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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The Side Boob Should Not Replace Old-Fashioned Cleavage

Amy McVay Abbott
The side boob -- the horizontal cleavage -- it's a thing! With Oscar night still weeks away, boobs have been front and center in 2023. Selena Gomez got it exactly right at the aptly-named Golden Globes, wearing a black Valentino off-the-shoulder dress with a notch for cleavage. But there’s a new trend, the horizontal rather than vertical cleavage; I call it the Side Boob. In front, the neckline plummets to the belly button. Each side may also be revealed. But, of course, not everybody can or should wear this look. Heidi Klum defied gravity in a gold and chain number at this year’s Globes. Tefi Pessoa stood out at the Globes in a Tom Ford gown that left little to the imagination had it not been for her Rapunzel hair covering her nipples. Harry Styles bared his tattoo-covered chest in a jumpsuit that could have been an homage to the 1970s Osmond brothers. Oscar night this year is March 12. The Big Event always brings the mother of all hype. You can’t always depend on a Will Smith moment, but you can always count on the exposure of flesh. Tried and true, most women arrive with their best assets up front and center. Last year comedian and host Amy Schumer wore the Side Boob, and her chest looked like grapefruits in a grocery sack. Schumer is beautiful but needs wires like the Roebling brothers used for the Brooklyn Bridge........
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Lee Gaitan

From Boob to Bowel: My year of Living Embarrassingly

Lee Gaitan
The embarrassment factor rose substantially when I was struck with a violent stomachache shortly after wolfing down a baked sweet potato for dinner. The pain raged all night and was so intense by 6:00 a.m. my husband whisked me to the hospital. Clearly, this was more than sweet potato indigestion. Once at the hospital, I was examined by two barely pubescent ER docs who must surely have come from the same gene pool of handsomeness as my long-ago breast surgeon. Seriously, these kids were so adorable I nearly blushed. (Where were these cutie-pie doctors when I was about a hundred years younger and not attired in dog-hair-covered socks and a hospital gown? Youth really is wasted on the young.) Anyway, Doogie Howser #1 and #2 got right down to business. “Tell me about your bowel movements,” ...
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Beth Nast

Trying Out Santa Barbara For The Winter

Beth Nast
There are many ways to go on vacation. Each one suits a person’s soul, budget and time constraints. Trips to Europe to see cathedrals and art, cruising the Greek Islands, staying put at a lush resort in Fiji, climbing the Alps, the list is endless. Over the last 10 years or so, since empty nest-hood and semi retirement, we’ve taken to renting homes in one place and learning the ins and outs as if we’ve moved there. Our kids visit and we are a family in a home again, having traded traditional home life for our Boston condo years ago. Spending time in one place suits my purpose of feeling as if I have lived in many places. We’ve done this in Breckenridge, Colorado (4 yrs), and Delray Beach, FL (4 years) and this year we added a new place to our temporary digs: Santa Barbara, California. Santa Barbara is known as The American Riviera thanks to its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, cliffside beaches, mountain ranges, a world-renowned food and wine scene, stunning natural beauty and near-perfect weather. That sounded to us like a trip to Europe while staying in the USA. Our Colorado son said, “Sounds like another rich white flight” (which in part it is), but fortunately we were there long enough to see what lies beneath. After careful investigation on Air B&B, and enlisting a local to confirm our choice, we rented a hilltop beach home in Summerland, CA, a tiny town just a few miles outside of Santa Barbara, next door to Montecito, the home of Harry and Meghan, Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah, to namedrop a few....
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Menopause And After: The Truth About Hormone Therapy…Every BA50s Right!

felice
"You mean we can take Estrogen now, after 60, we can start now?  I was hoping I would be allowed to take estrogen for specific issues  but also because frankly, I have read that the benefits can help with the aging process like our memory, bone health, heart health and our skin.... Is this really true I asked one of the top Doctors, Dr. Susan Hardwick-Smith, GYN, who is the founder of the Complete Midlife Wellness Center in Austin. "Absolutely... but not orally, but yes, every woman in menopause and after menopause should find a Dr. to talk about this topic and educate themselves!" "I was told I had missed the window...  and now after 60, I was 10 years post menopause and it was risky?" "This is not true," said Dr. Susan. "How could I/We have been so misled?  Two years ago my very smart OB told me I had missed the window on Hormone Therapy as I was 10 years post menopause." "This is so frustrating to hear but thank goodness for Susan Dominus' New York Times article...."Women Have Been Misled About Menopause," published on Feb 1 (just 2 weeks ago)." "Yes, that's why I called you... we need to continue this conversation. My friends in their 60's all were told absolutely NO Hormone Therapy and 2 weeks ago, since this article was published we are learning this is no longer true... this is so upsetting that we were so misled but how do we know what the truth really is...can we just rely on this article?"...
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Felice Shapiro

How To Feed Your Vegan Guest 101

felice
I shamed myself the other week when I invited my  dear friends who are Vegan over for dinner and we started to discuss the menu. "So I'm not sure what to make because I know you are Vegan," I said. "Don't worry, we will bring a Vegan App and a Vegan Pizza." "Wait, I invited you guys." "It's ok don't bother." I let them bring the pizza and the App. "Really Felice.....this is so not OK," I chided myself. "You should know better. You're smart and love to learn so you can do this...you can learn what to make for your Vegan friends. More and more of my friends are becoming Vegan and rather than educate myself about what I can serve them when they come over,  I keep asking the same dumb questions about whether this or that is ok. I should know better! I mean what's so hard about this? Roast the veggies and don't use butter...use olive oil. No you can't have Cobb Salad with cheese and bacon. Do you know why...
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