About Bipolar Depression

You may not understand much about some mental disorders, but they are something that can happen to almost anyone. Even those that have gone through most of their lives with no issues what so ever may end up with something wrong. When this happens, they soon learn that there is no way to truly understand a disorder like this without having gone through it. That does not mean someone cannot understand some of it, but it does mean that the patient must do their best to help someone understand at least some of it. Those with bipolar depression may have a hard time doing this because the condition can be very complex.

There are two parts to a bipolar disorder. Someone with this condition has moments of mania and then periods of depression. That is why this disorder is sometimes called ‘manic depressive’. The two states are the total opposites of each other. The mania period is usually short while the bipolar depression state can go on for months at a time. This depression can be very bad, and can lead to thoughts of suicide. These thoughts and this state of mind should never be taken lightly. If someone you know has bipolar depression, you should take everything they say very seriously, even if things don’t make sense. It could be a cry for help.

There are many great medications for those that are suffering from bipolar depression. The problem with these is that some start to feel better and more normal and evened out so they stop taking their medications without talking with their doctors first. Someone with bipolar depression may need to see a doctor/psychiatrist once month for a few years to be sure the medications are working as they should. When the patient feels a shift into depression or mania, they should make yet another appointment for stopping their meds or taking more.

If you have bipolar depression, you can’t expect those around you to understand it completely, but that does not mean they should not learn all that they can. If they make no effort to do so, take the time to give them the resources they need to learn about bipolar depression. The more the can understand, the more they can help you when you need it the most. There may not be much they can do to help, but just knowing they have some understanding and that they are there for you can make all of the difference in the world.

Want to partcipate in a Hot Flash study?

Software company is interested in interviewing women experiencing hot flashes/night sweats and other cognitive/memory issues. We will provide access to new iPhone/web software for monitoring these symptoms and their response to treatments and then conduct an interview about usability and suggested changes. You will have free access to the software for as long as you want it and will be paid for your interview time. We will only provide this offer to ten women experiencing flashes from either peri-menopause or from cancer treatments. Please contact me directly at the phone or email below.

Minna Levine, OTR/L, PhD
SymTrend, Inc.
mlevine@symtrend.com
617-484-7510

Dermatologists tips for having soft feet after Menopause

Women start getting rough scaly feet after menopause. Scientists aren’t exactly sure why, but it’s pretty common. The problem usually starts first on your heels. Your heel skin becomes rough, dry thick and may crack. Gradually your entire foot can become elephant skin thick. Wearing sandals in the summer really thickens up the skin. As we go into winter, this thick skin dries out and cracks. Fall is a great time to soften your feet back up and that’s easy to do if you have the right tools for the job.

Reclaiming your baby soft feet after menopause isn’t so hard. All it takes is good exfoliation. But a pumice stone won’t cut it for most of us. It takes chemical exfoliation and physical exfoliation, done regularly, to get your feet back into shape.

• Chemical exfoliation means using a skin care product that softens and dissolves the thick skin so that you can actually get somewhere when you try to file it off. In my experience, the best skin care product to exfoliate and soften feet is Glytone Heel and Elbow Cream. This is a seriously strong glycolic acid cream and it’s a miracle for rough feet! (In spite of the name, I don’t like it used on the elbows because it’s just too strong for all but the thickest elbow skin.)

• Physical exfoliation is what you do when you file or scrape off your rough thick foot skin. The best foot scraper is the PedEgg, which you can get at www.PedEgg.com. You could also use a foot file like the pedicurists use, or a pumice stone.

Dermatologist’s Step by Step Treatment for Rough, Thick Scaly Feet after Menopause:

1. Soak your feet in warm water, or take a warm shower for 10-15 minutes.
2. While your feet are wet, use the PedEgg, a pumice stone or a foot file to rub the skin off your feet as much as possible without hurting the skin.
3. Towel dry your feet, but while they are still damp, liberally apply the Glytone Heel and Elbow Cream to the thick areas, including the toes and nail beds if needed. Put on a clean pair of cotton socks and leave them on for at least 8 hours.
4. Depending on the severity of the skin, this process can take between one week and several months to get all the thick foot skin off.
5. If irritation develops, let the skin heal before you resume the treatment
6. Once you have soft, smooth skin on your feet, repeat this process as necessary to maintain the results. Some people find that once their feet are soft again, they can maintain the results by switching to my Anti Aging Body Rejuvenation Kit products (http://www.otbskincare.com/anti-aging-body-skin-care-kit.shtml) and treat their feet when they treat the rest of their body skin in the shower.

Having baby soft feet after menopause is possible with the right exfoliation products! My previously soft post menopausal feet have just started getting rough, cracked heels. With a treatment about once a month I’m able to keep them soft.
We all want baby soft feet that invite a foot massage. After menopause it takes a little extra work, but it’s possible at any age and any time of the year with my exfoliating foot treatment.

Glytone Heel and Elbow Cream is available by calling my office and ordering it. I don’t have it on my web site www.otbskincare.com because it is so strong that I want to be sure people don’t misuse it. By reading these instructions, you have good information on how to appropriately reap the benefits from this extremely effective and strong product. During business hours you can reach my front office receptionist Maria at 707 829-5778, or you can reach Kara at 707 829-0937.

You can also get it from your dermatologist if they carry Glytone products, or on web stores like dermstore.com.

Chip May Detect Breast Cancer

In his left hand, Aaron Wheeler holds a petri dish bearing a lump of breast tissue that resembles, in size and appearance, a piece of chewed gum.

In his right, the University of Toronto chemist holds a microchip array, about the size of a credit card, bearing a drop of red liquid about a thousand times smaller than the glob of mutilated flesh. The drop represents the minute amount of cells that Wheeler's tiny board needs to accurately gauge estrogen levels in a woman's breast tissue.

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World Menopause Day October 18

Mark October 18th on your calendar – it’s World Menopause Day! That’s right! It is a day devoted to hot flashes; a time to celebrate those raging hormones.

World Menopause Day started all the way back in 1984, though it is relatively unheard of. Instituted by the International Menopause Society and the World Health Organization, World Menopause Day was designed to bring increased awareness to menopause. Every woman will experience menopause in her lifetime, whether by natural onset or due to a hysterectomy or some cancer treatments. Yet very few of us feel comfortable talking about the changes we are going through because so many attitudes about ‘the change’ still remain.

World Menopause Day is a chance for the members of the Council of Affiliated Menopause Societies around the world to address the many issues women face during menopause. Moreover, healthcare professionals can raise awareness of the need to introduce research strategies and options that lead to better and more advanced treatments for conditions related to menopause.

As our world’s population ages, it makes sense that more women than at any other time in human history will undergo menopause over the next few decades. Menopause affects a woman’s quality of life and more importantly puts her at increased risk for osteoporosis, breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Understanding how the risk factors associated with these conditions relate to menopause can only help lead to providing quality health care.

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Hormone Harmony: How to Balance Insulin, Cortoisol, Thyroid, Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone to Live Your Best Life

Is your lifestyle disrupting your hormones?
What are bioidentical, or natural hormones?
Are they safe?
Do you need them?

Hormone Harmony answers these and many other questions for women of all ages, and includes a special section for men.

Today, hormone imbalance is an epidemic that is upsetting countless lives with symptoms such as these:

-lack of energy
-loss of zest for life
-weight gain
-mood swings
-loss of sex drive
-sleep disturbances
-fuzzy thinking
-forgetfulness
-hot flashes

Traditionally, menopause is viewed as the chief trigger of hormonal problems but evidence shows this is not entirely true. While menopause is a natural transition during which hormone levels change, its discomforts are fueled by imbalances created earlier in life. This fact is widely unrecognized in today’s health-care system, leaving millions of women whose medical tests are “normal” in dire need of help.

Hormone Harmony reveals how to take control, in life and in the doctor’s office. In simple terms, it explains how lifestyle commonly disrupts six key hormones—insulin, cortisol, thyroid, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone—and how to remedy the situation. A practical lifestyle plan that costs little or nothing lays the foundation to restore and maintain balance. And, when medical help is needed, information about the options provides the tools to get effective treatment.

Find out more at www.hormoneharmony.org

The "M" Word

Menopause. There, I said it.

Truth be known, I’m not there yet. I am actually an anomaly in my family: the women in my family for the last two generations started at 40, and here I am in my mid-40’s with an 18 month old. But still, I know what happens and I’m not looking forward to it.

All that being said, the thing that I’m most concerned about is my skin. This might stem from the fact that I’ve been in the skin care industry for over 20 years, or maybe because I’m just plain vain (or a little of both). All I know is that what my aunt warned me about: “You’re going to dry up from the inside out and then your face is going to fall in your lap.” Nice.

During menopause, the lack of estrogen being produced in the body causes skin dryness and in some cases, acne, never mind the fact that once menopause starts, collagen production decreases dramatically (hence, the face falling in your lap comment).

In fact, once you hit 40, your collagen diminishes by 1% per year. I was really starting to panic about the dryness (my skin already has the moisture content of the Sahara and I am prone to eczema in the winter) and the sagginess (I hate gravity) until I started working on the Striking Skin Care line (www.strikingskincare.com).

I had been using another product with peptides that I was completely satisfied with when I came to work for Helix BioMedix (the manufacturers of Striking). Not one for change once I find a combination that works for my fussy skin, I switched over because we kept getting incredible feedback from customers about the quick and positive changes they had seen in their skin after using the product. They were right. I started by adding the Multi-Peptide Serum at first.

This product contains Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-14 and Heptapeptide-7. These peptides encourage keratinocyte proliferation and migration as well as collagen production, which make the skin look and feel firmer while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I literally saw a change within a week. My skin looked more hydrated, felt firmer and those pesky lines that keep cropping up around my eyes seemed softer. I added the Restorative Moisture Crème as soon as I ran out of my favorite peptide cream from another company and I’ll have to say, my skin hasn’t looked this good in years.

Striking Skin Care was originally developed for women with menopausal skin, but we’ve found that we have a large following with women in their 30’s and 40’s who haven’t yet reached that milestone in their lives. I’m thinking that prevention and maintenance is better than having to do an entire overhaul.
What do you think? What did changes in your skin did you experience when you went through menopause? What advice can you give to others about what to expect and how to manage the changes?

About the author:
Brigette Lemos-Norman is a 43-year old veteran skin care industry professional who has worked with retail, direct sales, spa and medical skin care companies. In her 20+ years she has worked in all facets of the business from sales and marketing to training and product development. She’s also a part-time blogger and mother of 5 children (3 bio and 2 step ranging in age from 14 to 1). She loves leading women to the right products for their skin and readily admits her overwhelming addiction to lip gloss (for which, she notes, there is no 12-step program).

Twitter account http://twitter.com/StrikingSkin

Read Jed Diamond's Book Chapters FREE

In each newsletter I will post chapters from my new book, Mr. Mean: Saving Yourself and Rescuing Your Relationship from the Irritable Male Syndrome. You can read each one as I post them. You can even download them and save them for future reading. The book will be published next year, but I don't want you to have to wait.

In return I just ask your help as follows: Rate the chapter (1 to 5 stars) and leave a comment. This will help in two ways. It will let me know which chapters seem most valuable to you and give me feedback that I can use to revise the chapters. Secondly, it will help show the articles popularity on Scribd and attract more readers. This will help me show the publisher that there is interest.

There are 31 short chapters with specific information you can use to improve help yourself and rescue the relationship.

Chapter 1: My Man Has Changed From Mr. Nice to Mr. Mean, What is Going On?

Chapter 2: Why Do I Need to Save Myself Before I Can Rescue the Relationship?
Additional New Articles That You Can Access for Help Now! Here are some of the specific resources people have told me are most helpful. Check out the ones you find most interesting. If you like you can rate them with stars and leave a comment (this helps let others know it's worth reading).

Be Stress Free Forever
7 Secrets for Making Money and Making a Difference Is It Love or Love Addiction?
Lazy Person's Guide to Relationships
The 25 Most Helpful Things Ever Said About Love, Marriage,and Relationships Male Menopause: What Every Man and Woman Needs to Know