Anti-Aging and the Effects of Hormone Imbalance

The human body is a truly incredible thing. It is complex and serves many purposes. It is the vessel that contains us, sustains us, nurtures us. Every minute, every second, innumerable things are happening in the trillions of living cells which make up our bodies. Most of its functioning occurs like computer programs running in the background. You are normally not even aware of these programs unless something goes wrong or they begin sending you signals. And miraculously our body also has automatic repair functions; it works to repair itself, usually while we are sleeping.

Most of these bodily functions are controlled and regulated by hormones which are natural chemicals produced by different organs of the body. Usually they occur in pairs, one to "turn on" some function and another to "turn off" that same function.

Sometimes the body doesn't naturally produce enough of a hormone resulting in some kind of medical condition. One such problem that almost everyone has heard of is diabetes which occurs when the body doesn't produce enough insulin to allow your body to properly metabolize sugar. Often a doctor prescribes insulin for a patient to supplement what the body is able to produce itself. This is one form of hormone replacement therapy.

As we grow older some of the functions, which our bodies perform, become less robust and our bodies are less able to repair and replace cells damaged by being alive. Our skin loses its elasticity; we take longer for sore muscles to recover from exercise or for us to heal from an injury. We have come to call the results of this process "aging".

We all have a chronological age and also a biological age. But not everyone's biological age advances at the same rate. While medicine hasn't found a way to completely prevent this aging process, many things can be done to minimize the effects of these changes, effectively lowering your biological age.

One of the medical groups engaged in therapies and research of this kind is the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, an international organization with members in 87 countries. They believe that the careful use of appropriate hormones can significantly improve the physiological state of older individuals who have begun showing symptoms resulting from reduced or out of balance hormone levels. Their members advocate hormonal replacement therapy to overcome the effects of aging. The field of anti-aging medicine dates back to the development of herbal medicine in ancient China.

It is generally agreed that the very best anti-aging medicine you can take is a regimen of regular aerobic exercise. Experts recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at least five times every week. It is a wonderful tonic for your entire body. However, exercise by itself is not sufficient to resist the many effects of aging. Sooner or later we can all benefit from something more.

In a woman's body the levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone change cyclically. The delicate balance between these hormones is important in maintaining a woman's physical health, appearance, and state of mind. A hormone imbalance can result in both physical and emotional issues, especially as a woman ages. Many of these are undesirable and, in some cases, can be potentially life threatening. Hormonal changes in men are not as extreme as they are in women, but hormonal changes are still a significant factor in their life and health.

Hormone imbalances can result in a variety of different symptoms. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can reduce many of these symptoms and can have the following benefits in women:

· Hot flashes reduced or eliminated

· Bone loss (osteoporosis) may be retarded and new bone growth encouraged

· Vaginal dryness decreased

· Decreased risk of fibrocystic breasts

· Skin elasticity improved

· Improved energy and blood flow

· Accelerated fat burning for improved weight loss

· Sleep disturbances (insomnia and night sweats) reduced

· Emotional disturbances reduced (mood swings, depression, nervousness, irritability, anxiousness)

· Breast problems reduced (tenderness, fibrocystic, etc.)

· Menstrual problems (heavy menses) improved

· Improved libido and sex drive

· Improved mental acuity (lapses of memory, foggy thinking, concentration, etc.)

· Reduced incontinence

Men also experience symptoms from hormone imbalances. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can have the following benefits for men.

· Muscle tone improvement

· Skin elasticity improved

· Improved energy

· Protection against heart disease

· Reduced depression

· Sleep disturbances reduced

· Improved libido and sex drive

· Improved memory and concentration

· Improved bone growth and blood flow

Some symptoms result from too low a level of a hormone, while other symptoms may occur if the level is too high. Obviously a doctor knowledgeable of anti-aging medical protocols and careful understanding of the hormone levels in a specific patient is necessary before an appropriate hormone therapy can be developed for a patient. This will normally require some laboratory testing.

To do its work in the human body a hormone must connect with special receptor sites in the cells of specific organs of the body. A particular hormone will bind only with those special receptor sites in cells of the organs it directs. Other hormones in the blood will not bind with those receptor sites. The hormone can then convey its instructions to the cells, which respond appropriately for some bodily function.

Hormones exist in different forms in both animals and plants. When we talk about estrogen or testosterone we are talking about whole families of hormones. And the exact structure of an individual hormone determines the actions it will stimulate in the organs of the body. It is crucial, therefore, that the chemical structure of hormones used in hormones replacement therapy be exactly like those hormones produced by the human body - what are called bioidentical hormones.

A knowledgeable expert, careful diagnostic work, and skillful formulation are the necessary elements for bioidentical hormone replacement therapy regimens tailored to each patient's individual needs.

Disclaimer: The information provided should not be construed as medical advice but as general information. Anyone interested in BHRT should consult a physician about their specific needs.

Dr. Lucey has been called "The Hormone Wizard" by many because of his uncanny ability to diagnose, analyze and treat hormone imbalances in men and women. Dr. Richard Lucey is a specialist in Family Practice focused on (BHRT) Bioidentical Hormone Replacement therapy. He has been practicing medicine in Pensacola, FL for more than 30 years. Dr. Lucey has been especially devoted to helping women regain their hormonal vigor through hormone replacement therapy. His experience in treating menopausal women has led to his use of natural hormonal replacement therapy for both women and men. He is committed to making this hormone therapy available to every woman and man who wants and needs it. Diplomat American Board of Family Practice 1975- Present Fellow American Academy, Disability Evaluation Physicians Member U.S. Olympic Sports Medicine Society, Member Medical Advisory Board - Retired Boxers Foundation. More information on Hormone Replacement Therapycan be found via http://www.hormonewizard.com

Are You Struggling With Perimenopause Symptoms?

If you are experiencing difficulties in the regularity of your periods, having night sweats, hot flashes and of course the mood swings then you should know that all these are the symptoms of perimenopause. All these symptoms precede the actual menopause by many years and can be a real test of nerves.

But even more testing, for most women, is the inability to get people around them to relate to the tumultuous experience of going through the perimenopause. The men in their lives might not have even heard of this natural process and it becomes increasingly difficult to get the support and understanding needed to avoid any emotional distress resulting from the hormonal imbalance.

However, there are a few exceptions to this rule of change and some women are spared the perimenopause symptoms i.e. their menstruation cycles simply stop without warning. But for the rest, the journey is long and tiring and usually starts when one is in her thirties whereas the perimenopause symptoms join in at and beyond the humbling age of forty.

When these symptoms start appearing, they are much too random to be recognized as being caused by perimenopause. They may persist for weeks at a time and then disappear altogether. We will now look into some of the common indicators. A hot flash may sweep over your body in the middle of the night and can leave you sweating with a chilly feeling afterwards (which is your body reacting to the heat wave and adjusting your temperature). A hot flash can last for any length of time and has indefinite intensity.

A woman's body produces many chemicals (testosterone, thyroid secretions etc) that help her remain healthy and active. However, the production of these chemicals is affected during the perimenopause, resulting in undue fatigue. This, coupled with the lack of sleep due to hot flashes, causes both physical and emotional stress.

A change in hormone production greatly affects the mood and emotional stability of many women. They may experience nausea, hopelessness and lack of patience as a result.

An irregularity in menstruation cycles can be ascribed to many things. And unevenly spaced periods and uncertain flow is an evident indication of perimenopause.

But instead of suffering silently, you can do many things to reduce the discomfort and uncertainty that perimenopause brings. Firstly, you should see a doctor and get advice on the best way to avoid a large part of the described symptoms. While conventional remedies like the Hormone Replacement Therapy are still used widely, newer and more advanced methods have also been made available with time e.g. Herbal treatment and bioidentical hormones.

It is also advised that women keep a check on themselves and the changes that their bodies go through in order for them to be able to judge an irregularity in the emotional and physical patterns. These irregularities may not be related to the perimenopause but a better awareness helps in recognizing the hormonal disturbances and other symptoms when they surface and makes up for a smoother experience.

Therefore, do not be perturbed by the prospect of so much coming your way. If tackled properly, the duration of the perimenopause will pass without doing much damage to your peaceful lives.

For additional information on signs of perimenopause including as night sweats, insomnia, depression and many more visit http://signsperimenopause.com

Belly Fat Increases The Risk For Osteoporosis

One of the most frequent health complaints I hear from many of my patients, male and female, is that they seem to have a disproportionate amount of ugly belly fat that they just can't seem to get rid of. As their doctor, I sympathize with their plight to want to look more attractive but more importantly I become concerned for their health. Here's why.

Belly fat is not only unsightly, but it's been proven in several medical studies to be a bellweather for other diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Recently, another medical study cited in the March 2010 Journal of Endocrinology showed the link between belly fat and yet another debilitating disease, osteoporosis. That's right. Seems the more belly fat you have, the greater the risk is for developing osteoporosis.

The CDC estimates that 72 million Americans are obese! Researchers are calling the link between belly fat and osteoporosis an epidemic which is also occurring in younger, under age 40 people as well! Although women frequently get osteoporosis, men also get it.

Interestingly, there is a surprising link that seems to be emerging between belly fat and osteoporosis and that is a deficiency in Vitamin D. Studies have shown that people who have more overall body fat, especially excess visceral, or belly fat, are also likely to be deficient in Vitamin D. Why?

According to the studies, fat cells seem to lock-up circulating Vitamin D so that it does not get into bones. Therefore, the greater the number of fat cells, the more Vitamin D deficient you can be. Obviously, the key to help prevent osteoporosis, and other diseases, is to first prevent and/or get rid of excess body and belly fat. Let me explain how excess belly fat can develop in the first place.

Losing Excess Belly Fat

You can have excess belly fat at any age, but as I tell my over-40 patients, just getting older can make you much more prone to belly fat for these reasons:

Perimenopause/menopause in women, where estrogen dramatically declines.

Andropause in men, where testosterone dramatically declines.

These hormonal changes upset the relationship of estrogen and testosterone to another hormone called insulin. When estrogen and testosterone levels decrease they can no longer keep insulin, a fat storing hormone, in check. The result is insulin levels run too high, fat burning slows way down and fat storage goes way up, right around the abdominal section, creating an "apple shaped" you. This excess belly fat can also be a red flag for developing diabetes. Too high levels of insulin over a period of time can eventually result in no, or very little, insulin being produced, leading to the development of diabetes. Ask your doctor for a hemoglobin A1c blood test, which can reveal if your insulin levels are too high.

To stop this whole insulin/bellyfat/osteoporosis/other diseases wheel from turning, you must do two things. First, balance your hormone levels (ask your doctor about bioidentical hormone replacement from natural sources) and second, stop insulin from over-producing. You can do this by simply watching what you eat and exercising more. Here's how:

Limit sugars: Aim for between 15 and 18 grams a day. You must read food package labels very carefully. If a "sugars" category is not listed, don't eat it.

Maximize Fiber Content: Aim for 25 grams of fiber a day. Fiber helps decrease blood sugar levels.

Avoid/Limit Refined carbohydrates: Limit real sugar-sweetened cake, cookies, pie, candy, to very minimal once in a while "treats". Or switch to sugar-free baked goods.

Watch Overall Carbohydrates: Limit daily carbs to between 75 and 100 grams per day of 0-low sugar, highly complex slow carbs like brown rice, barley, quinoa, and amaranth, vegetables. Eat low sugar fruits like green apples, plums, strawberries. Some fruits, like bananas, are very high in sugars. Put these on hold for a while when losing belly fat.

Aerobic Exercise - 30-40 minutes at least 4 times a week. Use a stair stepper, elliptical, stationary bicycle, treadmill, running, or do fat-burning, fun aerobic exercise like Zumba. These are all weight bearing exercises that also help build bone and prevent osteoporosis!

Weight Training - 15-20 minutes at least 3 times a week. Building muscle helps you burn fat and keeps insulin levels down. Weight training also helps prevent osteoporosis.

Antioxidants - like Vitamin C, E, resveratrol, can help you burn fat and rid your body of the oxidation-by products as you do.

Vitamin D Deficiency, Belly Fat, Osteoporosis

Even those of you who live in the southern states can be Vitamin D deficient if you work inside and do not spend enough time outdoors. Those of you who live in northern states where the distance from the sun is much greater, it's almost a given that your D levels are likely not sufficient. This could explain why obesity levels are much higher in northern latitude states - people simply do not get enough sun exposure year-round and are likely D-deficient. Did you know that just 15 minutes in the summer sun gives you 10,000 i.u. of Vitamin D?

How do you know if you're D-deficient? A simple blood test at your doctor's office can determine it. If so, supplementing with Vitamin D3 up to 2,000 mg a day can bring back optimal levels and help you to both release excess body fat, prevent osteoporosis and other diseases as well.

As I mentioned earlier, belly fat is more than just unattractive - it's a warning sign that your body's metabolism hormones are out of whack and need balancing. The good news though is that you can get rid of belly fat by paying more attention to your diet and exercising. Supplementing with Vitamin D3, as research shows, can help you both beat belly fat and the diseases that can develop from it!

Mark Bromson, M.D.

http://www.healthyanswers.com

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement - HRT Without the Side Effects

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can be defined as natural chemicals and naturally occurring compounds found in plants that mimic the effects of the actual hormones of the human body, particularly estradiol, progesterone, and estriol, which is another naturally occurring estrogen, and even testosterone (men suffer from a "male menopause" called andropause as well, but that is for another discussion).

Bioidentical hormone therapy has all of the good effects of HRT, or traditional hormone replacement therapy, with none of the severe side effects that has caused so many women looking for menopause relief to steer away from traditionally administered HRT.

What is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Used For?

Natural hormone replacement is often used for women in years of premenopause or in the actual stage of menopause itself, who are in need of replenishing the feminine hormones that are lost during this time, and need help easing and minimizing the symptoms of hormonal imbalance such as hot flashes, night sweats, depression, moodiness, and more.

Not only can you get BHRT through a doctor now, you can also find many good BHRT supplements that will really help to equalize your hormones and bring you back to normal estrogen levels.

These supplements are formulated with natural herbs that very closely mimic the effects of estrogen and help to elevate mood, reduce or eliminate night sweats and hot flashes, and also bring back a more youthful existence derived from hormonal harmony.

BHRT is typically derived from elements found in nature such as soy and wild yam, known for their naturally estrogenic properties and influence in the female body when introduced in precise dosages. Scientists and herbalist alike have played with these formulas to exactly mimic the effect of real estrogen hormones in the female body.

Women everywhere are benefitting from this natural alternative to HRT, without the common side effects that would normally make you shy away. Bioidentical hormone replacement is just one of the many ways herbs are improving lives across the world at an increasing pace.

See Bioidentical Hormone Replacement - The Natural Alternative to HRT for more information on an excellent hormone remedy. Danna Schneider is the webmaster of Alternative Medicines and Health Supplements, a site dedicated to naturally curing people with effective herbal alternatives to modern medical science.

Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement - What is it Used For?

There are so many medical treatments available today that it can be overwhelming trying to decide which is best for you. It can also be overwhelming worrying if your doctor has properly diagnosed your health issue with the number of health related problems that also exist today. So where do you start when you think that you have a health problem? Usually the best course of action is start out by making an appointment with your health care professional or natural health practitioner, which ever you prefer. This way, you can start the process on finding out if something really is wrong and finding a treatment for it.

If your doctor tells you that you need to undergo bio-identical hormone replacement, your first thought might be along the lines of wondering what this particular treatment is used for. This type of treatment can actually be used for a number of different things, so it is important to make sure that your doctor completely explains why they think that you need the treatment. If you do have any questions during your appointment, do not hesitate to ask them otherwise you will probably be up all night long thinking about your questions or searching the internet for answers.

One of the things that bio-identical replacement can be used for is women that are going through menopause. It is common knowledge that women undergo drastic changes with regards to their bodies when going through menopause and this type of treatment has been shown to help in this area. There is debate over whether this type of treatment or a synthetic type is better to use, however, many women have used the identical type of treatment and swear that it is the best option and that they plan to use it for the rest of their lives.

You may not need to use bio-identical replacement for the rest of your life, but while you are receiving this treatment, your doctor will likely schedule regular appointments to make sure that everything is going well with your treatment. Some people think that doctors only schedule these regular appointments because they want more money out of the patients however it truly is to make sure that everything is going well and that your body has accepted this treatment. One of the best things that you can do is make it to all of your scheduled appointments so that you are not jeopardizing your health and causing more problems down the road.

There are many things that this treatment is used for and it most certainly is not just for women. Although it can become overwhelming thinking about all of the treatments that are available with the medical advances of today, you should speak with your doctor and ask them for recommendations to help ease your stress level and get you on to the road of recovery as soon as possible. The sooner you are receiving treatment, the sooner you will get back to your normal life style.

Justin suggests that you visit Dr. Maddox's site for Anti Aging in Portland for more information and on natural energy boost with Bioidentical hormone replacement in Portland, Oregon.

Are You Suffering With Pain?

1. Are you suffering with pain, have you tried many health professionals but have found no relief yet? Then you have come to the right place; there are number of people like you who have suffered and struggled with pain until they learn about the pain clinics. Pain clinics are in many ways different from a normal health center; they show all together a unique kind of action and dealing of patients. The basic principle of the pain clinic have been the manipulation of the mindset of the person suffering with pain. They trust in the concept that a person with a positive mindset shows much better results than a depressed person. Many people who have visited heath professionals have been succumbed to a negative mindset so in the pain clinic the major priority is given to the psychological factor of the person. Primarily efforts are made to change the way a person feels about pain, they try to nullify fear avoidance, catastrophe which is observed in 98% of the people suffering with pain. In some cases if the person is unable to bear the pain suppressants' and blocking agents are administered, the person is made mentally strong to accept the pain.

2. The mode of treatment and the duration depend on the type of pain the person is suffering with. Pain can be of two types acute or chronic, acute is easily treatable and takes rather less time where chronic is not easy to treat in some cases there is no complete cure for acute pains. Acute pains generally last for few years or even decades. The other factor that may affect the treatment is Pre-morbid psychological state / belief system / socioeconomic factors. One of the best ways employed by pain clinics is strengthening of muscles by exercise and physical manipulation; they are very much effective to treat muscle strains, muscle weakness and various sprains. Yoga is recommended to suppress the pain and physical manipulation for back and neck pain. There is several pain relieving injections that are available for people suffering with extreme pain. In the injection method the needle is placed on the nerve where the pain is felt, initially the needle is heated to block the pain but over heating is avoided as it may damage the nerve. Though there are number of drugs that are available they are often avoided as they are habitual and may lead to misuse.

3. Over the years pain clinics have found a very major role to play in the health system of the society. Pain is something which everyone wants to avoid; pain clinics which do concentrate on the sole aspects of pain treatment are greatly welcomed by the people. There mode of treatment has been highly satisfactory and has won the confidence of thousands of people. If you have not yet visited a pain clinic then do it right away, it is the best way you can find assistance to fight pain in the best way..

Osceolapain.com is a Specialist Pain Clinic In Florida give you advice, treatment, Pain Management etc.

Andropause - The Male Menopause

When we think of hormone replacement therapy, we usually think about menopausal women. But men go through their own "menopause" too. Its called andropause. The symptoms of andropause are usually a little more subtle in men compared to the extreme hot flashes and mood changes that women can experience during menopause, so it often goes undiagnosed. But andropause is a very common problem with undesirable symptoms and significant long-term consequences. Fortunately its an easy problem to identify and treat.

Menopause occurs when a women stops producing the major female hormone - estrogen. Andropause occurs when a man stops producing the major male hormone - testosterone. Testosterone production can start to significantly decrease as early as age 40 in men. Common symptoms include fatigue, irritability, low mood, foggy thinking, insomnia, decreased muscle mass, abdominal weight gain, decreased libido, and decreased sexual function. These symptoms are often blamed on stress or on "getting older". But in fact, these symptoms are often due to the decreasing hormone levels of andropause. And importantly, these dropping testosterone levels can also significantly increase a mans risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, depression, and diabetes.

Andropause is easily identified by testing hormone levels. I prefer saliva hormone testing in both women and men due to its superior accuracy. Blood testing for testosterone in men will often miss the diagnosis in all but severe hormone deficiency.

Once identified, andropause is easy to correct with prescription testosterone. In years past, andropausal men would get a testosterone shot every few weeks. Now the most popular form of replacement is with a daily cream or gel which is applied onto and absorbed into the skin. Testosterone creams can be compounded at local compounding pharmacies, and are much less expensive than the commercially available testosterone gels.

By correcting abnormally low testosterone levels, affected men can expect more energy, better mood, clearer thinking, better sleep, improved exercise tolerance, and increased libido; as well as decreased risk for some of the more common chronic illnesses of middle age.

Steven Jepson, M.D. operates one of Utah's most popular medical spas and is a recognized expert in Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Medicine, including Bioidentical Hormone Management. He is author of the book "7 Ways to Look Younger Without Undergoing the Knife". Visit his clinic's website at http://www.UDMPC.com

Anxiety Disorders And The Menopause Link

In today's society women struggle to survive and do more than they are able to, at work and at home. The demands, especially at work, are increasing and more is being demanded of you. Maybe you are also experiencing relationship issues or coping with other persistent problems (children, aging parents, etc).

Many women will experience extreme nervousness, generalized anxiety and sometimes full-blown panic attacks during menopause. For millions, these feelings are overwhelming and can interfere with their daily activities. Anxiety attacks refer to a combination of negative emotions including extreme fear and worry, often accompanied by physical sensations such as palpitations, chest pain, dizziness and shortness of breath. If you have not been correctly informed, anxiety attacks can indeed be terrifying. It is important that you know about and understand the hormone-based causes.

What causes Anxiety attacks during menopause?

The causes for anxiety attacks are divided into psychological and physical. However, physical causes (hormone imbalances) are primarily responsible for this issue in menopausal women.

o Psychological causes for Anxiety attacks

Here we have the ones related to uncommon disorders- rare hereditary diseases provoked by chemical imbalance in the brain, and those related to life stresses, fatigue, etc. If these cannot be controlled, your emotional stability is lost, culminating in anxiety attacks. However, these cases are temporary and anxiety attacks usually stop when the stressful event is over.

o Physical causes for Anxiety attacks

Hormonal imbalance is the main cause for anxiety attacks during menopause. Sometimes a trigger is something external, such as very loud noise. At other times, the feelings will seem to appear out of nowhere, without explanation or warning.

Estrogen hormones have a great effect on your mental state, as they regulate the levels of cortisol- the hormone that produces stress and anxiety. Thus, if your estrogen drops, cortisol cannot be controlled, leading to producing more stress and anxiety. Also key is the health of your adrenal system. The adrenals can normally assist with hormone production; however if your adrenals have become severely fatigued, you may not be properly manufacturing enough estrogen, DHEA and progesterone. Without proper levels of these hormones, even a small stress event can rapidly escalate into an anxiety attack.

What do I do about Anxiety attacks during menopause?

The most important step in relieving your anxiety is to find out whether your problem has a psychological or physical nature. If there is an extreme psychological disorder, you may need to be treated by a psychologist or other trained mental health professional. There may be a legitimate need for prescription medications to control the symptoms.

You may ask yourself "Why is this happening to me?" because maybe you have never experienced an anxiety disorder before and taking antidepressants or anxiety medication is a concern to you. There are alternative treatments available in many cases. Work with your doctor to explore all possible health issues. Hormone testing should reveal any imbalances, which can usually be corrected with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, medical massage therapy, acupuncture -- or a combination of these therapies. It will take weeks or many months to fine-tune the treatment, but you have a great chance of full recovery.

Cathy Yeatts is a women's health advocate and online entrepreneur. Check out natural solutions for menopause health:
http://www.natural-menopause-solutions.com Also learn about menopause acne and what you can do about it.

Are You at Risk For Blood Clots?

Summer is once again here and many of my patients are traveling on vacations, or visiting friends and relatives across the country. Before they go, however, I like to give them some pre-travel advice about a potentially serious medical condition that can occur with long periods of sitting in cars, trains, and airplanes... blood clots.

Up to 600,000 Americans develop clots every year with 1 in 3 persons developing serious medical complications from them. I'd like to share with you the same advice I give my patients about the symptoms and risk factors for developing blood clots and how you can prevent them.

What Are Blood Clots?

They are clumps of debris or fat, coagulated blood, or even surgical materials, within veins. They can start in the legs and travel within the vein system to the brain, heart or lungs and cause a heart attack, stroke, or pulmonary embolism.

What Are The Symptoms of A Blood Clot?

The symptoms of a clot are varied, depending upon their origin, but almost always include sudden and/or severe pain at the site. All require immediate medical attention. Here's a list of the common types of clots and their symptoms:

Legs: Blood clots in the legs can often be overlooked as a pulled muscle, as they can feel like a "Charlie Horse" type of cramp. Look for swelling of the leg, warmth to touch, redness or bluish discoloration, pain.

Lungs: Sudden onset of shortness of breath. A stabbing, sharp chest pain that gets worse with deep breaths, fast heart beat and/or an unexplained cough that may contain blood.

Heart: A clot that has traveled to the heart will give the symptoms of a heart attack, severe, crushing-type chest pain, and shortness of breath.

Brain: A clot that has traveled to the brain is called an ischemic stroke, which is a blockage of blood flow. Its symptoms can include severe/sudden headache, confusion, blurred vision, dizziness, weakness on one side of the body, loss of balance or coordination/inability to walk, inability to speak or understand language.

Kidneys: Not as common as leg or lung blood clots, but kidney clots do occur. The symptoms are sharp pain in the lower back, usually on one side, inability to urinate, high blood pressure, retention of fluid, swollen ankles, and shortness of breath.

What Are The Risk Factors for Blood Clots?

Anyone can get a clot at any time, but generally the risks are highest with the following:

?Recent major surgery in the abdominal or pelvic area

?Prolonged bed rest in a hospital, nursing home over 3 days

?Knee and hip joint replacement

?Major trauma to the body such as an auto accident or serious fall

?Pregnancy, or recent childbirth

Other moderate, yet still very important, risks include:

?Age - over 65

?Smoking

?Long sitting during travel in a car, plane, train, bus

?Dehydration - inadequate water intake can cause blood to coagulate

?Under going chemotherapy

?Birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy

?Genetic predisposition

?Obesity/sedentary lifestyle

What Can I Do To Prevent Blood Clots?

Avoiding a blood clot involves reducing your risk factors where possible. In general, the following guidelines can help you prevent blood clots:

?Quit smoking. Period.

?If you travel for long periods, take an "exercise" break where you get up and walk around for several minutes every 2 hours of travel. This is easier to do in car or bus travel, not so easy in a plane or train. However, you can get up from your seat and walk to the restroom, and/or the club car once in a while. Shift your position in your seat, doing leg lift exercises, or ankle rotation exercises at your seat will also help.

?If you are overweight and sedentary, make some healthy, nutritional, diet changes and get up and exercise for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day. This can be done by taking a walk, riding a bike, Wii FIT in your living room, anything that gets you up and your blood moving.

?Stay hydrated! Drinking the correct amount of water everyday is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself for several reasons. Drink half your body weight in water every day, and a little more if you consume caffeine. Your blood needs water to stay at an optimum density which is not so thick as to form clots and not so thin as to run too freely and cause profuse bleeding if you cut yourself.

?Find out your clotting time. A simple blood test at your doctor's office can reveal if you have blood clotting issues present. You may need to make dietary changes (less vitamin K containing foods, take supplements that do not contain it) to help you prevent a clot from forming.

?Vitamin E - A low dose, 200 mg a day, can help prevent blood clots from forming.

?Hormones - if you take birth control pills and you are over the age of 35, you may want to consider another form of birth control. Similarly, if you are menopausal and on HRT, talk to your doctor about your risk for blood clots. Switch to physician-prescribed bioidentical hormones that have much lower risks for serious side effects than animal or synthetic derived hormones.

Blood clots can be scary business. Just knowing the symptoms of a blood clot can buy time in getting medical attention quickly. Though you may not be able to avoid certain high risk factors such as surgeries and/or prolonged hospital rest that may unexpectedly arise in your life, just trying your best to live a healthy lifestyle the rest of the time will help decrease your risk significantly. Happy, fun, and safe summer travels!

Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging

http://www.vitalmaxvitamins.com

BHRT: The Treatment of Menopause Known As Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

BIOIDENTICAL HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY: Or BHRT, Well, it seems like one of the early things we've learned about menopause treatment is that whenever you see the acronym BHRT associated with the categories, "Women's Health" and "Menopaurse" it actually means something. Not sinister, or anything. It really is a very sophisticated, but simple subject. It refers to the title of this blog: Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy.

As we all research the topics of Menopause, Perimenopause, and Postmenopause, we will run into this new and somewhat controversial treatment subject. What is this treatment? It is the use of supplemental hormones that have a chemical structure that is identical to the hormones that are made by our own bodies. In this case, of course, women's bodies. Therefore, we need to describe them as natural hormones. They are delivered in doses that women's bodies may require, but that they are not producing naturally any more.. These doses of hormones help to minimize or eliminate the symptoms of all phases of Menopause. Therefore we call it BHRT!

These treatments are not not natural or homeopathic or distributed by laymen. You can't buy them out of a magazine. They are prescribed by real doctors. Although all doctors may not prescribe them If this is a direction you want to go, you need to research and identify which medical doctors in your community believe in and are very familiar with these treatments. There are two ways to get your particular treatment prescribed and purchased by you. This cocktail of hormones may be packaged and sold to you by a larger chain pharmacy in a generic sort of "one fits all" method. The manufacturer has concocted and packaged it to fit all women. They are manufactured and sold in a range of "set" doses.

The newer and now a particularly popular program, is to have the doctor test your blood and saliva and come up with a tailor made version just for you. Designed to add hormones where needed and leave alone what is not needed. They must be mixed to your doctors prescriptions by a local pharmacist. Not many of the big chains will do this. Most Metro areas have a few local pharmacies that specialize in this mixing. Send us an email and we will let you know who does this in your area. Wild yams and soybeans are a source of many of the biodentical hormones that women's bodies produce. So, these plentiful food sources are often used because they are plentiful, cost effective and their ingredients are easy to extract and turn int exact replicas of human hormones.

You would take this prescription in a way that would simulate your normal (or once normal) menstrual cycle. The doctor diagnoses that you are in a hormonal production decline and then you would take a regular dose every day for much of the month. On days 18 to 28 the doctor will probably add a supplement of progesterone to mimic what the body did when you were younger. The above is known as "static dosing", but another method is called rhythmic dosing. This method is based on the cycles of nature and is meant imitate the time when women are at their reproductive peak. Rhythmic dosing is relatively new to "BHRT". (There is that acronym that I used to not know).

Big Question: How do take this prescription? Answer: Massaged in a cream, taken orally, a suppository, or injected.

My wife first saw this whole hormone angle promoted and endorsed on OPRAH. Her program is still often a platform for discussions about BHRT from time to time. Part of my trust factor in having my wife try it, is the fact that OPRAH has quite a reputation for integrity.

Danny Hammond is an author, who writes articles dedicated to helping couples communicate, research and cope with the devastating effects that menopause symptoms can have on relationships. These include marriage, family, friends and co-workers. He is currently working with others on a website featuring these subjects. Please visit this website for advice on strategy on dealing with menopause.

http://www.mymenopausehormones.com/

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement

Bioidentical hormones are defined as biologically identical to what the human body manufactures. Their molecular structure is exactly the same as the molecular structure of hormones made by the body. They come from plant sources such as soy, wild yam and other plant extracts and are synthesized in a lab to replicate the hormones in the body.

Bioidentical hormones have been used in Europe for over 50 years. They are not chemical synthetic drugs like Premarin which is made from a pregnant mare's urine and then prescribed in a one dose fits all regimen. Premarin will leave you with symptoms of bloating, low libido, brittle bones and depression, not to mention the serious consequences of heart attack, stroke and breast cancer. The big and powerful pharmaceutical companies have no interest in bioidentical hormones because they are not able to patent them and churn out big profits. Instead, the big pharmaceutical companies have pushed their synthetic hormones onto women, chemicals which are dangerous to women's health (Women's Health Initiative, 2002).

It is sometimes difficult depending on where you live to find a doctor who is able to prescribe bioidentical hormones and who will be able to monitor your hormone levels and your progress. An excellent source for locating these doctors is a bioidentical hormones compounding pharmacy. Your bioidentical hormones will be made up into a mixture in the compounding pharmacy.

On your first visit, you doctor will either prescribe a combination of estrogen, progesterone and perhaps testosterone or progesterone alone, depending on your symptoms and then see how your symptoms are in a couple of months. Or the doctor may test your hormone levels and then give you a natural bioidentical hormone prescription to solve your symptoms. You will take these cyclically to mimic your natural cycle before the onset of these symptoms. Hormone testing can be done either by a blood test or a saliva test. A saliva test is more accurate in measuring your hormones.

T.K. Robb is a freelance writer and researcher specializing in anti-aging, health and wellness issues. She writes product and service reviews for various companies in the health and wellness industry. When not writing, she travels all over the world and pursues her hobbies of photography, the internet and then, again, some more writing.

Are You Still Afraid of Taking Hormones for Menopause?

Ever since the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002 claimed that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increases the risk of breast cancer many menopausal and postmenopausal women have been living in fear, depriving themselves of all hormones, and suffering from an estrogen and progesterone deficiency. The passing years revealed that the WHI results were grossly misrepresented and irresponsibly exaggerated, but in spite of this, in October 2010, the WHI published another analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) which reported that HRT not only increases the risk of breast cancer, but also increases the risk of death from breast cancer. (1) Whichever stand you take regarding the results of the WHI, one thing is for sure, the WHI only studied the effects of the hormones Premarin and Provera (in a combined form called Prempro) on postmenopausal women with an intact uterus.

Premarin (a mixture of horse estrogens) and Provera (the synthetic progestin medroxyprogesterone) are foreign and synthetic hormones which are different in molecular structure from estradiol and progesterone that are naturally found in the human body. That means they don't properly fit in human hormone receptors, aren't metabolized well by the human body, and in turn don't work optimally and cause problems. Bioidentical estradiol and progesterone are identical in structure to estradiol and progesterone which are naturally produced by woman's ovaries, and are used in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). BHRT has better efficacy and is not associated with the same risks as conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT).(2)

Again, Premarin and Provera are hormones which are not naturally found in the human body. Furthermore, they are administered together (Prempro) in the same dose every day... which is not physiological. That is, it is never natural or normal for a reproductive woman to have the same levels of hormones in her body each and every day.

Specifically, the Provera component of Prempro is a synthetic progestin taken every day, which is supposed to mimic the actions of natural progesterone. However progesterone is naturally released in a reproductive woman only after ovulation and only for 2 weeks of her cycle (unless she becomes pregnant), not every day.

The culprit causing the increased risk of breast cancer when using Prempro is probably the Provera since other studies using only Premarin have not shown an increase in breast cancer. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that the effects of hormone therapy likely depend not only on the molecular structure of the hormones being administered, but also on whether the hormones are taken in a manner which mimics a reproductive cycle.

In my practice I use BHRT2 to treat peri-menopause, menopause and postmenopause, in a way which best replicates a reproductive woman's hormone cycles.

Copyright Shira Miller, M.D. Inc.

1 Reference

2 Reference

Shira Miller, M.D.
The Integrative Center for Health & Wellness - A Concierge Holistic Medical Practice
Founder and Medical Director
http://www.shiramillermd.com

Dr. Miller is Facebook's Most Popular Menopause Doctor for Men and Women
Get free help here: http://www.facebook.com/menopausedoctor

Aging Healthfully

Nobody leaves this planet alive, unless you happen to be an astronaut. Generally, we don't think about aging though until we reach middle-age, usually considered to be about 50 years old. Then we may begin to notice changes in our body that indicate that we can't do the things that we used to quite as easily. Perhaps we don't move with quite as much flexibility. Perhaps we begin to notice that our ability to read the phone book decreases as the print is out of focus. Perhaps our energy is less than it used to be. In one sense, aging is natural; and yet from another perspective we can certainly slow it down, compress it so to speak, so that there is more time for healthy living later on in life. There seem to be certain parts of the body that age more easily than others -- bones, eyes, ears, brains, and general metabolism, seem to be areas that are hardest hit.

The latest research shows that a number of factors can be introduced through simple lifestyle changes and supplementation, so that some of the problems of aging can be considerably reduced or at least delayed. Below you will find some tips for different organ systems -- tips that you can use on yourself, or tips that you can use to help aging family members. As always, a healthy diet low in animal fat, moderate in healthy fats from cold water fish, high in fibre, with moderate sensible exercise underlie all of these suggestions as a foundation.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Cataracts. These are common diseases of aging that can affect up to 20% of the population over the age of 65. Because the eye is continually exposed to light, it is particularly susceptible to oxidation. Research has consistently shown that age-related macular degeneration can be modified, and prevented, by increasing antioxidants particularly those that contain lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as vitamin A, zinc, and riboflavin (vitamin B2). Lutein and zeaxanthin are a part of the carotene family found in eggs, and red, orange and yellow vegetables and fruits. Vitamin E is also critical to delaying the development of cataracts -- 400 international units per day of mixed tocopherols taken with dinner should be used. Carotenes can be found in supplements but are best obtained from fresh vegetables and fruits. Lutein is also found in the brand of eggs known as Omega Plus®

Energy, Fatigue, and Cognitive Decline. As we age our metabolism changes. Our ability to digest decreases and as a result our ability to absorb nutrients decreases. Stomach acidity frequently goes down and our ability to absorb vitamin B12 from our diet decreases as a result. Many elderly people are suffering from GERD, also known as acid reflux, and taking drugs to decrease stomach acid to prevent those symptoms. These people are particularly susceptible to vitamin B12 deficiency. In this age group vitamin B12 can lead to significant cognitive decline, tinnitus and even hearing loss. There are a number of studies to suggest both energy and cognitive ability can be raised through the injection of vitamin B12 on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, blood testing for vitamin B12 does not always yield useful results, and only a trial of 1000 mcg vitamin B12 injected weekly will tell us whether it is necessary - you should notice a significant increase in energy for example, if you really need it. There are some oral vitamin B12 preparations that can be taken but if the stomach is low in acid, B12 may not be absorbed. If you are taking vitamin B12 by mouth it should preferably be in the form of methyl cobalamin. Methyl cobalamin works in the brain better than the standard cyano-cobalamin. The herb Ginkgo Biloba has also been found to be helpful here for mental alertness as well as the macular degeneration noted above.

Osteoporosis. A disorder of aging that is far more common in women than in men, osteoporosis is the new epidemic in women after menopause. It is more prevalent in short, slightly built, light-haired women. Fortunately it can be detected by bone scan, and I recommend all women who are in menopause get a baseline bone scan. Although Premarin® used to be recommended for post-menopause, most doctors rightly shy away from using this treatment anymore as a result of the long-term negative heart effects of synthetic estrogen. Regular exercise, calcium carbonate (1000 mg/day) and magnesium gluconate (500 mg/day), and Vitamin D3 (1000 IU/day) can all help bone loss. Natural progesterone cream may also be helpful. Check with a doctor who prescribes bioidentical hormones. Bone maintenance after menopause is critical; once bone is lost it is really hard to get back.

Depression. A common problem with age, depression can often be helped by taking more B vitamins, especially Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), instead of anti-depressants. In addition, S-adenosyl methionine, (fondly known as Sammy), in doses of 200mg can often beat depression single handed. It's available over the counter in many stores. The herb St. John's Wort can also be used in mild to moderate depression.

Attitude. Obviously attitude plays a huge role in how we feel at any age. If you can laugh and joke and be grateful it goes a long way. The aphorism "If you don't use it you lose it" is true particularly as we age. Mental challenges like games, crosswords, puzzles etc. keep us on the ball and using those brain cells. It all helps.

Obviously aging is a huge topic, and I have covered only a few issues. If you want more detailed information I highly recommend the Life Extension Foundation as a reliable source of information about aging. It has a generous website too. Almost any aspect of aging can be read about on the site, and you can easily search for any further information you might need.

©Edward Leyton MD 2007 © Accessing Resources for Empowerment(TM) 2007

There are four basic principles to health:
1. Good nutrition
2. Good exercise
3. Good thinking and emotional states
4. Good self-care

These embrace the mind, body and spirit of good health and well-being. This article and Dr. Leyton's monthly newsletter addresses one or more or more of these principles. These health tips are short and simple. All tips, where applicable, are based on quality research that is being done in the medical field.

You can subscribe to the free newsletter by signing up at http://www.arfe.ca You will see links throughout the newsletter to take you to more detail if you wish...or you can simply read what's there.

On this site Dr. Leyton also has many free articles as well as CDs and MP3s for your health benefits.

5 Minute Exercises To Look and Feel Younger

Ideally, we should dedicate an hour for workout every day, but for most of us to take out an hour from our busy and tight schedules seems impossible. We sure can spare five minutes, which if utilized properly will help us notice changes such as glowing skin and a toned body both contributing to look and feel younger.

Time Saver Exercises For A Healthier You

A combination of cardio and strength (resistance) training works very well and if you intend to workout for a short time, you should increase the intensity and work harder. Spot jogging and skipping for five minutes a day will work wonders for the whole body. If you do not want to deal with the drudgery of walking to your gym or the guilt of switching on an exercise tape when you have to take care of your kids, the five-minute fast and furious cardio should help you. Have hand weights close by and start walking briskly. Increase your speed in a minute and raise your arms, pick up weights to perform bicep curls. Push the weight overhead and lower as you keep pace with the walking. After 30 seconds, place the weights down and slow down to your original pace of walking. End the 5-minute workout with as many squats as you manage and walk slowly till your heart rate has returned to normal.

There are a number of facial exercises, which will ensure good facial shape and glowing skin thus contributing to a younger look. Lubricating the facial skin with either water or oil is essential. One exercise to control the wrinkles around the eyes is partially winking an eye at a time and holding the wink. Repeat this fifty times. Inserting clean fingers into the mouth and exerting a steady pull on the corners of the mouth, holding for a second, and contracting again till the index fingers get closer together, is an exercise for fuller lips.

Atlanta Medical Institute provides only the best weight loss and anti aging treatments. AMI's staff is comprised of highly-trained physicians and clinical team members dedicated to the health and happiness of every patient.

Stefano Grossi
AltantaMedicalInstitute.com
1-866-343-8362

All About Menopause

Menopause and Climacteric

Definition. Menopause refers to final cessation of menstruation while climacteric means the period at which the woman gradually changes from the reproductive life into one of senescence. Meno¬pause is also referred by the laity as 'the change of life'. However both the terms are often synonymously used, menopause being the popular term used. These are physiological processes due to cessa¬tion of ovarian follicular function.

Aetiology. Menopause occurs as result of exhaustion of eggs from ovarian follicles and Consequent oestrogen deprivation.

Physiological Changes in Climacteric or Menopause and Post menopausal age.

Genital. Progressive atrophy of genital organs occurs with more and more deposition of fibrous tissue in them.

Ovary. They go small (5 gm. each), fibrotic with furrowed surface, Follicles get exhausted. Ovarian Vessels become sclerosed. Cortical stromal hyperplasia is a frequent finding due to high LH level in women aged 40¬46 years. Ovarian stroma becomes a source of small amount of androgens.

Fallopian tubes shrink with diminished mortility.

Uterus becomes small and fibrotic due to atrophy of muscle. Endometrium becomes thin and atrophic (senile). In some women, endometrial. hyperplasia may occur after menopause as a result of constant oestrone stimulation. Cervix atrophies and flushes with the vaginal vault. Cervical secretion becomes scant, thick and later 4isappears. The vaginal epithelium atrophies with loss of rugosity. Vaginal smear shows atrophic changes. Vagina contracts with shallowness of the fornices. Vulva gradually atrophies with narrowing of the introitus : pelvic cellular tissue becomes gradually lax.

Secondary sex characteristics. Breasts show gradual atrophy of the glandular tissue resulting in flabbynes. These become pendulous due to deposition of fat around. Pubic and axillary hair becomes sparse.

Physical. Body weight decreases after 65 years. There is decrease in cell mass of organs. Skin wrinkles, becomes less elastic with hair appearing on face. Subcutaneous fat deposition. occurs on the hip and thighs. Height diminishes postraenopausally after 65 years. Kyphosis may develop due to spinal osteoporosis.

Metabolic. Osteoporosis occurs as a result of oestrogen deprivation. Reduction in trabecular bone (collagen matrix) (Osteoblasts) and Calcium leads to oestrogen deprived Osteoporosis. Premenopausally woman is protected against ischaernic heart disease due to high HDL and low LDL cholesterol. The latter rises postmenopause, thus incidence of ischaernic heart disease also rises. Premature menopause natural or by oophorectomy suffers from increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (cardiac and cerebral stroke) and osteoporosis.

Digestive. Hypochlorhydria develops. Motor activity of entire alimentary tract diminishes resulting in dyspepsia and constipation in postmenopausal women. Bladder and urethral epithelia atrophy.

Psychosexual. Emotional upsets are common. At menopause sex urge may increase. After 60 years, sex urge wanes as an aging process.

Endocrinal. There is gonadal failure at menopause. Plasma Oestradiol level falls, oestrone remains normal, ovarian stroma however, produces andostenedione. Extraglandular conversion of androstenedione to oestrone occurs in fatty tissue. Postmenopausally, adrenal cortex becomes the source of oestrone derived from androstenedione. Oestrone becomes the predominating oestrogen after menopause. Postmenopausal daily oestrone formation has been estimated as 15 100 gg/day (Mac Donald et al, 1973) and serum level at 30 70 pg/ml. Progesterone secretion ceases from the ovary due to failure of ovulation. Total urinary oestrogen level falls to about 6 Pg1 24 hours at the postmenopausal period. Androstenedione level mostly from adrenal cortex, little . from ovary comes to one half that seen prior to menopause. Testosterone level does not appreciably fall because postmenopause ovary secretes more testosterone.

Pituitary gonadotrophins. FHS and LH are secreted in increasing amount due to the absence of negative feed back control by the ovarian steroids. LH ovulatory surge disappears, the mean basal serum menopausal gonadotrophin levels are in the range of 50 150 rn LU/ml FSH and 50 100 m IU/ml LH. FSH level is 15 times higher than premenopausal level by 3 5 years after menopause while LH level is increased 3 fold. Prolactin level falls.

Timing. The process of climacteric may gradually start 2 3 years before menopause but may continue 2 5 years after it. The age at which menopause occurs varies widely from 40 to 55 years with mean age of about 47 years. Genetic makeup, race and climate influence age of menopause. Women of tropics get earlier menopause than those in colder climate. Some believe that the early the menarche starts, the later would be the menopause while late coming of the menarche is associated with early menopause. Early or delayed menopause is considered when menopause happens before 35 years or after 55 years respectively. Early menopause may be due to ovarian failure, oophorectomy or ovarian irradiation.

Delayed menopause is usually due to some pelvic pathology like uterine fibroid or in association with disease e.g., diabetes mellitus.

Clinical Features of Menopause and climacteric

Menstrual Symptoms. This occurs in forms of (a) progressive scanty menstrual loss followed by cessation of menses, (b) menses at prolonged intervals finally ceasing, (c) sudden cessation of menses. Prior to menopause menstrual cycles become anovulatory. Any excessive menstrual loss or irregular haemorrhage is not menopausal as in commonly believed by lay public but is due to some pelvic pathology.

Other symptoms. Most women remain asymptomatic. They adapt nicely the physiological changes of menopause. Some may have mild symptoms of putting on weight, joint pains, increase of sex desire followed by its gradual decrease.

Signs. The following signs appear gradually in a normal woman in the menopausal period and thereafter.

1. General signs. Increase in weight, deposition of fat on the hip, buttocks, around breasts. Breasts are examined.

2. Genital signs.

Vulva. Progressive atrophy with scanty hair with narrowing of the vaginal introitus.

Vagina. This becomes narrow with 'tenting' of vaginal vault,, thinning of mucous membrane and 18ss of rugae.

Cervix. Portio vaginalis atrophies and gets flushed with vaginal vault.

Uterus. Body is felt small and hard.

Adnexae. Ovaries become impalpable.

Diagnosis. This can be made from clinical features aided by atrophic vaginal smear and elevated serum FSH level of 50 mIU/ml and above. Elevated plasma LH level is less helpful. Urinary or serum oestrogen level shows value similar to follicular phase and thus less reliable for diagnosis.

Differential Diagnosis. Stoppage of menses due to menopause may be simulated by that due to pseudocyesis or pregnancy.

Treatment. Psychotherapy. Explanations for the condition and reassurances are to be given to the woman passing through climacteric when seeking advice for cessation of menses. Improvement of health by dietetic adjustment, adequate rest and exercise and regular evacuation of bowel are to be ensured. For sleep disturbance, diazepam (Valium) 5 mg. or Lorazepam 1 or 2 mg. is taken orally at bed time.

Menopausal or Climacteric Syndrome

Menopausal Syndrome refers to group of symptoms that are experienced by some women during climacteric. Hot flushes (vasomotor instability symptom) that last for one year in 80% are characteristic of menopausal syndrome. It diminishes of its own by 3 4 years. The cause of hot flush is unclear but follows oestrogen withdrawal in women with poor vascular control. Rise of hypothalamic endorphin is implicated. It is experienced by, 25% women with psychological background, particularly following oophorectomy or ovarian irradiation at younger age.

Flush depends on rate of oestrogen loss and extragonadal oestrone formation. The body gradually adjusts itself to natural decline of oestrogen and flushes gradually pass off.

Symptoms. These appear as follows: vasomotor and other symptoms usually follow but even precede cessation of menses.

1. Menstrual. Menses stop as already described under menopause. A proportion of premenopausal women come with emotional symptoms, loss of libido and dry vagina during intercourse, Hot flushes and sweats are complained with scanty and delayed menses by some women.

2. Vasomotor. 'Hot flushes' (feeling of warmth) due to cutaneous vasodilatation are commonly experienced by these, women on the face and neck spreading all over the body; this feeling of heat may be followed by sweating. They may come once a day but sometimes every hour; they come particularly at night. These are characteristic manifestations of menopausal syndrome.

3. Emotional. This is manifested by headache, irritability, sleeplessness, giddiness, fatigue, depression, palpitation. There may be sensations of 'pins and needles' in the sole and palm. Disturbed sleep can be due to hot flushes and sweats.

4. Sexual. These are decreased libido and dyspareunia due to atrophic vaginitis and lack of vaginal lubrication during intercourse.

5. Musculoskeletal. These appear as backache, pain in joints due to laxity of ligaments and muscles.

Signs. These are same as described under menopause.

Diagnosis. This has been already described under menopause.

Differential Diagnosis. Pseudocyesis of spurious pregnancy may be mistaken by the patient for menopausal syndrome. In the former, amenorrhoea, enlargement of breasts and abdomen due to deposition of fat like that in pregnancy occur; there is also the false feeling of foetal movements due to flatulent dyspepsia. The patient should be assured that her symptoms are menopausal. In all these cases, pregnancy may also occur and should be carefully excluded by thorough examination, immunological urinary pregnancy test and pelvic ultrasound.

Premature Menopause

Definition. Menopause coming on a patient below 35 years is called premature menopause. Cause. Poor stock of ovarian follicles gets exhausted. Clinical Features, Symptoms, Secondary amenorrhoea for more than 6 months. In some hot flushes, mood instability, disturbed sleep, loss of libido, (menopausal syndrome). draying of hair. Signs. Atrophic vaginal epithelism, normal or small sized uterus. Investigations. Raised serum FSH above 50 mIU/ml.; ovarian biopsy showing no ovarian follicles is not done. Treatment Assurance, diazepam for poor sleep. Oestrogen therapy for menopausal syndrome are given. Menstruation can not be brought on hormone therapy.

Male Climacteric. About 10 per cent men experience climacteric symptoms at a later age than women due to androgen deprivation. The rest 90 per cent gradually adapt themselves without symptoms.

To Get more information on Women's Health Visit http://hubpages.com/profile/creation75

All About Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Including Compounding

Until recently, traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was the treatment of choice for menopause related symptoms, but this changed once the serious risks of long term HRT use were exposed. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) has become the default treatment of choice for women who consider the risks of HRT to be too great. BHRT is a plant based product that chemically matches natural hormone produced in the body while traditional HRT is made from the urine of pregnant horses and wasn't an exact chemical match. Obviously this makes BHRT sound very attractive, but BHRT isn't without controversy. The FDA has approved many BHRT drugs for menopause treatment, but doesn't endorse or recognize the term "bioidentical" as anything other than a marketing term. The process of compounding is the biggest controversy in the production of BHRT drugs and one we'll discuss at length.

Why BHRT?

The surge in popularity of BHRT corresponds exactly with the fall of HRT which started in 2002 with the halting of ground breaking study conducted by the Women's Health Initiative. This study was a 15 year study on estrogen and estrogen and progestin combined, the common hormone treatment used to treat menopause related symptoms. This study was halted prematurely when serious health risks such as heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer and blood clots were found to be associated with both types of long term HRT use.

Not too surprisingly, once these risks were exposed, both doctors and women quickly moved away from HRT and were left looking for effective safer options; this is where BHRT steps in to fill the void.

Potential Risks of Compounding

Compounding - a compounding pharmacist mixes up a hormone blend of "bioidentical" hormones according to an individual woman's needs, which is indicated by a blood or saliva test done by a doctor.

There are several reasons that detractors say compounded bioidentical hormone therapy (CHRT) may not be the best option including:

The reliability of saliva testing is unproven
CHRT is not FDA approved
There has not been significant long term testing on BHRT showing that it's any safer than HRT
The term "bioidentical hormone replacement therapy" is nothing but a marketing term
A lot of false and misleading claims have been made about both CHRT and BHRT
Unlike with commercially prepared medications, the compounding process may increase the risk of human error in the compounding process

Although the FDA has approved BHRT drug for use, CHRT drugs are not FDA approved. This is due to the fact that these compounded medications are made on a case by case basis so each blend is different; this makes the standardized scientific testing required for FDA approval impossible, so it's unlikely that CHRT will ever get FDA approval.

In addition, in an effort to educate the public, the FDA has started cracking down on false or misleading claims. Manufacturers and suppliers of traditional HRT medications obviously don't like the fact that CHRT and BHRT are being touted as safer alternatives when actually no evidence suggests that this is true. The truth is that there is simply not enough information available at this time to say the BHRT is any safer than HRT; unfortunately a lot of people are overlooking this important fact. When you consider how long the hazards of HRT were hidden or overlooked, this is a significant oversight.

Please visit the author's website Signs of Menopause for additional information about what to expect during menopause. There are articles about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), black cohosh, natural treatment methods, natural estrogen and more.

3 Unique Ways to Lose Body Fat

Certainly the most common of all New Year's resolutions is losing weight. Here's three less commonly known but relatively easy methods to help you achieve your goal of "less fat" in 2011.

1. Detoxify and Cleanse - a healthier diet and fewer calories are essential to any weight loss program. But you can really jump start your new healthy eating plan by starting with a 5-day detoxifying cleanse such as the M'Lis program.. A cleansing program can help rid your body of environmental toxins and retained waste. This will result in improved organ function, better energy levels, and improved metabolic rate. Most people lose several pounds of unneeded water weight right off the bat; and then, by following through with better New Year's eating choices, you will lose weight quicker and more effectively. Plus, you will feel better.

2. Improve your Sleeping Habits - recent studies have shown that the less you sleep, the fatter you get. People who sleep less than 7 hours a night release more of a hormone called Ghrelin. This hormone increases your appetite the following day and especially increases your appetite for high-calorie carbs. Getting enough sleep results in the release of a hormone called Leptin. Leptin is a hormone that tells your brain that you are full and no longer hungry. But, getting enough sleep is sometimes easier said than done - a lot of people suffer from insomnia especially after the age of 35. I find that hormone imbalance, especially progesterone deficiency is an extremely common and easily correctable cause of insomnia. Unfortunately, not many doctors are familiar with this problem and are too quick sometimes to prescribe sleeping pills. But, progesterone deficiency can be easily identified and corrected by a doctor familiar with bioidentical hormone management. Natural progesterone replacement at bedtime can be a very effective and natural cure for insomnia. And better sleep means less fat!

3. Freeze Away the Hard-To-Get-Rid-Of Fat - CoolSculpting by Zeltiq is the new way to remove unwanted areas of fat 100% non-invasively. This treatment is ideal for those areas of fat that won't go away not matter what you do from a diet and exercise standpoint, including the lower abdomen and the love handles. But it's not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle. This new technique, discovered by doctors at Harvard, uses a specially designed applicator which selectively freezes and destroys fat, but leaves the surrounding tissues undamaged. The treatment is not painful and there is no downtime. Your body then slowly breaks down the damaged fat over the three months that follow the procedure.

Of course there is no substitute for good old fashion healthy eating and exercise. But these three additional suggestions may make it easier to achieve your goals.

Steven Jepson, M.D. operates one of Utah's most popular medical spas and is a recognized expert in Aesthetic Medicine. He is author of the book "7 Ways to Look Younger Without Undergoing the Knife". Visit his CoolSculpting website at http://www.UtahZeltiq.com or his medical spa's website at http://www.UDMPC.com

A Horrific Prescription For Menopause

Someone I know, thinking she had finally reached the stage of menopause because of frequently occurring hot flashes that were driving her mad, made an appointment with her doctor. The doctor set her up to have a hormone panel done. With the positive results of the tests, her suspicions were confirmed, she had indeed reached menopause.

Before we go any further in this posting, let me tell you a few facts about my friend. She is a very joyful woman, is very happily married, an active sex life with her husband, has two wonderful teenagers and a positive attitude towards life. Enough about my friend.

Let me tell you her horror story.

So she went to her doctor to discuss her hormone testing results and, after enough reading the research from some books and the internet, she decided she wanted to get bioidentical hormones. Her doctor told her they don't work and refused. What her doctor prescribed for her was a rather horrific solution for her menopause problems. Her doctor prescribed Premarin (pregnant horse's urine), a D&C and anti-depressants.

Horrified, my friend left the doctor's office.

We would like to ask why would a doctor prescribe anti-depressants to a happy person? Anti-depressants cause among other side effects: suicidal thoughts, dry eyes, loss of libido and a dry vagina. My happy friend said the last thing she wanted was a dry vagina, loss of libido and suicidal thoughts.

We ask also, why would a doctor prescribe a D&C? Very interesting.

The overall problem is that very few doctors understand menopause. Not many doctors stay up to date with the latest research on menopause. Many ordinary people believe that most doctors finish their Med school and that's it. This particular doctor is in her late 50s, so this doctor would have completed her training about 20 to 25 years ago.

Another problem is that there is not the money to do more research into bioidentical hormones. A fact to consider is that the all-powerful pharmaceutical companies have seen their profits decline because of the latest negative research on traditional HRT (chemical hormone replacement theory) and would not profit from BHRT because its mixtures cannot be patented. One pharmaceutical giant has even launched legal action against the makers of compounded bioidentical hormones.

So, millions of women in North America and Europe do their own research, find a compounding pharmacy and find a doctor capable of prescribing and monitoring their hormones with BHRT. It's time that governments do the official research. Women are rebelling.

An update on my friend: I asked her two weeks after starting a bioidentical hormone therapy how her symptoms were. She asked, what symptoms?

T.K. Robb is a freelance writer and researcher specializing in anti-aging, health and wellness issues and bioidentical hormones She writes product and service reviews for various companies in the health and wellness industry. When not writing, she travels all over the world and pursues her hobbies of photography, the internet and then, again, some more writing.