Today's Golden Girls

OK, I'll confess....I just love the "Golden Girls" repeats on television.  I find the good humor and laughs I get from watching an episode before I go to sleep highly entertaining and all in good fun.  The other evening, there was an episode where one of the girls was experiencing the first signs and symptoms of menopause.  The comments and laughs revolving around the topic were hysterical - all the characters shared their own experiences with 'the change'.  I have quite a number of patients whom I treat for menopause and I made the comment to a few of them over the past two days how the Golden Girls all looked so 'old' to be going through menopause.  Truly, they were only supposed to be in their 50s during the sitcom.  The 50-somethings that walk into my office look like they're 30-somethings.  Radiant, active, fashionable and in so much better shape...a sign of the times and women's health over the past 30 years since the show originally aired in prime time.  My patients also commented on the observation and how we, as women, have come such a long way in our knowledge of health, fitness, fashion and being fabulous!

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you're a "Golden Girl" and going thru peri menopause or full menopause and it's making your life a little inconvenient, call or email my office today and do what my fabulous 50-something patients have done to cease the sweats, vaginal dryness and other symptoms of 'the change'....acupuncture and herbal pills.  Safe, drug free and highly effective!

Small Acts of Kindness Create Big Smiles

Hurricane Irene did tremendous damage to the lower Catskill region of New York.  Stories of neighbors and strangers coming together to help the people who were affected by this massive storm touch our hearts.  I have my own story to share.  It's small and insignificant, but heart warming none-the-less:  I tried to protect my little flower cart as best I could by sheltering it from the winds we thought we would have gotten.  Unfortunately, it was the water that affected all of us.  My little cart was half immersed in water.  We had put all the flower pots inside the dealership and I mentioned to the crew to just put them out on the lawn after the storm.  I figured these hanging plants would somehow survive this type of disruption...hopefully....
A week after the storm, I pulled up to the dealership and a huge smile filled my face and my heart was filled with enormous emotion.  Three members of the crew had taken my flowercart from the flooding pool it had been in, they cleaned it off and placed all the flowering plants back into the cart.  The pretty little cart was back in its spot in front of the store; looking happy and bright as ever.  Appreciative thanks and hugs were given to these three people, who cared enough for me, for beauty and for the happiness that little cart has brought to so many people.  This is what true friendship is.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Do something to bring a smile to someone's face today.  No matter how small or insignificant it might seem, it really does make a huge difference to another person.  I can't wait till they see the mums I'm planting in the flowerbed for the fall!  A burst of color we shall all have!

For Breast Cancer Patients Magnesium Oxide May Ease Hot Flashes

The Mayo Clinic just released this information:

Data released from a pilot phase II trial from Virginia Commonwealth University Health System suggests that magnesium supplements in daily routine taken by women suffering from breast cancer may provide resistance to menopausal hot flashes. Researchers conducting the study reported that women with breast cancer who took 400 mg of magnesium oxide every day for 4 weeks reported a 41.4% reduction in the frequency of hot flashes.  By the help of magnesium supplements up to 50% of hot flashes can be controlled. It was observed that the side effects were negligible and the cost of the tablet (magnesium oxide) is very low, i.e. per tablet cost is $0.02. The results from this study are being used to plan a full a placebo-controlled trial.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Acupuncture is very effective in reducing the symptoms of menopause, particularly hot flashes.  If you are suffering from hot flashes or any other symptoms of menopause, schedule an appointment with your acupucnturist to alleviate your discomfort.

Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Drug-Free Method And The Treatment of Menopause

Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Drug-Free Method And The Treatment of Menopause The combined modalities of Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can balance the body’s energetics and expediently give relief to menopausal symptoms.

Part Two of a Two Part Blog
Traditional Chinese Medicine does not recognize menopause as a disease. Rather, it considers the symptoms of menopause to be imbalances within the body. After a complete medical intake and examination, several modalities (Acupuncture, Chinese herbal remedies, gentle breathing and physical exercises, and meditation) may be employed to effectively treat a woman in this stage of life to alleviate and ultimately eliminate the symptoms she is experiencing. Some dietary and lifestyle modifications may be recommended. As each female is very different, so will each woman’s treatment differ from another. One treatment, each week, for 12 weeks is par for the course. During the course of the 12 weeks, slight modifications are made to the treatment plan as the condition of the patient transforms. After the twelfth session, the patient’s condition is re-evaluated.

Clinical Trials of Acupuncture and Menopause
Clinical studies have suggested that acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are effective treatments for the various symptoms of menopause.  The World Health Organization has approved acupuncture as a treatment modality for symptoms associated with menopause.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  A Few Helpful Hints for a Smooth Ride through Menopause
Before you arrive at this stage of life, if you’re carrying around that extra 10 pounds, then lose them now. No time like the present! Introduce and/or increase into your daily diet more fruits and veggies and cut out the sugar. Sugar will destabilize your moods and cause you to become a ’loose cannon’ Dairy, high concentrations of red meats, alcohol, spicy foods and caffeine can contribute to more hot flashes than you’d like to have…so be judicious with these food choices. If you smoke…QUIT!!! No one needs to have stress in their lives, especially when ovulation ceases, so take the dog for more walks - dogs are great stress busters, meditate, treat yourself to a manicure, pedicure or a nice warm bubble bath, and there’s nothing like sharing some great laughs with your girlfriends. You’re not alone…all the ladies can relate to this time of life. So relax…it’s just a normal process. You’re not getting older; think of yourself as a fabulous bottle of red wine - as it ages and matures, it becomes bolder, better, effervescent and appreciated and valued in high esteem!

Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Drug-Free Method And The Treatment of Menopause

Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Drug-Free Method And The Treatment of Menopause

Part One of a Two Part Blog
In 2002, a government-funded study called the Women's Health Initiative raised grave and serious concerns about HRT's (Hormone Replacement Therapy) benefits and risks. These concerns led to nearly two-thirds of women who were on HRT to cease treatment. HRT is a hormonal replacement treatment that will increase a woman’s natural hormone levels. Estrogen-alone therapy (ET) is prescribed for women who have had a hysterectomy. Estrogen with progesterone therapy (EPT) is prescribed for women who experience menopause naturally.
So, What Happens During Menopause? Estrogen (working with progesterone) helps the body to process calcium (important for bone strength), helps to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and a healthy vagina. When menopause begins, the levels of natural estrogen and progesterone decrease rapidly and drastically. This is what causes the symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, mood changes, and insomnia. It is at this time that there can also be the risk of osteoporosis. Women who are experiencing a naturally occurring menopause should not take estrogen replacement, because can increase the risk of developing cancer of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus). Unnaturally high amounts of estrogen at this time of life can cause an overgrowth of uterine cells, which can lead to cancer. The addition of progesterone therapy decreases the risk of endometrial cancer by causing the endometrium to shed each month – but should a woman really be playing with nature in this manner? Nature has a very strange way of repelling and battling against anything foreign to it, and HRT can be deemed foreign to the immune system.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Stay Tuned for Tomorrow’s Blog: Learn how you can overcome the symptoms of menopause …naturally and drug-free with acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy. Learn how you could eliminate hot flashes, night sweats and a dry vagina in just a few weeks with Chinese Medicine.

Tuesday Timeout

Seaweeds on the Northern California Coast

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Take a timeout today for 5 to 10 minutes and just relax.  The long weekend was chock-full of fun, food and friends. As you shovel through all those unread emails of the past 3 to 4 days, go back to this photo and wonder at the beauty of nature.  Tomorrow, I'll tell you all about the edible seaweeds and while they are as buttery and delicate as field greens, they are even better for your health!
Happy Tuesday!

Shake A Leg? Restless Leg Syndrome and the Older Male

"A US study has shown that erectile dysfunction is more common in older men with RLS (restless leg syndrome)... The authors of the Helath Professionals Follow-up Study revealed that erectile dysfunction was 16% more likely in men with RLS symptoms that occurred five to 14 times per month and 78% more likely in men whose RLS symptoms occurred 15 or more times per month.  (It has been) suggested that the association between RLS and erectile dysfunction could be related in part to sleep disturbance that co-occurs with RLS and which may be associated with decreaded circulating testosterone levels.
Restless legs syndrome and erectile dysfunction.  Sleep. 2010 Jan 1;33(1):65-9. 
Courtesy:  Journal of Chinese Medicine No94,Oct 2010

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  As men age, their bioavailability of testosterone decreases, while their levels of estrogen increase (this is andropause - the male version of menopause).  This leads to symptoms of insomnia, night sweats, decreased quality of blood and blood circulation, dry and brittle hair and nails, wrinkling of skin and loss of muscle mass.  Gentlemen...do what the ladies having been doing for themselves for years - regular acupuncture treatments and herbal pills for these symptoms will improve your sleep, stop the restless legs, improve your muscle tone and skin turgor, put the shine back into your hair and nails and help with your overall virility.  Call or email today for an appointment.

Get Some Sleep and You'll Live Longer

Did you know that English and Italian researchers have concluded that getting the proper amount of sleep will help you to live longer?  The statistic showed that people who slept less than 6 hours nightly were 12% more likely to die prematurely than those individuals who enjoyed a healthy 8 hours of sleep.
(Courtesy:  Sleep, 2010 May 1;33(5):585-92).  Now, maybe this is simply due to the fact that folks who get more sleep are more alert and less likely to fall asleep while driving a motor vehicle or be sloppy around heavy equipment...accidents do happen.  It could merely be due to better alertness while crossing a busy traffic street.  And, perchance, better rest of one's body leads to better reparation of cells, improved metabolism, a stronger immune system and a less stressed mind.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you're not getting good sleep (if you are tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep or remain sleeping), acupuncture and Chinese herbal pills can be a very viable solution for you.  I have helped many a person to improve his/her sleep with regular care and later on followup treatments.  We all want to live long and prosper and what better way to achieve this than a small investment into our sleep today!

Acupuncture Relieves Menopausal Symptoms

Acupuncture has been found to be highly effective in decreasing hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.  This was the conclusion of yet another randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial performed in Brazil that was published this past May.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Acupuncture with the addition of herbal pills will eliminate the hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings and depression associated with menopause.  Ladies...you'll be able to attend a cocktail party and not worry about sweat marks on you dress, nor will your makeup melt before the salad is served.  Your self esteem will recover and so will your sex life.  Call or email the office today and you'll be feeling a whole lot cooler and calmer in no time at all!
917-701-7582
k@kmondesire.com

Female Sexual Function and the Mediterranean Diet

Another great reason for having that glass of red wine with your dinner...the Division of Urology, Dept of Geriatrics and Metabolic Diseases at the Second University of Naples, Italy, published their findings recently in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.  They concluded, after an in-depth study of women with type 2 diabetes, that there was certainly a relationship between diet and sexual dysfunction.  Those participants who adapted a Mediterranean diet (rich in fruits and vegetables (excluding potatoes), fish, red and processed meats, nuts, whole grains and legumes, and alcohol were found to have a lower incidence of sexual dysfunction.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  This works for men as well.  So if you or your Lady Love suffer from less than the best sex drive or sexual function, you might want to explore the benefits of a low fat Mediterranean diet.  Better still, go online and take my FREE wellness survey.  It includes a FREE initial wellness consultation and you might be quite surprised what a big difference a few diet modifications can make for your overall well-being!