Healthy Monday

People waiting for the doctor

Our Broken Medical System: The Doctor is Not In

Marcia Byalick
Want to start a dinnertime conversation guaranteed to unite everyone, regardless of politics, wealth, temperament and intelligence? No easy feat ever but especially tough in the madness of today’s world. I’ve found one I believe that finds us all on the same side 
the frustration of dealing with the before, during and aftermath of our annual visit to the doctor. “We are experiencing heavier than usual wait times,” begins the process, upping the anxiety ante. When does the clock ever strike “usual” time” I wonder. Being a veteran of this time suck, I usually put her on speaker while I distract myself with some predetermined activity. An alternative to murdering somebody. It occurs to me how grateful I am not to be bleeding at that moment. “Your call is very important to us,” she continues. You know what? I don’t believe it is. Prove me wrong and just answer the phone....
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Forging an Adult Relationship with my Daughter

Liz Kurkjian-Henry
‘She’s such a bitch.’             ‘Everything I say annoys her.’             ‘Nothing I do is right.’             ‘She’s only nice to me when she needs money.’             ‘What happened to my sweet little girl?’ Do these laments sound familiar?  They do to me because at some point since my daughter, Britt, went to college, graduated and  moved to New York City  I have uttered each one. But over the past twelve years I have found myself lamenting less and enjoying her more. Why? Did she change? Or did I? A bit of both but weighted much more heavily on me.  I’m not sure if it was a conscious decision but I think this complaining about my adult daughter diminished when I started to view her for what she is in that order: ADULT then DAUGHTER. Once I changed my perspective to treat her as an adult first, my daughter second, our relationship became much less strained and tenuous. ...
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Was Too Much Television Bad for Me?

Jenna Gruen
Throughout the pandemic, I had many conversations with friends and family about our coping skills during lockdown. Some ate more.  Some drank more.  Some hiked more.  Some sat on the couch more, and some read more.  For myself, I turned to something that I’m really good at – watching TV.  It’s a skill I’ve been honing since I was a child....
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Ginny Poleman

“You Are Loved, Damnit!” A Lesson From The Universe For This Single DivorcĂ©e

Ginny Poleman
Last month, I borrowed my ex-husband’s car to visit my son, daughter-in-law, and their little guy (read about becoming a grandmother here). As soon as I arrived at the parking garage, the attendant said, “I’m sorry, but the car’s dead.” My ex immediately answered the phone when I called, arranged for a jump, and said, “call me along the way.” He called me while I was driving, “everything okay? Call me when you get there.” Pleased that he was concerned, I thought he was being dramatic. “I fine. I’m will.” But I never got there. The car wouldn’t restart at the rest stop forty-five minutes from my destination. My ex gave me the info I needed to get the car on the road again and where to drop it off. “Call me if you have any problems.” My bestie, Sonia, sat on the phone with me until the car service showed up. Finally, on my way back into the city, I held my breath, clenched my butt cheeks, and drove the ninety-minute ride feeling sorry for myself. I missed feeling taken care of by my husband like he did so many years ago. I knew I didn’t want to be married to him, but then damnit, why am I crying?...
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Chocolate and nuts on a old wooden table

Lead and Cadmium Could Be in Your Dark Chocolate – Consumer Reports

BA50 Talkers
There’s a dark side to this “healthier” chocolate. Research has found that some dark chocolate bars contain cadmium and lead—two heavy metals linked to a host of health problems in children and adults. The chocolate industry has been grappling with ways to lower those levels. To see how much of a risk these favorite treats pose, Consumer Reports scientists recently measured the amount of heavy metals in 28 dark chocolate bars. They detected cadmium and lead in all of them. Consumer Reports found dangerous heavy metals in chocolate from Hershey's, Theo, Trader Joe's, and other popular brands. Here are the ones that had the most, and some that are safer....
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Staying On Top Of Whether Your Doctor is Helping or Harming You

Melodee Currier
Prior to my colonoscopy, I needed to know what diabetes medications I should take since I would be fasting. My endocrinologist told me to take one of my medications, but not the others. That sounded like harmful advice because that medication is always taken with food, and I wasn’t supposed to eat during the pre-colonoscopy prep period My research confirmed that this medicine should not be taken before having a colonoscopy....
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Felice Shapiro skiing

7 Reasons My Feel Age is Way Younger Than My Real Age…What About You?

felice
Everyone is guilty of asking....How old are you or How old is She?  But why do we ask that question? What are we really getting at when we ask that question? Is it a competition as younger is better? Maybe that's why we ask? But I've been thinking, I mean most of my friends are within 5 to 7  years of each other -- why are we so obsessed about how old we are?  What's strange is that question has always annoyed me because it makes me feel pigeon holed --- and that's because my real age casts me in a place that doesn't reflect how I really feel. Disclosing my real age strikes me as incorrect, that I need to rethink the number as there may be some miscalculation. When I think about my real age, I think someone got it wrong. I mean how can I be in my 60's which feels perhaps too old to feel the way I feel . I am still doing pretty much everything I did in my 50's... Yes....almost everything with modifications and some things I'm doing way better!...
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Interview

Can I Take HRT After 60? Answers To Your HRT Questions…: Dr. Susan Hardwick-Smith Interviewed By Felice Shapiro

felice
Taking Hormones pre and post menopause when symptomatic is a discussion that every BA50 should have with their GYN. The HRT door was closed on most of us due to a 2002 WHI (Women's Health Initiative) study that has recently been revisited and determined to be flawed and therefore not the last word. See New York Times post by Susan Dominus Titled: Women Have Been Misled About Menopause. So the question for women of whether to start HRT,  meaning -- Estrogen, Testosterone and other hormone replacements in your 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's -- is front and center and back on the table thanks to Susan Dominus. I was thrilled to talk to Dr. Susan Hardwick-Smith, Founder of the Complete Midlife Wellness Center in Houston, about HRT and the decision to start taking hormones even 10 years post menopause, in our 60's, for the first time. This is an important interview that every BA50 will want  to listen to if they are interested in educating themselves about whether HRT is something they may want to talk to their Dr. about. Dr. Susan deals with the benefits and risks to consider when making your decision and she is very encouraging. This interview is a continuation of last week's discussion on BA50 about why Doctors are  still making decisions for us about our hormone health based on a study that is more than 20 years old which has so many flaws?  Dr. Susan addresses the risks of HRT as it relates to blood clots, heart health, bone health and breast cancer and who is at risk and if you are over 60.  Be sure to listen all the way through because we have many more options than we were previously told. Dr. Susan believes everyone is a candidate for HRT as it addresses so many of our aging symptoms. Question: "If we aren't in menopause and don't have hot flashes BUT have bone health, memory concerns, thinning skin, sleep, vaginal dryness, UTI issues etc....should we be taking Estrogen?" Question: "What are the risks and can we take Estrogen long term?" Click to listen this interview........
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