Dear Health-Conscious Friend,
If youre a woman approaching menopause yearsyou may be all too familiar with night sweats hot flashes and mood swings. If youre considering hormone replacement therapybe sure to read this weeks Monday Edition of Health News Weekly.
Ill tell you how this treatment might have serious consequences for your heart health
Youll also discover why researchers now believe dark chocolate can benefit your heart. Plus youll find helpful tips on ways to avoid painful and dangerous tick bitesand still enjoy outdoor activities!
If youre ready for more news and hints for healthy living, lets not waste another minute!
Hormone Therapy May Damage an Aging Heart!
Postmenopausal women taking hormones to help prevent heart disease and other chronic conditions may be at greater risk for developing heart problems and blood clots!
According to evidence published July 11, 2007 in the British Medical Journal, study results confirm older women who start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) many years after menopause have a greater chance of experiencing angina heart attack and even sudden heart death than non-HRT users. These results show there is no overall disease prevention benefitand even increased health risksfor postmenopausal women who start hormone replacement therapy.
In 2002, the Womens Health Initiative (WHI) trial found postmenopausal women taking HRT had more heart attacks and strokes than non-HRT users. The trial was halted early and millions of women stopped taking HRT. But scientists now believe the increased risks apply only to older women who do not normally use HRT.
Researchers initiated the Womens International Study of Long Term Duration of Oestrogen after Menopause (WISDOM) in 1999 with the intention of recruiting 22,300 postmenopausal women (aged 50-69 years) for 10 years of follow-up. But study author Dr. Alistair McLennan from Womens and Childrens Hospital in Adelaide, Australia said the WISDOM trial was haltedand the published study findings delayedafter a withdrawal of government funding when the first WHI study results appeared.
The study team identified 5,692 healthy women registered at general practices in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. They had an average age of 63 years and were at least 15 years beyond menopause.
Women who had not had a hysterectomy were split into two groups. One group received a daily dose of the combined hormones estrogen and progestogen. The other group took a placebo pill. Women who had had a hysterectomy received either combined hormone treatment, estrogen only or a placebo.
Scientists monitored the women for about 12 months and recorded incidents of cardiovascular disease, bone fractures, breast cancer and deaths. The results indicate the group of postmenopausal women experienced heart problems and blood clots more often than other study groups.
HRT was originally prescribed to treat menopausal symptoms. These study findings indicate it should not be used long-term to prevent chronic disease because the risks outweigh the positive benefits.
Fast Fact
Want to keep your home free of wet doggy odors? The next time your dog comes in from the rain use any dryer sheet to wipe water from its fur. This is a quick and easy way to prevent unpleasant smellsand will instantly make your dog smell springtime fresh!
How to Avoid a Tiny Summer Predator
If youre fond of the great outdoors, the summer season is a great time for hiking and camping under the stars. This is also prime time for tick bites and Lyme disease. If left untreated, Lyme disease can cause arthritis, heart palpitations, nerve damage and even facial paralysis!
Ticks can attach themselves to your body and feed on your blood for several days. If youve been bitten by an infected tick, symptoms of Lyme disease can occur 3 to 30 days after the initial bite. Some symptoms of infection include:
- Bulls eye circular skin rash
- Headache and fever
- Chills
- Muscle and joint pain
To help protect yourself from tick bites, avoid tall grasses where ticks can easily hide. If youre walking in heavily wooded or grassy areas, tuck your pant legs into socks or boots and tuck your shirt into your pants. You can also wear a hat and long-sleeved shirt for added protection. Light-colored clothing will help you spot ticks more easily too.
If you do spot a tick on your body, try to remove it as soon as possible. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grab the insect as close to the skin as possiblethen pull it straight out. This can help prevent breaking off the ticks mouth parts in your skin, which can cause infection.
With just a few preventive measures you can enjoy the summer season free from the pain and discomfort from a tick bite!
A Sweet Solution to Boost Heart Health?
Chocolate lovers around the world cheered recent study results that suggest dark chocolate may have beneficial health benefits. Researchers from Harvard University School of Public Health concluded that short-term studies suggest cocoa and chocolate may play a role in lowering blood pressure decreasing bad cholesterol levels and reducing body inflammation These health benefits are linked to antioxidants in chocolate called flavonoids.
This doesnt necessarily give you a green light to start gobbling up fistfuls of sweet treats! Its important to choose the right types of chocolate to receive health benefitsand prevent excess weight gain!
Heres a rule of thumb for choosing chocolate products: the more nonfat cocoa solids in a chocolate product, the more antioxidants it likely contains. Natural cocoa powder and unsweetened baking chocolate contain the highest levels of these antioxidants. Dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips rank third in levels of flavonoids.
Cocoa does contain some saturated fatbut its mostly in a form that doesnt raise blood cholesterol as much as other saturated fatty acids. When used in moderationsmall amounts of dark chocolate may be a tasty way to improve your heart health!
Health E-Hints
Proper Posture Can Protect Your Bones!
You can probably recall telling your kids or grandkids more than once to sit up straight! This is great advice because healthy posture keeps your bones and muscles in alignment. If you often sit or stand with your back and shoulders hunched forward or with a phone cradled between your ear and neck, in time this can lead to fatigue muscle strain and can even cause displacement of your internal organs!
Here are some tips on how to adopt good posture:
- Stand with your spine and head erect.
- Keep your chin parallel to the floor with shoulders level and knees forward.
- When seated, 40% of your weight should rest on your legs and feet.
- Sit with your hip joints slightly higher than your knees.
- When using a computer, be sure to relax your hand between mouse clicks.
Make it your aim to practice good posture. Youll relieve muscle strain, protect your bones and you might even look a bit taller!