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Our experts Dr. Mary Jane Minkin,
Dr. Mache Seibel,
Nurse Barb,
Dr. Michael Goodman,
Dr. Verna Brooks-McKenzie, Dr. Murray Freedman, Francis Barbieri, Jr. DDS, Liz Allen, Dr. MeLanie Modjoros,, Dr. Natalya Danilyants, Dr. Paul Mackoul, Dr.
Barb DePree, Pam Rand RD, LDN, CDOE, RYT, Dr. Rupen Baxi,
and
Karen Giblin field questions from our members.
Submit your question.
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Dear Red Hot Mamas,
I seem to feel a bit more lethargic, my energy level and mood dwindles during the winter months. Please share some of your wisdom with me.
Thank you.
Lorraine
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Dear Lorraine,
Thank you for writing to us.
It's not unusual during the dark winter months, to experience what you have just described. Some folks have what is called "Seasonal Affective Disorder".
You can try to help yourself first by increasing your exposure to light and spending more time outdoors in the daylight. It's also useful to increase the light in your home or office and try to make these areas as light as possible.
If your clinician makes the diagnosis that you have Seasonal Affective Disorder, there are treatment options which he/she should discuss with you. These treatments may range from light therapy, medication, and/or psychotherapy which all may be helpful.
Here is a list of Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms:
- Lethargy and fatigue
- Avoidance of social activities
- Irritability and anxiety
- Insomnia
- Weight gain and increased food cravings (sugar and starch)
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
If you have any of these symptoms, please see your clinician.
Hope this information is of benefit to you.
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FROM THE EDITOR...KAREN GIBLIN
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"Action has magic grace and power in it"
-Goethe
Dear Red Hot Mamas,
We've all heard the words many times about the importance of becoming an empowered healthcare consumer. To do it effectively, we need some basic knowledge about how to do it.
It's very important to get an annual physical. Your annual physical not only helps you to build a relationship with your clinician, who one day will help to coordinate your care if you become ill, but it also will help you to improve your overall health. You need to be prepared when you visit your clinician. Write down your questions and describe thoroughly to the clinician what services you want him or her to provide.
If you don't have a regular clinician, you might try to take advantage of free preventive screenings that may be offered in your geographic area.
Many women tell to me they can't afford their clinician's fees. And, so what do they do? They skip their appointments and may be putting their health in jeopardy.
Sure, a lot of us are faced with mounting insurance deductibles, as well as out of pocket medical expenses. So, in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with asking a clinician to lower his or her fees according to your financial situation.
We don't often think about doing this, however, many clinicians will cut their fees if you do so. You might have to bargain a little with the clinician, but it is worth it to get medical care to protect your health. Clinicians are there to help people, so why not ask for help when you need it.
It is equally important to make friends with your local pharmacist. Of course, he/she should discuss what drugs, dosages you are taking and carefully explain how to take your medications . But the pharmacist should also help you to save money by presenting you with generic options, coupon options, and help to make you aware of formal pharmacy-assistance programs. The pharmacist may even help you to apply for help from these available programs.
Another piece of information, if your medication is too costly and your insurance company won't pay for it, you can call the drug company manufacturer directly. Many drug companies have customer assistance programs that will help you if you can't afford their medication.
Just remember, you can become an educated healthcare consumer by taking charge of your healthcare and by learning how to work the system to cut your healthcare costs and continue to get the medical care your deserve for better health.
Good Health to You All,
Karen Giblin
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IT'S TIME FOR A ROMANTIC GETAWAY
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Contributed by Dr. Barb DePree
Red Hot Mamas Medical Expert
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We've made it through the holidays. We're either well on our way with New Year's resolutions or we've gotten realistic. And Valentine's Day is right around the corner; if you're like me, it sneaks up on you without quite enough planning! For the sake of your health and your relationship, here's an idea: Schedule a quick, romantic getaway during this winter lull to reconnect with your honey and get some downtime in a sweetly unfamiliar place.
You want to keep the emphasis on the
fun
and not get carried away with anything elaborate and expensive. A weekend away with minimal planning increases the chance that you'll actually do it-no good excuses, and it's easy to find someone to check in on the cat.
A quickie in midwinter can be especially economical and especially delightful. You'll encounter a laid-back and welcoming atmosphere that's lacking in the midst of summer tourist season. You'll also encounter off-season rates.
I fondly recall a midwinter weekend in a tourist town near my West Michigan home. Yes, some places were closed for the season, but the rest of the town was just as scenic and beautiful in winter. We eavesdropped on local chatter in the diner and neighborhood pub that had been crawling with tourists just a few months before.
So, here's my down-and-dirty guide to a relaxed, relationship-rejuvenating weekend in the middle of the long winter night.
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Keep it simple. Vacations can be exhausting, but you're already exhausted, so don't engage in deficit energy spending. Don't plan rounds of museum visits or shopping. Don't plan to do anything, unless both of you really want to. Make that a ground rule.
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Keep it local. You don't want to add an 8-hour drive to both ends of your weekend. Unless you live in the middle of the Badlands, you probably already know about cool places within a few hours-maybe a B&B you always wanted to visit or a quaint town with a couple good restaurants and a sweet vibe.
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Make it about the two of you. You don't have a lot of time, so make it count. One nice meal. A few nice bottles of your favorite beverage. You can always stream a sweet or sexy or even erotic movie in your room. Don't forget your toys, lubes, and oils.
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Get your
sexy on. Don't go overboard. (See #1) But a new camisole can make you feel like a million bucks. A nice lotion or essential oil on your skin. A shave. The little things.
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Only pillow talk. Don't bring up anything more challenging than what movie to watch or whether to go out for dinner or order room service. Lay unpleasantries firmly aside. There'll be plenty of time for the serious stuff when you get back.
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Create memories. Bring a favorite playlist or a wine you both love or a movie that's significant. Pack a few favorite snacks. You could bring seed catalogs to browse through, just to build your anticipation of the change of seasons.
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Just do it. Don't overthink. Don't plan. Don't put it off, or your calendar will fill up. Pick an inviting location nearby; pick a weekend; make a reservation; go!
A weekend getaway--whether or not you call it a valentine--won't break the bank but will ease both of you out of the post-holiday, wintertime blues. And maybe just knowing you have this special weekend on the calendar will remind you to be more gentle with each other, which is a lovely first step to intimacy.
Dr. Barb DePree gynecologist, NAMS certified menopausal provider and founder of the website
middlesexmd.com
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7 LIFESTYLE HABITS TO TICKLE YOUR TICKER
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Contributed by Dr. Mache Seibel
Red Hot Mamas Medical Expert
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It's February and in honor of American Heart Month I want to share a short story about how one study increases heart disease for millions of women, and how it almost affected my family.
My wife had surgery that threw her into early menopause only seven months after the Women's Health Initiative study or WHI was published. That study created a chaotic time because it incorrectly concluded that estrogen caused breast cancer, heart disease and dementia among other illnesses.
Based on that one study a decade of women, millions of them, have avoided estrogen and thousands of doctors have refused to prescribe it. That is so unfortunate. Why? Because if estrogen is taken in the estrogen window, it can significantly lower the risk of heart disease and breast cancer. That's what my best selling book,
The Estrogen Window
, is all about. It tells how and when to take estrogen.
But whether or not you choose to take estrogen, maintaining a healthy lifestyle will increase your chances of avoiding the number-one cause of death in women-heart disease. And many of those lifestyle changes will also improve your chances of preventing breast cancer. I want to share 7 tips to help you keep your ticker ticking.
Stop smoking
It's a fact - smokers have two to six times the risk of heart attack as nonsmokers. Fortunately, as soon as you stop smoking, your risk of a heart attack drops rapidly. Just three cigarettes per day increase your risk of heart disease by 64%. That's why passive smoke in your house is also unhealthy for you.
Exercise
It's never too late to start. Brisk walking for 20 to 30 minutes and light weight lifting two to three times per week will help you lose weight and lower your blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol.
Reduce stress
Although there's no proven link between a short-term stress and heart disease, chronic stress is bad for your heart. It causes the adrenal glands to secrete large amounts of the hormone adrenaline, which causes your blood pressure to rise, your heart to beat faster, and your breathing to increase. Stress can also increase the release of sugar into your bloodstream. Exercise is a great antidote and even simple stretching is helpful.
Eat a healthy diet
It just makes sense - food fuels every cell in your body. Bad gas will cause your care to run poorly. Bad fuel in your cells does the same to your body. Your total health and wellbeing depends on what you eat and drink. Avoid sweetened drinks, trans-fat, and corn syrup, and focus on eating more greens, beans, vegetables, berries, seeds, and nuts and less saturated fat, salt, sugar, packaged foods, and processed foods.
Watch your weight
Maintaining your ideal body weight lowers heart risk by 35 to 45 percent. Some helpful tips include, reading labels to know what you eat, exercise regularly, lower stress, and lay off sugar and alcohol. It's a great way to give your ticker some love.
Maintain mental health
Treating depression and reducing stress can lower risk of heart attacks, and incorporating healthy foods into your diet-and ditching processed eats-may lower risk of depression. It's easy to see all these things are connected.
Consider aspirin
Check with your health-care provider about taking 81 milligrams of aspirin daily, which has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease. Do not take aspirin if you have liver disease or a tendency to bleed or bruise easily.
Get more information about estrogen and your heart.
Get my free report here
so you don't miss out on essential information to protect your heart. It could save your life.
Dr. Mache Seibel is the leading authority on women's wellness and menopause and
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Contributed by Pam Rand RD, LDN, CDOE, RYT
Red Hot Mamas Medical Expert
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Whenever I give a workshop on food and nutrition, people ask me how to lose their belly fat. First of all some of that fat is there to protect your vital organs in case you get jabbed in the ring, taco a snowboard rail or trip over your own feet and fall.
If you are a fully grown adult, check your navel circumference; if it's over 35" for a woman or 40" for a man, this belly fat contributes to chronic illness. When you do decide to face the truth and measure the 'muffin top' you could hold the tape measure slightly below or above the navel circumference...most people know the exact spot that needs to get measured just by looking in the mirror naked...yikes! Weight matters too but the navel circumference might matter more. Underneath that spare tire are some of our most vital organs that are suffocating with those extra inches of fat mass.
The only good thing about a fatter body is that floating in the ocean is easier...lucky for you because the life vest might not fit.
All kidding aside, too much fat makes us at a higher risk for cancer, stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and what about those small feet, ankles and knees carrying around that extra weight...your joints are screaming, right???
Once we realize that extra fat tissue is our health issue...take a look at the number of 'take-out' meals, processed and convenience foods vs. home prepared whole foods in your daily diet. Self assessment leads to sitting down and making a plan.
The DASH diet has once again been rated the best meal plan for our health and well being with weight loss as a side effect. Here's a link http://www.dashdietoregon.org/why/DASH-Quick-View and if it's too overwhelming or confusing, get help from a registered dietitian nutritionist. Advice from an RDN is the safest way to get your plan individualized. For instance, if your tastebuds don't want a coconut date protein bite for a snack, 2 grahams crackers and 2 T peanut butter may be your choice for the same satisfying snack. Enjoying your food is important and sitting down while you eat is best for good digestion. Standing in the kitchen eating out of a container one spoonful at a time or bringing the pizza box to bed with you is NOT mindful and guaranteed you will forget those calories and then wonder why you're not losing belly fat. Calories matter and the type of food matters too.
Fruits and vegetables go on your grocery list first. 5 cups of fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables each day is not that hard to get
considering 1 banana = 1 cup and a big salad could be the other 4 cups easily. Preparing these whole foods does not have to be a big deal.
Throwing together a fruit smoothie and soup or salad daily with add-ins from the meat, dairy and fat categories makes the salad greens taste better and the fruits creamier...almost like ice cream!
What about ice cream and other cravings? A treat and/or libation a couple times a week must be planned ahead and figured into the daily menu for continued success. If there's a risky food or drink that tempts you, do NOT bring it in the house, we're only human for Pete's sake. Overeating and cravings happen when we're tired and haven't had enough real whole foods and fluid throughout the day.
A man once said to me, 'nothing tastes as good as healthy feels'... it's a good mantra to hold close and chant silently before, during and after challenging times. Moving slowly and mindfully helps with decision making.
Pam is the author of
YoGuides, book and CD. YoGuides is a personal wellness tool for use at work, home and school using breathing, exercise and guided imagery techniques which require absolutely no previous yoga experience.
Visit her website at
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