Planned Parenthood Made a Period Tracker App

There are many health apps out there that can be used to keep track of one’s health. Some health trackers do not include a section that tracks periods. Planned Parenthood created a period tracker app called Spot On. It is focused on tracking your period – and more! Planned Parenthood is a health care provider that specializes in reproductive health care. In addition, they offer a wide range of safe, reliable health care – the majority of which is preventative health care. In other words, the Spot On period tracker app has information that comes directly from the world-class sex … Continue reading →

What’s Keeping Me Awake?

I have never thought much about food and sleep. I know if I drink a caffeinated drink after noon, I will often find myself staring at the ceiling at midnight going, “Why did I do that?” But, did you know that food too can affect your sleep? At a time in my life when sleep seems more elusive and yet more important all at the same time, I decided to research what food can keep you awake. Other than the obvious coffee, you should also avoid chocolate. I know, that is a terrible thing to say, but chocolate, especially dark … Continue reading →

Making New Year’s Resolutions

Yes, I am thinking about making a New Year’s Resolution. I know, many people say when you do this, you are only setting yourself up for failure. But sometimes, you just need something to get you kicked off in the right direction. This year, as with all years in the past, I am resolving to lose weight. Oh, I know I can do it – I lost 30 pounds three years ago. And then gained it all back within the stressful last two years of returning to the workforce, moving, and changing jobs twice. But this year, I need to … Continue reading →

Lose Weight, Avoid Breast Cancer?

I have already made up my mind that after the holidays, I am dieting. Of course, I’ve said that on and off now for the last two years, but next June, I turn 50 and I know it will just get harder and harder to lose weight. Today, I read another incentive to help me take the pounds off. A recent study by Dr. Paul S. MacLean, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, and colleagues hints to the fact that perimenopausal women may be able to lessen their chances of getting breast … Continue reading →

Can Mammograms Be Harmful?

I have been putting off my yearly mammogram. I’ve had one almost every year since I turned 40, as dictated by someone somewhere as the thing I was supposed to do. Recently, there has been some controversy as to whether the “need to start having mammograms” age was 40 or 50. Now, there is another controversy – that routine mammograms can cause breast cancers to be overly treated. Overly treated? If you have breast cancer, can treatment really be overly? Maybe not, but maybe so says Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, who recently coauthored an analysis of mammograms published in The … Continue reading →

Sleep Deprivation or as I Like to Call It…Perimenopause

If you look up the symptoms of perimenopause, you will see that sleep disturbance is one of them. Sleep disturbance is too a nice a phrase for what’s going on with me. It’s more like sleep twister. Or maybe sleep turbulence. If I am lucky enough to get to sleep, I wake up in the middle of the night then toss and turn until the clock goes off. Last night (I woke up at 3:02 am) was better than the night before (I woke up at 1:14 am). For the first time in my life, I am having trouble getting … Continue reading →

U.S. Preventative Services Task’s Opinion on Hormone Therapy

Well, now I am just confused! I mentioned that I went to a menopause seminar here at the health science center where I worked. It was conducted by a nurse who was very pro-hormone therapy. Even years ago, I remember hearing bad stuff about hormone therapy (HT) (or as they used to call it hormone replacement therapy). A fifteen-year study called the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) began in 1991. It looked at 160,000 post-menopausal women using HT. What they found was that HT didn’t exactly do what they had hoped (prevent chronic illnesses such as heart disease) and it also … Continue reading →

Menopause and Muscle Tone

About a year ago, I got out of the shower. I was surprised to looked down and see my grandmother’s legs. No, my beloved, dearly departed grandmother hadn’t come into the bathroom. But, I noticed my legs had started to look like hers. Before you ask how I knew so much about my grandmother’s legs, let me explain. I lived with my grandmother for almost twenty years after the death of my mother when I was 19. My grandfather had died about five years before that. With my father remarrying, I decided to spend my 20’s and most of my … Continue reading →

Homeopathic Remedies for Menopause

I work at a health science center and a few weeks, they had a nurse conducting a seminar on menopause. I am not in full blown menopause, but experiencing the “joys” of perimenopause. But, I figured I would go to check out the seminar anyhow. What I did was pretty much waste my lunch hour. It might have helped some people there, but nurse mainly talked about hormone replacement therapy. Oh no wait, it’s called hormone therapy now. The study that was done years ago that showed that HRT could cause problems has been revisited by many and there were … Continue reading →

When a Lump Isn’t Bad News

Feeling a lump in your breast or getting called back for more tests after a mammogram does not necessarily mean cancer. Many lumps are caused by benign conditions. While you shouldn’t panic, it is still important to get any breast changes checked out by your doctor as soon as possible. When women do get cancer, one out of every three cases is breast cancer. So, it makes sense that feeling that lump could induce some anxiety. Here is some information about breast lumps and other breast changes that are not cancerous. Breast Cysts Breast lumps could actually be cysts, fluid … Continue reading →