Can Early Menopause Hurt Your Heart?

Don't miss any of HealthyWoman from Bottom Line. Add our address, HealthyWomanfromBottomLine@news.bottomlinepublishing.com, to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. June 9, 2011  Can Early Menopause Hurt Your Heart? Replenish Your Skin Naturally When an Eyelid Bump Lingers New Treatment Reverses 82% of Deadly Cancers... Without Chemotherapy, Radiation or Surgery Fascinating Facts   Can Early Menopause Hurt Your Heart? Editor’s note: My smart and spirited coworker, Carole Jackson, is the editor of Bottom Line’s Daily Health News, another free e-letter that we publish. Carole recently covered a topic so vital to women’s heart health that I asked if I could share her article with my readers, too. "Sure, spread the word!" she said. So I invite you to take a look at the important information below... then visit www.BottomLineSecrets.com/el/dhn_signup.html to sign up for Daily Health News. —Tamara Carole’s report... Some women experience menopause quite early in life—even in their early or mid-40s. If this describes you or someone you’re close to, you’ll be especially interested in learning the results of a recent study on early menopause and the risk for heart disease. It’s important stuff—if you fall into a particular category, it’s not an overstatement to say that it could even be life-saving. What the study showed: Women who reached menopause before age 46 were at double the risk for heart disease or stroke later in life, compared with women whose menopause came later. That’s a startlingly high increase in risk—enough so that women who had early menopause should take extra precautions to protect their health. The study’s lead researcher, Melissa Wellons, MD, an assistant professor in the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), said that her goal with this research was to help women at high risk make decisions about how to protect themselves from heart disease. It’s a big group, she noted, since 5% to 10% of women experience menopause before age 46. The UAB research team studied more than 2,500 women, 28% of whom had experienced early menopause either naturally or because their ovaries had been surgically removed. The reason for the apparent link between early menopause and cardiovascular disease isn’t entirely clear, but the researchers have several theories—the most obvious relating to the postmenopausal loss of hormones produced by the ovaries. Another theory, said Dr. Wellons, is that some lifestyle-based cardiovascular disease risk factors may be more common in women with early menopause. "For example, these women are more likely to be smokers, a factor that may have contributed to their early loss of ovarian function," she explained. HOW TO STAY YOUNG AT HEART While menopause isn’t something we women get to schedule for ourselves, there are other risk factors that we can control, both before and after menopause—most importantly lifestyle. "There’s no doubt that losing weight and exercising will reduce your cardiovascular risk no matter what your ovary status is," said Dr. Wellons. She also noted that a woman who is lean, nonsmoking and exercising at early menopause is at significantly lower risk for future heart disease than a woman who is overweight, smokes and doesn’t exercise, regardless of her age at menopause. "The study findings should give an extra nudge to women with increased heart disease risk to work on things they can control to reduce that risk," Dr. Wellons said. "If you smoke, stop. Exercise, eat a healthy diet and control your weight. Pay attention to cholesterol and blood pressure levels and get those treated, if necessary." According to Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, medical director of the Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines in Southbury, Connecticut, certain nutritional supplements also have been shown to protect cardiovascular health. Ask your doctor about taking 200 mg to 300 mg of magnesium daily (as long as you don’t have kidney problems)... and 3,000 mg a day of fish oil (as long as you are not on a blood thinner). Yes, this all adds up to a bit of effort, but look at it this way—it’s for a very good cause. Working at getting and staying healthy will result in a longer, healthier and happier life, which gives you all the more time to enjoy doing other things that make you happy! Source: Melissa Wellons, MD, is an assistant professor in the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Replenish Your Skin Naturally Aging skin can really bring a woman down. Not only does it make you feel unattractive on the outside, it can also make you feel bad about yourself on the inside. Preventing wrinkles and taking good care of your skin is one of the best places to start. Replenish promotes respiration at the cellular level instead of providing a short-lived solution. It has a unique blend of all-natural ingredients such as honey, coconut peptides, and royal jelly. Replenish also features hydrolyzed rice protein which actually improves the biomechanical properties of prematurely aged skin. Plus, it reduces any rough, leathery feel you have on your skin. Learn more... When an Eyelid Bump Lingers Have you ever heard of a hordeolum? This is the medical term for a sty during its acute phase—when it is a red, swollen, painful bump on the upper or lower eyelid. What happens: The eyelid has glands that produce oils to help lubricate the eye. If a gland gets blocked, it cannot drain normally and a bacterial infection can develop. As the oily material leaks into the eyelid tissue, it triggers an inflammatory reaction. Often sties clear up within a week or so, either on their own or with the help of an antibiotic or steroid cream. However, sometimes the body forms a hard capsule around the oil to contain it—so even after the inflammation subsides, a firm, painless, pink or flesh-colored bump remains. Called a chalazion, it poses no danger but can be unsightly and may linger for months or years. To encourage a chalazion to go away, ophthalmologist Eric Berman, MD, a clinical associate professor at the University of South Florida, suggested taking the following steps three times a day for one week or until the problem resolves. First: Dampen a washcloth with plain water, heat it in the microwave for five to 10 seconds (be sure it’s not too hot), then hold the warm compress against your eye for five minutes. Next: Try to expel some of the trapped liquid by using your fingertips to massage the area, moving from the outside of the chalazion toward the lashes. Don’t squeeze! Just gently rub across the bump. If self-treatment doesn’t work and the chalazion bothers you, or if it grows so large that it interferes with vision, Dr. Berman recommended having it lanced by an oculoplastic surgeon (an ophthalmologist trained in cosmetic surgery around the eye). This in-office procedure takes about five minutes. The only downsides are that the numbing injection that precedes the lancing feels like a bee sting, and some patients develop a black eye that lasts about a week. If a chalazion recurs, as sometimes happens, the procedure can be repeated. Source: Eric Berman, MD, is an ophthalmologist, neuro-ophthalmologist and oculoplastic surgeon at the Manatee Sarasota Eye Clinic in Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida. He also is a clinical associate professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. www.YourEyeDoctors.com New Treatment Reverses 82% of Deadly Cancers... Without Chemotherapy, Radiation or Surgery Lung cancer? Everybody knows that’s usually a death sentence. TV’s Peter Jennings died just a few months after announcing he had it. But you won’t hear that gloomy outlook from some very fortunate cancer patients. They were treated with a startling new medical cure that harnessed the cancer-killing power of their body’s T-cells. These warriors of your immune system usually ignore cancer. But researchers recently found a way to trick T-cells into destroying deadly cancers. How? With a dose of the patient’s own tumor cells! Read on... Fascinating Facts 15%... Adults in the US who do not wear a seat belt every time they drive or ride in a motor vehicle. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 22%... Electronically filed drug prescriptions that patients fail to fill—including 28% to 31% of newly prescribed medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. Source: Journal of General Internal Medicine 51%... Americans age 18 and up who do not floss their teeth at least once daily. Source: Survey from the American Dental Association    Tamara Eberlein, the editor of HealthyWoman from Bottom Line, has been a health journalist for nearly three decades. An award-winning author or coauthor of four books, she is committed to helping other women in midlife and beyond live healthy, fulfilling lives. Her latest book is the updated, third edition of When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads (HarperCollins). She is also the "chief health adviser" to her husband of 26 years and three college-age children.    BOTTOMLINESECRETS.COM Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy About Us Contact US Bottom Line Publications | 281 Tresser Boulevard, 8th Floor | Stamford, CT 06901 You received this free E-letter because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as healthwellness82@gmail.com. Or... a friend forwarded it to you. Click here to easily unsubscribe. To change your e-mail address click here. To update your e-mail preferences click here. © 2011 by Boardroom Inc. All Rights Reserved.