Stephanie Martin-Smith
Soul Purpose
As one of a new generation of aging women, who have both a voice and a platform, we are very lucky to be on the receiving end of information on women’s health and well being.
Oprah had another show on hormones spotlighting Robyn McGraw’s new book discussing options for women in their “mid-life.” They said woman over 35 should be educating themselves on peri-menopause (which can take anywhere from one to 10 years) rather than menopause which is basically when it is all over.
Women through the ages have found themselves on a variety of middle-age cocktails like Valium, anti-depressants and other prescribed drugs to treat the symptoms. The prescribing of synthetic hormones has been way up and way down since the 1980s, with studies showing links to cancer and then more studies disproving that.
They covered all of the hormones that are potentially changing, effecting everything from moods, energy levels, ability to sleep, fear levels, aggressive levels, our veins ability to stretch to adjust to our blood flow, sex drive and water retention. So the fix is a bit tricky since we are all different. One size does not fit all.
The show was bringing to light a treatment called bio-identicals. This is a synthetic hormone, given according to your hormone levels and made specifically for your body. It is made from natural products such as soy and other plants.
The Food and Drug Administration was there to discuss the fact that they were not FDA approved and therefore not considered safe, however the original synthetic hormones – made from horse pee – were safe for women… Yeah, horse pee or soy? Hmmm?
I’ve always heard that countries with high levels of soy in their diet have lower cancer rates. That fact went along with the doctor on the show, who stated she has been prescribing bio-identicals for over 20 years and found the rate of cancer dropped significantly in this group of women who were also immediately relieved their symptoms.
Whether they are right or wrong, I think it is at least worth looking into. The fact is we need to become educated on their own health. There are so many resources available to us. Most of us have the Internet and our only obstacle may be an unruly teenager.
After my last article I was amazed at how many women told me they were all done menopause at age 45, others had been going through peri-menopause for years and yet some were 50 with no signs at all. Proving the fact we are all very different and all deserve to be treated individually.
Since women are often the caregivers of the family it is easy to put off caring for ourselves but it is not only important it needs to be mandatory. I always think of the old saying… “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!”
I believe well and happy women are more apt to have well and happy families and people around them. So if you haven’t started self care, this would be the perfect time to start!
