womentowomen – Page 3 – Marcelle Pick Site

The Surprising Truth About Hot Flashes

womentowomen on March 6, 2015

When I ask my patients which menopausal symptoms drive them the craziest and disrupt their lives the most, they give me a variety of answers: fuzzy thinking, weight gain, anxiety, disrupted sleep, decreased libido or painful sex, and mood swings all come to mind.

At our clinic, Women to Women, we have seen first-hand that the range of symptoms women experience in the years leading up to and immediately after menopause is extensive, and that each woman is affected differently. Despite the myriad of symptoms my patients complain about, however, it seems that one symptom in particular is nearly always on the top of my patients’ “most bothered by list:” that symptom is hot flashes.

Studies show that 4 out of 5 women will experience hot flashes and night sweats before or after menopause, which means most of us will experience them at least once. For many of us, they are life disrupting for far longer than we’d like. If it seems like your temperature shifts are not getting better or showing any signs of going away, you’re not alone.

A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that these vasomotor symptoms (or VMS) last on average for more than seven years. For some ethnicities, the average duration can be over ten years; that’s a long time to be kicking off blankets and peeling off clothing layers!

The good news is that you don’t have to suffer through a decade of misery. At Women to Women, we’ve been helping our patients manage their hormonal imbalance and regain control of their health – and their body temperatures – for decades. Let’s look a little more closely at hot flashes and night sweats and what we can do to feel better now, not ten years from now!

Treating Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

If you’ve had a hot flash or night sweats, you know how uncomfortable and awkward it can be. Thankfully, there are more options than just keeping the thermostat down, avoiding spicy foods, which several authors suggest as treatment options, or opting for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which has been linked to breast and ovarian cancers even when only taken for short durations.

When your body is experiencing symptoms of hormonal imbalance it means that your systems and hormones are out of alignment: your symptoms are a message from your body asking you to pay attention.

During our transition before and after menopause, our hormones are shifting and the ratio of estrogen to progesterone and testosterone is constantly changing. When these ratios get out of balance, we experience symptoms such as hot flashes and many other well-known menopausal complaints. It IS possible to bring these hormones back into a healthy balance and our Menopause Support System has proven very effective in helping the body do so and alleviating symptoms during this transition.

But while nutritional supplementation and support is a critical component, it’s not as simple as just popping a pill and making it all go away; to receive optimal relief and restore health so that you can feel like yourself again, you’re going to need to make some simple lifestyle and diet changes as well.

That’s because our sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, are secondary hormones and our primary hormones of insulin, adrenalin and cortisol take precedence when it comes to getting the support and nutrition your body needs to perform optimally. If these hormones are out of balance, your body will focus on restoring harmony there first and your best efforts to address your menopausal symptoms may not yield the results you are seeking.

For example, insulin controls your blood sugar levels so if your diet is full of sugar, starch and carbohydrates, your menopausal complaints may well be more severe and will likely stay around longer. Similarly, if you live a very stressful chaotic life and you don’t take time for relaxation, meditation and self-care, you may experience adrenal fatigue because your adrenalin and cortisol will be out of balance. If there is an imbalance in any of the primary hormones, it will slow down symptom relief.

But the good news is that by making some simple diet and lifestyle changes, you can begin to feel much better and alleviate not just hot flashes, but weight gain, mood changes and all of your other menopausal symptoms as well.

The first step is to minimize processed foods and sugar and instead opt for fresh whole foods: grass-fed meats, wild caught salmon and omega-3 rich fish, and organic produce whenever you can will go a long way to restoring balance and helping you feel better. It’s important to watch out for hidden sugars such as high fructose corn syrup that wreak havoc on your insulin levels and to avoid vegetable oils and other omega 6 processed oils and the boxed foods that contain them.

You can learn more about sugar in our article here.

In addition, in the study, researchers also found that lifestyle concerns and psychosocial factors have an impact on how disruptive hormonal imbalance symptoms may be. In other words, the scientists are saying that if you have stress or distress in other areas of your life, it is more likely to show up in the form of symptoms in your physical body than if you don’t. We’ve seen this first-hand at women to women for years.

Those women in the JAMA study who experienced symptoms for longer periods of time included those who were under financial strain, under greater perceived stress, experiencing more depression or anxiety, seemed to be more sensitive to their symptoms and those who experienced symptoms at younger ages. So it’s important to reduce stress from your life by making changes where you can and by implementing stress relief practices such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, journaling, deep breathing, eating well and getting a good night’s sleep.

Menopausal Symptom Relief Is Possible

One of the major conclusions of the JAMA study was that most physicians are unaware of the severity and the duration of many menopausal symptoms including VMS. If your practitioner thinks they will go away on their own, or that living with them for a few months (or years!) is ok, find a practitioner that will work with you to improve your diet and lifestyle and give your body the support it is crying out for. Symptoms of hormonal imbalance mean your body is out of alignment and needs to be re-balanced. And with the study results indicating that this imbalance can last as long as a decade, taking a wait and see attitude is not the best solution for your health, or your comfort.

At Women to Women, we have been successfully treating symptoms of hormonal imbalance including hot flashes and night sweats for three decades. We have found that in addition to changing your diet, basic nutritional support in the form or a pharmaceutical grade multi-vitamin and omega 3 fatty acid supplement fill in the nutritional gaps that can result in your body’s sensitivity to symptoms such as VMS.

In today’s world with our busy lives and our compromised food supply, it is nearly impossible to get all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and co-factors your body needs for optimal function in a form that your body can absorb. In addition, if you are experiencing more severe, more frequent, or more numerous physical or emotional symptoms, our proprietary blend of natural herbs to support you will provide the relief from your symptoms you are seeking and help to restore your hormonal balance so they don’t come back. While diet and lifestyle changes go along way, when you add in nutritional supplementation support, it’s possible to go symptom-free and finally feel like yourself again.

Let today be the last day you have a hot flash – or the last night you wake up hot and drenched! Order now.

To learn more about our Menopause support system click here.

If you missed our last newsletter on vitamins, you can read it here.

The Truth About Vitamins

womentowomen on February 28, 2015

Every so often, a new study about vitamins dominates the headlines announcing that vitamins don’t work, they are a waste of money, or they aren’t what you think they are. I’m always amazed at how they can spin things to make such sensational headlines!

After looking at thousands of research studies over my years in practice, I know that it isn’t until you delve into the specifics of the study: how it was done, what they actually looked at, and who funded it, that the real headline emerges.

A few years ago, a scathing review conducted by Consumer Reports concluded that vitamins were a total waste of money. They looked at individual supplements for vitamins, such as vitamin E and other vitamins, in isolation and concluded that they weren’t effective.

As a Functional Medicine practitioner who treats the body as a whole, recognizing that every system, process and function is interrelated and connected to others, it’s no surprise to me that a vitamin taken in isolation, without all the necessary enzymes and co-factors that support its metabolism, would have little impact.

Earlier this year, another study concluded that many of the supplements you purchase at stores like Walmart, Target, GNC and Walgreen do not contain what they claim to. This isn’t the first of these studies. A similar study on omega 3 fish oils in California a few years ago revealed wild disparities between the concentration and purity of the products and the stated label claims. Several other studies have revealed similar results.

Given we are often looking at a vitamin in isolation or evaluating vitamin products that do not contain the ingredients or doses they claim to, it’s no surprise that the media proclaims that vitamins don’t work, aren’t necessary or are a waste of money: in those cases, it’s likely true!

At Women to Women, however, over the past three decades, we have seen first-hand that high-quality supplementation can make an incredible difference in the health and healing of our patients. That’s because we formulate our vitamins to be of the highest quality and purity, designed for optimal absorption and laboratory-tested to ensure efficacy and potency: our patients see and feel the difference.

Vitamins can help support your health, but only if you are getting high-quality nutritional support that is proven to impact wellness; otherwise, you’re just “wasting your money,” as the headlines claim. Let’s look at what you need to know about buying and taking vitamins so you can get the benefits that high-quality supplements can provide.

Why Isn’t Good Food Enough?

When I ask my patients about their diets, most confess that they eat out more than they should, they choose the convenience of packaged or processed foods a bit too often, and they don’t always get the highest quality ingredients such as organic fruits and vegetables and grass-fed meats because they aren’t readily available or affordable.

Given the way food is raised and grown today, it’s no great surprise that they are often experiencing symptoms resulting from the deficiencies or ‘gaps’ that can arise from incomplete nutrition. For the majority of my patients, once we look at their diets, they immediately understand that their bodies need more support and see a high-quality multi-vitamin can help to “bridge the gap.”

Occasionally, I have a few conscientious patients who are making all those good choices, at least most of the time, and they are sometimes surprised that it is still not enough. The truth is that given today’s farming practices, where foods are picked before they are ripe and before they have developed their full nutritional profile in order to make it to markets, often a long distance away, before spoiling, even organic produce often lacks sufficient nutrients. One study showed that to get the same level of vitamin A from eating two peaches back in the 1950s, today you would have to eat 53! I’m pretty sure none of us are doing that!

That’s why virtually all of my patients benefit from a high-quality multivitamin supplement, whether they are experiencing hormonal imbalance or other symptoms yet, or not. Those who are not experiencing life-disrupting symptoms still recognize that the chronic lifestyle-related diseases that are today’s greatest causes of death and illness all have roots in diet and nutrition and that supplementation is a small price to pay for prevention.

Stress, Diet and Vitamins

Even if we do our best to eat well and cook from scratch, many of us have not done so religiously over the years. Let’s face it: we didn’t know or talk as much about food when we were younger and we ate anything we wanted and generally got away with it! Convenience foods came into being in the 60’s and 70’s and we shifted away from home cooked meals every night into convenient fast food and processed options.

Who can’t remember their first TV dinner and how exciting it was to have that tray and eat in front of the TV? While we could get away with it for a while, for many of us, those choices caught up to us and resulted in dieting of some sort, at some point in our lives. More than half of American women are on a diet at any given time and often these diets rob our bodies of critical nutrients.

In addition, stress plays a huge role in our physical health and wellness, our absorption of nutrients, and our weight gains and losses. The more stress we have, the harder it will be to maintain a healthy weight and the more likely we are to make poor food choices, which will then impact our weight. It’s a vicious cycle!

Regardless of it’s impact on weight, however, stress, whether it is environmental stress such as pollution and radiation, or the every day craziness of rush hour traffic or busy kids’ schedules and work deadlines, also impacts our bodies’ abilities to absorb and process nutrients, making it even more important that we receive high-quality support to stay balanced.

Taking vitamins in isolation has not been proven to be effective so we recommend a high-quality, pharmaceutical grade multi-vitamin that will provide all the key nutrients as well as their supporting co-factors required to ensure maximum absorption. In addition, we recommend every patient take an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement in order to provide the omega 3 support our bodies require.

EFAs are essential, meaning our bodies cannot make them, so we must ingest them. Today’s diet is heavy in omega 6 vegetable oils that are the foundations of processed foods and restaurant cooking, but our bodies desire a ratio of 1:1 omega 3 to omega 6. To compensate for our heavy omega 6 diets, we must ingest omega 3s in order to balance out that ratio and our nutritional health. Many patients say just this one supplement makes a huge difference in how they feel, both mentally and physically.

How Do You Get The Right Vitamin?

As we’ve discussed, if the vitamins you take cannot be absorbed, they aren’t going to help! Cheap generic vitamins are rarely fully absorbed, and some have even been shown to pass through the stool whole or just partially decomposed. If they are broken down fully and completely in the body, they are often lacking the appropriate doses (Recommended Daily Allowances or RDA’s are the bare minimum required to prevent diseases such as scurvy and rickets, not the optimal amounts a healthy body needs) or they lack the co-factors needed for the nutrients to be processed and utilized effectively. As scientists put it, bioavailability is key: if they aren’t bioavailable, they won’t be effective and you will be wasting your money.

So what should you look for when choosing a nutritional supplement? There are six main points that we think are essential in making your choice.

Complete is crucial. The latest nutritional science suggests that women need at least 30 vitamins and minerals, along with a rich essential fatty acid formula.
Bioavailability matters. There are six patented chelated formulas we recommend be included, and the vitamin must meet USP standards for solubility.
Natural is the only way to go. Supplements must be free from artificial preservatives, dyes, allergens and other contaminants. The fatty acid formula must be certified free of mercury and lead.
Reliability is essential. While there are no manufacturing standards for nutritional supplements issued by the FDA, there are several sets of standards with international recognition. The manufacturer must meet at least one of these recognized standards.
Laboratory testing to back up claims. Every production batch of a nutritional supplement must be tested to ensure it contains exactly what the label claims.
You must feel results. You are the best judge. If a supplement doesn’t make you feel better within 30 days, it’s time to try another. Though symptoms may not disappear in that time frame, you should feel a marked difference.

Working with our patients who were struggling with hormonal balance, adrenal fatigue and thyroid concerns, weight management issues, and concerns about bone density and aging well, we knew we had to provide an affordable option that our patients could trust to be free of impurities and bioavailable. We wanted to ensure that we maintained control over both the quality of the ingredients and the manufacturing process in order to deliver the highest possible quality of supplementation available, one that would yield maximum results for our patients.

Our proprietary products, Multi-Essentials and EPA/DHA Support, have all of the above qualities, and provide the foundation women (and men!) need. We have done our homework, including visiting the manufacturer, talking with their scientists and reviewing processes and controls. We’ve used these products successfully with patients in our clinic (and online) for decades and we take the products ourselves.

It isn’t enough to live longer – we must also live well. With the help of a high-quality nutritional supplement, we know living well is possible. High-quality supplements like the ones we offer at Women to Women are such a small investment in your health. You’d readily invest in a gym membership to get your body in shape if your health required it; nutritional supplementation is an investment that will pay off in a big way health-wise, both now and as you age. Thankfully, it’s easy and doesn’t take any time out of your busy day!

We should all feel great: full of energy and free of limitation. Our patients tell us our products help them to do that: Don’t you deserve that as well?

To learn more about our products….click here.

50 Layers of Relationships

womentowomen on February 14, 2015

We know that you strive for health and wellness in your life. You want to be healthy, you want to be strong. You want to have amazing relationships. You are part of Women to Women because you actively seek information and resources to make your life better.

You have been with us for a long time, helping us grow as you let us know what you need. You have told us your stories, shared your struggles and we have been listening. We are excited to announce an incredible new forum where you can find all the information and resources you need to make your relationships remarkable. Our site, 50layersofrelationships.com will offer everything women are looking for in an exciting, interesting and stimulating format designed with you in mind.

Plenty of websites claim that they can help you have better relationships, but on closer examination we find that none of these sites are comprehensive enough to cover all the questions you may have. Many focus on how to seduce a partner or how to spice things up the bedroom, while missing the bigger picture. Good sex is one essential element in a satisfying relationship, but despite popular sentiment sometimes, it’s not the only thing you need. What about connection, true intimacy, and understanding your partner? So many people struggling in their relationships need more than just sexual advice.

Often, sites focus on just one point of view – but there are two people in every relationship, and two perspectives to consider. What if there was a website that considered both viewpoints, and offered resources for each of you, eliminating the need to jump from website to website, typing in search after search to find the answers to your questions. Our site will offer the unique opportunity for you and your partner to each find the information you are seeking. We are going live on Valentine’s Day, a day set aside in popular culture for romance and relationship building. With the movie 50 Shades of Grey arriving in theatres, relationships are on everyone’s mind. What are women looking for? What do men want? How can we all explore our sexuality to create thrilling, emotional connections? The timing couldn’t be better to begin exploring all facets of our relationships together.

We are striving to become the number one resource for relationship support and information, a one-stop shopping center filled with articles, quizzes, advice and products that will allow your relationship to soar to new heights.

Your relationship might be okay – but don’t you deserve better than just okay? Wouldn’t you rather have amazing, exciting, exhilarating and stimulating connections with your partner? Relationships shift and change over time. The secret is to shift and change with them, to keep the excitement alive. You can’t always do that on your own.

Maybe you need information. Maybe you need a supplement to help your libido come back to life. Maybe you just need a safe place to explore issues you weren’t even aware existed. Whatever it is you are lacking, our goal is to have easy to find answers all in one place. We can help you take your relationships beyond “good enough” to the next level.

The site is a work in progress, and we need your help in building it to suit your needs. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to keep you in the loop, letting you know when new content is added and developed.

Our goal is to share with you the best ways to communicate your wants, your needs, and your desires. We will explore tough issues and answer difficult questions, based on your input. Visit us at 50layersofrelationships.com.

We can help you explore your relationships to discover exactly what is missing, and what you can do to get what you want. Join us on this exciting journey by signing up for our newsletter, and offering input on the site as it grows.

With your help, 50shadesofrelationships.com can be the resource you, my valued clients, have been craving. Together, we can build a remarkable resource that can lead us to the incredible relationships we all deserve.

Could Coffee Be Good For You?

womentowomen on November 12, 2014

by Dixie Mills, MD

Medical school requires one to be alert and awake, so of course I relied on a cup of coffee to do just that. After I got pregnant however, I lost my taste for it completely. Now don’t get me wrong – I still enjoy a good decaf latte – on a leisurely, quiet morning or after a wonderful meal.

But what is the scoop about the good old fashioned stuff?? Is it good for you or not?? For years now we have thought that it was bad for your health, but recent studies have shown that it may not be bad for you at all, in moderation. I am not sure I have a firm answer for you on this one, but I definitely do have an opinion. I do think a cup of coffee, just one, is really fine for you long term.

To date, studies are showing that along with its ability to wake us up, caffeine may help our short and long-term memory. In addition, regular coffee consumption (with or without caffeine) has also been associated with lowering the risk of Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular risk. More than likely these effects are because of the antioxidant effect of the bean. So for you coffee lovers out there – take heart and continue to enjoy that morning cup of coffee.

I love the communal aspect of having my coffee with a friend, or partner. It can be a great way to take that early morning pause, to slow just for a bit. If you really love it and it feels good to you to have it, I say – take this off your list of concerns, enjoy every minute of your cup.

If you want to learn more about caffeine and how it affects you, I recommend these articles:
Is Your Caffeine Boost Causing You to Sink?
The Caffeine Controversy – What’s the Buzz
Caffeine Withdrawal – Doing It With Ease

References

Haskell, C, et al. 2005. Cognitive and mood improvements of caffeine in habitual consumers and habitual non-consumers of caffeine. Psychopharmacology, 190(4), 469-477. URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15678363.

Angelucci, M, et al. 2002. Effects of caffeine on learning and memory in rats tested in the Morris water maze. Braz. J. Med. Biol. Res., 35(10), 1201-1208. URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2002001000013&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en.

Van Dam, R, et al. 2005. Coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes. JAMA, 294(1). URL: http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/294/1/97.abstractmaxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=coffee&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT.

Andersen, L, et al. 2006. Consumption of coffee is associated with reduced risk of death attributed to inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases in the Iowa Women’s Health Study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(5), 1039-1046. URL: http://www.ajcn.org/content/83/5/1039.abstract?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=coffee&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=83&issue=5&resourcetype=HWCIT.

The Health Benefits of Sex, No Matter What Your Age

womentowomen on November 12, 2014

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, NP

S-E-X. Sex. For a small word, s-e-x evokes all sorts of varied emotions for people! Some women tell me that sex was never discussed in their homes when growing up; others say that it was discussed infrequently and in hushed tones. Rarely do I hear that sex and sensuality were encouraged topics of conversation. Sensuality and sex are two wonderful facets of being human. Being knowledgeable about sex – everything from the how to’s to the risks – is so very important these days. Understanding sensuality and how that affects you and your relationship is important for all women to understand. Pushing this information aside or not recognizing your feelings isn’t healthy!

At Women to Women we’d like every woman to understand her own body, to be able to ask questions about topics she’d like to understand better and, most importantly, to know about all the positive benefits of sex.

There is good news! It’s not too late for you to reap the health benefits of sex, no matter what your age may be. For those women who are menopausal, you are at the age where you can enjoy sex without fear that you might get pregnant! Sex is good for your health! Let me explain why.

Sex and Your Heart Health

Do you ever notice that when you are sexually aroused, that your heart and breathing often increase? Your body actually does that to channel more blood to your genitals to get ready for sex. However, there’s more to it than just that. An entire cascade of hormones released during your sexual arousal and climax – DHEA, prolactin, adrenaline, noradrenaline and testosterone are all called into action – and most of these have great cardio-protective effects.

Once you have an orgasm, your body releases the hormone oxytocin. One of the results of the oxytocin surge is lowering your blood pressure. It’s a well-publicized fact that healthy blood pressure makes you less likely to have a heart attack or stroke. In fact, there was a study done on more than 900 men (ages 45–59) that suggested that having sex two times or more per week might aid in preventing cardiac events, like heart attack and stroke. While this study didn’t include women, it still demonstrates a hope for both sexes, as much of the chemistry involved in the study applied to both men and women.

Sex and Exercise

Did you know that your body treats sex just like exercise! Your heart rate increases, muscles contract and calories are released from fat to create energy just as if you were lifting weights, hiking or bike riding! Not many people talk about this, but it’s a great benefit of having sex!

Sex and Sleep

What do you feel like after you have an orgasm? If you’re like most women and men, you will want to relax and close your eyes. You feel very relaxed and can easily doze off – even if you usually have insomnia. This probably has to do with oxytocin and the release of endorphins at the time of orgasm. These are like natural sedatives. Sleep itself has amazing health benefits! It’s a time when your body rebuilds and rejuvenates – every body needs this!

Sex and Decreased Depression

Having sex releases endorphins in your body – and these endorphins can make you feel elated and even relieve pain! Many women talk about the euphoric feelings they have right after having sex – and some even comment that sex makes them forget their aches and pains!

Sex and Stress Relief

There are additional benefits that oxytocin can provide as well. One of them is stress relief. You’ve probably heard some women describe their orgasm as the “ultimate release.” That moment is the time when they can let everything go. Oxytocin is present in your body when you are in a stressful setting. Women with greater oxytocin levels are usually calmer and more relaxed. A study done at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) showed that the estrogen that was present in women would enhance the calming effects of oxytocin, while testosterone might counteract it. This probably explains why so many women want to cuddle after sex.

At Women to Women we understand that sensuality and sex are very important pieces of a woman’s being! We encourage all women to know their bodies, to ask questions and to express this part of themselves – both to promote good physical health and for their emotional wellbeing. It’s also good to recognize that sexual fulfillment doesn’t require a partner – masturbation is healthy way to meet your needs – and fulfilling these needs leads to a happier, healthier YOU!

For more on this topic, read our informative article, “Safe (and Enjoyable) Sex In Your Middle Years.”

Non-Hormonal Birth Control and IUDs

womentowomen on November 11, 2014

by Marcelle Pick, OB-GYN, NP

Some of you may remember the frightening stories related to the safety of IUDs (intrauterine devices) shortly after they were introduced many years ago. Since that time, the IUD has become one of the best methods of preventing pregnancy and it now comes with only minimal risk of adverse consequences for most users.

Years ago, there were two issues with the early IUDs. One was the incredibly poor design of the Dalkon Shield. Because of the design, it caused a huge increase in the incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Many women thought that all IUD’s caused PID. It is now known that pelvic inflammatory disease is not caused by intrauterine devices. It has more to do with partners, and the infections that may occur because of exposure to various infections.

The type of IUDs that woman experienced problems with 30 to 40 years ago were designed differently than the products that are available today. Also, it’s good to keep in mind that IUDs may have been more readily prescribed for women who were already at risk for chlamydia, the infection that causes most cases of PID (Pelvic inflammatory disease). A good example of this is someone that has multiple partners. Years ago we didn’t have an effective way to test for this infection, so PID got severe before it was detected and the IUD was blamed, not only for the severe infection, but also for the resulting infertility in some women. Today we have tests that determine chlamydia quickly and women get treated immediately without developing PID.

Your Intrauterine Choices

The IUDs that are used nowadays are much better designed than in the past. In an attempt to get past the bad reputation IUDs had years ago, some companies are now referring to their products as IUS or intra-uterine systems. These newly designed devices provide a great birth control option for many women, especially for women who are approaching perimenopause and other women who want a convenient, easy method of birth control. Good candidates for IUDs are women who are free from infections, who are in a relationship with only one partner, and who have no uterine fibroids. IUDs often are easier to insert for women who have been pregnant at least once.

At Women to Women, we often suggest the 10-year copper ParaGard IUD and/or the 5-year Mirena IUD. The ParaGard is the IUD we prescribe as a first option for patients who have had blood clots in the past, or have a history of cardiac problems. We often find that the Mirena, which releases a synthetic progestin hormone in the uterus, may be a good option, especially if the patient experiences heavy blood flow during menses, and even heavy irregular menses. More than likely this occurs because it affects the uterine lining and makes it thinner.

An IUD provides a wonderful choice for those who are used to the spontaneity that oral birth control offers. After insertion, you can, for the most part, ignore that it’s there. If you think you may be interested in this option, speak to your medical provider to find out a few more key points. If you do decide on an IUD, it’s vital to keep your follow-up appointments.

Another wonderful birth control method we often prescribe is the NuvaRing, a 21-day vaginally inserted device that provides a constant and specifically measured, very low dose of birth control hormones. Since the hormones are delivered vaginally, your gastrointestinal system and liver do not have to metabolize them first. We’ve discovered the slow and consistent release and the low dose of hormone required make this product an excellent alternative to oral birth control for patients who have troubling side effects such as hormonal headaches. Another benefit some users notice with the NuvaRing is that vaginal dryness, common with oral birth control, is not as problematic. The only issue some women complain about is that they don’t like having to insert something in their vagina, but most women can overcome this and love this method.

Alternative Non-Hormonal Choices

Condoms and diaphragms are technically known by the term “barrier methods.” The “Today Sponge” is also back on the market, which is also a barrier method. These are fairly trustworthy ways of preventing pregnancy and they don’t rely on the use of hormones. The Sponge is currently being produced in New York State. At first it was only sold in Canada, but the Sponge is now available in the United States and it has been FDA-approved since the early spring of 2005. Many love the convenience of the sponge and were very upset when it was taken off the market. The good news for many is that it is now back.

For those who have decided that they don’t want to have children, or do not wish to have more, surgical interventions remain a choice for either the woman, or her partner. A woman may have her fallopian tubes surgically “tied,” in a procedure known as a tubal ligation, thus preventing pregnancy. Her male partner may choose to undergo a surgical procedure known as a vasectomy.

The Choice is Up To You

There are many factors to be considered when a woman is deciding which method of birth control is right for her. At Women to Women our goal is to help women find the method that fits them the best. Every person is a unique individual with her own needs. It’s good to take a look at several factors when making birth control choices and finding the one that fits you the best.

Hypothyroidism

womentowomen on November 11, 2014

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, NP

Sometimes when women experience problems like increased fatigue, loss of concentration and weight gain, the first thing that comes to mind as the cause is “it must be my thyroid.”

The thyroid gland regulates your metabolism, which has a huge impact on your weight, your energy levels, and your moods. When stress hormones go out of balance, your thyroid is often affected, too, which in turn triggers PMS, menstrual and perimenopausal symptoms and other health issues. This is a much overlooked issue as the adrenals have much to do with this reaction. Thyroid-induced symptoms include weight gain, constipation, hair loss, sluggishness, fatigue, depression, and mood swings.

Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid levels, sometimes shows up despite your best attempts to establish a healthy lifestyle. This is because the hormonal changes that occur with menopause can sometimes be accompanied by fluctuations in thyroid functioning. If untreated, this leads to thyroid imbalances, hypothyroidism, or the need to rely on medication indefinitely.

What is hypothyroidism?

A healthy thyroid is crucial to helping you metabolize food, manage your weight, keep your internal thermostat functioning efficiently, using and storing energy, reproduction, sleeping and even talking!

When your body underproduces thyroid hormones, the condition is known as hypothyroidism. When this occurs, you feel like you just aren’t functioning like your normal self. You may remember the old days when things were firing properly, and now they just are not. Women report a multitude of symptoms, and many of them are due to an under-functioning thyroid.

Your brain and your thyroid usually communicate with your body to maintain optimal balance of these hormones. In this healthy state, the brain produces thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). These hormones then prompt your thyroid gland to produce the active thyroid hormones called T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine) whenever levels are low. Ultimately, the body works to convert T4 into T3, the form our cells recognize best and use most effectively.

To meet your body’s continually changing needs, this active system is designed to adjust itself from moment to moment. This system will always move toward balance as long as things haven’t gotten too far out of sync.

Is It Menopause Or Is It My Thyroid?

When patients report symptoms of energy loss, unusual weight gain, lowered sexual desire, changes in their skin and hair and depression, we sometimes discover they are entering menopause or perimenopause. However, it’s not uncommon for them to also have evidence of thyroid imbalance. The symptoms are closely related, due to the thyroid hormones and the sexual hormones axes being so closely connected.

During menopause, less sexual hormones are produced because less of them are required during the second half of life. However, estrogen helps TRH to perform its job. This means that as less estrogen is produced, thyroid function slows down also, especially if the decrease in estrogen is sudden or dramatic.

Maybe you have been prone to thyroid imbalance throughout your life without being aware of your predisposition to the disorder. When everything is working exactly as designed, you are able to effectively cope with changes you experience. There are many variables though, that affects our abilities and makes us vulnerable to imbalance. Some of these factors include stress, our environment, genetics and nutrition. Reproductive factors also impact our predisposition, which explains why women are more likely than men to suffer from thyroid disorders.

Hormonal imbalances such as thyroid dysfunction commonly result when the endocrine system veers off-center. With suboptimal levels of thyroid hormones, your cells simply cannot produce healthy biological responses and you begin to experience symptoms. For women who have been extremely health conscious through their life, this can be particularly frustrating for them.

Thyroid imbalance origins sometimes don’t lie within the thyroid, but rather in the roots of the gland itself or in other parts of the endocrine system. The thyroid is constantly engaged with other endocrine glands in a series of complex feedback loops. For example, when your adrenal glands don’t work well, your thyroid is also affected.

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Mammograms – The Hundred Shades of Gray…

womentowomen on November 3, 2014

by Dixie Mills, MD

The questions and answers around mammograms are muddy to say the least. The debate about their use can get quite heated and more emotional than one would think for a medical screening test. No one really gets up in arms about chest x-rays or blood draws. Unfortunately, the science around mammograms is not as straightforward or black and white as anyone would like it to be.

A study published earlier this year in a very reputable journal, the British Medical Journal, reported that mammograms are really not that helpful and do not prevent any more breast cancers in women between the ages of 40 and 59, than having clinical exams.¹ Then the next day, a rebuttal was made by other medical professionals (many radiologists and cancer specialists) that the study used out-dated equipment and was poorly designed. These conflicts in the “breast field” seem to appear in the lay press every few years and obviously confuse the majority of women as much as they are confusing to the medical professionals. Primary care doctors – many of which have never had a mammogram themselves because they are men or too young, are not sure what to recommend to their patients and organizations are trying to come up with meaningful guidelines.

Unfortunately, I think some of the sound bites we have heard over and over are not as accurate as we once thought. Let’s look at “Early Detection Saves Lives.” Well it may for some, but the big data does not show that having annual mammograms makes as big a difference in breast cancer as we had originally hoped. I have many patients who swear they were saved by having a mammogram. Their cancers were caught when small – they were Stage 1 and they had the recommended treatments of surgery, radiation and systemic therapy and go for their follow-up mammograms on a regular basis. However, there are also women who went for their annual mammograms and their cancers were not caught early – some were hidden or missed in their mammograms, others were just fast growing tumors. Or there are the thirty something women who are too young for mammograms who get breast cancer.

And then there are women whose cancers were caught early, did all the right things and still got more cancer and their breast cancer spread. On the other side, there are the women who are sure that their cancer was caused by having too many mammograms – exposing them to too much radiation. And now, we realize that there are some breast cancers which are fairly benign, and do not kill, so there is no need to find them early.

It disturbs me to think of throwing mammograms out (and slowly that may be happening whether it is a woman’s choice or health care companies not wanting to pay for a test) – without something to take it’s place. Ultrasounds are almost there, but whole breast ultrasound technology is not quite ready for prime time, and MRI’s are much too expensive and time consuming. So we are left with the least high tech instrument – our own fingers or our health care providers! And mammograms themselves, while most are digital, are still just black, gray and white images.

I certainly would hope, that with all the data technology out there, that some independent group would try and answer this debate. As I have half jested in the past, I would like be a curator of a mammogram museum when I retire. However, that means that either we have found a way to prevent breast cancer so we don’t need to screen for it anymore, or someone (where are you Silicon Valley folks?) invents a better screening device – GOOGLE Mammograms, an Apple iMammo? A prize for the best name?

The medical community is trying to advocate more personalized medicine and in particular, identifying molecular markers on tumors to direct treatment. I read where Google has funded a nanoparticle pill that you swallow and it disperses though the body and can identify cancer cells. Who knows? But hopefully someday there will be a way to tell which women need to have mammograms, which need ultrasounds, and how often. Stay tuned for the next article on some tips about what you can do to take care of your breasts.

¹ Twenty five year follow-up for breast cancer incidence and mortality of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study: randomized screening trial BMJ 2014; 348 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g366 (Published 11 February 2014)

10 Tips to Prevent Headaches Naturally

womentowomen on September 17, 2014

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, NP

There are some natural headache remedies or “rescue treatments” available and if you are in pain and need immediate relief, it’s good to know you have options. But as I always tell my patients – headaches, like all symptoms, are a call to pay attention to something else that is going on in your body and/or your life.

Whether your headaches are a regular event or an occasional experience, there is much to be learned about what’s going on to cause them. At Women to Women, we think that knowledge is power and understanding the circumstances around a symptom like headaches can yield a goldmine of information about what your body responds to – and what situations will throw you off balance.

The good news is that most chronic headaches, including tension, cluster and migraines, can benefit from nutrition and lifestyle changes. The first step in developing a natural headache prevention strategy is to begin a headache diary. Unlike other diaries that require recording every little thing you do, keeping a headache diary is relatively simple – whenever you have a headache. you record the details that will help you and your practitioner better diagnose your type of headache and its possible triggers.

In your diary, you’ll record the date and time of the headache; how long it lasts; what it felt like; how intense it was (a scale of 1-10 works well); any other symptoms you are aware of before, during or after; any medications including Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) or birth control pills you’ve taken; any triggers you might be aware of, such as a change in sleeping habits, stress; what you ate over the past 24-48 hours (especially anything you don’t usually eat); sounds, smells, or physical activity; what you were doing (computer time, watching TV, etc.); and finally, what kind of relief you experienced. No stress – just remember what you can and continue to do so with each recurring headache.

It would also be very helpful to note where you are in your menstrual cycle. Over time (and we’ve found if you have regular headaches, it can sometimes take as little as two or three weeks), you and your practitioner may begin to see patterns. It’s amazing some of the stories my patients have told me about their discoveries after keeping their headache diaries. Food sensitivities, environmental concerns, especially smells from certain chemicals, night teeth grinding (which can cause TMJ headaches), stress from deadlines at work, a mother-in-law visiting – even disrupted sleep due to uncomfortable bedding or restless sleeping partners – have all emerged as triggers for some of my patients!

At Women to Women, we tell our patients that what you are experiencing now is often the result of many months or years of habits. Understanding your body is essential for making health changes, but it won’t happen overnight, just as the reasons causing your symptoms likely took time to build and develop long before the symptoms appeared – or the headaches began. But if you are committed to making some changes in order to feel better, there are things you can do to address the imbalance and get your body back on track.

1. Nutrition and Supplementation

After treating thousands of patients at our clinic, one common theme has emerged: most of us are nutritionally deficient in some area. We all have our ingrained eating habits that may not be ideal, and even if we are doing fairly well, there are challenges getting the nutrients we need from today’s food supply. I see over and over again in my patients that most all of us have faced nutritional challenges and may experience nutritional gaps.

For many of my patients, sugar, alcohol and caffeine are prevalent in their lives and these are all major headache triggers. I realize that going cold turkey is not the answer, but if you suffer from headaches, it may well be worth gradually cutting back and seeing what happens. You can learn more about how to beat your sugar cravings and why sugar is so damaging to our bodies in our article, “Sweet Poison – Kicking Your Sugar Addiction.”

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Low Sex Drive – Why It Happens and How To Change It

womentowomen on August 25, 2014

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, NP

With so much change occurring in our bodies (and our lives!) during the years of perimenopause and menopause, it’s not hard to imagine that our sexual experiences may be changing as well. Hot flashes and mood swings may impact how we feel about sex, while weight gain may leave us feeling less sexy. Diminishing sex drive may leave us wanting sex less or finding us enjoying sex less than we used to because of vaginal dryness and discomfort.

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In addition to physical changes, we may be experiencing changes in our lives on so many levels, with kids growing older and transitioning out of our homes into an empty nest scenario or perhaps life right now includes hormonally-charged teenagers.

There is a “settling in” that can sometimes occur in a relationship after being together for a while that can shift our view of sex, or there may be unresolved relationship issues that are suddenly entering into the bedroom for the first time. For some, it may mean being single again and re-entering the dating world may lead us to revisit our sexual desires and values or maybe even cause us to retreat into overwhelm!

Often there are concerns and challenges around aging parents to manage, stresses at work and then there is our own personal transition. Menopause is a time for us to question our priorities and our desires as we head into the second half of our lives and to find our true voices.

Not surprisingly, all of this can lead us to a place where sex isn’t the priority that it used to be. I believe it’s important for you to define the role you want sex to play in your life and to know that that role may well change over time. So if sex is on the back burner by choice right now, that’s totally ok. But even if it’s less frequent, sex shouldn’t be any less enjoyable.

A healthy sex life is an important part of who we are and research shows staying active sexually can bring benefits both physically and emotionally. At Women to Women, we want you to know that you deserve a satisfying sex life if you want one and that you CAN continue to have pleasurable sex at mid-life — and beyond. Just ask some of my patients in their sixties!

Read our article, “Safe (and Enjoyable) Sex In Your Middle Years,” for more on this topic.

So let’s look at what’s going on in our bodies and what we can do to maintain or restore a healthy sex life at any age.

Why Does Sex Drive Decline?

Patients sometimes ask me, “If it’s normal and natural to desire sex, then why does that stop or change as we get older?” It isn’t hard to see how that can happen when you look at all of the changes we just mentioned that are occurring in our bodies and our lives at this time – there’s a lot going on!

Sex drive is affected by our physicality and the changes occurring within our bodies as well as by emotional factors. As with most things in our bodies, the physical and the emotional issues are interconnected and interdependent so we need to address both. Let’s begin with the physical factors, as I know so many of my patients struggle there.

One of the most obvious triggers of lower sex drive is hormonal imbalance (Click here to read our many informative articles on this topic). In addition to the common symptoms of insomnia, hot flashes, mood swings and weight gain that we see in perimenopause, sex drive is also affected by our changing estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels. Usually, once hormonal balance is restored, so is libido. Let’s look at the key hormonal players and how they impact your sex drive.

Click here to take our Menopause Health Assessment.

One of the most important drivers of libido is the hormone testosterone. Many women in perimenopause have lower testosterone levels that can impact their sexual interest, arousal and response as well as their lubrication and orgasms.

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