Archive for January, 2010
Menopause the Musical
Menopause the Musical
Menopause The Musical is a musical drama that made its debut in a 76 seat theatre converted from a perfume shop in Orlando on 28th March, 2001. It was started by four women who were suffering from menopause and menopause related symptoms like vaginal bleeding, night sweats, memory loss and others. These women hence decided to make a musical drama of the whole situation that they were going through and added a lot of humor to it. Since its debut, Menopause the Musical has won accolades from women from all strata of the society. Women, especially those suffering from menopause love to see the musical play again and again. The show consists of 25 parodies that were written and then rewritten and also feature the all time favorite hits like I Heard it through the grapevine, You no longer see 39, and Staying Awake, Staying Awake. The producer and writer of this all time favorite musical is Jeanie Linders. She has provided tremendous support to those women who are in the beginning or middle stages of menopause. The musical show has become the talk of the town as it deals with women and their lives after the age of 40 years. The musical parody lays stress on the challenges faced by women mentally, physically and spiritually at the 40 and after. Menopause The Musical has literally evolved into an organized women’s movement that targets a woman’s interests, needs and experiences. It also narrates these experiences and feelings in the form of a non profit charitable organization called The Entertainment to Empowerment Foundation. Linders states that women should relate to other women and discuss their experiences and life after 40 with other women. They also talk about it with their friends and other family members, notably spouses. As a result the sensitivity of the women towards menopause becomes less and they consider it as a part of the normal ageing process in spite of considering it as an ageing disorder. Menopause The Musical has got a lot of positive reviews from people for the immense contribution it has done for those women who are suffering from menopause. Reviews of the musical show can be read in many prominent newspapers like The Times, The Daily Californian and Herald Tribune. The show is now presented in many states across USA like New York, Nevada, Washington, Georgia, Florida, California, Missouri and many more states.
Vitamins for Menopause
Vitamins for Menopause
Today vitamins have been increasingly used to treat the symptoms of menopause. Vitamin E has been used by doctors to treat the symptoms of menopause. However other vitamins are also used today to treat the other symptoms of menopause. Lets us have a look at what each of the vitamins is capable to do. 1) Vitamin A – This vitamin is primarily used for health and growth of skin, eyes and the mucous membranes. Deficiency of vitamin A can lead to poor eyesight and night blindness and other infections in the body. The best sources of vitamin A are carrots, milk, apricots, sweet potato, turnips and spinach. 2) Vitamin B Complex – This vitamin is commonly used on patients who are on Hormone Replacement therapy popularly known as HRT. Folic acid is used to prevent precancerous changes in the cervix. All types of vitamin B supplements help to control body sugar and also maintain the normal condition of the liver and stabilize brain function. Low levels of vitamin B complex in the body may lead to stress, fatigue and depression. Sources of vitamin B are leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, fish and whole wheat bread. Vitamin B12 is found in fish, poultry, eggs and milk. 3) Vitamin C – This vitamin is very helpful during menopause. It helps to mend wounds and burns in the body quickly and also helps the body’s immune system. It is seen that if the body’s immune system is strong then the symptoms of menopause may get lessened. The best sources of vitamin C are cereals, kale, peppers and citrus fruits. 4) Vitamin D – Vitamin D is taken by the patient for building stronger bones along with other calcium supplements. Vitamin D also minimizes the risks of osteoporosis as people get older. The best sources of Vitamin D are salmon, egg and milk products. 5) Vitamin E – The vitamin is popularly known as menopausal medicine because it has chemical components similar to the hormone estrogen. Vitamin E is widely used as an estrogen substitute. The best sources of vitamin E are wheat germ oils, leafy vegetables, dried beans and eggs. 6) Bioflavonoids – A type of phytochemical found in the pulp of citrus fruits helps to reduce hot flashes, excessive menstrual bleeding, vaginal problems and emotional problems like depression and mood swings. Hence we see that each vitamin has an important part to play for directly or indirectly treating the symptoms of menopause.
Menopause symptoms
Menopause symptoms
Menopause in women is said to occur when the ability to produce estrogen in the ovaries is decreased to a considerable extent. As a result the woman cannot reproduce in the future. At present many women consider menopause as a natural ageing process instead of considering it as disorder. Menopause generally occurs in women above 50 years of age, however in some women it might strike early. Such type of a situation is called pre menopause. Let’s discuss further the common menopause symptoms. Menopause symptoms can be divided into early and late onset menopause symptoms. Let us first see the pre menopause symptoms. 1) Irregular Vaginal Bleeding – This is the most common symptom of menopause. Some women might have excessive bleeding as well. The periods may occur more frequently than usual and the gap between the duration of periods may widen even further. In case you experience irregular periods for a considerable amount of time then it is important to consult your doctor. 2) Hot flashes and night sweats – Women suffering from menopause may experience menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. A hot flash is associated with flushing and then excessive sweating. Hot flashes are said to occur in 40% of the women above the age of forties. Till date doctors have not been able to discover true reason for hot flashes. 3) Behavioral Symptoms – Women suffering from menopause are said to suffer from behavioral symptoms as well like depression, mood swings, insomnia etc. Let us now discuss the late onset symptoms. 1) Vaginal Symptoms – Vaginal symptoms like vaginal dryness, itching, irritation may occur in the post menstrual stages in women. Also women who have intercourse may also pain in the vagina. 2) Osteoporosis – Women suffering from menopause may also experience osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition where the bones in the body begin to weaken as the density of the bones decreases. As a result women may experience tremendous pain in the joints thus restricting their movement. Some osteoporosis may not be well detected till the symptoms have taken their toll fully. Hence we see the most common symptoms of menopause in women during the early stages and also during the later stages. It is important that menopause is detected early so that the doctors can take the necessary treatment. Doctors may recommend medications, hormone replacement surgery or may surgically remove the ovaries to treat menopause in women.