HRT Update
If you're not already on our direct-mail list, please contact us to get your copy of HRT Simplified, which highlights the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Study and other related issues including breast cancer, alternative remedies, weight gain, and libido. The publication includes a short questionnaire that may help you determine whether you have particular hormone deficiencies. Also mark your calendar to attend our half-day menopause seminar, July 19, at the Wyndham Hotel in Colorado Springs. For only $25, hear Elizabeth Plourde, a nationally known researcher and women's health expert, discuss her personal experience with hysterectomy and HRT. She and local health care providers George Juetersonke, D.O., and Judith Chandler, R.N., M.S.N., and Terri Weisenbach, R.Ph., will help you make more informed choices related to menopause and HRT. For more information, email laura@collegepharmacy.com.
Pet Peeves
We're not sure who did the research, but it has been reported that 63 percent of dog owners kiss their dogs, with 45 percent of them kissing on the nose, 19 percent on the neck, and 7 percent on the back. If you adore your dogs enough to kiss and hug them, talk to College Pharmacy about compounded prescriptions especially prepared and flavored to meet the needs of the ones you love!
For Men Only
In 1993, an estimated 30 million men in the United States reported having erectile dysfunction (ED), defined as the "inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance." A two-to-threefold increase in ED occurs in men between the ages of 40 and 70. Natural libido enhancers that provide an alternative to Viagra include the steroid hormone DHEA and the herbs yohimbine, Forskolin, and Tribulus terrestris.
Remember Sex?
Declining estrogen levels reduce blood flow to the vagina, causing changes in lubrication. Over time, the vaginal lining also becomes thinner and loses elasticity. The result is painful intercourse. A good lubricant as well as hormone creams, such as estriol vaginal cream, may help. Some women have experienced improvement from phytoestrogens, found in foods such as soy products (tofu, miso, and tempeh).
Healthy and Fit
Researchers have found that calcium supplements can increase levels of HDL or "good cholesterol" in postmenopausal women. A New Zealand study reported in The American Journal of Medicine investigated the effect of giving 1 gram of calcium citrate daily to women whose average age was 72. At the end of the one-year trial, HDL levels and the HDL/LDL ratio (good/bad cholesterol) increased among those taking calcium compared to women taking a placebo.
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Letters
Patient and gracious
I would like to take this opportunity to express my grateful and enthusiastic appreciation for Karin, the patient and ever-gracious saint of a lady who has walked me through the Hades of Hormonal Haranguing of working with the poorly informed and oft-times tyrannical insurance companies, as we waltzed together through the diabolical dance of the NDC numbers! Working with a steady vigilance in the insurance department, she provides a reliable beacon of assistance that will assure not only our continued health, but our continued loyalty to the mission statement of College Pharmacy itself. Thank you, Karin, so very, very much!
"CE"
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Q&A
Q: Are biologically identical hormones the same thing as herbal remedies?
A: Definitely not. Herbs like black cohosh and red clover are very different from prescription- strength hormones that have the same chemical structure as the hormones the ovaries produce. They are chemically and functionally the same. Because each individual requires a unique combination of these hormones, it is best to find a health care practitioner and/or consulting pharmacist who can help determine the right balance for you.
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Join our mailing list
If you'd like to be on our mailing list and receive our free, quarterly
print newsletter, plus information about our free health seminars,
please email us at info@collegepharmacy.com.
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Quote of the Month
"The goal in life is to die young ... as late as possible." —Ashley Montagu, British anthropologist
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