Maintaining Health & Well-Being As We Age - VHS

$15.00

Date: May 21, 2009
Topic: Women: Maintaining Health & Well-being

Panelists:

1. Ivy Alexander, Ph.D., ANP-BC, APRN- (Associate. Prof. & Midlife Women's Health Specialist, Yale University)
2. Deborah Desir, M.D.- Specialist in Internal Medicine & Rheumatology (Arthritis & Osteoporosis Ctr, 2200 Whitney Ave, Suite 320, Hamden)
3. Karin Michels-Ashwood, M.D., Medical Director (Hill Health Center)

IN SHAPE:

I = Use Imagination, keep food selections varied and Interesting
N = Attend to the Nutritional Value of your foods

S = Serving Size, plan Smart Snacks
H = Hydrated (keep yourself hydrated)
A = Alcohol, ingest only in moderation
P = Portion Size, be Pro-Active about your health (have things ready in advance), and Prepare foods in a healthy way
E = Enjoy your food and Exercise

For more information:
Visit the following Websites:
www.nof.org
www.menopause.org
www.4women.gov
www.ivillage.com
Living Well & Aging Well
www.healthywomen.org/wellness

Women’s Health
www.womenshealth.gov/statistics

Reference Books:
100 Questions and Answers About Menopause, by Ivy Alexander and Karla Knight, J+B publishers
100 Questions and Answers About Osteoporosis and Osteopenia, by Ivy Alexander and Karla Knight, J+B Publishers.

Screening and Prevention: Adult 50 years of age and older

Individualized
Needs to provide benefit and target a condition
More likely to be delivered when there is a established relationship with a clinician

Types of Screening and Prevention:

Cardiovascular disease ( heart attacks and Strokes)
Cancer: Breast, Cervical , Colorectal,
Depression
Diabetes

Immunizations: Influenza vaccine; Pneumococcal Vaccine; Zoster vaccine

Injury prevention
Domestic Violence
Lifestyle-related Problems
Substance abuse/ Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Vision and Hearing
Osteoporosis

What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and are more likely to break. It is a silent disease.

10 million people in the U. S. have osteoporosis, 80% of these are women.

34 million people have low bone density or Osteopenia.

People of all racial/ethnic backgrounds are potentially at risk for developing osteoporosis.

50% of women over 50 will suffer an osteoporosis related fracture in their lifetime. The risk is higher than the risk of stroke, heart attack and breast cancer combined.

Issues covered: General health for Midlife Women, Osteoporosis / Arthritis &, Menopause

Menopause (Ivy)

What are the common symptoms of menopause?

Reduced libido/sexuality – I have no desire to be intimate with my husband; I cannot stand to be intimate, but I’m afraid to be alone; What can I do to make intimacy possible without those creams?
Hot Flashes – I am 52; at night I sweat like a pig; I do not want the hormone pills and I am afraid of the creams.
Sleep problems / Irritability – Irritability is a real problem for me. The doctors at the clinic have no time to answer; HELP? Menopause is over for me, yet I have trouble sleep most nights; if I go to bed early (10 - 11) I wake up x 2. Why?
Skin and Hair changes – As we age, why do the hair gets thinner for some of us women and not for others? I hate it!

How can the symptoms of menopause be managed? (Ivy)

Lifestyle changes

Dress; temperature; avoidance of caffeine, sugar, tobacco; increased H20; exercise; excellent sleep hygiene
Should women drink only herbal & green teas? Caffeine keeps me up at night; yet, if I don’t drink it, I can get nothing done during the day; what’s the answer? Due to lack of sleep I am often tired; is Melatonin the best non-prescription sleep aid? If not, what is?

CAMs

Relaxation techniques, Yoga/Pilates, paced respirations
Specifically, what natural substances work? What might cause long term problems?
What about Phytoestrogens, Vitex, Black Kohosh & St. John’s Wort? They seem to offer relief on and off so I rotate them. My doctor will not discuss these. Will these cause long-term problems?