Remember the first time you heard that
eggs are bad for your health? It was a sad
day for chicken farmers and egg lovers
everywhere. Then they added butter to the
list and then red meat and then ---well,
that list changes every month and quite
frankly, I’m having a hard time keeping up
with all those university reports. We
switched to margarine and now margarine is
said to be more harmful than butter. We
started eating more fish and now there are
dangerous levels of toxins in some seafood
thanks to industrial progress. We’ve cut
down on soda and started drinking more
apple juice only to learn that there are
chemicals on, in, and around the apples.
What’s a woman to do?
Like it or not, we are living in the
Information Age. (Too much information, if
you ask me!) Cholesterol, fat grams, trans
fat, saturated fat, LDL, HDL--I liked the
days when the only thing that was bad for
you was too much dessert – and even that
was permissible on special occasions.
I become dizzy in supermarket aisles:
olive oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oil,
palm kernel oil, coconut oil, peanut oil,
hydrogenated oil. Less fat, low fat, no
fat. Lite, lean, little. Snackwell, Smart
Start, Healthy Choice. You need a degree
in nutrition to wade through the jungle of
label lingo! And what about the vitamin
aisle? I long to return to the days when
there were only two choices: One-A-Day and
Flintstones. My friend Sue is taking
ginseng for memory. Debbie is drinking
blue-green algae. And Karen is ingesting
Bee Alive for more energy. Do I need
beta-carotene? Will iron make me
constipated? What about chromium or B-12?
I had just completed my annual exam the
week of my 42nd birthday and my
gynecologist asked me if I was getting
enough calcium. She looked very
concerned.
“Ellie, you’re entering a season of life
when you need to be more concerned about
certain issues such as your calcium
intake.”
“Don’t worry about me—I’m a big milk
drinker.”
“How much milk do you drink?”
“At least a glass a day,” I proudly
retorted.
“You should be getting at least 1000
milligrams of calcium each day—a cup of
milk has 300. How else do you get
calcium?”
I squirmed a bit on the table.
“Uhhh…I eat broccoli?”
“Sorry. Only 36 milligrams in a
half-cup. I do not want to alarm you but,
without enough calcium, you will be at high
risk for osteoporosis.”
“O.K., you have my attention. What do
you recommend?”
“Take two Extra-Strength Tums daily.”
“Tums? Even without a stomach ache?”
I had a strange sense that a Tums
commercial was being filmed via hidden
camera. The good doctor stood to her
feet.
“When you return for your exam next
year, we’ll begin to discuss a
pre-menopausal regimen.”
“But I’m only 42!”
“It’s never too early to become
educated. I’ll explain some of your
options.”
Options…hmmm. The oil I cook with was
suddenly the least of my concerns.
Options. I believe that was a nice word
for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
Estrogen, progestin, androgen, and
clonidine. Menopause never conjures
attractive images. I’ve heard many sagas
about mood swings, bladder infections, loss
of muscle tone, dry skin, osteoporosis (not
if I take my Tums), and those dreaded hot
flashes. I’m told they are no laughing
matter.
Somewhat disconcerting are the warnings on
the products that are prescribed to women
dealing with menopause. The ads are
definitely double-edged.
Evista can help you but there are
side effects such as hot flashes and leg
cramps.
The Climara patch is so easy to
use. Just put it on once a week and forget
it.
(There are possible side effects
such as headaches, nausea, fluid retention,
irregular bleeding and
breast tenderness.)
FemPatch…for when a little
estrogen is right for her. (Warning:
Estrogen has
been reported to increase
the risk of endometrial carcinoma in some
women.)
What did women do before all of these
modern breakthroughs? No wonder my
grandmother never came out of the kitchen.
Our beloved sisters in scripture were
probably not getting proper HRT! Maybe
Miriam murmured against Moses because she
needed a boost of estrogen. Who knows what
hormonal deficiency Lot’s wife was
suffering with. And poor Martha—she may
have been having a hot flash each time she
ran out of the room. I attempted to convey
these new concerns to Frank and he seemed
unsympathetic and somewhat patronizing.
Just wait until he needs Viagra.
Endnote: Although I have periodic
apprehension about health concerns and the
aging process, I absolutely follow the
AMA’s recommendations for women over 40 and
I encourage all sisters to do the same.
Prevention sure beats treatment. Get thee
to thine annual exam!
