Author: Janet Horn, MD and Robin H. Miller, MDwww.smartwomanshealth.com Reviewed By: Dotsie Bregel Baby boomer women are interested in managing their health. The generation of women born between 1946 and 1964 are healthier and better educated than prior generations of women. They want to be involved with their health care management. This guide allows them to speak intelligently about their health concerns. Written in an up front, concise manner, for the everyday women to understand, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Midlife & Beyond: A No-Nonsense Approach to Staying Healthy After 50 offers... Read More

Author: Pat Burnswww.grandparentsrock.com Reviewed By: Dotsie Bregel Boomers are embracing grandparenting with open arms. According to Pat Burns, grandparenting is all about pure love so it’s no surprise that baby boomers are knocking themselves out by sharing the love with our youngest generation. Grandparents Rock includes a compilation of stories written by grands across the country. Each story allows you a glimpse into the lives of fun activities and travel that are keeping relationships alive and flourishing. The writers address topics such as shortening the distance with out of town grandchildren.... Read More

Author: Diane MacEachernwww.biggreenpurse.com/ Reviewed By: Dotsie Bregel Diane MacEachern shares a wealth of knowledge about her area of expertise – going green. She believes women have the purchasing power to help solve our environmental issues. Diane offers concrete recommendations for making the best buying decisions that benefit our environment. Whether you are new to the topic, or have been doing your part for the sake of Mother Earth for years, this remarkably comprehensive book is for you. It can be used as a resource to reference on occasion, or it can be read cover to cover. It... Read More

How have our stressors changed over the years? It may seem that the primary sources of our stress have been the same over our lifetime or even over the centuries. But this is not true. In my ongoing Women\’s Midlife Group which I have conducted for over 17 years at my clinic in Northern CA, we had a recent discussion about how our lives have changed…stressors that we must face that our mothers and grandmothers didn\’t face, particularly at this phase of life. The most recent stressor is that many of the women, single or married, are losing their homes in the recent mortgage crisis.... Read More

…by Prill Boyle I love all four seasons. No matter how bleak the winter has been, by April the hydrangeas next to my porch are budding, the copper beach and pin oaks are leafing out, and the lilies of the valley are once again poking their stems through the earth. Not every plant makes it through the winter, of course. My loamy Connecticut soil is less than ideal, for instance, for growing lavender; every few seasons I have to replace mine. But each year, most of my garden survives. We human bloomers, late or otherwise, are a resilient bunch as well. We have to be for the seeds of our... Read More

Give yourself the gift of YOU Re-charge your energy to lower your stress and avoid living in the “red zone” during the holiday season. It is a must to schedule a minimum of ten minutes a day for yourself every single day to recharge your energy, even if only sitting down with a cup of tea. Learn to let go Throw that worn-out holiday to-do list in the nearest receptacle! Instead focus your time and energy on planning fun activities with your children and special friends. Start new traditions To help move your life forward after divorce, it is important to start new holiday traditions with your... Read More

Menopause is sometimes responsible for bouts of dry skin, particularly around the mouth, nose areas, as well as internally within the eyes. This dryness can be caused by the hormonal imbalances. During menopause, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels decline and different types of “dryness” can occur. For example, testosterone maintains the lacrimal gland which produces tears in the eyes and keeps them lubricated. Keep in mind, not only is testosterone responsible for producing tears but it is responsible for nourishing it with lubrication to aid in sight. When testosterone... Read More

Fundamental to understanding how relationships actually work, it’s essential to appreciate that two people are always co-creating their relationship — right from the moment they meet. They indicate what they like and what they don\’t, what they’ll put up with or not, how generous they are, emotionally, spiritually, monetarily, or not. They speak up for themselves or they don\’t, and they receive the caring coming their way or they can\’t. This two-way give-and-take goes on throughout the life of any relationship, either in the service of the love and romance two people... Read More

There\’s a line in the movie Gracie that I love. Gracie is a teenager in the 70s who is competing for a spot on the boy\’s high school varsity soccer team. In one scene, dejected and on the verge of giving up, her mother, played by Elizabeth Shue, tells her, “If you want to limit yourself, that\’s fine. But don\’t let other people do it for you.” Most of us do an impressive job of impeding our own paths with our detrimental self-talk, minimized confidence, and self-esteem doubts without any help from naysayers. Still, too often we blame those others, not ourselves,... Read More

By Wendy Reid Crisp, NABBW member, Editor-in-Chief of GRAND magazine, and author of “When I Grow Up I Want To Be 60” When I was a kid, the town was full of old ladies. Everyone was a widow in those days – there\’d been two wars, a depression, and no antibiotics. (I started school the first year that penicillin was commonly available. Penicillin was to become a staple in our house: in the refrigerator, beside the milk, which sloshed around in a deep aluminum pan waiting for the thick layer of cream to be skimmed off, sat a row of tiny bottles with red rubber tops that allowed the easy... Read More