Posts Tagged "menopause"

Burn Baby Burn

Posted by Liz on Jul 8, 2008 in women's health | 27 comments

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

In my last post, I mentioned that menopause has been linked to altered sensitivity in the roof of the mouth and a decreased ability to detect sweet taste. Interestingly, I heard from a friend that she recently started experiencing a burning sensation in her mouth and that her doctors have been attributing it to menopause. Say what?!

Seems that the Queen Bee of Menopause, the Sister of Love and Destruction, the Lady of Light and Dark, estrogen herself, is wreaking havoc on more than the tastebuds.

I was intrigued so I did a search. I found over 500 articles in the National Library of Medicine Database, PubMed, and also located this article in the journal American Family Physician.

Although burning mouth syndrome primarily appears to primarily affect women after menopause, some 10% to 40% of women in menopause can suffer from its effects. These may may include burning in the tongue or oral mucus membranes, dry mouth and taste alterations.

The causes of burning mouth syndrome range from depression and anxiety to underlying illness, high glucose levels and of course, hormones. Researchers have also identified alterations in the cranial sacral nerves that serve taste and pain sensations as possible culprits.

Currently, unproven treatments include benzodiazapines, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and capsaicin. However, I’m wondering whether or not craniosacral therapy might offer an alternative to women who don’t want to go the drug route. Mind you, there are lots of naysayers out there who claim that CST is quakery but having used it successfully for pain, I am a huge fan.

A fellow blogger also directed me to this extensive site on burning mouth syndrome. I can’t vouch for its content but it is definitely worth checking out for backgrounding purposes. Do you suffer from Burning Mouth Syndrome? What are you doing to treat your symptoms? Inquiring minds want to know!

How Sweet it Is/’nt

Posted by Liz on Jul 7, 2008 in weight | 0 comments

Have you heard people age, they may experience changes in how they perceive things taste? Research suggests that menopause is also accompanied by changes in how taste buds function.

A small study published in the British Dental Journal shows a significant decline specifically in the ways that postmenopausal women perceive sugar and also, the sensitivity of the roof of the mouth to foods. This may be associated with an increased desire for sweeter foods and consequently, a higher risk for weight gain after menopause.

If you guessed that the primary culprit behind these changes is estrogen, you guessed correctly! Turns out estrogen affects many oral tissues, including salivary glands, the temporomandibular joint, the lining of the mouth, and the jawbones. This translates into directly into an increased risk for osteoporosis of the jaws, cavities and gum disease.

So how do you trick your tastebuds and protect your bones and teetch while still eating healthy foods? Yikes! Any suggestions?

Sun, Sun, Sun, Here It Comes

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

In an earlier post, I questioned the term ‘menopause skin’ and products that theoretically protect against it. One important point I overlooked, however, was the need to protect the skin from the sun, regardless of whether or not you are peri or postmenopausal.

This week, a friend sent me a link to a new site created by the Environmental Working Group that evaluates the safety of ingredients in products that we use on our skin, including sunscreens. I was a bit shocked to learn that many of the most common sunscreens on the market are either ineffective in terms of protection or more importantly, may be fairly toxic.

If you’re at all curious, the list, along with the rest of the site, is well worth checking out. Afterall, we only have one birthday suit this go-around. Might as well do what we can to protect our assets while we’ve got ’em.

Not Your Mama’s Menopause

Posted by Liz on Jul 3, 2008 in apparel | 0 comments

I’ve been searching the web lately for wicking fabric clothing and bedding. If you recall, I wrote about wicking material in an earlier post with the promise that I would continue to update you on what’s out there.

Admittedly, I’m a bit discouraged. For the most part, the clothing looks like something my mother’s generation would wear  and not something I would wear. (Sorry mom; you know I love you!) If Baby Boomer women represent the menopause generation of today, why is it that no one is accommodating our needs in the fashion department?

Designers: if you are reading, this is a HUGE marketing opportunity:

• Women of menopause age make up the largest segment of the American population
• 74 M women will hit menopause by the year 2010
• Research suggests that menopause is second only to personal illness in importance and impact to women over age 40

What do you think? Isn’t it time for some good-looking, well-designed, wicking clothing for women our age? Afterall, we may ‘turn into our mamas’ in some regards but not in every way.

Sisterhood

Posted by Liz on Jun 30, 2008 in women's health | 0 comments

A friend recently commented that the type of resources available to women living in rural areas are very different than those available to women living in urban areas. Hence, the ability to access alternative medicine practitioners or even find trusted sources of information really depends on where you live.

This has been borne out by results of a study conducted earlier this year among 25 menopausal women living in rural areas of Nova Scotia. Participants described a need to understand the intensity of their symptoms but often found it difficult to sift through “excessive and conflicting” information on the web. This was further compounded by the lack of trusting relationships with healthcare providers due to their scarcity and also, the fact that local facilities failed to retain good people.

So, who should you turn to when available information is seemingly overwhelming and inconsistent, and medical expertise is unavailable?

The researchers explain that women who participated in this study drew heavily on shared experiences and the ability to communicate freely and openly with women who were going through similar things. More often than not, they continuously sought validation from their peers to avoid feeling confused and alone. And found that a great way to deal menopause was through humour.

Whether a woman resides in rural Nova Scotia or New York City, a sense of community, mixed with open communication and a little bit of humour, can go a long way.