Life Change Remedies

I have received many wonderful responses from friends regarding life changes that we women experience. Here are some of the remedies they have shared:

First and foremost, for overall well-being, exercise. Whatever you do whether it's walking, treadmill, swimming, pilates, stretching . . . some form of exercise is always good for you.

As for diet, just limiting the usual "bad" stuff (sweets, fat, oils) is helpful. But studies have shown that increasing soy protein in your diet can help stave off some menopausal symptoms. Tofu and soy beans are my choice.

Daily multi-vitamins can't hurt either. One respondent has also started on 400 I.U.'s of Vitamin E daily, too.

For anxiety, stress and trouble sleeping these are some of the remedies tried. Anxiety - drink water. Hyper-ventilating (panic attack) - breathe in a paper bag. For relaxation and sleep - Valerian and teas like Camomille and Kava.

I started taking Estroplus, a generic form of Estroven, which I found at Foodland. Others have tried Remi Femin and Manatech.

I am not endorsing or recommending any of the above. I am only sharing what others have tried and hopefully if you are experiencing any of these problems you will first consult your physician before trying anything. Do your homework! The more you know and understand the better you can meet the challenge of "life changes".

My aloha to you all,
Roz

Concise Article -BusinessWeek Aug 30, 2004

Found a great article in BusinessWeek that's short yet very informative called "Menopause, What Every Woman--And Man--Needs to Know" by Naomi Freundlich. Summarizes when it begins, it's quality-of-life issues, long-term health risks, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and lessons learned from a Women's Health Initiative study. Did you know that spicy foods and alcohol seem to aggravate hot flashes?

The article is online at:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_35/b3897453.htm

-wayne

Not just for women

It's becoming more accepted that men also commonly go through 'menopause' as well -it's called andropause and has all the changes much like menopause -hormonal, psychological, interpersonal, social and spiritual. Here's one of more and more articles about andropause:
http://health.discovery.com/centers/mens/andropause/andropause.html

A hui hou -wayne

To the Ladies of our class...

My dear wahine classmates, I have been putting this off for too long. I know that given our ages are all pretty much the same, I'm sure many of us are going through the same and/or similar problems. I really just needed someone to talk to that can understand, sympathize and offer support. I bet there are others of you who feel the same as I and I am requesting feedback in what kinds of remedies you have tried, what has worked and what hasn't. I have done alot of research online, but it's just not the same as talking to friends I know and have known for such a long time.

The hormonal changes that we are going through have so many symptons,varying in severity and/or intensity that I'm sure no two of us have identical experiences. However, getting these hormonal fluctuations under control is the challenge. And what about those symptoms? How are you ladies dealing with them?

Hot Flashes

Who ever came up with this name?! That's a misnomer as far as I'm concerned. It ain't no "flash". It can last for hours. Yes, I've started on a generic "Estroven" and I understand Black Cohosh is supposed to relieve them somewhat. But the cold shower still works, (unless it's the middle of the night, when they usually come).

Weight gain around the mid-section

Okay, I know none of us like to talk about weight! I was feeling a little insecure at the reunion because I have put on about 25 pounds in the last 3 years and most of it right in the opu. But then, I noticed that I wasn't the only one. STOP! I'm not dissing anyone, just an observation and I was wondering if this also has to do with that "menopause" thing. Oh yeah, I understand that if we are still having our period but going through some of these things that we are in "perimenopause" and it can last up to 10 years!!!!!! Hell if I want to go through 10 years of this!!!!!!

Anxiety

Do you find yourself worrying more, thinking "what if this", "what if that", stuff that never used to bother you before? I always thought of myself as a pretty strong person, able to take what comes. Then, on Sunday, August 8th, I woke up at about 12:30 am feeling cold like the chills. I reached to turn off my fan and suddenly found myself breathing very hard. Then, my mind started going, "whoa, what's happening?" and before I knew it, I had a full on panic attack. I got up and started pacing around the house. Kappy is working in Honolulu, so I'm home alone. I wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't get control. I called a girlfriend, who came over in the middle of the night and drove me to ER where they gave me something to calm me down. Over the next several days, I still felt anxious and was constantly worrying that it would happen again. I drank teas and took herbs to keep me calm, especially at night when I went to bed. I seem to be fine now, but in doing more research, I found that anxiety and even having panic attacks can definitely be associated with perimenopause. Is anybody relating to this?

Memory farts, senior moments, part-timers "disease"

We all joke about our memory lapses, but for some, they may start to think that they are developing Alzheimer's. In the majority of cases, its not Alzheimers, but it does start to bother us. I could be at the bank and suddenly start thinking, "Did I turn off the stove?" That's scary! But, I have also found in my searching that this is also one of the many symptoms we can have. So, I make my lists, do walk throughs before leaving the house, and pretty much keep better organized so I know what I did and/or didn't do.

Weird, unpredictable periods.

I won't get into the nitty-gritty details, but I've had periods (light, spotting, stop-start) lasting for two months!!!

Anyway, I am sitting here alone hoping that you, my dear friends, will share your experiences, offer support and how and what you did or are doing to deal with this inescapable "period" of our lives. I no shame tell, eh? But, if I no tell, nobody going help me!! Yes, I have been seeing my doctor, but there's nothing like having the girls, your buddies, tell you like it is. And if any of you GUYS are still reading, this is not one of those "get over it" things. There is nothing better I would like to do than "get it over with"!!! But I seem to have no say in the matter. (Hee-hee).

I love you all and wait to hear from you.

A hui hou, malama kou kino -Roz