I can hardly believe that this is the third February in a row that I\’m writing this column! If you\’ve been with us from the beginning, or if you\’ve read some of our past medical columns, then you\’ll know what\’s coming next. February is not only the month of Valentine\’s Day, but also American Heart Month. (You can celebrate both by eating dark chocolate!) In keeping with those themes, and given how extraordinarily important it is for you to know about and understand how heart disease affects, and is different in, women, this month\’s column will be... Read More

During the mid-life phenomenon known as menopause, changes in headache type, duration and intensity are more common. Throbbing, explosive headaches can pain the sides of your head, and your energy become totally depleted. The slightest opening of an eye can cause a ripple of pain to burst on one side of your fragile head, leaving you in physical ruin. Menopause is known to heighten such uncomfortable, sometimes unbearable symptoms. Menopause and headache changes, specifically, migraine headaches cause a repetitive stronger-than-normal headache that resides on one side of your head. During menopause,... Read More

ACCOUNTABILITY POWER: One of the most powerful principles you can follow in your quest to be the best you ever (as if you\’re not good enough already?????) is to follow the Laws of Accountability. Accountability will keep you on track! Just knowing that someone is going to ask you about your progress with your weight loss (or any other) goal can keep your fires burning bright and ensure that you stay steady the course. How to Stay Accountable! FIND YE AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER: You cannot be accountable to yourself. It NEVER works. You need to partner with someone, a close friend, co-worker,... Read More

New Years Resolutions are a set up. We all tend to set lofty goals for ourselves, and eventually we break them (usually within the first month). Keeping that in mind, I have decided to take a new direction. I suggest you do the same. How about making resolutions that you can keep? These are the ones I propose: I will: Take at least one spontaneous trip this year Eat one hot fudge sundae and not feel guilty (this is a good one!) Make a new friend Try to learn to speak a new language Go to the movies once a month Laugh at least 10 times a day. Try and find things that are fun and do-able... Read More

Aromatherapy dates back to the Egyptians and has been used for centuries to treat a variety of bodily conditions. Losing hair causes both women and men anxiety and has generated a multi-million dollar industry. But studies show that inexpensive, home-grown remedies might just be the best answer. Aromatherapy consists of concentrated flower extracts, leaves and roots from different plants that aid regeneration. This kind of hair loss is referred to in medical terms as Alopecia Areata. It\’s a patchy kind of baldness thought to be related to an autoimmune disorder. Scottish dermatologists,... Read More

I\’m still wrapped up, more or less, in Oprah\’s 200 pounds. I can\’t stop thinking about her process, and wondering what she might have thought or felt the first time a zipper busted along her 40 pound weight GAIN journey. Yup, quite the journey! Now, don\’t get me wrong. I\’m not coming from a judgmental place. I mean, I\’ve been there. Oh yeah! More than once. More than twice. I\’ve yo\’yo\’ed my share! I\’m in sympathy with Oprah and at the same time I really want to give her one mighty KICK in the TUSH!!! So, while I say “Oprah,... Read More

For menopause sufferers, fatigue it is all too common. Some women report lying on the couch with their eyes closed unable to move for long periods of time. Or they experience mental fatigue that provides for feelings of indifference and an overall slumber from day to dusk that makes them unable to perform activities with maximum effort. Fatigue comes in many forms: loss of energy after working out, motion sickness fatigue as a result of senses mixing signals in the brain causing your ears and eyes to overwork, and more. Some women suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome and others are diagnosed with... Read More

Christmas Diet Tip #1: Eating Slowly Translates to Pounds Lost Here is one thing you can do today that will help you gracefully and sveltely move through the holiday season. Chew Slowly and Savor the Flavor Research shows that those who slow down while eating and savor the flavor, eat less than those who gulp and stuff. In a recent study conducted by the University of Rhode Island, scientists found that when eating quickly women consumed 646 calories in approximately nine minutes. When they ate slowly, they averaged 579 calories in 29 minutes! Get it? They ate 67 calories more in nine minutes... 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

Turn “mean-o-pause” into a time of body beauty with these nine tips. If you\’re just entering menopause, you might be thinking, is menopausal weight gain a given? What\’s happening to my body? Why have the Scales of Injustice turned on me? Aren\’t these supposed to be the best years of my life, not the fattest? I promise you that I am eating and exercising the same way I always have!Turn “mean-o-pause” into a time of body beauty with these nine tips. If you\’re just entering menopause, you might be thinking, is menopausal weight gain a given? What\’s... Read More