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Top 10 Things about Menopause That No One Talks About

October 15, 2016 by Tammy Robinson Leave a Comment

Menopause; the time of a woman’s life when she stops having a monthly menstrual cycle. For many women, this is a good time of life, when the worries about becoming pregnant, disappear and those messy, painful days of the month become history.

While many people, men included, think that menopause is like the stopping and starting of a car, it’s anything but. Menopause happens gradually, for many women symptoms begin in their mid to late 40’s and continue for 10 years.

If your mother or grandmother didn’t clue you in on what to expect, we want to clear things up by talking about the top 10 things about menopause that most people never hear.

Men – this article is for you as well! What happens to a woman during this time can affect your relationship. It can help you understand why your partner is acting differently during this time of her life.

It Hits You Like a Truck

Sometimes, this is one of the best ways to tell that a symptom you are feeling is simply menopause and not something else. Although menopause will sneak up on you at first, with a twice a month night sweat or a 2 minute hot flash, once you are really into the change of life, most symptoms feel like you were hit by a truck. One friend describes headaches that literally feel as if someone hit her in the back of a head with a baseball bat. Hot flashes literally feel as if someone is pouring extremely hot water over your head, and you can literally feel fine one minute and completely wiped out the next minute. If a symptom hits you hard and fast, you can almost guarantee your body dropped a hormone somewhere.

You Will Hate Everyone

We aren’t kidding. There will be times where you simply hate everyone for no reason. Yes, even your kids and loving husband will suddenly feel intrusive and all you can think about are ways to avoid everyone. If you find yourself looking at pictures of deserted islands or tree houses and thinking “I could live there”, you know that menopause has a serious grip on you.

The good news is that this passes. You should take each feeling as they come and do your best to deal with them in a way that makes you feel better. These feelings are temporary, although they might not see, that way.

Your Heart Feels Like It’s Doing the Macarena

Almost all women will experience some type of heart palpations before, during, or after menopause. They can be scary, but for most women, they last only about 2 or 3 minutes. If they last longer than 5 minutes, or if you feel short of breath or have pain in your arm, back, or chest, see a doctor. Even if the duration is short, you might want to double check with your doctor that all you are feeling is your heart doing the menopause flip flop, thereby ruling out other heart problems.

Your Skin Feels Like Tree Bark

This doesn’t happen to all women, but many will tell you that their skin suddenly becomes dry and flaky during menopause. Think of this as a time to upgrade your moisturizer! The face moisturizer (and body moisturizer) you have used for the past 10 or more years might not be enough for you now. Look for words like “oil based” or “for mature skin” on your facial moisturizers, or consult with your dermatologist.

Hot Flashes are NOT over in a Flash

Hot flashes will hit you from the waist up and they can be so intense that you literally have to change your clothes. They won’t magically end with your period, either. Hot flashes and night sweats generally start in your mid to late 40’s and continue through your 50’s. Yes, 10 years of hot flashes are perfectly normal. So think cool and think layers!

Every day is a Bad Hair Day

Hair loss, hair breakage, or thinning hair is a normal symptom of menopause. Due to the wild fluctuations in hormones, your hair can become super dry and brittle. This would be a good time to think natural. Forget about curling irons, straightening irons, and chemical perms or relaxers. These will only make things worse. Use lots of conditioning treatments and gentle shampoos to help keep your locks beautiful and avoid further damage.

Your Sleep Patterns Go Completely Haywire

You will find that your sleep patterns become crazy, which can make you feel crazy. You might wake up every night at 3AM unable to sleep, fall asleep in the middle of the day, then go to bed at midnight because you can’t sleep. Other people say that although they are sleeping 8 hours at night, they simply cannot function without a nap in the afternoon.

Many, many women complain of insomnia. Night sweats wake you up and keep you up. Don’t rely on sleeping pills, however, as these only make things worse. Try some chamomile tea or warm milk. If all else fails, take up a new (quiet, indoor) hobby!

You Will Cry and Be Angry for No Reason

Our hormones have a lot to do with our feelings, so is it any surprise that a fluctuation in hormones means crazy feelings? Almost all women report feeling sad and crying for no reason at all, while others say that they feel angry all the time, but don’t know why. Still, other women will tell you that they start off crying, then screaming, before wondering what the heck they were so upset about. Be prepared for those wild feelings and don’t feel badly about it. Feelings happen. These crazy emotions will also pass.

Your Sex Drive Will Be Different

Sex usually becomes a case of feast or famine. Women seem to go to extremes in this area. Some women end up pushing away their husbands, don’t want him anywhere near them because they are going through hot flash heaven, and never give sex a second thought.

On the other hand, many women report that they become sex crazy, feeling desire like they haven’t enjoyed since their 20’s.

There are lots of women in between these two extremes, so no matter where you fall, it’s probably normal. If you are concerned, however, about your sex life, or lack of it, please talk to your OBGYN.

You Are Not Everyone Else

It seems as if there are almost as many different menopause symptoms as there are women in the world. What happens to one woman may not happen to another. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to menopause, only that your periods will stop. This list talks about the most common experiences, but if these aren’t happening to you, thank your lucky stars! Chances are that you will simply experience something else, and that’s OK.

We should add that some women go through menopause with very few “side effects”. This, too, is also considered normal. There is one thing that is true of all women; they are strong and resilient. You can get through this. Really, you can!

Top 10 Old Wives Tales Debunked

August 16, 2016 by Tammy Robinson Leave a Comment

Grandmothers everywhere have been giving us their advice regarding what is good to eat, what isn’t good, what is safe, what will stop stomach aches, headaches, and what will downright kill you.

Well, we don’t mean any disrespect, but grandma’s are not always right.

In the same way that your grandmother gave you her grandmother’s best biscuit recipe ever, (and we don’t doubt that it is excellent), but some well meaning advice also gets passed down from generation to generation with no questions asked. If grandma said it, it must be true, right?

This always reminds us of a story we once read where a woman was making her grandmother’s famous pot roast recipe. The recipe started off by saying that you needed to cut the end off of one side. The woman began to wonder why this was. Was it meant to make the piece more juicy? To allow the sauce to permeate the meat better? She calls her mother and asks why she should cut the end off the meat. Her mother doesn’t know, so the woman calls her grandmother to find out. “Oh, that,” her grandmother said, “it’s because I used MY grandmother’s roasting pan and it was very small, so we cut the end off of the roast so it would fit.”

We are going to debunk 10 of the most common old wives tales around so that you can stop cutting the end off of your roasts.

Green or Sprouted Potatoes Kill

Well, while green potatoes or sprouted potatoes may not kill, they could make you sick. Your potatoes sprout because of the warmth of your home. Exposure to light will hurry the process along and cause the potatoes to make chlorophyll, which is why they look a little green. Now, chlorophyll and solanine can make you pretty sick, so if you see some leaves starting to form or if the potatoes are green, it is best not to eat them to be safe. However, small little “eyes” just starting out should be no problem. Just pop them off and cook as usual.

An Apple a Day

Everyone knows this old saying. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? While apples are super nutritious, full of vitamin C and pectin, not to mention being a great source of fiber, we can’t go so far as to say that eating an apple each day will prevent things like diabetes, arthritis, or cancer.

Eat Carrots and You Will Never Need Glasses

There is no denying that carrots are very good for our eyes, they won’t actually fix vision problems. Carrots are loaded with antioxidants, beta-carotene, and other good things that will help maintain a healthy eye, but true vision problems will need to be corrected with glasses or contacts.

Cracking Your Knuckles Causes Arthritis

Every grandma on the planet has said this at one time or another! We know ours certainly did, but is this true? Despite the annoying sounds, studies have found that those who crack their knuckles, even on a regular basis for decades, found absolutely no difference between knuckle crackers and non-knuckle crackers when it came to arthritis. Take note, however, that this study did find that knuckle crackers had weaker grips later on.

Don’t Go Swimming for 30 Minutes after Eating

This one is actually some darn good advice from grandma, so listen up! Autopsies on drowning subjects found that a full 80 percent of swimmers still had food in their stomachs. It’s believed that blood is diverted from the legs to the stomach for digestion, causing severe cramps for some persons. Just to be on the safe side, lie back and take a snooze after eating before you hit the pool.

Reading in Low Light Damages the Eyes

While reading in poor light might give you a headache, it won’t cause long lasting damage to the eyes. To avoid eye strain and the headaches it causes, use a good reading light.

Chicken Soup Cures a Cold

Grandma’s chicken soup, no matter how good it is, may not “cure” a cold, but it certainly will help the body’s immune system fight it off. Chicken soup reduces inflammation as well, so this is one piece of advice you can take to bed with you next time you catch a cold.

Sweating Removes Toxins

Your body removes any waste or toxins via the kidneys and liver, not by sweating. We hate to break it to David Wolfe fans, but the detox craze is just that. A fad. There is no scientific evidence behind it whatsoever. Sweating is your body’s means of cooling itself, nothing more.

Sugar Makes Kids Hyper

This is another age old myth that just refuses to die. There is absolutely no evidence that kids somehow get “hyped up” on sugar. None. Sorry, grandma, give the kids their suckers, they won’t go crazy, we promise.

Don’t Sit Too Close to the TV

While this might have been true in the 1950’s and 1960’s, it certainly isn’t true today. Before 1968, televisions released some fairly high energy radiation that probably wasn’t so good for the eyes. Televisions made after 1970 are perfectly safe, however, so if your kid likes to sit close, it won’t hurt him. That being said, sitting too close to the TV can cause eye strain and headaches, so it’s better to watch it from a reasonable distance. If your child says he can’t see unless he sits close, it’s time to head to the eye doctor for a checkup.

10 Dangerous Signs of Dehydration (#3 is Really Shocking!)

June 4, 2016 by Tammy Robinson Leave a Comment

When most people think of dehydration, they think of people who have heat stroke, or children who are very sick with fevers or vomiting. The truth is, you only need to have an inadequate consumption of water to be considered dehydrated. Skipping two or three glasses of your regular 8 glasses a day minimum is enough to make you dehydrated.

Why it Matters

Every single cell, every single organ, every single function in your body needs water to work. This is why you can go 3 weeks (or more) without food, but only about 3 days without water. Your body will suffer when you are dehydrated, even though you may not feel or see the effects.

10 Signs Your Body is Dehydrated

Decline of Brain Function

Your brain, perhaps more than anything else, needs to be sufficiently hydrated. At any given time, the brain will contain more than 20 percent of the blood supply in the body. Brain cells are also about 85 percent water. The electric current that runs the brain operates on, you guessed it, good old H2O. If you want your brain to work at its best (not to mention making you feel your best) be certain you stay fully hydrated and drink water all day long.

Skin Issues and Early Aging

Your skin is made up of approximately 75 percent water. When it becomes dehydrated, it can develop problems such as dermatitis and eczema. Your skin will also greatly slow down the regeneration of new skin cells and collagen. This can result in premature aging of the skin. Although these problems are mainly cosmetic, they do alter a person’s quality and enjoyment of life. Who wants to go through life with itchy, dry skin?

Kidney Damage

As you know, your kidneys are the body’s main source of water removal. When there is a water shortage in the body, the kidneys go through a process called rennin angiotensin. This process tightens the vascular system and tells the kidneys to save water by slowing the process of urination. Over time, this process leads to kidney stones and even kidney damage. The color of your urine is a pretty good indicator of hydration. Light yellow or colorless urine means you are drinking plenty of water.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Although no one knows the exact cause or reason behind rheumatoid arthritis, one thing is certain; studies show that mild dehydration can cause joint pain and that those who suffer from RA are often dehydrated. While it is not fully known whether drinking enough water could prevent or less arthritis or RA symptoms, there does appear to be some type of connection.

Injuries from Overheating

You don’t have to be digging ditches in the hot sun to suffer from injuries due to heat. Think about your car; without sufficient water, a car can overheat even on a snowy day. Heat injuries range from cramps to headaches, heat exhaustion heat stroke. Be certain that, no matter the weather outside, no matter what you are doing, you stay hydrated to avoid damaging your body by overheating it due to lack of fluids.

Infections

One of the most common types of infection is a urinary tract or bladder infection. In fact, about 50 percent of adult women will get this type of infection at least once in her lifetime. When you become dehydrated, the body does not have sufficient water to flush out the bacteria that naturally congregate inside the urinary tract. When you are fully hydrated, your body will naturally remove these bacteria. Doctors say that a full 30 percent of all bladder infections are caused by a simple lack of water.

Digestion Problems/GERD

Stomach or digestion problems range from simple heartburn or indigestion to GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder). The stomach also needs sufficient water to produce enough stomach acid and enzymes to digest food properly. The acid and enzymes, called chyme, also need to be diluted before the stomach dumps food into the intestines. If the body does not have enough water to do this, digestion can be delayed and GERD can develop from undiluted acid entering the esophagus. Drinking water before, during, and after each meal will greatly help the stomach perform its natural digestion process.

Chronic Constipation

Everyone has to go, but what happens when you can’t? Could this be due to a lack of water? You bet! In order to help the body conserve water, the colon will restrict unnecessary water loss by reabsorbing the water. This results in hard, dry stools. Believe it or not, carbonated water (not necessarily sodas, but seltzer water) shows great results for those who suffer from chronic constipation, although scientists aren’t sure why this works so well.

Chronic Headaches

Studies have found that even very mild dehydration (1%) can lead to chronic headaches. You can easily lose 1% of your body’s water reserve with simple daily activities and you are likely to lose as much as 3 to 5 percent after a hard workout through sweat! Many studies have found that staying hydrated can help to avoid headaches, stop headaches, and keep moods more stable.

Sudden Death

In severe cases, dehydration can result in sudden death. Losing 15 percent or more of the fluid level in the body results in death, beginning with organ failure, coma, and then death. Very hot and very cold weather is hard on the body and causes it to need more water. This is especially true of the elderly. Our sensation of thirst begins to diminish after 50 years of age, so we don’t always recognize that the body needs more water. Low blood volume occurs as the blood thickens due to lack of water, which can lead to a drop in oxygen and heart failure if the heart cannot pump enough of the thickened blood to the body’s organs, including the brain. Although dehydration this severe is not common, it is certainly not unheard of.

What is the Biggest Killer among the Retired in America?

May 28, 2016 by Tammy Robinson Leave a Comment

You might not believe it, but regardless of how much money you have saved, how carefully you have looked after your health, no matter where in the world you decide to live, there is one thing among American retirees that kills more people than just about anything else and it’s not what you think it is.

This common problem is the same as smoking almost a pack of cigarettes each day, never getting off the sofa, or drinking to excess everyday. In fact, this problem outweighs obesity but is something no one talks about.

What is this deadly problem?

Loneliness.

Don’t shrug and hit the back button, hold on a minute. This isn’t junk science or some television guru gobbledegook. This study was done by Merrill Lynch and Age Wave back in 2013.

First, a group of soon to be retired persons were asked what they thought they would miss most when they retired. As you can imagine, “A reliable source of income” topped the list, with “Social Connections and Interactions” coming in a distant second.

However, when a recently retired group of people was asked what they now miss the most, “Social Connections and Interactions” topped the list, with that good old reliable income coming in second.

This shows that what most people “think” is the most important thing before they retire quickly loses its importance once people leave the workforce.

In fact, in another study by MLAW, retirees said that it wasn’t so much what they were doing during the day, but who they were doing it with. Which means that if it came down to going to a baseball game alone or going to pick up trash on a highway with your grandchildren, most people are inclined to choose the later.

This is what is being called “The New Social Security”, which is the value that social relationships have to physical and mental health. This has been shown to be an important factor in numerous studies.

The New Social Security

One of the interesting things that this study found was that, if you are married, you are more than likely to get most of your pleasure from your family – your kids, your grandkids, your spouse and perhaps even in-laws.

This means that if you had planned on moving away to the country or to the beach or even to a foreign country, you should think twice about those plans if it will take you far away from your family.

You should either start considering moving to where your family/children are or, if they are spread out, consider the costs of travel as a part of your retirement plan.

Studies have shown that retirees who believe that they will “love the peace and quiet” of living alone or at least far away from family and friends, are often the ones who find themselves suffering from depression, high blood pressure, and even more serious problems such as cardiovascular issues and cancer.

Being socially interactive lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s, reduces blood pressure, and reduces the risk of developing mental health issues.

Find ways to stay socially connected, even after you retire. Visit the ones you love as often as possible and invite them to your home as well. Even if finances make this impossible, stay connected with Skype, Snapchat, phone calls, even old fashioned snail mail.

The benefits of staying in touch with your loved ones are just as important as regular visits to the doctor and getting regular exercise. Reach out to friends, family, even neighbors and stay young at heart!