The thinking continues to get more positive about menopausal hormones. The hysteria about hormones started when data from the Women’s Health Initiative Study was misinterpreted and misquoted in the media.  For the most part, the women in the study were too old to start taking hormones and had no menopausal symptoms.  Specialized physicians like Harvard’s Dr. Alan Altman M.D. were mystified by the reporting, since they could clearly see the limitations of the study and had seen women starting hormones in their 50’s thrive on brand name, FDA-approved bioidentical patches and gels. So, here are the facts (in his own words) on the WHI from an expert and author who understood from the beginning what the study showed and did not show. 
“The WHI did not study all “hormones.”  In fact, the ONLY hormones studied were Prempro© and Premarin© (non-human identical hormones and only pill form) – The WHI Study was not really about “all women”…average age of the women studied were 12 years after menopause…averaged 64 years old at outset of study – What WHI actually did show was that a 72-year old woman should not be started on oral Prempro© to protect her heart.

– Any small increase in dementia was seen only in women ages 75 to 80! (Numerous studies of women starting HT at the appropriate age close to their final menstrual period have demonstrated a 50% to 65% decrease in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.) (more…)

Boomers didn’t invent the booty call – we politicized it and called it “Free Love.” But in these complicated, emotional baggage-laden times, we hear that sometimes when a girl wants a guy, they don’t need a long-term reason why…or why not.  Hey, Dan, let’s wham bam, Thank you, Ma’am.  We’re not talking about married folk, here.  Random hookups for those people are still called the same thing – adultery.  But we’ve all heard the story of the lady coming off a long-term relationship or marriage who just feels more desirable and gets her pilot light lit after a fling.  Then there’s (more…)

You may’ve read that your jolt of Joe has disease-fighting antioxidants, so you’ve been gleefully guzzling it with a side of dark chocolate.  But here’s more, and more, and more good news about coffee: 1) It reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes by 30%. 2) Consistent coffee drinkers are as much as 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s. 3) It reduces the risk of alcohol-related cirrhosis. 4) Research has found it to be protective against skin, breast, liver, colon, and rectal cancers! 5) Prevents cavities? New research says yes. 6) Helps treat headaches, which is why Excedrin and Anacin have caffeine. Grind your own organic beans, keep milk, sugar, and sweeteners to an absolute minimum, and drink moderately and early in the day.

And while we’re on the yuck factor, don’t we love our morning coffee and our fancy vodka martinis?  But who knew that coffee and vodka are made from two of the dirtiest, most chemically-treated crops out there?  Coffee is commonly treated with synthetic petroleum-based fertilizers that destroy soil and water.  Go for the Certified Organic coffee, and while you’re checking the label, look for Shade Grown and Fair Trade, too.
Even top-shelf vodka is made from (more…)

My daughter attended a house party recently where guests were asked to remove shoes. Honestly, I wish I had asked people to do that when my kids were toddlers, as was the case at the party she attended.  Visualize your children or grandchildren crawling around on floors covered with pesticides, gum, dog doo, urine, dirt, and whatever “don’t ask, don’t tell” substance is around.  Ask your son or husband about men’s restrooms, and think about what’s on the bottom of men’s shoes.  This always becomes an issue at the holidays, as in the Sex and the City episode where (more…)