Menopause Night Sweats & Hot Flashes

HRT may Not be Linked to Heart Risk in Menopausal Women

There is actually little evidence suggesting that menopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy are at an increased cardiovascular disease risk.

Although the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on CVD are favourable, these depend on the woman’s age and medical background.

There is a trend that HRT is cardioprotective in younger women. In older women, there is a trend to an increase in CVD risk, although this effect is not statistically significant.

In general, HRT is safe for most younger women (i.e. women going through the menopause or in the early postmenopausal period) for the relief of menopausal symptoms.

Women older than 60 years, or those with predisposing risk factors, have a very slightly increased CVD risk and should be more cautious. HRT is also known slightly to increase the risk of venous thromboembolism.

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Flaxseed oil could reduce the risk of osteoporosis

After menopause, women are at increased risk for the bone-weakening condition known as osteoporosis. And women who are diabetic have an even greater chance of developing the disorder. But now comes research from Egyptian scientists that suggests flaxseed oil could be a natural way to protect bone health.

The new study, recently published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, concludes that flaxseed oil has a beneficial effect on bone mineral density and reduces markers associated with osteoporosis. Bottom line: supplementing the diet with flaxseed oil could markedly reduce the risk of osteoporosis and be of particular benefit to post-menopausal and diabetic women.

Scientist Mer Harvi and colleagues at the National Research Center in Cairo, Egypt, investigated the impact of diabetes on bone health. Then in laboratory studies they evaluated how flaxseed oil added to the diet could delay the onset of osteoporosis.

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Testosterone, Menopause, and Heart Disease

Testosterone is an typically overlooked hormone within the grand theme of menopause however the reality is, it helps with hot flashes, night sweats , bone loss, energy, vanity, sexual desire, and orgasm response. For several women, this important hormone decreases with age however for a few, it actually will increase resulting in increased facial hair, acne, and an increased risk for heart disease.

As testosterone levels increase, your insulin sensitivity decreases increasing your risk for blood sugar issues like diabetes. A recent study within the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that menopausal women with the highest levels are 3 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease and have greater

So what can you do?

First, get your levels of free and total testosterone checked. Next get your levels of fasting glucose and fasting insulin tested. This can give you important insight into your risk level.

If your glucose and/or insulin is elevated, examine your diet by cutting out sugar, simple carbs, coffee drinks, soda, and other high sugar/high carb sweets. Consider blood sugar balancers such as cinnamon (the spice) or chromium (the supplement).

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Florida case could open hidden Prempro drug records

Is Prempro, the hormone drug known to increase the risk of breast cancer, a public hazard?

If a judge in Pinellas County determines that it is, hundreds of thousands of documents now under seal in lawsuits against the drug’s manufacturer nationwide could be released for the public to inspect.

The key to the confidential company records has ended up in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Anthony Rondolino’s hands because of a clerical misstep and a unique Florida statute.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Monday, though attorneys were negotiating a possible resolution late Thursday.

More than 9,000 women have sued Pfizer’s Wyeth unit, the maker of Prempro and Premarin, claiming its bestselling hormone drugs caused breast cancer and stroke. The vast majority of those lawsuits have been consolidated in federal courts in Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Nevada.

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Night Sweats – what the hell is AWETO

What is it?

Aweto, additionally known as "worm grass" or "summer-worm, winter-grass," is a staple in Chinese Traditional Medicine. It isn’t really a plant or a worm. It’s the result of a parasitic relationship between the fungus cordyceps and also the larva of the ghost moth (thitarodes). The fungus germinates in the larva, kills and mummifies the moth, and then the cordyceps grows from the head of the insect.

Looks like:

You guessed it — a dried worm, about three to five centimetres long and yellowish brown in color, complete with the segmented body. There is sometimes a very little stem protruding of one end.

Tastes like:

Real aweto smells like earthy, fishy mushrooms and has a crunchy texture and a rather sweet taste.

Employed in:

The worm was thought by TCM doctors to enhance folks’s immunity to any or all illnesses. It’s said to be especially beneficial for the lungs and kidneys and is used to treat, among other things, impotence, night sweats , coughing and asthma. It’s typically ground into power and made into a tea or added to soups.

As a Doctor Sees Night sweats

Virtually all girls get at least some hot flushes and night sweats  round the menopause; they’re a by-product of the "make additional oestrogen" chemical messages that our brains send out after they detect falling levels of this hormone.

Our ovaries may work intermittently for some time, so the sweats often come and go, until the brain realises that the ovaries have finally stopped operating for good – this will take many years.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can suppress menopausal symptoms till it’s all over. Current recommendations are to take HRT for brief-term relief of menopausal symptoms. However some unlucky women do continue to have symptoms into their 60s, or perhaps longer.

I’d advocate seeing your GP to check nothing else is going on, as there are dozens of other causes of night sweats  , as well as an overactive thyroid, chronic infections, some medicine (for instance, antidepressants) and some rare sorts of cancer.

If your sweats are still because of the menopause, you could take into account taking HRT even now, provided your GP thinks that it’s appropriate for you, although the risks of stroke and heart attack do increase slightly as you get older.

Nation’s Largest Network of Doctors Specializing in Bioidentical Hormones Grows at an Exponential Rate

BOCA RATON, Fla.–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–For many businesses, 2009 has been a painful year. Not so for BodyLogicMD. The nation’s largest and fastest growing network of expert physicians specializing exclusively in medically supervised bioidentical hormones has grown the number of physicians in its network since November 2008 – from 21 to 36 physicians – and is in progress to add more physician-owned centers, including one in Puerto Rico, by the end of this year.

In the past year, BodyLogicMD has opened 13 new bioidentical hormone specialty practices around the country, currently spanning coverage in 36 cities and 18 states.

“2009 has been a year of unprecedented growth for BodyLogicMD,” said Patrick Savage, founder and president of BodyLogicMD, Inc. “We’re adding an average of 1,000 new patients each month and are opening new offices and adding doctors to existing locations as quickly as possible to meet the tremendous demand. It’s very exciting to be a part of the explosive growth in this area of preventive medicine.”

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A better night’s sleep for people with cancer

Sometimes you can’t get a good night’s sleep because of anxiety or depression. Other causes include pain, night sweats , some cancer medications or side effects from treatment.

When counting sheep doesn’t work

Making small lifestyle changes during the day and in the evening can help improve the quality of sleep you get at night. Here are some tips:

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Cool-jams Announces The Arrival Of “The Perfect Pajama”

Cool-jams Wicking Sleepwear has developed one of the finest pajamas in the world. The super soft fabric actually regulates the body temperature as you sleep, so you are never too cool or too warm…always just right.

Cool-jams announces the arrival of “The Perfect Pajama”. This new sleepwear incorporates all the benefits of Cool-jams temperature regulating fabric technology for both men and women. The Cool-jams “Perfect Sleepwear” line includes pajamas and nightshirts constructed with a luxuriously soft micro-fiber wicking fabric. The Cool-jams fabric has the ability to absorb moisture and heat while also providing temperature-buffering capability for

extreme comfort. “The Cool-jams sleepwear fabric is designed to maximize your comfort level by balancing temperature swings while you sleep. Our technology is particularly appealing to anyone suffering from night sweats , hot flashes or those living in warm climates,” explains Anita Mahaffey, President and CEO.

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Pfizer faces $103 million in Prempro damages

Pfizer Inc. has been hit with more than $100 million in two punitive-damage awards – one decided and the other unsealed yesterday – from Philadelphia juries.

Both cases involve Prempro, a hormone-replacement drug made by Wyeth, which recently was acquired by Pfizer. Plaintiffs said the drug was linked to their breast cancer.

The total includes $28 million awarded yesterday to Donna Kendall of Decatur, Ill.

In the second case, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Sandra Moss yesterday unsealed a verdict reached earlier this year that awarded $75 million in punitive damages to another Illinois resident, Connie Barton, over her Prempro-linked breast cancer.

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