HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE

HOT FLASH HAVOC TEAM"

The movie HOT FLASH HAVOC, discusses both the terms bioidentical and synthetic regarding hormones. Interestingly enough, all estrogen hormones are synthetic.  So if someone makes them, they are synthetic. Most are made from plants.  Even the estrogen hormones that are used by the compounding pharmacies are provided by the FDA, so they are synthetic. 
 
The term bioidentical is a bit misleading. Almost all of the estrogen drugs made today are considered bioidentical as they bio-memimic the hormones that are made in our bodies.  Remember you can only get the same estrogen hormones that are made by your body if you squeeze it out of our ovaries. Highly unlikely!!!  You should get a copy of the movie and review the info.  It is coming from some of the top thought leaders in menopause today. 

Bioidentical is a marketing term so don't be fooled that you can only get this through compounded pharmacies.  Estrogen hormones that are FDA approved and paid by insurance are considered bio-identical.  It is recommended that you take estrogens transdermally (through the skin and through the vagina).  There are lotions, gels, patches, vaginal rings, vaginal crèmes and compounded pills that you take under your tongue.

Every woman is different and they need to find out what works for them.  Primarily, we should be using transdermal estrogens as it eliminates the need to take 10 times the amount like an oral estrogen that goes through our liver.  (Also when you take estrogen orally it does not break down the estrogen the same way as when it goes through your skin and into your blood stream.)
 
So do your research, watch the movie and get good info.  It is out there.

Heidi Houston

I must begin by telling you that I am an Italian-American who grew up in a predominantly Italian neighborhood in Baltimore. My family owned a well known restaurant in Little Italy.  And, I grew up in a large and loving family. We all lived either next door to one another, or across the street.  We were a very tight-knit family unit that got together on every occasion.

Our gatherings were always around the dining tables in our family restaurant where at least twelve courses of food were served.  And, that is probably why today, I compulsively cook and have overabundance of tomato cans and pasta in my pantry. 

It's interesting what stands out in my mind about that period of time in my life, is that I still can envision the hordes of relatives sitting there at the table.  My mother and my Italian aunts all seemed to be incessant worriers. And, when you brought up a topic that was sensitive by nature, there was always a long silence, followed by emotional drama.  When I observed this, I got my cue that I should take a vow of silence. That is why menopause and its accompanying challenges were never discussed.  They probably would have called in the parish priest if I had told them what I went through after experiencing surgical menopause through a hysterectomy. 
 
So, let me begin by telling you about my menopause experience, the challenges I faced, and why I started Red Hot Mamas (the nation's largest menopause education program).  When I was 40 years old, I had an emergency hysterectomy with removal of my ovaries (oophorectomy).  My discussions with my doctor stemmed around pre-operative information and possible complications of the surgical procedure.  However, the doctor had no discussion about the fact I would go into menopause and how I could ameliorate the symptoms that accompanied surgical menopause or that I would even have any symptoms.

My immediate symptoms were quite disconcerting to me.  All at once I had the devil in me, "hot flashes, night sweats", heart palpitations, insomnia, weight gain and major forgetfulness." I felt as if I had nowhere to turn for help.....I was lost in the Bermuda Triangle!  I was totally embarrassed to talk about it and I held onto the philosophy "don't tell Mama" as it would probably lead to family drama.
 
At that time, I was serving my 3rd term in public office, as Selectman in Ridgefield, CT.  Many women heard about my surgery and began calling me.  They too were seeking answers to their menopausal concerns.  That was the thrust of why I developed Red Hot Mamas, to provide information to women about menopause. 

We all know about hot flashes.  After all, about 75% of us have them.  I can attest it's no fun feeling clammy, hot and full of sweat.  Then the menopausal insomniac thing is rather hard to take. There are a lot of women calling the home shopping networks in the middle of the night because of this symptom. And, I will elaborate more about weight gain that is not often listed as a menopausal symptom.  And, oh how I wish my Mama would have discussed weight gain issues with me!!! Oh yes and often I would forget what I even came to ask her.

On average, women gain 5-10 pounds during perimenopause and additionally the common weight gain after menopause is another 5-10 pounds.  The primary cause is the decrease in caloric needs due to the slowing down of our metabolism with aging.  We also lose muscle mass.  Muscle mass helps us burn calories.  So if we don't exercise and watch our calories, weight gain will increase further.  There's a reason why those relaxed fit jeans are fitting more comfortably. More fat accumulates around our mid section (our bellies) and we suddenly appear "apple shaped" rather than "pear shaped".  More weight puts us at greater risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, breast cancer and gall bladder disease.
 
I admit, I don't always practice what I preach and sometimes when I go out to eat at an Italian restaurant, I feel like I need the jaws of life to get me out of my car. But, I do know that to fight weight gain, we/you need to use more calories, i.e., exercise more, and ingest less calories by incorporating healthy foods in your daily diet. I've retained my Italian values...but now I eat smaller portions of food (especially pasta) and I try to exercise daily.

 Karen Giblin

Giving THANKS for all of you, have a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Heidi Houston

Hot Flash Havoc  

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