WILD YAMS, COLD SHOWERS AND GLOBAL WARMING

At brunch recently, one of my Aspen friends, told us that after her third bout with cancer, her doctor said perhaps the twenty years of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) had contributed to her breast cancer. At that moment all of her friends, stopped taking hormones.

I miss my Premarin. It has been a good friend for lo these many years. I have hot flashes. Even though the federal government says, officially, Most women do not need any special treatment for menopause. Really? Somehow, I don’t feel inclined to turn to a federal government official page for my medical treatment . . . and who wrote this anyway? Probably a man.

There are alternative treatments: Black Cohash, Dong Quai, Soy Isoflavones, Red Clover, Agnus Castus, Natural Vitamin E, Chromium, Vitamin B12 Natural Vitamin E - Chromium - Vitamin B12, valerian root and wild yam. The up side is that these are natural products (I think), but there is a down side. They take a loooong time to work and they don’t work for all women. I realize that there are some men who take hormones as a treatment for prostate cancer and they experience hot flashes too but they are a footnote. It is women who, for the most part are suffering . . .and weare suffering. My youngest sister tells me that she serves on a board with someone who obviously is suffering from hot flashes. She turns very, very red and starts fanning. I keep a fan on my bedside table. I have a wonderful little electric fan that Guess Who gave me, but it makes a noise so I don’t run it at night.

One of my darling nieces has ordered Wild Yam Emollient for me. Isn’t that intriguing? Where do they round up these wild yams? She warned me that it will take a long time to work. Another darling niece told me about ending your shower with cool (not cold) water. She says she stays in until she gets goose bumps. Let’s see . . . hot flashes or goose bumps? I think it does help but I get sort of cranky.

I have developed a theory. The baby boomers are in that menopausal stage. We all know that Boomers are getting more and more numerous. They are covering the earth. Stop and think about it. Over half of those Boomers are women and they are having hot flashes. Could it be? Perhaps the global warming is due to all these Lady Boomers having hot flashes. Should I call Al Gore?

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