Reading Room

Adventures with Sadie

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD, BCHN, BCIH

Health is affected by many things – one of those is pets. Not everyone is well suited to having a pet; some may have severe allergies that prevent them from having the standard dog or cat. There is no denying the importance of pets for not only our physical health but also for our mental. This has especially been made apparent to me over the last few weeks with the addition of Sadie a red Tri-Color Australian Shepard to our family.

Our dogs like many of yours are part of the family; they hold war game events with the cats, fiercely protect our home, office and vehicles, supervise gardening and act as drill instructors to get us exercising. But I truly think the most important job they have is to make us laugh, smile and remember to enjoy the simple things.

When patients come to the office to see my colleague who is a pain specialist, it is easy to pick out those who have pets… Some of them bring their pets with them as they are designated therapy animals. More and more hospitals are allowing or encouraging therapy dog and even cat visitations to patients. I have seen Spaniel, Labs and Aussies with their little vests on at St. Charles Hospital in Bend, most everyone, especially the staff stop to say hi to these valuable medical assistants.

Professionally trained helper animals—such as guide dogs for the blind—offer obvious benefits to human folk. However, the average domestic pet, can also provide us with many therapeutic benefits. Pets can ease our loneliness, reduce our stress, promote social interaction, encourage exercise and playfulness, and provide us with unconditional love and affection.

While most pet owners are clear about the immediate joys that come with sharing their lives with companion animals, many remain unaware of the physical and mental health benefits that also accompany the pleasure of playing with or snuggling up to a furry friend. It’s only recently that studies have begun to scientifically explore the benefits of the human-animal bond. Studies have found that:

ü Pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.

ü People with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets.

ü Playing with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax.

ü Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels (indicators of heart disease) than those without pets.

ü Heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without.

ü Pet owners over age 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets.

ü A pet doesn’t have to be a dog or a cat. Even watching fish in an aquarium can help reduce muscle tension and pulse rate.

One of the reasons for these therapeutic effects is most pets fulfill the basic human need to touch. Even hardened criminals in prison have shown long-term changes in their behavior after interacting with pets, many of them experiencing mutual affection for the first time. Stroking, holding, cuddling, or otherwise touching a loving animal can rapidly calm and soothe us when we’re stressed. [1]

When Chad, a yellow Labrador retriever, moved in with Claire Vaccaro’s family in 2009, he already had an important role. As an autism service dog, he was joining the family to help protect Ms. Vaccaro’s 11-year-old son, Milo — especially in public, where he often had tantrums or tried to run away. Like many companion animals, Chad had an immediate effect. Dr. Melissa A. Nishawala, clinical director of the autism-spectrum service at the Child Study Center at New York University, said she saw “a prominent and noticeable change” in Milo, even though the dog just sat quietly in the room. “He started to give me narratives in a way he never did,” adding that most of them were about the dog.[2]

The need to take care of your pet is motivation to get out of bed or move around, fixing your attention on something besides how bad you feel. This in turn releases endorphins, natural pain suppressors and increases serotonin and dopamine brain chemicals that make us feel good.

I see you

So as a proud parent let me share a little about our wild red head – in the weeks we have had Sadie, we are walking 2 to 3 miles daily, she has learned to use the pet door, been indoctrinated on electric fence safety, found she couldn’t dig quite all the way to China at the beach, turkeys are scary and ugly, cats are great fun to play war games with, everything is for chewing on, you can open a gate if you pretend your paws are hands and it’s important to be gentle with elderly family members and clients at the office. No wonder we are exhausted…. And one of her most impressive feet’s has been to steel the son’s cell phone out from under his nose, and run off to her bed with it to hide in wait – without him realizing it! Now that was funny…

So if you live someplace that doesn’t allow pets and you need one for your health, find out if your care provider will write you a statement of need for a therapy animal, dog, cat, fish, reptile or bird – they all provide individuals with connection to another living thing, purpose and motivation.

There is more to good health than the Status Quo.

[1] http://www.helpguide.org/life/pets.htm

[2] New York Times By CARLA BARANAUCKAS Published: October 5, 2009

Preservation

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD

Growing up in rural America you find yourself aware of the self-sufficiency of your neighbors. Especially as the dog days of summer weighing into the vivid days of autumn, the need to dry, freeze and can, becomes as evident as the seasonal changes.

Food preservation is a sign of independence, preparation and for some freedom. I like knowing where my food has come from, what is on it and how it has been handled; as you already know I’m a bit of a health nut and object to wasting my money on poor quality foods ladened with chemicals. But what is the best food preservation method? Well there are countless resources out there from your grandmother to the local extension agent. And there are more than a few ideas that make even me shake my head. Let’s put it this way – If your using your dishwasher to can fruits, STOP IT.

Preservation of food permeated every culture at nearly every moment in time. To survive ancient man had to harness nature. In frozen climates he froze seal meat on the ice. In tropical climates he dried foods in the sun. In moderate climates he smoke cured meats over a fire.

And the FDA says we have no Innate Right to select our food…. But I regress.

Food by its nature begins to spoil the moment it is harvested. Food preservation enabled ancient man to live in one place and form communities, and cultures. Each culture preserved their local food sources using the same basic methods of food preservation. Middle East and oriental cultures actively dried foods as early as 12,000 B.C. in the hot sun.

The Romans were particularly fond of any dried fruit they could make. In the Middle Ages purposely built “still houses” were created to dry fruits, vegetables and herbs in areas that did not have enough strong sunlight for drying. A fire was used to create the heat needed to dry foods and in some cases smoking them as well.

Preservation with honey or sugar was commonplace in the earliest cultures. In ancient Greece quince was mixed with honey, dried somewhat and packed tightly into jars. The Romans improved on the method by cooking the quince and honey producing a solid texture. Whalla jam! The same fervor of trading with India and the Orient that brought pickled foods to Europe brought sugar cane, housewives learned to make preserves—heating the fruit with sugar.

The earliest curing was actually dehydration. Early cultures used salt to desiccate foods. Salting was common and even culinary by choosing raw salts from different sources (rock salt, sea salt, spiced salt, etc.). In the 1800’s it was discovered certain sources of salt gave meat a red color instead of the usual unappetizing grey. In this mixture of salts were nitrites (saltpeter). As the microbiology of Clostridium botulinum was reviled in the 1920’s nitrites were found to inhibit this organism. The FDA does not approve the curing of foods with table salt – that is why your favorite jerky or lunch meat contains sodium nitrates and nitrites.

Fermentation not only preserves foods, it creates more nutritious, palatable foods from less than desirable ingredients. Microorganisms responsible for fermentations produce vitamins as they ferment. The skill of ancient peoples to observe, harness, and encourage these fermentations are admirable and humbling – they had an ability to reason and simply believe, we seem to have lost. Anthropologists believe mankind settled from nomadic wanderers into farmers to grow barley for the making of beer in 10,000 BC.

Any geographic area that had freezing temperatures for even part of a year made use of the temperature to preserve foods. Less than freezing temperatures were used to prolong storage times. Cellars, caves and cool streams were put to good use for that purpose. In America communities built icehouses to store ice and food on ice. Soon the “icehouse” became an “icebox”. In the 1800’s mechanical refrigeration was invented and quickly put to use. In the late 1800’s Clarence Birdseye discovered quick freezing at very low temperatures made for better tasting meats and vegetables. (Freezing preserves the most nutrients in foods as well as enzymes.)

Canning is a process were foods placed in jars or cans is heated to a temperature that destroys microorganisms and inactivates enzymes. (remember no enzymes no life, canning is the least beneficial method for nutrient content – but one of two method available to use without electricity) This heating and later cooling forms a vacuum seal. The vacuum seal prevents other microorganisms from recontaminating the food.

Canning is the newest of the food preservations methods pioneered in the 1790s by French confectioner, Nicolas Appert, he discovered the application of heat to food in sealed glass bottles preserved the food from deterioration. In 1806 Appert’s principles were successfully trialed by the French Navy on a wide range of foods including meat, vegetables, fruit and even milk. Englishman, Peter Durand, used tin cans successfully in 1810.

In 1864, Louis Pasteur discovered the relationship between microorganisms and food spoilage/illness , it become clear that preservation involved not only the elimination of air but the destruction of micro-organisms’. Just prior to Pasteur’s discovery, Raymond Chevalier-Appert patented the pressure retort (canner) in 1851, allowing canning at temperatures higher than 212ºF. It was the 1920’s before the significance of this food preservation method and Clostridium botulinum were understood.

To Your Good Health and Independent Preservation

References and Sources

Mc Govern, P. The Origins and Ancient History of Wine at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology. Available at http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Wine/wineintro.html. Accessed 2002 Feb 12.

Shephard, S. 2001. Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World. Simon & Schuster. 366pp.

Eden T. 1999. The Art of Preserving: How Cooks in Colonial Virginia Imitated Nature to Control It. Eighteenth Century Life 23(2):13 23. Also available from: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ eighteenth century_life/v023/23.2eden.html Accessed 2001 Sep 30.

Mack L. 2001. Food Preservation in the Roman Empire. Chapel Hill, NC. University of North Carolina. Available from: http://www.unc.edu/courses/rometech/public /content/survival/Lindsay_Mack/Food_Preservation.htm. Accessed 2001 Sep 30.

C. Anne Wilson. 1991. Preserving Food to Preserve Life: The Response to Glut and Famine from Early Times to the End of the Middle Ages in “Waste Not, Want Not”: Food Preservation from Early Times to the Present, C. Anne Wilson. ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Univ.

An Onion by another name is Lily.

By Tammera J. Karr, PhD, CNC, BCIH, CNW, CNH

With fall fast approaching my thoughts turn to those warm and savory foods like onions. The thickness of the onion skin has been used to predict how severe the next winter may be, thin skins mean a mild winter and thick skins indicate a rough winter ahead. Onions along with garlic, chives, shallots, leeks, green onions (scallions) are in the Amaryllis family-often incorrectly referred to as the Lily family. There are two basic types; the bulb-forming favorites like Walla Walla, Vidalia and Spanish red onions and the perennials that produce clusters of onions that can be replanted. Cluster onions include shallots, Egyptian onions and garlic. This family is cultivated worldwide and has been in use for health care as well as culinary for a millennium.

Onions originated in Central Asia, from Iran to Pakistan and northward to the Slavic countries. Onion gardens have been excavated dating back 5,000 years; Pharaohs were buried with onions as a sign of eternity. Documents dating back to the sixth century show onions being used medicinally in India. The Romans believed that onions could cure them of whatever ailed them. Even though the onion itself was not spicy enough for the Greeks and Romans they were heavily used for their pungency and their availability to the poorer populations throughout the world. Christopher Columbus and other explorers have brought onions to the Americas. The three main vegetables of European cuisine from the middle ages to present are beans, cabbage and onions. Onions have been used as currency and given as wedding gifts.

Wild onions have been growing in North America since well before the pilgrims’ arrival. The Native Americans used wild onions for cooking, seasoning in syrups and for dyes. Official onion cultivation began in America in 1629 and is now one of the top ten vegetable crops grown in the United States. The world’s leading producers of onions are China, India, the United States, Turkey, and Pakistan. In the United States, Idaho, Oregon Washington, California and Texas are the largest producers.

Vitamin C, fiber, biotin, folate, chromium, vitamin K, and thiamin are found in members of the onion family along with potent anti-cancer phytochemicals like quercetin, phenolic acid, sterols, pectin, volatile-oils, sulfur compounds and the enzyme alliinase. It is the enzyme release and it’s conversion to trans-S-cystine that stimulates crying by the cook.

While not as highly valued as a medicinal as garlic, onions have been widely used because they possess the same properties. Like garlic, studies have shown onion extracts decrease blood sugar and, lipid levels, prevent clots, lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation (onions are one of the only foods that contain prostaglandin E1), improve asthma and allergies and retard viruses by improving the immune system. The blood sugar lowering effects of onions have been clinically found to be comparable to that of prescription drugs tolbutamide and phenformin, commonly given to type 2 diabetics. Onions have been found to help the liver process glucose more efficiently by increasing the life span of insulin and increasing the natural secretion of insulin.

Historically, onions have been used in the treatment of asthma due to its ability to inhibit the production of compounds that cause bronchial spasms and mucus production. Onion extracts have been found to inhibit the formation of tumor cells and shallots exhibit significant activity against leukemia.

Beneficial For

Cancer of the lung, breast, ovarian, kidney, prostate, skin, mouth, esophageal, stomach, colon, and liver.

Diabetes, hypoglycemia, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance.

Heart Health: lower cholesterol, reduces risk of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke.

Bone health: increases bone density and possibly decreases the risk of osteoporosis.

Onions are available in fresh, frozen, canned and dehydrated forms; my preference is fresh as this form will have the most nutritional benefit. Store your onions in a cool (55 degrees), dry location; this will help them retain their vitamin C content for as long as six months.

Onions are prone to contamination by aflatoxin produced from aspergillus parasiticus if incorrectly stored. Onions are often subjected to food irradiation in order to inhibit their sprouting potential – food irradiation has various toxic effects. Onions may cause food allergies and trigger migraines in some people.

No matter how you fix them, the onion family is just plain good for you and a food that your cells will know what to do with.

To Your Good Health and Real Foods.

Is It Turmeric or Curcumin

By Tammera J. Karr, PhD., BCIH, CNC

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) or Indian saffron has been used for centuries in India and Southeast Asia, where by chance the prevalence of Alzheimer’s and cancers are a fraction of the westernized worlds. A perennial plant native to India cultivated in China, Bengal and Java for its rhizomes, and several other species of the curcuma genus grow wild in the forests of Southern Asia including India, Indonesia, Indochina, nearby Asian countries, and some Pacific Islands including Hawaii. All of these areas have traditional culinary and medicinal uses going back to pre-history. Turmeric needs warm tropical temperatures and plenty of rainfall to thrive, so that leaves out Oregon.

The herb Turmeric is a mild aromatic stimulant used in the manufacture of curry powders and mustards, in the same family as ginger, cardamom and zedoary. The curcumin in turmeric has recently been shown effective in the fight against breast cancer, osteoporosis, gluten sensitivity, Alzheimer’s, skin health and arthritis.

Without question, the scientific literature supports that this widely used spice possesses potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, curcumin lacks the ability to be readily absorbed from dietary sources and does not produce adequate, sustained blood levels for optimal impact on its own. Add black pepper, or dried ginger to help activate turmeric or choose supplements that include it. Commonly in the world of health science, just because findings look good on paper, it doesn’t mean it works on the cellular level were the health-promoting mission is accomplished, so I encourage you to use turmeric in cooking, salad dressings, soups, rice dishes or sauces, as this is one of the most traditional ways of utilizing this herb. In the book “the Blue Zone” a longitudinal study of factors common in long lived populations; the cultures with the greatest number of Centegenariens have a variety of ways turmeric compounds are made available in their diet, one is the predigesting and redistribution through goats and goat milk. I can hear your groans and gagging noises.

The Science

In a recent study it was discovered that curcumin’s natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties may reduce both oxidative damage and pathological changes in the brain that frequently leads to brain abnormalities. More specifically, curcumin has been shown to reduce the incidence of harmful plaques by slowing deposition of beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) within the brain, which is hypothesized to play a pivotal role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Curcumin produces beneficial effects on bone structure. Bone health and strength is a significant concern to people in the U.S., as it is estimated that 34 million have low bone density and are at risk of further problems. We know that millions of Americans are being overdosed on calcium for the supposed protection of their bones. Current research in the area of Nutrigenomics supports the idea that our bones require a long list of nutrients to maintain their flexibility and strength. Sulphanes contained in turmeric are some of those vital nutrients.

The researchers concluded “curcumin can prevent further deterioration of the bone structure and produce beneficial changes in bone turnover. (if you are not taking a prescription bone medication that prevents this.) The change of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-alpha and IL-6, may play an important role in the mechanisms of action of curcumin, but the detailed mechanism remains unknown.”

A recent study evaluated curcumin, on allergic airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 34.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma during their lifetime, and the academy estimates that the number of Americans with asthma will increase by over 100 million by 2025. The study authors stated that in mice, “Curcumin attenuates the development of allergic airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness, possibly through inhibition of NF-kappaB activation in the asthmatic lung tissue. Our results indicate that curcumin may attenuate development of asthma by inhibition of NF-kappaB activation.”

Common Uses

Abrasions/Cuts * Aches & Pains * Cancer Prevention * Candida/Yeast Infection * Cholesterol Control * Concentration/Memory/Focus * Culinary * Eye care – Vision * General Health Tonics * Gout * Heart Tonics/Cordials * Lupus * Osteoarthritis * Rheumatoid Arthritis * Stop Smoking

Properties

Anti-inflammatory* Analgesic* Antibacterial* Cardic tonic Cordial* Hepatic* COX-2 Inhibitor* Antifungal* Aromatic*

Parts Used: rhizome

Constituents: volatile oils (terpene, curcumen), starch, albumen (30%), coloring due chiefly to curcumin, potassium, vitamin c

So add a little spice to your life and health to your brain, bones and lungs.

Meat the Good & the Bad

In The Beginning

“Although cattle have been domesticated for less than 10,000 years, they are the world’s most important animal, as judged by their multiple contributions of draft power, meat, milk, hides, and dung…Evidence for the domestication of cattle dates from between 8,000 and 7,000 years ago in southwestern Asia. Such dating suggests that cattle were not domesticated until cereal domestication had taken place, whereas sheep and goats entered the barnyard of humans with the beginning of agriculture… domestication would have required a supply of animals that was initially met by capturing them from the wild. In the holding pens, some captive bulls and cows bred, and from these mating, calves were born. Their overall size was smaller, their temperament more docile, these aurochs born in captivity were kept as objects of sacrifice and allowed to breed. The next generation to follow reinforced the characteristics of the parents, and a gene pool that distinguished these bovines from their wild forebears gradually formed. No longer were they aurochs, but rather cattle…”—Cambridge World History of Food, Kenneth F. Kiple & Kriemhild Conee Ornelas [Cambridge University Press:Cambridge] 2000, Volume One (p. 490-1)

The Next Step

As villages’ turned into cities the abundance of livestock living in small pasturages or pens added not only to the odiferous air, but the streets were filled with their excrement. By the Middle Ages ordinance were put in place to reduce the numbers of free roaming animals and the wholesale slaughter of them on the streets. Just as the merchants of the day forced through edicts that suited them, they also knew how to ignore those that were not convenient. It would take almost two hundred years for butchers to bow to demands and start selling meat by weight rather than by the piece. Hygiene in the middle ages was anything but stringent; the cook was at the mercies of her nose and the free use of spices to cover less than the freshest of meats.

As the close of the little ice age came about the use of salt for preservation of meat became more common and those living in cities or seafarers now could carry salted meats in lieu of live animals. The quality and taste was far from good. The food of the common person’s diet throughout history has been devoid of variety up to the rediscovery of ice as a preservative.

The 1800’s

An international boom in livestock ranching ensued from 1870 to 1890 both in America and Australia, where cattle were king. Transportation was a problem especially getting meat to markets in Europe. The cattle were in poor shape after 700 mile drives over dry lands and prairies. America had lead the forefront in canning of meat, but what was at hand was far from palatable. It wasn’t long till the cattle were being rested in the grass lands to allow them time to fatten before harvest.

The Chinese had been utilizing ice houses for the preservation of food since the eight century B.C., but it was the Shaker Ice houses and their expertise in layered insulation that enabled meat to eventually be transported in railroad ice cars from great distances. In the 1850s a Glasgow man who had immigrated to Australia designed and improved an ether-compressor which made it possible to manufacture ice and refrigeration.

Today

Whenever you go into a market today you can have a ready selection of fruits, vegetables and meat, flash frozen for our convenience. The consumer thinks very little about the food, process or harvest of what they are eating. We assume that the quality of food at our finger tips is far superior to that of the Middle Ages; cleaner, fresher, tender, safer. However every year food recalls resulting in millions of pounds of potentially dangerous foods being discarded.

Most recently, Modesto Meat Company is recalling about one million pounds of ground beef products after seven people were sickened by E. coli contamination. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the Valley Meat Company had sold the potentially contaminated meat in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and internationally. This beef was processed Oct. 2, 2009 to Jan. 12, 2010. The company says most of the products are sold frozen and they’re working to remove them from grocery store shelves.

When I buy meat, I know the name of my rancher, where the animals have been raised and on what. For my money there is no beef better than those raised on ranch land in Eastern Oregon. I’ve never once had my T-bones recalled due to contamination and I’m supporting Oregon Ranchers.

Peri-menopause ~ what your mother may not have told you.

By Tammera J. Karr, MSHN, CNC, CNW, CNH 2009©
Every year millions of women in their thirties and forties are given sleep aids, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.

Every year millions of women in their thirties and forties are given sleep aids, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. For years we have known about health challenges for women going through menopause but little is discussed about the years before the “change”. Menopause in American culture is a dirty word for many women, our society whether intentional or not, does not see the changes in hormones and body structure as a freeing, or an arousing time in a women’s life. With this being the case for some the years before menopause (peri-menopause) may be wrought with indecision, stress, frustration, weight-gain, wrinkles and fear. Our ability to cope with stress, our self-esteem, multi-tasking or being aroused by our partner, may be distant memories, or just plain frustrating for us.

Peri-Menopause

So what is peri-menopause? This is the time in a woman’s reproductive years when her hormones begin stuttering. Changing hormone levels, particularly estrogens and progesterone, cause perimenopausal symptoms, and they continue for a year or two after menopause. . As ovulation becomes more erratic, the intervals between periods may be longer or shorter, your flow may be scanty to profuse, and you may skip some periods. Some women have mild perimenopausal symptoms. Others have severe symptoms that affect their sleep and daily lives

Symptoms

Changes in sexual function. During perimenopause, sexual arousal and desire may change. Most women, who had satisfactory sexual intimacy before perimenopause will continue to do so, some report that “better” is the word for this time in a women’s sexual life. When estrogens (the female body makes five estrogens) levels diminish, your vaginal tissues may lose lubrication and elasticity, making intercourse painful. Low estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels may also leave you more vulnerable to urinary or vaginal infections. Vaginal itching or dryness, causing discomfort during sexual activity, can be related to low testosterone levels as well as low progesterone. The the human body has hormone receptors everywhere and these hormones are heavily used by muscles, organs and the brain. In fact there are more hormone receptors in the brain than throughout the rest of the body accounting for why hormone shifts have such a profound effect on thought patterns and brain chemistry.

Mood changes. Some women experience mood swings, headaches, foggy brain, short term memory loss, increased frustration, anger, irritability or depression during perimenopause, but the cause of these symptoms may be sleep disruption and hormone shifts.

Sleep problems and hot flashes. Sleep problems are common with that sensation of “monkey brain”, your exhausted but just can’t shut off all those thoughts, or night sweats may wake you. About 65 to 75 percent of women experience hot flashes during perimenopause. Their intensity, duration and frequency vary.

Weight gain and Loss of bone. Weight gain is common as a woman’s estrogens become dominant in her body replacing hormones like progesterone and testosterone. When the balance of hormones is disrupted, insulin resistance increases raising the risks for type two diabetes and heart disease. Bone loss may increase during this time if a woman is not proactive about weight bearing exercise and the right forms of mineral supplementation.

Heart palpitations may be noticed for the first time in our forties, this is associated with declining progesterone levels. Progesterone IVs are used in emergency rooms for women with tachycardia complaints.

Cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Declining hormone levels may lead to unfavorable changes in your cholesterol levels, including an increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. At the same time, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol decreases in many women. Additionally blood pressure may begin increasing; this is due in part to the decline in progesterone which has a natural thinning effect on blood and is involved in regulating water retention.

Vaginal and bladder problems. Loss of tissue tone may contribute to urinary incontinence. HRT (synthetic hormone replacement – eg. Premarin™) therapies are known to increase urinary incontinence issues.

Salivary hormone testing allow health care providers to clearly see which hormones are low and to efficiently help the client manage their hormone levels; With the right information and pro-active healthcare providers working in partnership with you, these years can be more rewarding. Look for a qualified bio-identical hormone practitioner in your area.

For years we have known about health challenges for women going through menopause but little is discussed about the years before the “change”. Menopause in American culture is a dirty word for many women, our society whether intentional or not, does not see the changes in hormones and body structure as a freeing, or an arousing time in a women’s life. With this being the case for some the years before menopause (peri-menopause) may be wrought with indecision, stress, frustration, weight-gain, wrinkles and fear. Our ability to cope with stress, our self-esteem, multi-tasking or being aroused by our partner, may be distant memories, or just plain frustrating for us.