Lip Service

Spring is coming and it’s time to get in shape!  Toohotmamas is proud to present our new exercise video: ANGELINA LIPS GUARANTEED! Don’t waste money on videos that don’t address those pesky lip lines. For the low price of only $19.99 you’ll receive our Pucker Pretty Video that focuses on 16 dominant muscle groups associated with building stronger, more youthful looking lips.  You’ll grove to our high energy, low impact lip routines that’ll get your heart pumping and your lips moving!  Don’t just endlessly flap your lips when you can be taking your oral fitness to new levels!  Learn to chew faster and with more precision.  Experience heightened sensation while whistling.  And best of all apply you lipstick with confidence.  As always, consult your physician before beginning any lip exercise program. Void, where prohibited by law.  

Angelina Lips: guaranteed!

 

L.I.Productions.  A subsidiary of Toohotmama’s Worldwide.

[Via http://toohotmamas.wordpress.com]

Good vibrations or knackered knees?

I have just experienced using a Power Plate for the first time.

I only did about six exercises on it during a trial run and it made me tingle all over and my legs feel lighter now, around an hour later back at home. Since smashing my coccyx and a couple of vertabrae about 20 years ago after playing tennis on a hard court, I have a weak lumbar region and really creaky knees and can’t get up or down easily anymore, nor walk downstairs without creeping crablike down one step at at time and a bit sideways so the weight is only on one knee joint at a time.  About ten years ago, after endless agony and MRI scans etc, a brilliant knee specialist Dr Barratt said, “I can’t turn a cobbled street into a motorway”, and sent me on my way.

I’ve done what I can ever since to try and strengthen the muscles around the knees and I guess it has helped but they are still dreadfully sore.

Trouble is, the trainer at the gym has recently given me more leg abductor and leg adductor exercises with 15kg weights but the Power Plate instructor says they’re too much and will do my knees more harm than good.

I really don’t know who or what to believe anymore! Anything I do to help myself costs a flipping fortune  as well and I could be throwing good money after bad.  Any good, cost-effective advice out there? I’m 55 for heavan’s sake, past my best physically, menopausal and wanting to keep as fit as I can but I’m starting from a negative and painful place which doesn’t help. All the motivation is there but finding the best solution is proving harder.

For those interested there’s a description of the Power Plate here taken off http://www.davidlloyd.co.uk/

There’s nothing quite like it and you’ll love it!

Power Plate® gives you a 60 minute whole body gym workout in just 15 minutes.

Power Plate® is a gym machine that’s unique. It works by transferring vibrations to selected muscles around your body, making them contract and helping them to stretch, tone and strengthen. The vibrations make the effect of your exercise much greater, so you can have a full workout in a fraction of the time. It’s the low-impact way to maximise your fitness in the gym, fast.

• Boost performance and stamina
• Promote muscle strength and tone
• Build bone density and help prevent osteoporosis
• Improve flexibility and circulation
• Enhance relaxation and overall wellbeing
• Speed weight loss and fight cellulite

[Via http://theamuse.wordpress.com]

Update......Weight Loss Challenge 2010

Six weeks and counting since my girlfriends and I started the Weight Loss Challenge for 2010.  I am down 9 lbs and doing really well.  I did have a slow start the first few weeks, but the last two weeks I have been totally focused with my foods.  The challenge I am having is working out and somehow I need to incorporate this around my crazy schedule, among other things like housework.  I have tried doing some quick 20 minutes workouts, including squats, kettlebells and crunches, but I know I need to include more cardio.

My new loves are Coconut Milk, Coconut Water, Braggs Apple Cidar Vinegar with Ginger & Sesame Salad Dressing (great to cook with too), Rice Chocolate Bars and Ezekial Wraps…..yummmmm.  I feel good, lighter and truly focused on finishing what I began a long time ago.  My goal is to be as healthy as I can be.  When I saw Alicia Silverstone on the Oprah Show discussing the documentary Food Inc. and her book The Kind Diet, I decided after viewing the documentary I would purchase her book.  I began reading it a few days ago, and it confirms much of what I have learned about processed foods, with even more facts and details in some areas.  She also covers other food groups, such as sugars, dairy and fish that I wasn’t completely informed in.  Some more of my favorites foods that I have to eliminate…….go figure…LOL. I have held strong in my convictions with certain foods that I will no longer eat……I just now have to expand that and become more creative in the kitchen……….Crap, and I thought menopause was hell!  

What have I learned so far?  I used to be an arse about calories in and calories out, plus burning it up with cardio.  I do still believe it all comes down to calories eaten versus calories burned, but I also felt I was ‘owned’ by writing everything down, which was actually adding to my stress of the day. I was carrying around a small writing pad at work making sure I wrote everything down……..good grief.  I have more recently felt such a freedom since I haven’t had do document every morsel anymore, and I can eat freely and not stress over counting my calories with every bite.  I have no idea where my calories are anymore and it doesn’t matter, because with eating healthy foods all day long my body is a burning…metabolizing machine!  Hooya!!!  Watch out girlfriends, here I come!!!!!  LOL….

Wisdom….The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends!

[Via http://mygritsconfessions.com]

Countdown: 11 days

I’m on school vacation so I’m getting caught up on things around here. I’m taking a class and I need to finish the coursework this week because it ends after my surgery day. Next week I need to use my time to get work prepared for my sub.

I took a nice winter walk today with one of my dogs and it was refreshing and felt good to be out enjoying nature. Last night was horrible with night sweats galore. I didn’t sleep much but thankfully, I didn’t have to set an alarm today. I’m hoping for a decent night’s sleep tonight.

I’m enjoying watching the Olympics during my vacation and it’s nice lead into surgery doing something that I enjoy and can take my mind off of it.

Honestly… it still hasn’t really sunk in yet…..

[Via http://brcapositivejourney.wordpress.com]

Vitamin C -lecithin interactions in the prevention of atherosclerosis, cancer and gallstones

neil.burman@gmail.com

IS THERE ANYTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN?

Fish oil use for medicinal as well as dietary purposes  dates back at least to Viking times; but the 1922  scientific study of fish oil by Jack Drummond & Sylvester Zilva is the first paper on it on Pubmed, as a source of vitamin A.

But it took till the 1930s for it’s (ie codliver oil) wide medicinal benefits  to be recognized.

Since then fish oil has proven to be the most pluripotential ‘micro’nutrient – at a dose as little as perhaps 100mg/day- in prevention and treatment (via either it’s omega3 EPA+DHA content, or its vitamins A and D content) of all common major diseases from learning , behaviour and memory disorders from birth to dotage, to infections, inflammation, arthritis, vision, pregnancy,  growth and osteoporosis, mood, parkinson’s, hypertensive, vascular, thrombotic, lipid, cancer and diabetic disorders.

The recognition of citrus juice- vitamin C – as a medicinal dates back apparently only 250 years to Dr James Lind’s recognition of it’s reversal of lethal scurvy. But it was first identified and isolated only about 80 years ago .  Since then it has proven to be as pluripotential a preventative as fish oil and now vitamin D3, and balanced sex hormone replacement.

In 1971 Borgman & Haselden described the  effects of cod liver oil on dissolution of gallstones.

In 1974 Krumdieck &  Butterworth’s landmark  paper on cholesterol-lecithin interactions: factors of potential importance in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. summarized the evidence for combining supplements of vitamin C and soy lecethin (ie polyunsaturated fatty acid at position 2)  in the prevention of atherosclerosis- since once this disease is present, it can take months to reverse.

in 1976  Navarro & Guevara described the importance of vitamin C in prevention of gallstones.

and by  1989 Wechsler  ea described how omega-3-fatty acids  – fish oil-  just 1.5gm a day decreases biliary cholesterol and lithogenicity.

from 1973 Cameron Pauling & Campbell published their landmark work on vitamin C to tolerance (not antiscurvy doses or below many grams a day) in the prevention and treatment of many human cancers.

by 1997 Mizuguchi ea described prevention  by fish oil of cholesterol gallstone formation in hamsters.

and in 1999  Takenaga ea described how Lecithinized ascorbic acid (PC-AS) effectively inhibits murine pulmonary metastasis.   

Lecitithin is derived from food – meat, liver, legumes, cereals, fish and eggs – but not from fish oil.   It – phosphatidylcholine- is a principal component of fat metabolism, cell membranes, brain, semen, and against gallstones, atherosclerosis (and thus heart – vascular-hypertensive -brain-), breast,  cirrhosis and other liver diseases.  

The crucial DHA and EPA omega3 fatty acids are, practically, derived exclusively from marine algae and thence krill and fish oil .

Hence the paramount importance (in preventing all common diseases)  of promoting fish oil (by the teaspoon or capsule) together with lecithbioinized Vitamin C to tolerance eg  vitamin C 50% enhanced with perhaps 15% calcium carbonate,  5% mag oxide,  10% bioflavinoid and 20% lecithin. Up to a heaped  tsp 2 – 3 times  a day of such an Enhanced Vitamin C  mix – ie to bowel tolerance- will provide 5 – 7.5g vitamin C, 500-750mg calcium, 300 -450mg magnesium, 1-1.5g bioflavinoid and 2- 3g  lecithin, with little diarrhoea..

Obviously to this should be added a blend of all the other few-score safe proven potential preventative supplements to combat all the other chronic diseases of premature aging including even multiple sclerosis (especially highdose vitamin D3).

So while oil and water dont mix in a glass, , ie vitamin C and bioflavinoids are not soluble in oil, combining them by taking them  together with lecithin and fish oil a few times a day makes huge sense.

[Via http://healthspanlife.wordpress.com]

Taxing

Iiiitttsss Tax Time!

My husband does ours.  Which means I’m due for my annual verbal spanking.

“Do you have any idea how much we spent on fries this year?”

“Uh, no?”

“SIX.  THOUSAND.  DOLLARS!”

“What?”  Okay, what with 5 kids, I don’t have a lot of time to cook, but I’d had no idea.

“What did you buy?  Gold plated keyboards?”

Huh?  Oh!  Frys  Electronics!  My hearing ain’t what it used to be.  Phew.

Our diet is safe for another year.

Carolyn

[Via http://toohotmamas.wordpress.com]

One-Five-Nine (No kidding)

You've got to be kidding me.

About 15 years ago, I went to my doctor and complained bitterly about brain fog, fatigue and general malaise. I was sure it was my thyroid. And sure enough it was.

As a child, I had been hyper-thyroid. Apparently, children as young as I was don’t develop thyroid problems at the age of 9. They’re either born with them (and often die before diagnosed) or it just doesn’t happen until later in life. Not only was I hyperthyroid, I was extremely so and had a goiter big enough to double as a softball. I’m in medical journals. There was no real protocol for treating children and I was a research hospital’s guinea pig. They did not want to remove the thyroid for a host of reasons. I endured weekly (and sometimes twice weekly) medical appointments and testing for the better part of two years.

The treatment was successful, but my parents were warned that I may never undergo puberty and might never have children. Well. I did undergo puberty – in spades – though I attribute my lack of cleavage to after-effects of massive doses of thyroid hormones. [Every woman on both sides of my family is very well-endowed to the point where breast reduction surgery is often undertaken. I’m a standout oddity.] I also have Chef Boy ‘R Mine as witness to my childbearing abilities.

I’d been complaining, 20 years ago, that something wasn’t right with my thyroid. For the first time in my life, I could pinch an inch. I couldn’t get enough sleep, etc. etc. I kept testing in the normal range. I tried to explain to them that although I wasn’t medicated, I had been somewhat hyperthyroid since I quit taking the meds when I was 10. I was on a downward slope, but I had no street cred with the docs and they couldn’t have cared less what I thought. Low normal was still normal – never mind that I’d been slightly hyper for years.

Fifteen years ago, I persuaded them to do the full thyroid panel and sure enough I was hypothyroid.

The full panel of thyroid tests reveals all sorts of things, but for people with my diagnosis – Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis – the TSH number is the important one. 3.0 is considered the upper range of normal. Most docs don’t like for folks to get below 0.5 to 1.0 or above 5.0. I don’t recall what that first TSH number was – pretty big. I TOLD them I felt awful; I still don’t know why they were so surprised.

So. That was my second real indication that I’m pretty in tune with my body – the first was sensing that Chef Boy ‘R Mine was fixin’ to be a miscarriage before there were any real signs. I know when things are wrong.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid. A simple explanation is that my thyroid thinks it is allergic to itself and keeps trying to commit suicide. Even missing my meds for just a day can provoke mayhem and carnage. Even medicated, periodic adjustments are required. A few years ago, I felt like crap and developed a goiter. I called the doc. My TSH was 39 –yes 39. Thirty-nine times the upper range of normal. He was astonished. I’d only missed three or four days of my meds.

The amount of Synthroid I take boggles the mind of my hypothyroid friends. Hypothyroidism is epidemic among women in this country. The last I heard, it was estimated that 40% of American women are hypothyroid with most of them undiagnosed. Since Oprah got diagnosed, I imagine that a few more are insisting their doctors run the thyroid panel. But regular hypothyroidism is not the same as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Look at it like this – there’s the common cold and then there’s bronchitis.

So, over the years, my thyroid acts up, I feel like crap, and I call the doctor. I’m always right and they no longer argue with me. We run the tests, we up the Synthroid, and off I go on my merry way.

Tired? I should be comatose.

I’ve been sleeping a lot lately, but I haven’t had brain fog and I don’t have a goiter. It’s been a cold, yucky winter and my stress levels are THIS HIGH. [Connie holds her hand two feet above her head.] I’m very in tune with my body and nothing was on my radar.

The family practitioner insisted we run a thyroid panel. I was opposed. I thought it unnecessary testing that would end up costing me a couple hundred dollars. We argued, she won. She also ran my cholesterol.

Well. My cholesterol is in the “needs medication” column and my TSH is, no shit, ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-NINE. One Five Nine. That’s 5300% higher than it should be.

Well, shit-fire, no wonder I’m tired. I should be near comatose based on past experience.

I’m inclined to think something went awry with this test. With a TSH of 39, I could barely get out of bed, every spot of arthritis in my body was screaming, my skin was so dry I was a cloud of dead skin cells, and I was thoroughly miserable. I was also unable to remember anything. At a 39 TSH, my world was wallpapered with sticky notes lest I forget something. No kidding, I had sticky notes to remind me to do stuff you wouldn’t think needed reminders. I had “brush teeth” on the medicine cabinet and “go to work” on the steering wheel of the car. I would forget what I was doing in the middle of doing it.

It was awful. If I do, in fact, have a TSH of 159, I should be too bumfuzzled and confoozled to type this much less actually awake at 8 p.m. The only hesitation with dismissing it out of hand is that my cholesterol is high. Traditionally, my cholesterol numbers are good when my thyroid is functioning well. Hypothyroidism correlates with high cholesterol. Many folk find that when they’re properly medicated for thyroid problems, high cholesterol problems go away.

So. Today I read that menopause is suspected to interfere with the body’s ability to process Synthroid. Upon reading that, I threw up my hands and ran amok in the hallways for awhile. Menopause’s unbloody hands appear to affect every facet of my life. I’m tired of it. And I’m tired. And I have a TSH of 159.

I’m still functioning and for that I’m grateful. I’m much too busy to crawl into bed for the 4-6 weeks it will take to get things up to speed.

If you know a woman who’s tired of being tired, suggest she get her thyroid checked. There’s no need to be miserable. Until they figure out why all of us womenfolk are having this problem, there’s not much to be done for it other than get a diagnosis and some prescriptions. (And if you have been diagnosed and medicated, but still feel like crap, get your B12 serum levels checked – B12 deficiency goes hand-in-hand with thyroid problems.)

[Via http://wvfurandroot.wordpress.com]

Weight Loss Diet Plan - Weight Loss During Menopause

Weight accident during menopause is hardly altered than aloof apparent ol’ weight weight loss diet plan for vegetarians loss. Because your hormones are activity kinda crazy you charge to abode that to aerate your weight loss. Here are a brace means to advance your weight accident during this time.

Weight Accident During Menopause

. Spinning Around like a child

Listen your hormones are activity crazy and they’re unbalanced. Spinning addresses this because Medical Weight Loss Diet Plan it stimulates your Endocrine System to antithesis out and antithesis your hormones. Now spinning won’t absolutely rework mother attributes with menopause but it’ll advice with weight accident at this point in your activity back the added antithesis your hormones are the easier it is to lose weight.

Here’s what you do…

Spin clockwise with your accoutrements out like aeroplane wings. Circuit anywhere from – times. Your ambition is to get hardly dizzy not absolutely Perfect Diet Plan For Weight Loss fall down dizzy. Once you circuit and acquisition that cardinal area you’re hardly dizzy you’ll charge to circuit that cardinal mulitple Vegetarian Diet Plan For Weight Loss times anniversary day to advice rework and actual your hormones throughout the day to bright the aisle for easier weight loss.

. Jump on a mini-trampoline

This is aloof an all-around abundant exercise. I like the actuality Free Online Diet Plan For Weight Loss that it’s convenient you can do it at home you can Weekly Diet Plan For Weight Loss do it Balanced Diet Plan For Weight Loss in abrupt spurts of time and it’s actual low impact. What I do is jump on it account Vegan Diet Plan Weight Loss at a time during commercials. Daily Weight Loss Diet Plan Did you apperceive that the boilerplate hour tv appearance has – account of commercials

That’s the absolute time do jump weight loss diet plan for vegetarians on the mini-trampoline. You’ll get a minute conditioning while watching tv.

Try out these things and weight accident during menopause will be a allotment of cake.

[Via http://weightlossdietplanforvegetarians.wordpress.com]

all dolled up

So yesterday morning, my dear blog buddy told me she was getting “all dolled up” for our trip to hear the marvelous NYT bestselling author Kristin Hannah read from her new novel, WINTER GARDEN.  (If you enjoy staying awake until 3 a.m. with a box of Kleenex and a whole new appreciation of love and the women in your life, read Kristin’s books.)

Now, despite the fact that I love seeing Kristin and love going to Powell’s bookstore, I had planned to wear my customary Saturday attire–discreetly stained sweatshirt and jeans that smell vaguely of dog if you get too close to my leg.  When I heard from Carolyn, however, I began to worry that perhaps I was not being respectful enough.  Or that I’m lazy or possibly defeatist, so I figured I’d freshen up a bit, too.

A little trivia about Carolyn:  She has a pact with the underworld and does not age.  To those of us who went through premature menopause, this is very disturbing.  Annoying, even.   I try to say the serenity prayer before I see her.

Okay, so I figured it would take me ten, maybe fifteen minutes to “doll up” for the big outing.  It.  Did.  Not.

With a career, a first-grader and a DIY kitchen remodel that could take us into the next millennium, I haven’t had a lot of time for makeup.  Apparently since I last visited my modest stash, my husband used my mascara to darken his beard for an audition, and there wasn’t much left (and also, eew).  My daughter “practiced” with the single lipstick I still own (looks more like she ate half of it), and my eyeshadow had gone a bit crumbly.  I did, however, find a brand new lip pencil!!!!!  I’ve always liked my lips, so I decided to concentrate on them.

Holy Mother of God.

I have a clear memory of watching my mother’s lipstick climb slowly up the lines leading from her top lip to her nostrils, and thinking, “Why does she let it do that?”  LET it.  I thought there was a choice.  I was wrong.

At forty-eight I have never smoked a cigarette.  Only rarely have I ingested liquid through a straw.  Yet within seconds of penciling my lips red, I looked like I had a bloody nose.

It won’t be easy explaining to my daughter that I’ve used her college fund for my BOTOX injections.

So my point:  Getting “all dolled up” is different now.  It takes longer.  It takes, actually, a little grieving and a lot of  surrender.  The gift, as far as I can tell at this juncture, is that  the focus shifts from worrying about what you think of me to the simple enjoyment of being in your company.  (Except, perhaps, for Carolyn’s company.  Because, I’m sorry, but when she loses weight she gets a jawline, and when I lose weight I get a turkey waddle, and I’m just not that spiritually evolved.  Yet.  I’ll get back to you.)

[Via http://toohotmamas.wordpress.com]

My Story: Part 5 Catching up to present day

To catch up to date since the time that I stopped journaling, here’s where I stand:  I met with the Plastic Surgeon, Dr. M. for an exam and to discuss reconstruction options should I decide to have a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy (PBM) with reconstruction.  The Breast Surgeon Dr.F. didn’t want my answer about/if I going going that route until meeting with Dr. M.

It was not really necessary to have that consult before making my decision for a PBM though as it was a no-brainer for me. I refuse to live my life in fear of the disease and taking the gamble that I could outrun it and fail. It would kill me to know that I was aware of the risk and the chances yet sat back waiting for it to happen to me and waiting a bit too long and getting caught.  (This is MY personal choice… it is an Individual Choice and each person knows what is right for them. I, am  IN NO WAY criticizing  or judging the choices of other people who are facing their own decisions… this is the choice and decision that’s best for me.)

My biggest decision was over which type of reconstruction procedure I wanted.  I initially was attracted to the TRAM flap because it involved my own natural tissues and I am an “earthy-crunchy nature” type. However after looking into the possible side effects of severing my ab muscles and using them to form the breast I began to lean more towards the Chest Expanders/Implant option.  I really value my ability to do yoga, kayak, bike ride, kickbox, run, etc. and the thought of having difficulty doing those things was too great of a risk for me. I have also had a back injury (from falling down a flight of stairs) and my lower back acts up if I’ve overdone it. Losing core muscle strength would not be the best choice for my back either.

Weighing all the pros and cons I decided to go forward with the Chest Expander/ Saline Implant reconstruction. I’m scheduled for surgery on February 26th,….twenty days from today.

Another major decision/hurdle was telling my children “the whole story” behind my October surgery, telling them about my upcoming surgery, and also explaining what it potentially means for them. It was difficult for me and I cried through the whole thing but made it through. DD cried. DS said he thought I was going to tell them that I had cancer so anything else was a relief.  Both children will eventually be tested but there is no real hurry at this point.

I still haven’t told my father, in-laws or any extended family. I do need to talk to my dad very soon though, as well as DH’s parents. I’m sure that none of them will truly understand but I’ll do my best to explain it.

As far as how I’ve been feeling… let’s just put it this way.  I haven’t slept more than a two hour stretch since those hot flashes and night sweats have started in October. Some days I go to work with bags under my eyes because I woke up every hour. It’s not so much waking up sweaty and hot, rather the fact that I’m wet, it’s winter, then I freeze and can’t get back to sleep because I’m curled in a ball trying to get warm.  While the sweats are uncomfortable, it’s the chills that I can’t bear. I’ve had to toss my pillow because it was actually mildewed from being so wet. I guess I’m just one of those women who have intense, frequent flashes while some others have occasional ones.. gee thanks!

My new “uniform” is a sleeveless summer shirt and  a winter cardigan during the day. I need to be able to take the cardigan off when I start dripping with sweat at work, then cover up when it’s over and I get cold. My closet is jammed because I have both seasons of clothes in there.  I did make some room though,  because I cannot wear regular sweaters or long sleeve shirts so I moved them into DD’s closet while she’s away at college.

I talked to my Gynecologist, Dr. B. about my hot flashes and she suggested increasing my Soy consumption and also mentioned something about anti-depressants to help.. NO WAY am I going that route!!!  I don’t even like to take an aspirin if I can help it. I’m not taking a medication for something else to help with hot flashes.

Some women have success with Black Cohosh so I’ve been taking Remifemin, an herbal supplement for the past 3 months. I can’t honestly say if it works at all or not because I’m still in the same boat. I’ll know if it even took the edge off very soon though since as of yesterday I’m off it as part of my pre-op instructions.

I’m also not allowed to drink any green tea, chamomile tea or anything else of that sort until after surgery.  Since I don’t take any medications, that will be my only pre-0p changes.

I’m a vegetarian, and since the new year have been trying to replace soy for dairy so I’m almost completely vegan at this point in terms of my diet. (Light soy milk in my coffee instead of cream, soy yogurt, vege cheese) Unbelievably, my weight has gone up and and I’m sporting a tire around my belly.. .lo and behold, common side effects of menopause, but it  also could be due to the Black Cohosh. So, being off will also help me gauge what I’m like with nothing. If my weight drops and the hot flashes are still the same with or without it, I’ll go off it for good. (I never wanted to take it in the first place but was so desperate with no sleep that I was willing to try it.)

So here I stand… this is where I’m at and I’m taking one day at a time.

[Via http://brcapositivejourney.wordpress.com]

Herbal Remedies for Menopause

Menopause is one of the utmost distasteful periods in the enthusiasm of a woman and for those with whom she lives or works.

There are several ways of treating acne and the natural herbal is the best and the safest.

It is better to be it an herbal mask or a chemical one, always remind to avoid the lip and eye areas while someone is applying the mask.

What makes Bruunhause as a result foreign is that it uses a fusion of Mother Nature’s most impressive herbal acne treatments in the world’s first H 3 O hydronium based solution.

Biodermazen is a impressive internal, all natural herbal acne supplement.

To charge acne and keep it clear, treating it with a natural herbal product that contains Vitamin C and E is a better way to start.

List of Literature

Planning your career in alternative medicine, Dianne J. Boulerice Lyons, 1997

Alternative Medicine, Kathiann M. Kowalski, 1998

Mosby’s complementary and alternative medicine, Lynda W. Freeman, G. Frank Lawlis, 2001

Recommended Links

Alternative Medicine Foundation

Yoga as exercise or alternative medicine

The Alternative Medicine

Herbal Remedies for Menopause is filed under Alternative medicine.

[Via http://satahva.wordpress.com]

Derm News Thursday, January 28

Broad and Informative

Timeline of Your Face: How You Age -Web MD

Caring for Menopausal Skin -Mayo News

“Safe Tans” Feeling the Burn From Potential Tan Ban -NBC Philadelphia

Top 10 Reasons Skincare and Beauty Products Stop Working -PR Web

For Those Who Want More Details…

Immune Cell Levels Predict Skin Cancer Risk in Kidney Transplant Patients -The Virtual Medical Centre

Scientists Turn Mouse Skin Cells Into Nerve Cells -Business Week

Stelara Beats Enbrel in Psoriasis Study -Web MD

[Via http://dermreport.com]

What evidence is there that higher Serum Testosterone Concentrations in Older Women CAUSE Overweight/obesity Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, Cardiovascular Disease or Cancer?

A new paper (Patel 2009) says   Early postmenopausal women with higher testosterone (T) levels have increased insulin resistance (IR) and cardiovascular risk factors; so  to test whether higher T levels are associated with IR, the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn), and coronary heart disease (CHD) , ie whether this translates into increased cardiovascular disease later in elderly women,    ultrasensitive testosterone s-T  assays were used  in 344 women aged 65–98 yr enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study CHS,  with cross-sectional analyses to examine the associations betweentotal and free T and IR, MetSyn, and CHD.   They found a stepwise increase in  insulin resistance with increasing total (P =0.0.003) and free T (P = 0.02) level and a corresponding decreasein  Insulin Sensitivity.. In adjusted models, higher levelsof both total and free T were strongly associated with abdominalobesity and high fasting glucose, the two MetSyn componentsmost strongly linked to IR. After adjustment, women in the topquartile of total T levels had a 3-fold greater odds of MetSynand  CHD(odds ratio 3) thanthose in the lowest quartiles, whereas free T was not significantlyassociated with MetSyn or CHD.

What clinical relevance  does this crossectional observational study have  in management of postmenopausal women? Observational studies say nothing about cause and effect.

This CVH study was in 5201 folks from 65-101yrs  ie mean age ~72yrs  . They  were overweight – mean waist 93cm, BMI 26kg., +- 25% with metabolic syndrome.

The alarming finding from   that CVH  study is that the more frequent the use of aspirin  , the higher the rate in women of ischemic stroke (O.R 1.6) but especially hemorrhagic stroke (O.R 4.0) . SO ELDERLY  WOMEN SHOULD NOT BE PRESCRIBED ASPIRIN-   stick to fish oil and EDTA.

We have known for over a decade that increasing obesity  in women  associates  with increasing estrogen (from fat) and testosterone (from ovaries). – as in PCOS, as in PMW, the only effective endogenous defence mechanism women can mount against increasing obesity (and thus insulin resistance, prediabetes)  is to increase luteal testosterone output -ie it requires ovaries..

But the overwhelming positive spinoff is that the higher the anabolic hormone (testosterone and  vit D) levels,  the greater their strength and  with 2/3 reduction in falls- which are the greatest risk factor for fractures. – with the extra vitamin D3 further reversing obesity.

A year ago a Queensland group (Olsen ea) found that “Women who had ever used testosterone supplements had a a 3.7fold  increased risk of ovarian cancer);” but they make no claim about cause and effect. In 1591 cases with ovarian malignancy they found only 11 who gave a history of testosterone use, compared to 4 of 1501 controls who had used testosterone, but they gave no breakdown on how many used physiological ie safe  parenteral balanced  physiological testosterone as opposed to unphysiological ie risky exposure. As they conclude “In summary, we found no consistent evidence for a role of androgens in the aetiology of ovarian cancer, overall or by subtype, and thus our findings do not support the hypothesis that androgen-related disorders increase the risk of ovarian cancer.”

2 years ago Braunstein from the Cedars-Sinai reported “a significant relationship  between total and free T and the presence of coronary artery disease after adjustment for the effect of E2“. Similarly, no evidence is adduced for cause and effect. Observed subjects were very high  risk-  mean age 65yrs, obese (mean BMI 30kg),  70% on aspirin, and half had had hysterectomy.  As they conclude “One potential problem with the current study is that the results were obtained in a highly selected group of women undergoing coronary angiography for suspected ischemia and who had a high CAD risk factor burden, raising the possibility that these findings may not be relevant to broader groups of women.”

Despite the fact that  obesity is  endemic  in women, associated with numerous diseases, especially vascular disease,  diabetes and  cancer, and that PCOS is by far the commonest associate of female hyperandrogenism, there is no evidence that PCOS ie hyperandrogenism is associated with increase in any cancer.  This suggests that moderate hyperandrogenism in women  is indeed protective against cancer since it mitigates the cancerogenic effect of obesity and diabetes.  .

No studies and no clinics on any continent  have ever reported link  between balanced physiological parenteral depot testosterone (up to ~10mg/week) – depot estradiol  replacement  (up to ~1mg/week) and increase in any cancer  or Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, and Cardiovascular Disease on  balanced  testosterone replacement  in women with relative testosterone/ estrogen  deficiency.

So,   so far there is no evidence  that the natural higher serum testosterone concentrations within the range found  in younger or older women (up to ~6nmol/L) CAUSE overweight/ obesity Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, cardiovascular disease or cancer.

[Via http://healthspanlife.wordpress.com]

365 Days To A Brand New Me! DAY 5

Thank God I’ve got this blog to remind me to try something new each day, or I would slip back into old habits real quickly! I’m already feeling it may be a challenge coming up with 365 new things over the next year, so am open to hearing your suggestions!

One thing I’ve been contemplating, which may seem small to you, is to taste a pickle!  Now if any of my sisters are reading this they will know somethings up and that I’m serious about this commitment…. it all started back when I was around 5 years old… I come from a big pickle-eating family… and I’m not talking those little pickle chips or gherkins…these were the large dill kind that you can find in barrels at the general store.

I’m haunted by memories of my sisters running around the house, each one with a dill in her hand and they knew I didn’t like them, so of course they would chase me as I ran screaming down the hallway…and it would take two of them to finally pin me down and try to make me take a bite… typical stuff that siblings do to each other that keeps the therapists in business these days… I think it must’ve made a lasting impression on me because, to this day I am determined to not eat a pickle…  So, I guess it would be a big step for me….I may save this challenge for the very last day of the experiment… It would be a fitting way to finish off… or maybe I should just do it and get it over with, so as not to look at this process with any dread!  To pickle or not to pickle??  Can I experience personal growth by simply tasting a pickle?  Ah, should life be so easy….

I didn’t have many errands after work yesterday, so thought rather than rush straight home to sit at my computer, which is where you’ll usually find me, I’d do some shopping.  And that is also very unlike me… I am not a shopper! My taste in clothes is unusual, to the point that my 14 year old daughter now insists on approving everything I buy!

My mom tried, but she was forced to major in Home Economics in college, which was not her passion, so I think she rebelled. When she married my father, she told him that he would do all the cooking and she would handle the yard work.  I remember one painful experience in which I’ve actually destroyed the photographic evidence… I didn’t want to have to explain it to my children… I was invited to attend St. Lukes Ball, which was very prestigious at the time, and may still be.

Shopping with my mom for a dress was challenging… neither one of us knew what we were looking for.  It was fall, and being a strawberry blonde with blue eyes, autumn colors looked good on me, so we decided on a chocolate brown empire waist dress with orange velvet sash tied in a bow under the bodice, along with specially died shoes and handbag in matching orange.  What were we thinking???  I’ll never forget walking into the ballroom with all the other girls in their pastel chiffon dresses and me in brown and orange!  Oh well… my date really liked me alot and we had alot of fun dancing!

Driving home last night, I passed our local Borders Books, which is closing down soon (so sad how this economy has forced the closing of so many retailers), and everything is 50% off! I stopped in to see what was left… and I’m glad I did!  I found a ‘Speak Italian in 30 Days’ audio set and promptly purchased it!  I visited Italy 3 years ago and am in love with the food, people, wine and country!  I hope to visit again someday……I was fairly good at languages in high school and I’d love to claim that I’m bi-lingual!  It sounds so cultured or well educated or something… so, off to listen to my first lesson!  Ciao!!

[Via http://fivesisterslaughing.wordpress.com]

I Think I'm Ready For My Mid-Life Crisis Now

“You’re perfect, yes, it’s true

But without me you’re only you

Your menstruating heart

It ain’t bleedin’ enough for two

It’s a midlife crisis.. It’s a midlife crisis.”

Faith No More, “Midlife Crisis”, 1992

So, 40 is one of those milestone ages for men when, by popular stereotype if not by some male biological equivalent to the menopause (manopause?!), they start to behave in quite an atypical fashion. Apparently this “mid life crisis” was a phenomenon first identified by Carl Jung who thought of it as part of the aging process, which is thankfully quite a relief when you realise that there may be something biological in action here rather than a slight feeling of bewilderment. After googling the term (I dare you to try it) I found any number of hits with frighteningly lists of symptoms that managed to sound all too familiar in parts. A sense of meaninglessness, insomnia, feeling depressed, angry and/or bored, drinking more, weight gain, deliberate changing of appearance (clothes, hairstyle, tattoos, etc) to feel younger, being dissolusioned with work, and the lists go on (and on and on). My little countdown below shows 324 all too short days left and I’m starting to think this may turn in to a medical journal. You could read previous posts here on this blog and, with the help of a mid-life crisis bingo card, you could cross off all sorts of symptoms and be calling “house” in no time. I think I’m ready for my mid-life crisis now. Anyway, plans remain afoot, resolutions are in place and more news will follow as I plan to ambitiosly add to those new year promises. In the meantime, I’ve been delving in to this year’s Schott’s Almanac to bring you today’s list of newly coined words and phrases….

• Stealth Starbucks – unbranded Starbucks outlets designed to look like neighbourhood coffee shops
• Mourngasm – morbid delight at celebrity death
• The Forever Generation – A cohort of British youth who, because of a dearth of savings, face working forever
• Manscaping – Male grooming
• Buffling – business waffling
• MDF – “My Daddy’s Famous” – children of celebrities who seem to expect same adulation as their parents

Tweet Count: 4

Countdown: 324 days

Work Days vs Play Days: 22 – 19

Consecutive Days of Blogging: 41

TV Watched: Party Animals (ep 6, 7 and 8). What a great series.

[Via http://fazzinchi.wordpress.com]

Soy and Women’s Health

Soy foods are attractive for women who cannot or will not use hormone replacement therapy.  Evidence has been shown that soy food intake can have the following benefits for women:

• Decreased risk for heart disease:  For more information, check out the blog, “Soy for your Heart.”
• Decrease in menopausal symptoms
• Protection from osteoporosis
• Lower risk of breast cancer
• Lower risk of death and breast cancer recurrence in breast cancer patients

Research has found soy foods useful to treat menopause symptoms.  The two major phytoestrogens found in soy, genistein and daidzein, have been shown to mimic the effects of estradiole (the major human female estrogen) and tamoxifen (an antiestrogen used to protect against the spread of breast cancer).  Genistein has a mix of antiestrogen and proestrogen effects that help reduce menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women and protect against osteoporosis.  Asian women have less osteoporosis than Western women even though the calcium intake of Asian women is lower; research suggests that this is due to the increased soy intake of Asian women.      

In addition, genistein has been shown to inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells in test tubes, and it slows the activity of several proteins that speed up tumor growth.  According to the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study that was recently published, women in China who had breast cancer and a higher intake of soy food had an associated lower risk of death and breast cancer recurrence.  The study concluded, “Soy food intake is safe and was associated with lower mortality and recurrence among breast cancer patients.”  The study suggests that intake of 11 grams per day of soy offers protective benefits for long-term health. 

For more information on breast health and the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study click on the following link:  http://www.soyconference.com/magazines/jan10.pdf  

So, enjoy soy milk on your cereal and in your coffee and tea.  Have soy nuts as a tasty snack or select an energy bar with soy protein.  Be chic and enjoy a healthy soy burger with all the trimmings.  The choices are out there and making a healthy choice will feel great.     

[Via http://nutdoc.wordpress.com]

19 Secrets to a Better Night's Sleep

18 Secrets for a Good Night’s Sleep

Try some of these:

• 1) Start getting to bed as early as you can. Our bodies do most of their recharging, detoxifying, and regeneration between the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. So it is best try to be asleep by 11.

• 2) Stop working at least 1 hour before you wish to be asleep. This way your mind has a chance to unwind.

• 3) Don’t watch TV right before going to bed. Read something light and pleasurable, spiritual or religious, to relax your mind, or write in a journal.

• 4) Take melatonin, 5-HTP, or Valerian herb half an hour before bed. Melatonin: 2 mg-5mgs.  One of melatonin’s precursors, such as 5HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) can also help, such as 50-100 mgs.  Valerian is a very relaxing herb (smells awful though!); 350-500 mgs.

• 5) Try homeopathic remedies before sleep. Available online or in your health food store, the following can be very helpful: Sleeplessness Relief by Similasan, Calms Forte by Hyland’s, Calming by BHI are all combination remedies which supply such homeopathics as Coffea, Avena Sativa, Valeriana, Chamomilla, Passiflora, and others.

• 6) Take a hot shower, bath,  or sauna before bed.  Raising your body temperature this way late in the evening can make falling asleep easier.

•7) Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This routine can help “program” your system.

•8) Reduce or avoid caffeine. A recent study showed that some people do not metabolize caffeine efficiently, so that the wired feeling from coffee can last long after drinking it. Therefore a cup of coffee late in the afternoon can keep you awake many hours later. For those that do handle caffeine well, you should still avoid it after 7 PM.

• 9) Don’t drink alcohol before bed. Alcohol can make you sleepy, but this is only short term. You may wake up several hours later and find it hard to fall back asleep. Alcohol prevents you from sleeping more deeply, when healing and regeneration takes place.

• 10Don’t drink any fluids within 2 hours of going to bed. This will help reduce the number of times you have to get up to use the bathroom. Also, be sure to go last thing before you go to bed.

• 11) Get regular exercise. Lots of studies show that regular exercise, such as 30 minutes a day, will help you sleep. But don’t exercise too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake!

• 12)  Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible, or even try an eye mask. Light can disrupt circadian rhythm and your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and serotonin. This interferes with sleep. If possible, don’t turn the light on in the bathroom if you get up in the night. After a few bumps you’ll get the hang of it!.

• 13) Try a white noise machine. I love my little white noise machine- I set it to “waterfall” and it covers my furnace coming on, my cat talking to me, cars outside, and all other unwanted noise!.

• 14) Try wearing socks to bed. Your feet can feel colder than the rest of your body. Wearing socks to bed has been hown in studies to reduce the number of times you wake in the night.

• 15) Don’t use a loud alarm clock. Try a sun alarm instead- this is a more natural way to wake up. The globe slowly gets brighter and brighter, casting increasing light into the room, so you wake as if the dawn had woken you. It works very well. Try The Sun Alarm™ SA-2002 .

• 16) Don’t keep your bedroom too warm. It certainly should not be warmer than 70 degrees F.

• 17) If sleep is still a difficult issue, be sure to get hormone levels checked. Insomnia may be caused by adrenal stress, or imbalances of hormones at menopause can really play in.

• 18) Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). This is a gentle tapping system based on acupressure principles, and is easily learned. EFT has been shown to help resolve some of the emotional stresses that may contribute to insomnia. The results are usually speedy, and last well. Check out articles by Dr. Mercola; http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?k=eft .

: http://www.allroulettesystems.com/de/roulette-strategie.html

Whois  : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=124.107.85.117

[Via http://solomonhealing.wordpress.com]

How to alleviate symptoms of menopause

Image : http://www.flickr.com

What is menopause?

Menopause begins in the 40s as early as your ovaries gradually produce less and less of the hormone estrogen. The times will be erratic – sometimes skipping a month or alternating between light and heavy.

The next period of time is the actual transition to menopause. During this period you can continue to have irregular periods and symptoms begin more serious. Flushes, vaginal dryness, mood swings and insomnia are some of them.

The last andactual onset of menopause usually occurs in your early 50s and is represented by the lack of your time for a full 12 months. These are the years between the devastation caused in your life.

Why are natural menopause treatments are best?

Menopause is a natural event in the reproductive life of a woman. So why not treat them in a natural way? Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the standard treatment for menopause among healthcare providers – however there remains considerableControversy on the benefits and risks associated with standard HRT drugs.

In recent decades, conventional medicine hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause with estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) treatment. But because ERT is dangerous for women with a history of cancer is hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – in which a synthetic estrogen combined with progesterone used – often. But many women do not want the potential increased risk of cancer associatedwith ERT, or who dislike the cyclical bleeding and significant side effects often caused by HRT.

Recent publicity concerning the health risks of synthetic hormone replacement therapy, many women look to natural solutions. And for good reason. In areas of the world where soy and other estrogenic plants are part of the diet, rates of breast cancer are much lower and menopausal symptoms are almost nonexistent. Synthetic hormone replacement therapy is not common because it is notrequired.

In the United States, where pharmaceutical companies make $ 8 billion U.S. a year on synthetic hormones, which are breast cancer, heart attack and stroke increased dramatically among women in menopause. Dr. John Lee, author of "What the doctor can not tell Menopause", blames the rise of synthetic hormones. He says that pharmaceutical companies are well aware of the problems. "The whole thing is madness," he says, "and is driven by greed." Some simple solutions and naturalClarification of menopausal problems and eliminate the health risks associated with synthetic hormones.

Try to get the food, vegetables and fish are high in omega-3, since the nutrients that help your body deal with menopause naturally included. Conversely, there are foods that can make your menopausal symptoms worse. Caffeine, sugar, dairy fat, salt, alcohol and saturated oils can aggravate the symptoms.

Exercising regularly can also help alleviateSymptoms of menopause. Planning at least 30 minutes of exercise three times a week will relieve hot flashes. You can think more clearly and to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

Finally, there are several herbs proven to relieve the symptoms of menopause:

Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopherol acetate)

Vitamin E is an antioxidant. We can avoid hot flashes? Studies have been conducted in late 1940 that shows that to alleviate hot flashes andin post-menopausal vaginal dryness. Recent studies are missing. There are other advantages. We know from the Nurses Health Study that women are vitamin E, for a period of two years reduced the risk of fatal heart attacks by 40%. Vitamin E is examined for its effect on Alzheimer's disease and cancer. Combining vitamin E with other antioxidants such as selenium, chromium, beta-carotene and vitamin C may offer a synergistic effect. This means that they work bettertogether than in isolation.

Soybean (Glycine max) (seed)

Soy contains natural plant estrogens called phytoestrogens. In fact, no other food has a higher content of soy phytoestrogens. Although phytoestrogens are weaker than human estrogens they behave similarly in the human body. In the body, phytoestrogens balance a woman's level of estrogen receptors participating body estrogen. When attached, phytoestrogens can decrease estrogen levels in women of perimenopausal andIncreased levels of estrogen in postmenopausal women. Addition to relieving menopausal symptoms, research shows that soy helps promote heart health. Many doctors and researchers soy to relieve many symptoms of menopause such as hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness and other discomforts.

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) (root)

The primary use of black cohosh extract is for alleviation of menopausal symptoms, the American College of Obstetrics and GynecologyGuidelines for the use of botanicals for management of menopausal symptoms support this use for up to six months, especially in the treatment of symptoms of sleep and mood disorders, and flushing. Studies demonstrate efficacy in patients treated with black cohosh extract similar to estrogen in the treatment of neurovegetative menopausal symptoms.

Damaiana (spread Turnerna) (leaves)

This yellow-flowering shrub typically grows in warm, humid climates, like Central –and South America and the U.S. state of Texas. Damiana has been used traditionally as an aphrodisiac and has been asked to activate euphoria. It is necessary to alleviate depression and relieve anxiety and induce relaxation. Damiana could lead to relaxation and could calm anxiety. Allegations of sexual dysfunction caused by stress or emotional problems could benefit from supplementation with this plant.

[Via http://vitaminebenefit.wordpress.com]

Hot Flash My A** .. I'm on Fire!

Okay officially I think I just had my FIRST REAL hot flash! .. and that was enough .. LOL .. I had been having a little discomfort .. of the night night time I would start to feel warm .. my honey is a snuggler!! .. of course, up till now it has never bothered me.  I have to say he was never one of these guys who wanted to hanky panky .. get his fill .. then roll over and go to sleep.  He does want to hanky panky & get his fill!!  .. trust me on that one .. but then he wants to snuggle up with me and hold me tight .. BMP (before menopause) that was great!! .. just what every woman would want .. but now .. it’s a different story!  .. some night .. I just kinda edge out of his bear hug and barely move the cover and get my hips & at least one leg out .. ahhhhh .. the cold feels so good on my body!!  .. that was what I actually called a power surge! .. just now though .. I think I had the “real thing” .. I was so hot .. I started getting a ring of sweat around my neck!! .. where the heck did that come from?? .. we’re in the middle of a snowstorm .. and what happens .. I get a flippin’ hot flash.  It’s about 20 degrees outside.  I was thinkin’ of going out and standing on the porch. 

What is wrong with this picture .. ???

All in all .. it’s been a good day.  One person looked at my blog .. that makes me happy! .. I could go on Facebook right now and post my link and I promise you that everybody in my little ‘ole small town would be on here reading every word of what I am up to .. why they would have this in the newpaper if possible or at least on the dreaded Topix!! .. everybody in our town gets on Topix at one time or another in their lifetime! .. I try not to look at anybody too long or you’ll get on Topix!

Happy Monday, Happy New Year! .. Happy Everything!! .. gotta run .. I’m off to go stand on the front porch!!

[Via http://hrbsh97.wordpress.com]