Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/30630
4A – Daily News – Monday, May 2, 2011 Vitality & health DETROIT (MCT) — Johanne Erickson could handle two to three hot flashes a week when her perimenopause symptoms began two years ago, when she was 44. But by February, 40 to 50 hot flashes a day plagued the Oxford, Mich., woman. Erickson, a human resources manager for an automotive supplier, turned into the office joke. Friends bought her a cache of fans. "At some point you either have to laugh about it and have a sense of humor, or otherwise you jump out the window," she said. The situation led Erick- son to start hormone thera- py — a $2.2 billion industry — despite risks of breast cancer, heart disease blood clots and stroke indicated in research in the early 2000s. For women like Erick- son, the pendulum of hor- mone-therapy treatment is swinging once again. It's offering relief to those struggling with hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and mood swings as they leave their reproductive years in their 40s and 50s. Since she began taking nonsynthetic hormones, Erickson's hot flashes are gone and she's begun sleep- ing better. "You have to weigh your quality of life," she said. "Is this something I'd consider staying on the rest of my life? No. But is it something I'm willing to consider for a year or two? Yes." Menopause. a woman's last menstrual cycle and the end of her fertility, occurs, on average, at age 51. But the transition phase, called perimenopause, can last six years or more, with myriad symptoms. Gone are the days when doctors doled out prescriptions for oral estrogen and progestogens, telling women that replac- ing their naturally dwin- dling hormones would do everything from stop their hot flashes and mood swings to combat wrinkles and prevent late-age health issues. Many women stopped taking hormones in the early 2000s, scared after National Institutes of Health researchers abruptly halted a Women's Health Initiative study that indicat- ed that some hormone ther- apies can increase women's risk of breast cancer, heart disease, blood clots and stroke. "There have been a lot of updates" since that study, said Detroit Medical Center Dr. Susan Hendrix, a clini- cal professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Michi- gan State University and a Rethinking hormone therapy what they were," said Popyk. "I think fundamen- tally this is about women taking charge of their choic- es." Though Reader is now in her 70s, she started hor- mone therapy in her younger years and says to her, it's worth the risk. "I feel so good, and I think that has a lot to do with it," Reader said. "This is about women taking charge of their choic- es." DIFFERENT TREATMENTS What are the choices? Prescription hormones: MCT photo Virginia Reader, 72, of Lake Orion, Mich., shows where she wears a Vivelle-Dot patch at her home. principal investigator for the study. "As any research goes, you get the big picture first, then you try to narrow down the information." The Journal of the American Medical Associa- tion's April 6 issue reported that another branch of the study continued through 2009 and found that women who had a hysterectomy and who used estrogen did not experience many of the health risks. The study also showed that those women saw a decreased risk of breast cancer. Dr. Margery Gass, exec- utive director of the North American Menopause Soci- ety, said the use of hor- mones to treat symptoms of menopause has evolved with ongoing research. Before the National Institutes of Health study, "they were telling women to take them forever, and that's changed," Gass said. "Basi- cally (now) it's using them for a reason, and using the lowest dose that treats the symptom." One of the relatively new ways to deliver hormones is with transdermal skin patches, which have not been studied long-term but may reduce the risk of blood clots, Gass said. Virginia Reader, 72, of Orion Township, Mich., started taking hormones in pill form at age 48, after dealing with hot flashes and not feeling like herself . Then, her doctor suggested the patch version, and she has used the patches for seven years. Reader's doctor, obstetri- Auxiliary A member of CHW St. Elizabeth Community Hospital The Auxiliary Volunteers of St. Elizabeth Community Hospital cordially invite you to celebrate Mother’s Day with us. Please bring your mother or anyone special in your life to share a lovely luncheon, wine and dessert, as well as a fashion show and special drawings. Annual Spring Luncheon Welcome Spring with all the promise it holds Saturday, May 7, 2011 12 O’Clock Red Bluff Community & Senior Center 1500 South Jackson Street, Red Bluff $25.00 per person The $25 ticket price includes the value of the luncheon ($15) and a charitable donation ($10) to Mercy Foundation North which will benefit St. Elizabeth Community Hospital For tickets contact Linda Ezzat at 824-6410, 736-1326 or auxiliaryfundraiser@gmail.com 530.529.8002 2550 Sister Mary Columba Dr., Red Bluff, CA 96080 cian-gynecologist Luana Kyselka, said researchers now realize that the original studies looked at mostly women older than 60 who may have already been pre- disposed to late-life disease, rather than those first expe- riencing symptoms in their late 40s and early 50s. "We have this window of opportunity to use hormone therapy without as much risk as we thought," she said, adding that more recent research has shown that women who begin hor- mone therapy within months of first experiencing the symptoms of menopause, or who use lo w-dose estrogen/progestogens, may not be as at risk. Hendrix said women sometimes turn to bioidenti- cal, or nonsynthetic, hor- mones — a treatment touted by actress Suzanne Somers — thinking they're safer. But she thinks the differ- ence doesn't affect the risk of disease. "They're all still binding to the same receptor in a woman's body, and they all have the same effect," Hen- drix said. Scott Popyk, a com- pounding pharmacist and owner of Health Dimen- sions Compounding Phar- macy in Farmington Hills, Mich., said he has seen women benefit from using bioidentical hormones cus- tom-mixed according to their doctor's instructions. Earlier research "raised a lot of questions and some doctors took their patients off hormones, no matter Once loved, then scorned, prescription hormones are again accepted as a viable option for many pre- menopausal women. "I think there's consen- sus. If you're early menopausal (and) you don't have cardiovascular disease, it's safe and effective to use hormone therapy," said Beaumont obstetrician- gynecologist Luana Kysel- ka. "But I would use the FDA-approved bioidentical transdermal estrogen." Bioidentical hormones: Chemically the same as those produced by a woman's body, bioidentical hormones are either plant- based or produced in a lab. Board-certified family physician Dr. David Brown- stein, author of "The Mira- cle of Natural Hormones" (Medical Alternatives Press, $18), said he saw a jump in women looking for alterna- tives to prescription hor- mones after a study in the early 2000s indicated that some prescription therapies increased women's risk of heart disease and cancer. "Definitely women got the message, and there was an increase in interest in non synthetic hormones," said Brownstein, who encour- ages the use of hormones that have not been chemi- cally altered and that are custom-mixed in com- pounding pharmacies. The prescriptions he writes com- bine drugs produced in FDA-approved facilities and are custom-mixed for a woman's size and situation. Other drugs: Detroit Medical Center Dr. Susan Hendrix, co-author of a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" Healthy Living Series book about menopause, at times will look to medications other than hormones to treat symptoms. She prescribes selective serotonin or selec- tive ser otonin/nor epineph- rine re-uptake inhibitors, like the antidepressants Prozac and Effexor, which research has shown reduce hot flashes and night sweats. She also sometimes prescribes the seizure med- ication gabapentin to reduce the intensity of hot flashes. fitness Red Bluff clinic to hold open house Rolling Hills Clinic will hold its Red Bluff Grand Opening from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, at 2540 Sister Mary Drive, in Red Bluff. The public is invited to come to the grand opening celebration to meet the clinic’s friendly, professional dentists, doctors and staff. A ribbon cutting will take place at 9 a.m. and clinic tours start at 10 a.m. Those present can enter to win prizes, which are drawn every hour starting at 11 a.m. Box lunches are available at noon. How to … talk with your trainer MCT — If you decide to hire a personal trainer, good communication will be critical to meeting your fitness goals, says Bridgit Kin-Charlton, owner of B-defined Inno- vative Personal Training & Wellness in Williamsburg, Va. Some tips: Talk about specific goals. What do you want most: to lose a certain amount of weight, tone your arms, have a flat- ter stomach or maybe run a 5K in a certain amount of time? Let your trainer know. Relay your history. If you've tried to shape up before, share what worked for you and what didn't. Be honest about your pitfalls, such as a tendency to load up on junk food and skip workouts after a stressful day at work. Be upfront about health problems. Your trainer should know about medications that affect heart rate or blood pres- sure; chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or stroke; recent surgeries; sleep patterns; and general stress level. Share what motivates you. Some people thrive on gentle encouragement, while others prefer a bit of in-your-face barking. Weigh-ins also are negotiable, Kin-Charlton says: "Some clients are motivated by getting on the scale each week; others go into a state of depression." Give feedback. If you hated or loved a certain workout, don't be afraid to say so. Your trainer may be able to work in more of what you like _ or at least explain why you're doing a routine. Be honest. If you've skipped any diet or exercise "home- work" your trainer gave you, admit it. Don't pretend you've been walking 30 minutes daily if you haven't. Get contact information. Many trainers will share an email address or cell phone number for communication on days you're not together. FIESTA DAYS SIDEWALK SALE May 6-7, 2011 Downtown Red Bluff Come join us for Great Savings! • Specials • Food • Drawings • Entertainment