to create the illusion of youth?

I’m not going to stand on a high moral ground judging women’s decisions to inject toxin into their faces to smooth the wrinkles and recapture a few fleeting moments of youth.  (Okay, well, that sounds a bit judgmental!) Truly though, the drive to steal a youthful appearance, if only for a few weeks or months, is perfectly understandable; I can’t tell you how many mornings I look in the mirror, and ask myself “what happened?”

But the real challenge is to understand how the external changes that we can see relate to the internal changes that we can’t.  I believe that this knowledge can help us to define effective longer-term strategies that ultimately result in a better balance between the two.

Afterall, botox is only skin-deep, isn’t it?

What do you think?

Oh! Dem bones!

Posted by Liz on Jul 16, 2008 in bone health | 0 comments

Dem bones, dem bones gon-na walk a roun.’ Spiritual, traditional childrens song. Writer: anonymous.

Remember that song from your childhood….the leg bone connected to the knee bone. The knee bone connected to the thigh bone. The thigh bone connected to the back bone…etc etc?

Several studies are starting to emerge as to whether or not long-term use of osteoporosis drugs actually weakens the bones they are supposed to protect. The most vulnerable area? The thighbone, which, in some patients, have snapped during walking or standing.

Most recently, doctors from New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell and New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery report in the Journal of Orthopedic Trauma that 19 of 20 women who had used the osteoporosis drug Fosamax for at least 6.9 years suffered from this type of fracture.  Fortunately, similar fractures have not been observed in association with other drugs of the same class (e.g. Actonel, Boniva).
The New York Times has a great article about this issue worth checking out.

In the interim, last month, I wrote about a Thai herb that might help peri- and post-menopausal women with bone loss. Other important steps include a diet that is rich in calcium and vitamin D, regular weight-bearing exercise, and avoidance of excessive alcohol or caffeine.

You can read also more about osteoporosis and the role of lifestyle changes in prevention at the American College of Rheumatology website.

Matted

Posted by Liz on Jul 14, 2008 in hot flash, Meditation/mindfulness therapy, nightsweats, stress | 3 comments

Ladies – get your mats ready!

Research suggests that yoga is actually superior to physical exercise for relieving vasomotor symptoms (e.g.  hot flashes and sleep disturbances) perceived stress and neuroticism in perimenopausal women.

The new study, published in the journal Menopause, compared the effects of 8 weeks of simple, trainer-supervised physical exercise to integrated yoga (sun salutation with 12 postures, breathing practices and cyclic meditation) in 120 perimenopausal women.

Positive, significant benefits were seen in all measures among women who were part of the yoga versus the physical exercise group.

Yoga appears to be a wonderful way to relieve some of the more troublesome menopausal symptoms without medication. I wouldn’t give up any physical exercise that you engage in but adding a yoga component to your routine may be provide some additional benefits.

Yoga classes are offered throughout the country in local gyms, specialized centers and often through the local YMCA or YWCA. If you’ve never participated in a class, you can learn more about the practice of yoga at  the following sites:

• The American Yoga Association offers a great introduction to yoga
• The Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States also has some well-written content on their website, and oversees instructor certification. They may be a good resource for finding an instructor
• Yogajournal.com is a great resource for videos, teachers, community, blogs, etc. and a wonderful place to get started

Finally, I just want to mention that that is not me in the photo. If I were ever able to get into that position, it might take me months to get out of it!

A bit of wisdom goes a long way

Posted by Liz on Jul 13, 2008 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

I went up to Philly to visit an old friend this weekend. She turned me on to this book, a pretty amazing overview of menopause. What I like most about it is that its author, Dr. Christine Northrup, is an MD who isn’t afraid of holistic and Chinese medicine. Personally, I’m fortunate because my gyno is open to alternative medicine and in fact, recommended topical progesterone before my acupuncturist did. But not every MD is well-versed in East meets West and as a result, many patients are short-changed on strategies that might help them.

If you are looking for an alternative path, check out the book. It’s definitely a must-see.