Hey there!

Regular readers of this blog know Sue Richards, menopause blogger extraordinaire, is currently devoting her energy to treating (and overcoming!) Parkinson’s disease. While Sue tends to her own health, I thought I would pass along some current news for women who are here seeking the latest in menopause info and research (especially from a holistic point of view). I’m not a personal friend of Sue, just someone who has been helped by My Menopause Blog and wants to see it stay updated until Sue starts posting regularly again.

Enjoy!

Jacqueline Tourville freelance women’s health writer

According to a recent study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, fewer older women in Canada are using hormone-replacement therapies (HRT) to treat symptoms of menopause, turning instead to natural remedies. As reported in the Vancouver Sun and other media outlets, researchers have found that only five per cent of women in five provinces who are 65 years and older use hormone-replacement therapies — a drop from 14 per cent six years ago (when a report found the risks of using the menopause therapies outweigh the benefits).

From the Vancouver Sun piece, here’s some HRT background and the specific stats contained in the study:

The first reports that estrogen-only hormone-replacement treatment could put women at higher risk of endometrial cancer began to emerge in the 1970s, leading to the development of combination therapies containing both progestin and estrogen hormones. Later studies, such as the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study, then uncovered important additional risks with the combination therapy, such as higher chances of developing coronary heart disease and stroke.

In Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the use of hormone-replacement therapies declined each year between 2001-2002 and 2006-2007. The highest average annual rate of decline, 30 per cent, occurred in the two-year period after the publication of the Women’s Health Initiative.

My gut reaction to this news? Bravo to those women reviewing the evidence, making choices, and following their own path healthy aging, despite attempts by the pharmaceutical industry to have them fall in lock-step with the drumbeat of HRT. In increasing numbers, we are awakening.

One note: The article indicates that many of the women declining HRT turn to natural methods of menopausal symptom relief instead. I would love to see some follow-up as to what these natural methods are — and what are the results? Are most, all, some of the women taking BHRT (bioidenticals) or something else?

For those new to this topic of “HRT: good or bad?”, here are some links to a few older posts written by Sue that go into this topic — as well as some sites I’ve found helpful in my own quest for hormonal balance…

From My Menopause Blog:
A Selection of Hormone Replacement Therapy Posts
Breast Cancer and HRT : As HRT use falls, so do breast cancer rates.
Review of The New Menopause Book: Sue points out this book — written by someone trained in both Eastern and Western medicine — as a good starting point for women who want to understand the complexities of HRT research. I agree - it’s a great book!

My own recommendation:
Womentowomen.com: Comprehensive women’s health site for natural approaches to menopausal support. Two must-read articles, especially for those just beginning to consider the possibilities, include Perspectives on HRT Risk and Test Your Menopause I.Q.

A note to senior couch spuds–get active! Movement is good for your brain. Increased blood flow, resulting from aerobic activity, brings greater amounts of nutrients and oxygen that feed brain tissue. Aerobic exercise has been shown to significantly enhance cognitive skills in areas such as scheduling, planning, and task coordination. Vigorous movement raises levels of a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This chemical is instrumental in developing new capillaries in the brain as well as boosting the number of connections between neurons. It is also believed that BDNF protects nerve cells from free radical damage and can lead to the construction of new neurons.

Working out gives us plenty of additional brain benefits as activity leads to improved mood and emotional outlook. Thirty minutes of moderately vigorous exercise will boost the release of endorphins during the workout and continue to elevate mood throughout the day. The deep limbic system, the brain’s center for many of our emotions, is rife with endorphin receptors and these become very happy campers when they are well nourished with adequate exercise. Similarly, exercise enhances the brain’s ability to take in tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin, which is the feel good chemical.

So there’s no way around it: get off the couch and get your blood circulating. You’ll feel all the happier for it and much smarter too!

For those of you who regularly read my blog, you’ve noticed my brand new look. This colorful new Feisty Side of Fifty is due to my dear friend and artist extraordinaire, the Pop Art Diva. She’s wildly creative and has a penchant for both color and nostalgia. Terri thought of everything—right down to the love beads and the “Feisty Power.” She’s got a number of blogs of her own. Her main one is Pop Art Diva and you can link to her others from there. I’d suggest you give them a try—you won’t be disappointed!

And, along with my fresh and feisty new blog, I’ve decided to broadcast an Internet radio show, interviewing women over fifty who are living life to the fullest and enjoying themselves as they age. We are, after all, a generation of remarkable gals who’ve already accomplished amazing things and we’re just getting started.

For my debut show, I interviewed a woman of many talents. She’s not only the force behind the San Francisco Chinese New Year’s Parade, a wildly successful annual event that brings in celebrities, politicians, and other VIPs from around the country, but she has also written her memoir.  Peggy Kennedy shares the story of her life and will inspire you to make the most of your own. The show only lasts fifteen minutes and is well worth your time. So check it out at Feisty Side of Fifty on Blog Talk Radio.

A word to those of you out there who wish to share your story with other boomer women: please go to the “Contact Me” page and send me an email. Exchanging stories of challenges, triumphs, passions and adventures will create a forum to celebrate our accomplishments, dreams, and years past fifty. I’d love to make this radio show a special place for encouragement and inspiration. So let me hear from YOU!  

As women who’ve sailed past our fiftieth birthdays, we’ve already learned a number of life lessons. We know that life isn’t always easy, you don’t always get what you want, and larger disappointments can seem like unbearable hardships if you look at them that way. On the other hand, it is from just these types of challenges that we gain strength, knowledge, tenacity, and confidence.

The only time we lose in life is when we don’t try. Fear of failure and the need for perfection can really take their toll and put unnecessary and often insurmountable restrictions on our aspirations. Of course, we know that being perfect is an impossible task for any human being—especially when you’re attempting something you are unfamiliar doing. So, why not give whatever it is you want a shot? You probably have little, if anything, to lose and a lot to gain.

I relearned this valuable lesson just recently. For those of you who read my latest post, you know that I just started broadcasting Feisty Side of Fifty Radio. Although I had been a guest on a variety of radio shows and had also appeared on television, I’d never played the host. I had been wanting to start my own show for some time, but was feeling a case of the nerves and it was stopping me.

Finally, I got tired of procrastinating and decided to just go for it. Who would really care if I stumbled a couple of times? Who would really care if I said my share of “ums” and “uhs?” Would it be the end of the world if I wasn’t the consummate professional my first time out? These thoughts slowly began to make sense, so I made up my mind to stop stopping myself and just go for it.

I’m pleased to say that I invited a wonderfully inspiring guest and, I think, the show turned out great! If you haven’t already heard it, I invite you to give it a try. It’s only fifteen minutes, and I believe it’s well worth your while. 

Now, I’ve got a number of future guests lined up and I’m looking forward to many fascinating and thought-provoking interviews with baby boomer women over fifty who are making the most of their lives. (I’m on vacation right now but will start broadcasting again as soon as I return. I’ll keep you posted.) Please go to the “contact me” page and send me an email if you’d like to be interviewed and share your story with other boomer women.

As stopping myself from doing things has been a recurring theme in my own life (before I turned fifty and feisty, that is), I invite you to look at these issues for yourself. Are you letting important opportunities slip by because of fear or lack of confidence? Are you limiting your abilities and impact on the world because it seems just too hard to try to go after what you want? 

Take some time to make a list of two or three things you’d like to realize in your life. Then jot down four or five obstacles you believe would prevent you from accomplishing these goals. After that, brainstorm ways to overcome these obstacles. If you can’t come up with any ideas on your own, ask a friend, a counselor, or some other person you trust. In fact, ask several. The way to achieve your dreams might just be a question or two away. 

Remember, this is the time in your life to go after what you want. After years of catering to the needs of spouses and children, you’ve earned the right to focus on your own desires for a change. And we all know that, as women over fifty, we’re now FIESTIER THAN EVER–so go on, get out there, and follow those dreams!

Yes, in all due modesty, women over fifty rule. And not just with our formidable experience, smarts, and menopausal zest. We rule in a number of ways–not the least of which is our physical endurance… okay, well, kinda. 

For those of you who are frequent readers, you may recall that I’m currently on vacation. As one way of thwarting the addition of several unwanted pounds, I’m trying to keep up with my exercise. So yesterday morning I headed off for the hotel gym.I got there around 7:30 a.m. and was pleasantly surprised to see the room fairly full with several  sweaty hotel guests–all, I presume, with the same goal in mind as my own. But, the biggest surprise of all was that these other gym goers were almost all boomers! There were bald heads and grey hair everywhere I turned. I smiled to myself with the thought that the “forever young generation” was trying like heck to make that old chestnut into a reality. I was amongst my peers, clad in workout gear, ready to build my heart rate, and pump iron in my own attempts at anti-aging–or at least slowing the tick-tick-tick of Father Time and the spread-spread-spread of Mother Menopause.

As I stepped up on one of the treadmills, a younger man climbed on the one next to mine. He was likely in his late thirties and looked fairly fit. Each of us started rather slowly and then began to build both the incline and the speed to higher numbers. But, and I’m still grinning immodestly, I kept on increasing my speed while he remained at a rather moderate pace.

I realize there is a certain etiquette observed while at the gym and one huge faux pas is glancing over at your neighbor’s numbers as they’re working out. I tried to avert my eyes but they kept wandering to his machine. I couldn’t get a reading but, just for good measure, increased my speed again so there’d be no doubt as to who the true jock was.

Yes, I may have been behaving more than a bit childishly as my competitive streak emerged with unbridled force, but I had the feeling I was making a statement for all of us women over fifty. I was my own  Olympiad, proudly bearing the torch for my gender and generation. Who says we older gals are over the hill? I was handily beating this young stud and, even though I was beginning to turn beet red and sweat profusely, I wasn’t backing down. 

It was then that he made his move. He started revving the treadmill’s speed faster and faster until he started jogging at a fairly fast clip. Wanting to best his speed, I increased my own. However thankfully, at this point, I came to some semblance of sanity and did have the good sense to check the heart rate monitor. The numbers I saw gave me the immediate feedback that I was about to suffer from  some type of unfortunate cardiac episode, so I reluctantly backed off and decreased my speed to something more sustainable.

At any rate, although the young man did finally beat me speed-wise, I was able to keep up my workout a full ten minutes longer than he. So, I guess we old gals do rule–one way or another. My personal moral for this tale of  sweat and glory is: it ain’t the speed–it’s the spunk. And, my friends, although we may not make olympic material these days, we ladies over fifty have got that in spades!