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Administrator Sue Lansdon, age 53. Nurse Vicki Sweet, age 57. Retiree Beth Quigley, age 62.
Three ladies with something in common: they're all wrestling with the symptoms of menopause. For Sue, the answer has been Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
"I made HRT the last resort," Sue said. "Had I known how well, how quickly it worked, I'd have done it a lot sooner. It worked very well for me."
HRT became controversial after a 2001 Women's Health Initiative study found that taking hormones -- estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone -- increases the risk of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke.
But family physician Dr. Alexandra Duke says that some women find it's still the most effective choice.
"For women taking HRT, they find that they're able to sleep, they don't have the hot flashes," says Dr. Duke. "Their moods are elevated, they're more like their old selves, with more energy. They just feel better."
But for many women, hormone replacement therapy remains controversial enough that they might shy away. So KTLA went to dietician Susan Randolph for some anti-menopause symptom tips right from the aisles of the grocery store.
"What we work on is getting more soy in their diet," Randolph explains. "Also more flaxseed, more omega-3 fatty acids, and if they eat those things consistently, it could really make a difference for them."
Randolph pointed to Omega-3 fats from seafood, soy from tofu, edamame, and soy milk, leafy greens for calcium, and flaxseed for fiber as great aids in the battle. "All these foods help hot flashes, mood swings, preventing that weight gain that comes on during menopause."
Vicki Sweet says soy in her diet has been a lifesaver. "I don't view menopause as a nightmare at all I'm 57 years old and I'm doing more fun things than I've ever done in my entire life. You know, I'm rarin' to go and I feel good!"
And in the world of alternatives to Hormone Replacement, there's another key element. What you eat is only half the battle in every woman's war on menopause. The other half is all about working out wisely, to let your body know who's boss!
Fitness instructor Marsha Kramer does Pilates with Beth Quigley to relieve her menopause symptoms.
Marsha says some exercise every day is critical. "Thirty minutes a day is great. You can break it up -- do 15 in the morning, 15 in the evening. It's just so important to move your body."
And Beth agrees -- for her, it's all about the workout. "The exercise is really what will help women get through that whole menopausal time much easier."
At the end of the day, menopause is an inescapable fact of life for women. "I've not met a woman yet who's said 'Gee, I wish I could have my period again," Dr. Duke says with a smile.
So the pros say: embrace it! "Menopause doesn't have to be something you dread going into," dietician Randolph points out. "It's a natural phase in our lives. I like to look at it more as a transition period, and there are definitely downsides to it, but it's manageable."
Beth Quigley sums it up: "It isn't a dirty word -- it's just life!"
For More Information:
St. Jude Medical Center
Three ladies with something in common: they're all wrestling with the symptoms of menopause. For Sue, the answer has been Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
"I made HRT the last resort," Sue said. "Had I known how well, how quickly it worked, I'd have done it a lot sooner. It worked very well for me."
HRT became controversial after a 2001 Women's Health Initiative study found that taking hormones -- estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone -- increases the risk of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke.
But family physician Dr. Alexandra Duke says that some women find it's still the most effective choice.
"For women taking HRT, they find that they're able to sleep, they don't have the hot flashes," says Dr. Duke. "Their moods are elevated, they're more like their old selves, with more energy. They just feel better."
But for many women, hormone replacement therapy remains controversial enough that they might shy away. So KTLA went to dietician Susan Randolph for some anti-menopause symptom tips right from the aisles of the grocery store.
"What we work on is getting more soy in their diet," Randolph explains. "Also more flaxseed, more omega-3 fatty acids, and if they eat those things consistently, it could really make a difference for them."
Randolph pointed to Omega-3 fats from seafood, soy from tofu, edamame, and soy milk, leafy greens for calcium, and flaxseed for fiber as great aids in the battle. "All these foods help hot flashes, mood swings, preventing that weight gain that comes on during menopause."
Vicki Sweet says soy in her diet has been a lifesaver. "I don't view menopause as a nightmare at all I'm 57 years old and I'm doing more fun things than I've ever done in my entire life. You know, I'm rarin' to go and I feel good!"
And in the world of alternatives to Hormone Replacement, there's another key element. What you eat is only half the battle in every woman's war on menopause. The other half is all about working out wisely, to let your body know who's boss!
Fitness instructor Marsha Kramer does Pilates with Beth Quigley to relieve her menopause symptoms.
Marsha says some exercise every day is critical. "Thirty minutes a day is great. You can break it up -- do 15 in the morning, 15 in the evening. It's just so important to move your body."
And Beth agrees -- for her, it's all about the workout. "The exercise is really what will help women get through that whole menopausal time much easier."
At the end of the day, menopause is an inescapable fact of life for women. "I've not met a woman yet who's said 'Gee, I wish I could have my period again," Dr. Duke says with a smile.
So the pros say: embrace it! "Menopause doesn't have to be something you dread going into," dietician Randolph points out. "It's a natural phase in our lives. I like to look at it more as a transition period, and there are definitely downsides to it, but it's manageable."
Beth Quigley sums it up: "It isn't a dirty word -- it's just life!"
For More Information:
St. Jude Medical Center
