Happy, peaceful, healthy, prosperous, joyful…

New Year!

New You!

Enjoy….see you in 2009!

Winner of $25 Itunes card to be announced in the morning.

Best post of 2008 – you decide

I’ve decided to hold a contest to ring in the new and let go of the old.

Please email me or add a comment (with your name/email address) about what Flashfree post resonated the most this year. If I get enough feedback, I’ll draw names out of a hat and announce the post on December 30. Winner gets a $25 itunes card to insure that the New Year launches with a rocking start.

Voting closes at midnight, 12-31 and the winner will be announced on 1-1-09.

Email me at flashfree111@gmail.com

One-stop shopping

I recently ran across a press release for Menersa™, Vitaloix Labs’ neutraceutical that the company says addresses 34 common symptoms of menopause, including:

• weight gain
• hot flashes
• night sweats
• mood swings
• vaginal dryness
• urinary changes
• loss of sex drive

Wow! One pill that does ALL THAT. Company spokesperson Janice Greenberg, also says that “evidence suggests that it (Menersa™) is comparable to low-dose estradiol for relieving hot flashes.”

So, what is in this wonder “drug” anyhow?

According to the product website, Menersa™ is a combination of phytoestrogens, black cohosh, soy isoflavones and other natural ingredients.

I want to believe

Truly, I do. But if anything, science and medicine has proven that one size rarely fits all.  What’s more, the company cites clinical studies that back their efficacy claims and yet the only thing on the web is a one-pager on the supplement that contains a description, testimonials and an order form.

As regular readers of this blog knows, I am a huge fan of herbal and alternative approaches to addressing menopausal symptoms. However, I am also a stickler for data that supports any claims.

So, Vitaloix. Show me the data. And if it does what it says it does, I’ll be an enduring fan.

Any of you try Menersa™ yet? Tell me about the product.

Older but wiser?

Age and wisdom don’t always go hand-in-hand.

Indeed, recently published data show that nearly 1 in 16 older women in the United States are infected with high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV).  HPV, of which there are 40 types, is classified as low-risk or high-risk, depending on whether or not it causes genital warts (low-risk) or cancer (high-risk).

Left undetected, HPV (which resides in the skin and mucous membranes) can be easily transmitted during sexual activity. What’s more, the virus causes virtually no symptoms until the infection reaches more advanced stages. In addition to cervical cancer, HPV can increase the risk for cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis and anus.

In this study, researchers conducted interviews with 1,550 women, ages 57 to 85, residing in Chicago. Additionally they drew  vaginal samples and tested them for 13 high-risk types of HPV.

Study results, which were published in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, showed that the prevalence of high-risk HPV was 6% in this population; this corresponds to 1.8 million women (2006 Census data). Additionally, 63%  had multiple type infections.

Factors contributing to higher HPV risk included being single, smoking, having had 2 or more sexual partners and having previously had cancer or a hysterectomy.

HPV vaccine for older women?

The new, controversial HPV vaccine — Gardisil — is only  indicated for girls, ages 9 through 12, and may also offer protection for females through the age of 26, so long as they have not been previously vaccinated.  A condom may offer some amount of protection, but because HPV can affect areas that are not covered by a condom, the risk may remain in certain individuals. Short of that, the only way to truly prevent transmission is to avoid sexual activity altogether.

Merck did submit an application to extend use of Gardisil through the age of 45 but as of today, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration continues to express concern that the data do not support this extension.

Fortunately, there are options for women over age 30

The American Cancer Society now recommends that in addition to the pap smear (which can miss precancerous cells in up to 50% of cases), women over age 30 should have an HPV test. Like a pap, it simply require a swab and can be done at the same time. If results are negative in both, it is not necessary to have either again for 3 years.

It’s important to note that although there is no treatment for HPV, the immune system is able to clear both low- and high-risk types in 90% of cases. And of course, vigilance is a wonderful way to treat cervical cancer early, when necessary.

Be older and wiser

The take-away message is that older women remain at risk for HPV and have an increased risk for more severe infections.

Knowledge is power. Take the time to be tested, learn more about HPV, and open the lines of communication with your partner. At least 50% of men and women who have sex will develop HPV at some point in their lifetime, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 6.2 million American become infected yearly.

Wednesday Bubble: Hot stuff

Those of you who regularly read this blog know that I’ve spent quite a bit of time this Fall writing about sex. Sexual desire, sexual dysfunction,  testosterone and sex, self respect, happiness….sex.

However, when a friend of mine recently mentioned that it is commonly believed amongst men is that women going through menopause are insatiable,  I had to jump on him (figuratively, of course) and the topic.

This statement blows all the data proving otherwise, well, right out the window.

Women going through menopause are insatiable.

So ladies and gentlemen, the soapbox is yours’ today on Flashfree. Let’s burst the bubble and put the myth and misconceptions about midlife and sex to rest, once and for all (okay, I can’t really promise not to write about this topic again but once and for all this week….):

What are your experiences? Take the poll or comment. Let’s talk!

Packin’ the luv…handles

It seems that that roll around your abdominal area might be increasing your odds of having hot flashes, according to a study published in this past May/June issue of the journal Menopause.

Currently, two competing theories have been used to explain how body fat might affect flashes:

1) Androgens (e.g. testosterone)  influence the distribution of body fat in both men and women. So, it is possible that the conversion of androgens to estrogens in body fat actually decreases hot flashes.

2) Body fat actually increases hot flash frequency regardless of hormonal balance.

To determine which of these two theories was most probable,  a study was undertaken in 461 women (ages 45 to 58) participating in an ancillary study of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. The results? Increased abdominal fat, in particular, fat found just below the skin in the abdominal area, increased the odds of hot flashes by 1.3 times. This association was not reduced when reproductive hormones were measured.

I’ve written previously about the role of adoposity in the metabolic syndrome. And as many of us know who are struggling with middle-aged weight gain (emphasis on “middle”), abdominal rolls become more and more difficult to attack when hormones go awry.

So, the news about abdominal fat and hot flashes is not especially welcome.

What can you do to attack the health risks and nuisance side effects of abdominal fat?

Let’s put one myth to rest immediately:

No specific food  or herb is going to influence where your body stores its fat. And abdominal exercises that claim to “target”  or spot reduce fat, e.g.,  crunches,  do not.

Fewer calories and healthy eating habits, coupled with more aerobic activity and strength training, can help. My friend Mark Salinas, over the MarkSalinasBlog, also has some wonderful tips for weight management and workouts on his site so I encourage you to peruse some of his posts.

Any other tips you’d like to share? Tell me; what do you do to attack those love handles and send em packing? Better yet, have your hot flashes gotten worse with hormonal weight gain?

More great news about needles

Tis the Season for needles…pine and otherwise!

Norwegian researchers are reporting that acupuncture plus self-care can reduce the frequency of hot flashes substantially in postmenopausal women! Now that’s a gift I can get my arms around!

In this study, published in the December 4 advanced, online edition of Menopause, 267 postmenopausal women who experienced at least 7 hot flashes every 24 hours for at least 7 consecutive days received:

1) 10 acupuncture treatments plus an informational brochure on self-care for menopause symptoms, or

2) An informational brochure on self-care for menopause symptoms only

The results showed that hot flash frequency decreased by 50% over 24 hours in women receiving acupuncture compared to those who only received self-care instructions. The researchers aso noted significant improvements in vasomotor (e.g. night sweats) , sleep and emotional/psychological  symptoms among women receiving acupuncture.

I’ve written about the value of acupuncture for hot flashes and improved sleep quality previously. I’m glad to see that more evidence is accruing supporting this wonderful, safe modality to improve menopausal symptoms.

The American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is also an excellent source for more information and help finding a qualified practitioner.

Wednesday Bubble: Got change?

Got change?

I’m going to take a detour from Wednesday  ‘business as usual’ and share this wonderful cartoon I ran across in the British Cartoon Archives at the University of Kent, UK.

Enjoy!

Credit: Paul Thomas, Uncaptioned. Daily Express, 24 September 1999; The British Cartoon Archive, University of Kent, catalogue record 52191.  http://www.kent.ac.uk/cartoons

News Flash!!!! More bad news about hormone therapy

Today marks the close of 31st Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. And the news that taking hormones to prevent menopause symptoms for five years doubles the risk for breast cancer.

Dr. Rowan Chelboski from the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center presented these bubble bursting results on Saturday.  Tracking over 15,000 women originally enrolled in the halted  Women’s Health Initiative study (originally designed to examine the use of Wyeth’s Prempro until higher risks of heart disease were observed), the researchers plotted breast cancer cases over time for an average 5.5 years.

Importantly, they saw a clear trend showing increased breast cancer risk at the start of using the pills, a peak in risk as the study ended, and a decline once the women stopped using the pills. At its peak, women using hormones had twice the risk of developing breast cancer as those who never used them.

What’s more, despite the argument that the decline in cancer rates seen after women stopped using hormones might be due to fewer mammograms being done to detect cancer, these new data show that mammogram rates were the same among women taking hormones and those not taking hormones.

So what’s the take-away advice? Experts suggest that hormone use in the short-term (3-4) is still safe but recommend that long-term use be avoided or at the very least, dosage reduced.

Personally? I’d look for other safer solutions for those bothersome side effects of menopause.

What do you think?!

Something’s fishy

A small study in the online edition of the journal Menopause suggests that a supplement containing  omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce hot flashes in menopausal women.

Canadian researchers evaluated the influence of omega-3 supplementation in 120 women (between the ages of 40 and 55) experiencing hot flashes who took either a real pill containing oeicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or dummy pill for 8 weeks.  At the start, study participants had an average of 2.8 hot flashes daily.

At the study’s end, women taking omega-3 fatty acids had 1.5 times fewer hot flashes daily compared to women taking dummy pills, whose hot flash frequency decline by 50%. Hot flash severity, however, remained similar between the groups and the use of omega-3s did not impact mood or other quality of life factors.

Although the researchers caution that more study is needed, it’s important to note that earlier data do suggest that omega-3s may be useful in reducing hot flashes.  Regardless, the benefits of incorporating omega-3s in midlife, which include potential protection against heart disease and osteroporosis, should not be overlooked.