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Your Health
During Menopause


What Is Menopause?
What IS A Hot Flash?
34 Signs of Menopause
Meno Survival Tips
Recommendations
Bioidentical Hormones
Revival Soy Protein
About Your Hormones
The HRT Controversy
Phytoestrogens
Estrogen
Progesterone
Testosterone
Testosterone Benefits
Selecting A Doctor
Menopause Tests?
Vaginal Dryness / Sex
Progestins/Progesterone
Estrogen / Progestins
Menopause & The Mind
Fibroid Info
Fibroids: No Surgery
Uterine Fibroids
Low Libido
Sexual Individuality
Bioidenticals & WHI
Adrenal Fatigue
Anti-Aging
Depression
Vaginal Infections
Weaning Off HRT
Fibroids & UAE
DHEA or Testosterone
Dry Skin Tips
Migraine Headache
High Cholesterol
Hypertension FAQ
Breast Cancer & HRT
Estrogen & Memory
Heart Disease/Women
Meditation/Anxiety
Atrophic Vaginitis
Ovarian Cysts
Polycystic Ovaries
Autoimmune Disorders
Hair Loss / Thinning
Kegel Exercises
Healthy Bones
Thyroid & Hormones
Weight Loss Tips
Incontinence
Incontinence Surgery
Hypothyroidism
Endometriosis
Heavy Bleeding
Metabolic Syndrome X
Help for Men
Your Immune System
Sleep Naturally
HRT/Heart Disease
Osteoporosis FAQ
Xanax Info
Stopping Xanax
Diabetes
Abnormal Pap Smears
Vaginitis & Sexuality
Breast Cancer Support
Osteoporosis Risk Factors
Diabetes/Syndrome X
Vitamin E - Golden
HRT Brands/Doses
Healthier Breasts
Endometrial Ablation
Weight Gain
Adrenals & Stress
Sleep Disorders
Vaginal Health
Progesterone Info
Osteoarthritis
Arthritis Tips
Good Joint Decisions
Your Breasts
Good Fats / Bad Fats
Need Testosterone?
Colposcopy
Exercise Your Bones
Bone Health Naturally
Dysplasia/Cryosurgery
Mood Swings
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Educate Your Body
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Your Lifestyle
At Midlife



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'For natural, bioidentical hormones, Pete Hueseman and Bellevue Pharmacy Solutions

Why put your body through the rigors of adjusting to the "one-size-fits-all" HRT when naturally compounded, bioidentical hormones can be tailor-made to your body's needs?

Read Pete Hueseman's, most recent transcript about natural, bioidentical hormones.

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Some studies suggest that 2-3 cups of coffee can raise blood pressure by 10 points. Many physicians limit people with hypertension to 200 mg (2 six-ounce cups of coffee) per day or less

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'Power Surge recommends Revival Soy Protein for relief of many menopausal symptoms

Doctor-formulated Revival Soy Protein is the #1 doctor-recommended soy protein in the country. Soy isoflavones eliminate menopausal symptoms.

Read one of Medical Director, Dr. Aaron Tabor's transcripts

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Educate Your Body



The Educate Your Body section of Power Surge covers physical and psychological issues often associated with the transition from perimenopause to menopause. New articles are always being added. For specific guest chats with experts in these areas, visit The Power Surge Transcript Library. For specific questions, Power Surge has provided an extensive Ask The Experts area. There are also books covering these subjects in the Power Surge Bookstore.

After you're previewed the articles below, scroll through the menu of articles on the left:

"Your Health During Menopause" and
"Your Lifestyle At Midlife" (as all articles aren't featured on this page).

For support and sharing with others going through the same experiences as yourself, visit Power Surge's Message Boards, selected by Health and Forbes Magazines as 'Best of the Web' Menopause Site and Health boards. You'll also find numerous Recommendations for treating many of your menopause-related issues.

Knowledge is power. Educate your body by educating yourself - Dearest


Women's Health Articles

An Introduction to Perimenopause / Menopause: Symptoms and Treatments

Menopause is defined as the cessation of menstruation as a result of the normal decline in ovarian function. Technically, you enter menopause following 12 consecutive months without a period. Menopause has become increasingly medicalized, which means it is viewed as something that requires intervention and treatment rather than as a natural life transition that may benefit from support.

Read More...


Menopause Survival Tips

Women "pausing" in Power Surge often ask one another what remedies they've used to address their menopausal issues. I had the good fortune to be made aware of nutrition early on in life by a savvy mother (who just turned 90 -- and, FYI, had menopause-related high cholesterol of 400, which she lowered with soy lecithin -- 40 years ago).

Read More...


What's A Hot Flash?
 
Considered by many to be the hallmark of menopause, hot flashes are the most common menopausal symptom in Western societies. The intensity and frequency of hot flashes varies greatly from woman to woman. Hot flashes are considerably less common in non-Western countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, Pakistan, and Mexico, where studies show that 10% or less of menopausal women experience hot flashes.

Read More...


Soy Isoflavones: Revival Soy Protein - How It Changed My Life!

I had tried more soy products than I can recall during my early perimenopausal years. The newsletters on this site contain many articles about the effectiveness of soy protein and isoflavones, written years before I discovered Revival. I've personally sampled dozens of soy shakes, most of them tasteless, some having grainy textures similar to ground glass, the majority of them made from genetically modified soybeans (GMO). Although soy milk may provide some benefits, I don't know of one soy milk product that contains a fraction of the amount of soy isoflavones Revival does to effect the same overall relief of menopausal symptoms and general health benefits. As for tofu, I've tried cooking it every imaginable way to make it more palatable, but I never find it tasty, nor am I prepared to eat a pound of it every day in order to get the right amount of soy isoflavones.

Read More...


Natural Bioidentical Hormones

Natural, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): If you are currently on or considering the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and you think individualized HRT makes more sense than a one-size-fits-all approach, then you may want to look into naturally compounded, bioidentical, plant-derived Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Read More...


34 Signs / Symptoms of Menopause

There's been a list of the "34 signs of menopause" circulating for years. The list originated with Judy Bayliss' wonderful newsgroup, The Menopaus Listserv (That's Menopaus without the "e" at the end). I've taken the liberty of adding some Notes to the original list. You'll find hundreds of articles pertaining to menopause symptoms, treatments and menopause / midlife-related health and emotional issues including articles on midlife relationships, weight and fitness issues, intimacy, psychological problems associated with menopause in Power Surge's, "Educate Your Body" extensive library.

Read More...


Midlife Sexuality / Vaginal Dryness / Relationships

During menopause, the thinning of the mucos membrances, along with a loss of elasticity in the walls of the vagina, causes an uncomfortable sensation of dryness in many women. The thinning of the vaginal lining results from the ovaries' decreased production of estrogen. This thinning does not always cause problems, but it can be painful if the lining of the vagina becomes inflamed, dry, and rough. Estrogen creams and pills are the common allopathic solution for this problem, but these products have serious risks and should be used with caution and awareness.

Read More...


Menopause: Selecting A Health Care Practitioner
 
The selection of your health care practitioner is one of the most important decisions you make when you are dealing with menopause. Remember, you are a trained consumer; you comparison shop every time you go to the supermarket. When you are about to buy a car or an appliance, you've already done your homework, that is, you have asked many questions before you made your decision. The process of selecting a health care practitioner is no different. Health care practitioners provide a service to you -- you are the consumer. Do not be intimidated by their credentials. Health care practitioners are only human, like you and me.

Read More...


Adrenal Fatigue

Have you recently experienced a major stress in your life, be it illness, job, death, children, etc? After this stress, have you felt as though you just cannot seem to get yourself together, or at least back to where you used to be? Are you usually tired when you wake up, but still "too wired" to fall asleep at night? Is it hard for you to relax or to get exercise? Do you find that you get sick more often and take a long time to get well? If so, then you, like many other Americans may be experiencing symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue.

Read More...


  The HRT Controversy
 
The HRT Controversy of 2002 and the abrupt halting of the WHI (Women's Health Initiative) Study on women and the effects of hormone replacement therapy left women more confused than ever. Prior to the study, the information women were given by their health care practitioners prescribing commercial synethetic hormone replacement therapy, such as Premarin, Prempro (a combination of Premarin and Provera - the drugs used in the study) was that by using conventional HRT, "the benefits outweighed the risks."

When the study was suddenly and abruptly halted in July of 2002, the statement suddenly reversed to "the risks outweigh the benefits."

Read More...


Phytoestrogens / Soy Isoflavones

Phytoestrogen seems to be the new buzzword these days when discussion turns to menopause and alternatives to hormone replacement therapy, but what are phytoestrogens and how do they affect us? The word, phytoestrogen, comes from "phyto", meaning plant, and "estrogen" due to their ability to affect estrogenic activity in the body. It is important to know that although phytoestrogens may have some similar actions to estrogens, they are not true estrogens as our bodies produce.

Read More...


Menopause: What Tests To Ask For
 
Menopause is a transition -- the signs are temporary -- but what you do during this transition can affect your health for the rest of your life. It may affect the hidden risks of diseases, such as breast cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, osteoporosis (the thinning of the bones) and cardiovascular disease (heart and blood pressure). Whether or not you have a family history of these diseases, please have your health care practitioner test you for them. Certain tests are important in understanding and working with the signs of menopause.

Read More...



Testosterone and Its Benefits to Women

Testosterone is referred to as the "Other Hormone," and it can add zest to menopause. Monthly surges of this androgen boost your well-being, sense of personal power and sex drive. Other benefits derived from testosterone are that it helps promote bone growth, and it can help relieve mild depression, some vasomotor symptoms, and vaginal atrophy and dryness.

Read More...


Menopause And The Mind


Are you between the ages of 35 and 60 and having trouble remembering your best friend's phone number? If this sounds familiar to you, take heart. Sometimes it begins out of the blue with occasional slips of the tongue, meaning to say one word and unexpectedly hearing another pop out. Or when you realize that you, once a champion speller, aren't so sure anymore how to spell "potato" or "forty." Sometimes it begins with uncharacteristically forgetting important appointments or drawing unexpected momentary blanks -- total blanks -- when it comes to remembering your only child's or best friend's name, or how to turn on the computer you've been using for years. Sometimes with feeling mentally "hazy" "foggy," or "spacey" and not being able to clear things up though you need to be "sharp" at that moment. "What's happening tome" you wonder. "Could this be early, early, early Alzheimer's diseaseor a brain tumor?"

Read More...


Synthetic Progestins and Natural Progesterone
A Pharmacist Explores the differences


We live in an era when more and more emphasis is being placed on the importance of natural substances. Natural food supplements and herbal formulations are in demand. Homeopathic physicians and caregivers are gaining popularity. Everyone seems to be asking, "What can we do to help the body repair itself in a more natural fashion?"

Read More...


Losing Weight and Keeping It Off

 
At the beginning. The motivation to start dieting often begins with a desire to look better, to fit into your clothes, to feel better about yourself, and to improve your health -- and it often means experiencing strong, very negative feelings. You may feel disgusted with yourself for your lack of control, or hate to look at yourself in the mirror, or dread opening your closet in the morning because you have nothing to wear that will make you feel good about yourself.

Read More...


DHEA or Testosterone for Women?


Dehydroepiandrosterone, more commonly known as "DHEA" and its sulfated form dehydropiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) are endogenous steroids, having a wide variety of biological and biochemical effects. Essentially, DHEA can be called the adrenal stress, immunity and longevity hormone.

Read More...


Mood Swings -- Natural Support

Depression and other mood disorders are common ailments in the United States. Nearly one in four Americans suffers from clinical depression or a mood disorder at some point in his or her life. Over 28 million Americans take antidepressant or antianxiety medication. Significantly more women than men seek treatment for depression, and it is estimated that about three times more women than men are treated for this disorder.

Read More...


Depression - The Many Faces

As many of us know, depression is a common complaint during menopause. I have spoken to hundreds of women's health experts, physicians, medical journalists, authors, researchers who claim that depression is "not a symptom" of peri or postmenopause. That the depression women suffer during their menopausal years is more likely related to the aging process, or to the kids growing up and, therefore, empty nest syndrome, or to changes in their marital relationship. I am not a doctor. However, after having communicating with tens of thousands of women in various stages of menopause, it would seem apparent that depression can be and is a very definite symptom of raging hormone levels just as mood swings, anxiety and other psycholgical disorders are caused by an imbalance of hormones.

Read More...


Hormone Therapy Possibilities for Breast Cancer
Survivors and Women at High Risk for Cancer


Patients with past history of breast cancer should not have estradiol or estrone recommended for estrogen supplementation. These estrogens play a role in causing breast cancer by damaging DNA. Estriol is the protective estrogen that is high during pregnancy. It does not activate the estrogen receptor, but occupies the receptor sites so that it is not available for estradiol.

Read More...


Abnormal Pap Smears - Don't Panic, But Don't Ignore!

A pap smear is a routine screening test done by your provider during a pelvic exam. The surface of the cervix (mouth or neck of the womb or uterus) is scraped with a spatula and the scraped-off cells from the cervix are fixed on a glass slide. This slide is called a pap smear and is sent to a special lab where it is processed and evaluated by highly trained technicians and doctors. By improvement in technique, the pap smear has become very sensitive in picking up early changes in the cervix. Consequently, we have many more patients with inconclusive or abnormal pap smears to evaluate than we had just a few years ago.

Read More...


Thyroid Hormones, Symptoms, and Treatment of Hypothyroidism

It is estimated that approximately 20 million Americans have a thyroid disorder which means 1 in every 10 people. Hypothyroidism is caused from decreased production of thyroid hormone which results in decreased metabolism.

Read More...


Osteoarthritis: What Is It? How To Care For It?

Osteoarthritis (OS-tee-oh-are-THRY-tis) (OA), or degenerative joint disease, is one of the oldest and most common types of arthritis. It is characterized by the breakdown of the joint's cartilage. Cartilage is the part of the joint that cushions the ends of bones. Cartilage breakdown causes bones to rub against each other, causing pain and loss of movement.

Most commonly affecting middle-aged and older people, OA can range from very mild to very severe. It affects hands and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, feet and the back.

Read More...


Menopause And Hair Loss / Thinning

The most common cause of hair loss is low thyroid function, which is common among menopausal women. Other causes include, but are not limited to: changes in hormone levels (decrease or increase), increased testosterone, increased stress (physical or emotional), and heredity. Any time sudden hair loss is experienced, one must consider events which took place up to three months prior to the hair loss, as factors affecting hair loss can often take up to three months to have an effect. Subsequently, any treatments for hair loss should be given at least three months to have noticeable effects.

Read More...


High Cholesterol: Prevention and Treatment
 
Cholesterol is a fatty substance made by the liver and found in all parts of your body. Your body uses cholesterol to produce hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. It takes only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs, and your liver makes all the cholesterol your body needs.

Read More...


Osteoporosis: What Is It? Prevention / Treatment
 
Approximately eight million American women and 2 million men have osteoporosis. Women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis because of the loss of estrogen at menopause. (Estrogen blocks or slows down bone loss.) Over half of all women over the age of 65 have osteoporosis. Even though osteoporosis is often thought of as a disease that only affects older people, it can strike at any age.

Read More...


Endometriosis: Causes and Treatments
 
Endometriosis is a common disease that can affect any menstruating woman from the time of her first period to menopause. Sometimes, the disease can last after menopause. There is no cure for endometriosis and it can be hard for a health care provider to figure out if a woman has it. It can also be hard to figure out the best way to treat it if a woman has the disease. Endometriosis can affect a woman in many ways, such as her ability to work and have children, and her relationships with her partner, children, friends, and co-workers. Researchers are working to find out both causes and ways to manage this disease, so that women who have it can lead full lives.

Read More...


High Blood Pressure: Causes, Prevention, Treatment
 
High blood pressure is called the "silent killer" because it usually has no signs or symptoms. It is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard. If not controlled over time, high blood pressure can affect not only your heart and blood vessels but also other organs, making them function not as well as they should.

Read More...


Human Identical Hormones for Hormone Replacement Therapy


The abrupt cessation of a branch of the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial (WHI), a study funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), caused a media frenzy and raised concerns regarding Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) by both the professional and lay community. Interestingly, this WHI study was actually one of two studies which had results published at approximately the same time. The other study was the Heart and Estrogen / Progestin Replacement Study Follow-up (HERS II) study.

Read More...


Good 'Joint' Decisions

There are approximately 55 million Americans with arthritis. The commonest type of arthritis is referred to as osteoarthritis, and it is often associated with osteoporosis. The cause of many types of arthritis remains unknown but common features of arthritic disorder include pain, joint stiffness and restrictive mobility of joints which are associated with damage to cartilage and joints and ongoing inflammation. Cartilage can be protected by certain natural substances and glucosamine appears to be the most important chondro-protective (chondro = cartilage) agent known in natural medicine. Many people are seeking alternatives to standard drug treatments for arthritis. The most commonly used drugs to treat arthritis belong to a class of pharmaceuticals called non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs which are termed NSAID, as an abbreviation

Read More...


What Is Urinary Incontinence?

Approximately 80% of those affected by urinary incontinence can be cured or improved. Diagnosis includes a medical history and a thorough physical examination. Tests such as X-rays, cystoscopic examinations, blood chemistries, urine analysis, and special tests to determine bladder capacity, sphincter condition, urethral pressure, and the amount of urine left in the bladder after voiding may be required.

Read More...


The Role of Estrogen in Memory Loss

Memory loss is a growing problem in the elderly population. By the year 2050, it’s estimated that 13 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer’s disease. There are a variety of prescriptions available to treat Alzheimer’s, including Aricept, Namenda, Reminyl, etc.

Read More...


Perfectly Normal: Living and Loving With Low Libido


Feel like you wouldn't care if you never had sex again? You're not alone. By far the largest group of people seeking sex therapy is women who feel there must be something wrong with them because they don't have the urgent sex drive that they believe everybody is supposed to have. (Dearest note: During perimenopause and postmenopause, this is one of the most common complaints among women). Dr. Sandra Pertot dismisses that theory.

Read More...



Midlife And Syndrome X
 
Metabolic syndrome, or “Syndrome X,” as it is often called, is the combination of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension linked by an underlying resistance to insulin. This condition is often associated with excess insulin secretion. The syndrome was first described by Reaven in 1998, but its principal component of obesity was not initially emphasized. Retrospective data from the National Health Nutritional Survey for the period 1988 to 1994 implied that 47-million Americans had metabolic syndrome (2). The current prevalence of the syndrome may now be one in every four adults in the United States population, or about 70-million persons. So common and so pernicious are the negative health outcomes of metabolic syndrome that it qualifies as the number -- one public health problem facing several Western societies.

Read More...


A Natural Approach to Bone Health

Bone health is a primary concern for women as they advance in age. Bone is a dynamic, living tissue subject to breakdown, repair, and rebuilding, like any other tissue in the body. Bone loss occurs when the rate of bone dissolution exceeds that of bone formation. Women actually achieve maximal bone density by their mid-thirties.

Read More...


Weight Gain at Menopause

It is still debatable by some health care professionals as to whether or not weight gain is a side effect of menopause. But for those women who have experienced an increase in weight perimenopausally, it's not a debate. Your body has changed and you want to know why. On average, women may experience a gain of approximately 10-15 pounds in the years surrounding menopause.

Read More...


Menopause And Insomnia

Insomnia is a common complaint during peri and postmenopause. This insomnia often takes the form of an inability to sleep through the night. Women often wake up in the wee hours of the morning and have great difficulty getting back to sleep. Sometimes these awakenings immediately precede a night sweat or at least a warm period where one wants to throw off the covers.

Read More...


Boosting Libido

Low libido is a topic that women are increasingly open to discussing. The progressive midlife women approaching menopause today are not only grappling with this issue in their own lives, they are also more open to discussing sensitive health concerns with their peers as well as with their health care providers.

Read More...


Maintaining Vaginal Health at Menopause

Many menopausal women experience some form of vaginal dryness or irritation due to the thinning of the vaginal mucosa that typically occurs as hormone levels decline. Severity of symptoms may vary from woman to woman, even if their vaginal mucosa appear similarly affected. Some women experience only occasional discomfort while for others, symptoms are near constant.

Read More...


Good Fats / Bad Fats

In medical research, obesity has been associated with such diseases as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. But the data doesn't implicate being overweight as much as it does a poor diet and lack of exercise. Given that there are so many benefits that come from a good diet and exercise, it is no wonder that it is the primary recommendation of many holistically oriented physicians.

Read More...


Stress and Adrenal Health

As a society, we are acutely exposed to daily stresses, be they emotional, physical, or mental. Work situations, family changes and obligations, changes in our bodies and in our health--all of these can contribute to the stress demands on our bodies. Our bodies respond to these stresses in a similar fashion despite the source. Physiologically, each time we are exposed to stresses, our adrenal glands respond by producing certain hormones.

Read More...


Dearest's Dry Skin Tips

Many women at menopause suffer from dry skin problems. I've tried everything including the most expensive and promising creams by Lancome, Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder -- even a cream called --- "Very Emollient Cream" by Clinique. The bottom line with moisturizers is that they CAN'T ADD MOISTURE to your skin. What they do is KEEP IN the moisture that's already there and my question becomes, if it's not already there, what's to keep in?

Read More...


Progesterone and Women's Health

Menopause is not an estrogen-deficiency disease as the media and pharmaceutical companies seem to portray it. In fact, if we were to base our understanding of hormones on the media as opposed to the physiology books, we might think the only hormone a man made was testosterone, and the only hormone a woman made was estrogen. Well, it's time see ourselves as we truly are, hormonally.

Read More...


Exercise And Bone Health

Numerous studies attest to the effectiveness of exercise for promoting and maintaining bone density. Improving bone mass, strength, and balance can help decrease fracture risk. Women with osteoporosis or who have a family history of osteoporosis need specific information, however, before they start an exercise program, to ensure they get the most benefit from their regimen while avoiding possible harm.

Read More...


Breast Health

Over the years we have gathered information about how to keep ourselves healthy through diet, exercise, and stress reduction. As we learn more, we can fine-tune our approach to target specific organs or tissues. For example, a diet designed to reduce the risk of heart disease is different from a diet that benefits those suffering from the effects of arthritis or diabetes.

Read More...



SCROLL THROUGH THE MENU OF ARTICLES ON THE LEFT -- "Your Health During Menopause" and "Your Lifestyle At Midlife" -- as all articles aren't featured above.

 

        

 

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