Newly Approved Drug Eliminates Periods for Women

The FDA just approved the first birth-control pill that will stop women’s monthly periods for an indefinite length of time. This drug is called Lybrel and, when taken daily without a stop, will not only prevent pregnancy, but also periods.

Although this may sound tempting to some, my suggestion is to have a serious discussion with your doctor before trying it. This could be a great solution for women who have very hard periods, but there seems to be an increase in irregular bleeding and spotting, for some, up to a year. Some women have such severe symptoms, such as headaches, breast tenderness, cramps, bloating and nausea, that spotting sounds like a welcome relief. However, researchers did not look into whether these symptoms were relieved, actually.

The report on the study states that only about 1/3^rd of those who started the study completed it. Hm; those don’t seem like good odds to me! And the other problem is women who might become pregnant may not know for a longer time, because they won’t have the usual sign, missed periods, to tell them.

It is estimated that roughly 12 million American women take birth control pills. Many do so to prevent pregnancy, but others primarily want to regulate their monthly periods or resolve acne problems. There are several pills on the market that shorten periods to perhaps 3 days or less, and there is a shot, Depo-Provera, containing only progestin, that stops periods after several months in many women. For this product, it is felt that long-term use may thin bones.

And this brings up my biggest issue. This drug assumes that having a monthly period is a ‘condition’ that must be ‘treated’. The last I checked, this was a normal part of nature and life! No one really knows what happens to women after years of no periods, just as it has taken years to realize that Depo-Provera could cause thin bones. In other words, you could be in your 20’s, today and start this new pill and only find out the damage done to your bones, much less anything else, 30 years from now. We are experimenting on ourselves.

What is the answer? Do your research. Carry on informed discussions with your doctor, preferably one who specializes in women’s health issues. For some women, this could be a wonderful solution to a serious problem that is so bad that having periods negatively affects their ability to lead a normal life. But think hard about such a drug if you just don’t want to bother. What you subject your body to, today, may impact how you live, tomorrow.

Improve your health and fitness with just 10 minutes a day!

If you are obese or overweight and don’t exercise, this could be the news to give you hope!

A recent study published in the latest JAMA (listed below) indicates that obese women who do no exercise at all can improve their fitness levels by just 10 minutes a day.

Researchers studied over 400 post-menopausal women who had borderline high blood pressure for six months. The women were put in one of four groups: A control group who did no exercise, and then three groups who exercised 50%, 100%, and 150% of the CDC and NIH recommendations. This equals 75 minutes per week (10 minutes per day), 135 minutes per week (20 minutes per day) or 190 minutes per week 30 minutes per day), respectively.

The results showed no improvement in blood pressure or loss of weight, but DID show a decrease in waist measurement and improvement in respiratory fitness level. Imagine this improvement with just 10 minutes a day!

Although the women in the study either walked on treadmills or rode stationary bikes, any comparable activity would produce the same results. This could include work around the house, such as yard work, swimming, playing in the park with grandchildren or pets, or even brisk walking.

So what does this mean to you? Some people feel it’s hopeless to even attempt to do any type of exercise because the prospect of trying to lose weight is overwhelming. But what if you started to get out walking for just 10 minutes a day just to feel better?

The next question is how can you get yourself motivated and outside to actually walk or do some type of physical exertion each day? Look at your day and determine what you would want to do, first, and then decide if you need someone to keep you motivated. Maybe a friend or neighbor to exercise with. Maybe a spouse or family member. Or perhaps even a coach or mentor, someone to just make you accountable! Granted, you have to WANT to do something, but if the reason you haven’t earlier is because you have just focused on doing it for weight loss, why not change the reason and make health and feeling better the goal! That just may be the key.

To read the abstract of the study, click this link:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/297/19/2081

If you have a pacemaker, watch where you put your iPod!

Now, granted, it is not believed that many people with pacemakers use iPods, but if you are a ‘hip senior’, you may! And, we have to remember that Baby Boomers are now in that category, and we all know THEY are hip!

The results of a recent study looking at how iPods may interfere with pacemakers was presented at the Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting in Denver. The lead author of the study is a high school student who’s father is an electrophysiologist (a physician who studies the electrical properties of biological cells and tissues).

The study resulted from Jay Thaker asking his father if there could be an interaction between pacemakers and iPods. They did an online search and couldn’t find anything, but when one of his father’s patients asked the same question, Jay’s father connected Jay with Dr. Krit Jongnarangsin, senior author of the study and an assistant professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan.

The study tested the effect of iPods on 100 patients, whose mean age was 77, outfitted with pacemakers. Electrical interference was detected half of the time when the iPod was held just 2 inches from the patient’s chest for 5 to 10 seconds. In some cases, the iPods caused interference when held 18 inches from the chest. Interfering with the telemetry equipment caused the device to misread the heart’s pacing and in one case caused the pacemaker to stop functioning altogether.

This led the authors of the study to wonder how often iPods cause misdiagnosis of actual heart function, and Jay is interested in studying how implantable cardioverter defibrillators, ICD’s, are affected by iPods.

So, what if you do have a pacemaker and an iPod? First of all, I would suggest discussing the results of this study with your cardiologist. I measured out 18 inches and, because I am short-waisted, this means that if I were to have a pacemaker, I would have to keep my iPod at my knees if I were to carry it with me. Therefore, I suspect I wouldn’t use it. Even if I used it in my car, my guess is it would still be closer than 18 inches from my chest.

What ever happened to cassette players?

How do you really lose weight and keep it off?

With summer just around the corner, many people are starting to think about how to take off those extra pounds they have been only thinking about, but not taking action on. Today's blog is a bit different than usual: I have included several links that will help you make an informed decision on how to take off those extra pounds and maybe THIS time keep them off.

Did you know that a registered dietitian (RD) is the ONLY expert who is both educated and trained on nutrition and how it affects the human body? Many people think of an RD as someone who works in the kitchen in a hospital and just cook meals. However, all RD’s must have a minimum of a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and complete at least 900 hours of supervised practice. This qualifies a person to take the national RD exam that will qualify them to call themselves an RD.

Only RD’s can provide medical nutrition therapy, which is education and counseling for people who have medical conditions that can be treated with nutrition therapy. Anyone can call themselves an expert on nutrition, and there is no standard for calling oneself a ‘nutritionist’, but there are limitations to who can call themselves an RD. Click this link to consider how to lose weight from a logical and healthy perspective: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6819528015116404993&pr=goog-sl

Meanwhile, much of what we REALLY know about successful, long-term weight loss is the result of the powerful National Weight Control Registry studies that have been taking place since 1994. If you have lost 30# or more, and have kept it off for at least a year, you can join the Registry! Spend some time on this site; read the success stories, read some of the research, and learn what it takes to REALLY lose weight and keep it off.

http://www.nwcr.ws/

Next, we all know how popular the latest fad diet can become! Maybe you have helped spur that popularity, too! Even though you know these are often unhealthy, temporary solutions to your problem, at least when you look in the mirror – for a month or so – you feel so much better! To read what WebMD has to say about all of the latest diets, click this link: http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/11/39536.htm

Finally, Consumers Reports just released their survey of the latest diets and dieters. What was amazing is that up to 41% of all respondents said they were on a diet and as many as 75% believed they would achieve their weight loss goals, although 75% of those people were unsuccessful in the past! Go figure. To read more about the survey, click here.

In conclusion, although we are always looking for the ‘quick solution’ to weight loss, there really isn’t one. If you pay close attention to what the first two examples have to say, you will see that the only REAL solution to losing weight permanently is to cut down your food intake and pick up your exercise. Depending on your age, right now all you care about is how you look in your bathing suit or shorts, but as you get older, how you feel and how active you’re able to be while aging will become much more important. The health problems related to quick and temporary weight loss will stick with you long after that temporary weight loss is just a memory. But healthy food and activity habits that you develop now will last a lifetime, and perhaps ensure a longer, healthier lifetime.