Treatments are aimed at reducing the symptoms of menopause and preventing the development of long-term health problems that can result from reduced estrogen levels. There are several options a doctor can consider when deciding which type of treatment is right for each patient.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT): HRT replaces the hormones that a woman’s body no longer makes. The most important hormone used in reducing menopausal symptoms is estrogen, but taking estrogen alone can increase a woman’s risk of developing endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus). This isn’t a problem in women who have had a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus), but in women who still have a uterus estrogen is usually combined with another hormone, progestin, to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer. But even combination HRT can have serious side effects, and the decision about whether to go on this treatment is one each woman must make for herself after discussing it with her doctor.

Bisphosphonates: These drugs are used to help prevent and treat osteoporosis that may result from reduced hormone levels. While they are not quite as effective as estrogen, they are not hormonal and, therefore, don’t carry the same risks as HRT. However, it is important to remember that every drug carries some risk.

Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs):

These drugs have some of the benefits of estrogen, including improving bone strength, without some of the risk that estrogen has. However, SERMs tend to cause more hot flashes and may increase the risk of gallstones or blood clots.

Complementary and alternative therapies (CAM):

Some women going through peri menopause may find relief from their symptoms from CAM therapies, including dietary and herbal supplements, acupuncture, chiropractic treatments, massage therapy, biofeedback, homeopathy, and naturopathy. It is important to remember that not all complementary and alternative therapies have been studied scientifically, and some may have negative effects on other conditions you may have. Before you decide to try one of these therapies, discuss it with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure that what you are planning is safe for you.

Helping Yourself

In addition to taking medication, there are ways you can help reduce your symptoms.

To ease hot flashes:

• Dress in layers so you can remove some clothing when you begin to feel warm.

• Avoid foods and beverages known to trigger hot flashes, such as alcohol, caffeine, spicy food, and sugar.
• Practice stress management techniques.
• Exercise to improve your circulation.

To reduce vaginal dryness

• Ask your pharmacist to recommend a vaginal lubricant.

• If over-the-counter products don’t work, talk to your doctor about the prescription products that are available.

To reduce the risk of osteoporosis

• Get enough calcium and vitamin D. If you aren’t sure you are getting enough of these nutrients from the foods you eat, ask your pharmacist about supplements.

• Exercise regularly; weight-bearing exercises (such as walking) are best for strengthening bones.

• Ask your doctor if you should have a bone density test.

• To reduce the ris.k of heart disease:

• Get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked regularly.

• Eat a nutritious, heart -healthy diet that is low in saturated and trans fats and high in fibre.

• Be active. Check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise program to make sure the activity you have chosen is appropriate for your overall physical condition.

If you have any questions about menopause or ways to lessen the symptoms and reduce your risk of developing heart disease or osteoporosis, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

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Tags: acupuncture, alternative therapies, biofeedback, bisphosphonates, cancer, chiropractic, endometrial cancer, estrogen_levels, gallstones, heart disease, homeopathy, Hormone replacement therapy, hormone_progestin, HRT, hysterectomy, massage therapy, menopausal_symptoms, naturopathy, osteoporosis, over-the-counter products, peri_menopause, pharmacist, prescription products, spicy food, Vitamin D

Facial skin care is not necessarily the first thing on the mind of a typical teenager. Yet the unexpected appearance of acne on a formerly clear complexion generally triggers intense interest in proper cleaning methods. Oily complexion, pimples, zits, and blackheads are all sadly, hallmarks of adolescence. While teens may be excited that their bodies are transforming in ways that

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Children taking splashy, bubbly daily baths are thinking more of fun than cleanliness. As these children mature into adulthood, they must begin to master new personal hygiene cleaning habits and learn to follow them religiously. Doctors generally recommend washing oily complexions twice daily. Regardless of the severity of the condition, washing should always be quite gentle. Surprisingly, it is possible to be too compulsive about the breakouts on the face, washing one’s face too often or scrubbing excessively roughly. Rather than facilitating healing, this can literally make the problem worse.

Many over-the-counter products at supermarkets or pharmacies can help broken-out body surfaces to mend. Salicylic acid, benzoil peroxide, and even sulfur are ingredients that are capable of killing bacteria that grow in obstructed, oily pores. Different companies incorporate differing percentages of active ingredients in their products. For facial skin care cleaning the minimum formulation that is effective is the one to choose.

Adolescent girls often start to use cosmetics during puberty. It is very important only to use products that have been specified non-comedogenic. This designation means that the ingredients will not clog or block pores. This helps prevent new pimples or blackheads from forming on the body surface. Complexion cleanliness is about prevention as much as it is about management.

Although acne is a physical change, it can adversely affect a young person’s emotional outlook. Teens should be able to take part in school and other activities without the embarrassment of oily complexion and spots. If medicines and cleansers acquired from the local drugstore are ineffective, a physician or dermatologist should be consulted for treatment that is more comprehensive.

Teaching about proper skin cleansing is one way parents and teachers can provide empathy and guidance to teenagers when they obsess about their acne. Appropriate cleaning of the body surface practices will help turn a crisis into a temporary problem. Teens need direction as well as reassurance that facial skin care can be kept under control or even healed with proper washing, effective medication, and most of all, time.

Are these tips all you need to prevent acne? If not you should be interested in a proven method to rid you of your acne. Then read my review of a best acne treatment. Another great product I have reviewed is Acnezine.

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Acne cures are something that many medications promise but few deliver. The shelves of your local pharmacy or supermarket are stocked with skin treatments that claim to get rid of zits once and for all. If you have been troubled by this common but painful condition, you have probably carted home special creams, concealers, soaps, and vitamins in the hope that your skin will be zit-free in the few short days advertised on the labels.

If over-the-counter products have been ineffective however, it is time for you to make an appointment with your family physician or dermatologist. Your doctor can prescribe topical treatments that are stronger and more effective than the ones available without a prescription.

Your specialist may begin with simple external applications such as benzoil peroxide. Formulations containing benzoil peroxide work by killing bacteria that are trapped in your pores by excess oil. Unfortunately, superficial skin medications do not address deep infections that cannot be reached from the skin’s surface.

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Deeper body surface infections may respond to management with an antibiotic. Two of the most common antibiotics used for curing body surface infections are tetracycline and erythromycin. These medications eliminate the bacteria causing infection in the deepest layers of the skin.

Your physician may prescribe a chemical peel as well as medication. A chemical such as glycolic acid is used to cause the uppermost layer of your skin to peel off. Other, less extreme ways of removing the top layer of your skin comprise scrubbing your face with slightly abrasive pads or employing skin washes that contain beads or microscopic particles.

It has long been recognized that exposure to sunshine can be used as a body surface treatment. Special lighting is now available that can reduce the number of inflamed skin lesions by about 70% or so within about a month. One advantage of this technique is that it has no known side effects, although it is not as efficacious if the infection is severe.

Birth control pills are sometimes prescribed to manage body surface breakout, but the pill has arguably serious side effects. The Diane-35, which was specifically developed to treat severe cases of zits (and not for birth control), has been linked to a small but elevated risk of blood clots compared to other birth control pills. You should also know that if you are taking tetracycline, it negates the contraceptive effectiveness of the pill.

Finding a cure for the breakout is the objective, but the approach should be chosen based on the severity of your skin breakout and the risks linked with potential treatments. Whether the treatments you choose are topical or internal, your doctor can explain what you need to take into consideration prior to making a decision. Body surface medications may be more effective than topical treatments, but they have potentially more serious side effects. You need professional advice and realistic expectations for any method of curing acne you try.

Tags: acne, Acne Treatment, acne_cures, acne_treatments, antibiotics, birth control, causing infection, chemical peel, deep infections, email marketing software, excess oil, external applications, family physician, get_rid_of_acne, over-the-counter products, physician, skin_treatments, surface infections, topical_treatments, zits

I found this list of some common supplements used in weight loss from the Blue Cross of of Massachusetts. This list even includes some warnings where needed:

Chromium Supplement

This mineral, found in tiny amounts in almost all foods, helps the body burn fat, build muscle, and control blood sugar. A little chromium is essential to good health, but does that mean extra chromium must be extra healthy?

Supplement marketers and manufacturers claim that chromium pills are a shortcut to the perfect body, but the benefits are far from certain. For one thing, chromium is a nutrient and not a drug, which means it can only help people who don’t get enough chromium in their diet. And while a few studies have found that chromium supplements apparently lead to small gains in muscle and modest weight loss (as in roughly 2 pounds of fat lost per month), several recent studies have found no such effects.

Richard A. Anderson, lead scientist at the United States Department Of Agriculture’s Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, has studied chromium supplements in many contexts over the last 20 years, and he’s never seen the supplements change a person’s body weight. Dr. Anderson summed up his opinion of the supplements in the September, 1998, issue of the journal Nutrition Reviews: “Chromium is only a small part of the puzzle in weight loss and body composition, and its effects, if present, will be small compared with those of exercise and a well-balanced diet.”
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