Kim, I receive the following newsletter via e-mail. It seems on target today, and I'm goint to paste the whole thing.

To the Mudcat Powers That Be-- I promise never to post something this long again. The truth is, the website from which it comes is so big, you can get lost looking for the stuff this thread has addressed. So I am not posting the link. I am, though, specifically recommending the newsletter, and the following does contain info on how to subscribe to it.

Here ya go ladies.

THE POWER SURGE NEWSLETTER March 1, 2001
A Free E-Mail Newsletter
of the Power Surge Women's Midlife and Menopause Community
http://www.power-surge.com
Dearest (Alice Stamm)
Founder and Facilitator
In its 8th year online!

HEALTH Magazine and DR. SUSAN LOVE selected Power Surge one of "The 25 Best Web Sites for Women"

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POWER SURGE LIVE! GUEST CHATS
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Join Power Surge Live! Guest Chats every Thursday at 9 PM (ET) with experts in the areas of women's health, menopause, midlife issues, feelings, changing, becoming empowered. We exhange information about how we address all these feelings, medications, addictions, diet, fitness, nutrition, relationship, intimacy, and sexuality issues -- ours, alone, and that which we share with our partners. We talk about not having partners as we get older and how we feel about getting older in the first place. We just -- talk about everything. The Power Surge Chat Rooms are open 24/7.

http://www.power-surge.com/chat_enter.htm

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THURSDAY, MARCH 1, at 9 PM (ET)
FROM MISERABLE ... TO MANAGEABLE ... TO MAYBE EVEN MARVELOUS?
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We plow along every day, often pretending everything is alright while we're falling apart inside. We hear about perimenopause this and perimenopause that when it feels more like PERIL-menopause! We search for remedies, herbs, vitamins, soy, hormones, exercise, anti-depressants, therapy, diet, eating, weight gain. We ride the emotional roller coaster of perimenopause while the large corporations get rich from the myriad of drugs they've devised for their biggest audience to date - the baby boomers have come of age! They see us as dollar signs when all we want is understanding, compassion and inner peace.

Join Dearest and friends in an understanding and patient dialogue about being "stuck" in transition and how we might transform ourselves during this change from miserable to manageable to maybe even -- marvelous.

THURS., MARCH 1 at 9 PM (ET) in the Power Surge Live! Chat Room:

http://www.power-surge.com/chat_enter.htm

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THIS WEEK'S AFFIRMATIONS/QUOTES
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Remember to feed yourself positive thoughts / affirmations.
"The vibes you give out come back to you!"

"It is better to aim at something and miss, than to aim at nothing at all and hit it."

"I'd rather be lucky than smart."

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BITS OF CONVERSATIONS WITH THE EXPERTS
STUART SHIPKO, M.D.
Psychatirst and Neurologist
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This excerpt from last week's Power Surge Guest, STUART SHIPKO, M.D. Feb. 22, 2001

Dr. Stuart Shipko is a psychiatrist and neurologist, director of The Panic Disorders Institute ( http://www.algy.com/pdi ). Dr. Shipko's practice focuses on panic disorder, stress-related medical conditions, stress and trauma related disorders, psychiatric injury, psychosomatic medicine and general psychiatry.

THE EXCERPT:

Many women are being prescribed SSRI's (Seratonin Selective Re-uptake Inhibitors) -- commonly prescribed anti-depressants. These drugs are being prescribed for menopausal symptoms, other than depression without realizing the potential side-effects.

AUDIENCE: Please address the negative effects of SSRI's.

STUART SHIPKO, M.D. This is the topic of the day. The biggest drawback is that we have a huge discrepancy between what doctors are telling patients, and what patients are telling doctors. The list of side effects are long, but so few are told to the patient. Did you want to know about any specific side effects?

AUDIENCE: Yes, I am curious about Parkinson's Disease

STUART SHIPKO, M.D.: The SSRI's do reduce brain dopamine and they do cause Parkinsons in some younger people. The big question is what will it do to your dopamine in 20 years. We lose 60% of our brain dopamine in the substantia nigra (Park Center) by the time we are 65. If the SSRI's accelerate that, then we will see a lot of Parkinsons in former SSRI users. AUDIENCE: I have really strong angry emotions toward my husband, mostly about this fear of going outside the home and socializing. I, myself, call this anger jealousy that he has a life and I don't. Is this part of the change of life? I am taking Xanax 0.25 mgs twice daily and one amitriptyline25 mg. Am I taking enough?

STUART SHIPKO, M.D.: You need to work on this behaviorally but your medication dosages are on the very low side.

DEAREST: Dr. Shipko, emotionally, is it uncommon for a woman to resent her husband because she's going through a difficult menopause and he's not -- and often they don't communicate what they're each feeling through the transition.

STUART SHIPKO, M.D.: No, it is not terribly uncommon. They feel very misunderstood, and that leads to the anger.

View the complete transcript of Dr. Shipko's most recent visit: http://www.power-surge.com/transcripts/shipko4.htm

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Soy Isoflavones Reduce Bone Loss In Perimenopausal Women A DGReview of :"Isoflavone-rich soy protein isolate attenuates bone loss in the lumbar spine of perimenopausal women"
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American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
09/01/2000
By Elda Hauschildt

Isoflavone-rich soy helps reduce bone loss from the lumbar spine in women during the transition to menopause.

Isoflavones are found predominantly in soy products. US researchers note that these estrogen-like substances are structurally and functionally similar to 17 beta-estradiol.

A total of 69 perimenopausal women participated in a randomised, double-blind study. Researchers wanted to determine the effects of 24 weeks of consuming soy protein isolate with isoflavones on bone loss in women during menopausal transition.

Three treatment groups were compared. One group of 24 women consumed 80.4 milligrams per day of isoflavone-rich soy protein in the form of aglycone components. Aglycone components are the unconjugated parent forms of the isoflavones.

Another 24 women took 4.4 mg/d of isoflavone-poor soy protein, and 21 women were given whey protein (controls).

Bone measurements were taken at baseline and post-treatment. Both lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Urinary N-telopeptides and serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) were done at baseline, mid- and post-treatment.

Lumbar spine bone loss (21.28 per cent) occurred in the control group. But there was no percentage change in lumbar spine BMD and BMC in either soy group.

Regression analysis showed that isoflavone-rich soy had a positive effect on change in BMD of 5.6 per cent and BMC of 10.1 per cent.

Baseline body weight and bone-free lean weight contributed positively to percentage change in BMD and BMC.

Serum BAP post-treatment was negatively related to percentage change in BMD and BMC. Investigators report that "isoflavones, not soy protein, exerted the effect."

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TALK TO OTHER WOMEN IN MENOPAUSE
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Join others in sharing their experiences with menopause on the very active Web site very active message boards.

http://www.power-surge.com/cgi-bin/mb.cgi

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NEVER LOSE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR!
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TWO GENDERS DIVIDED BY A COMMON LANGUAGE!

A couple went to an intimacy retreat to explore their inner selves, share a new form of sensitivity to enhance their relationship. They were instructed to individually write a sentence using the words 'sex' and 'love' in the context of their relationship.

The woman intensely wrote: "When two mature people are passionately and deeply in love with one another to a high degree and they respect each other very much, like Bob and I, it is spiritaully and morally acceptable for them to engage in the act of physical sex with one another." And Bob wrote, "'I love sex!"

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THE FACTS ABOUT FLAX
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Flax is very high in lignans which have anti-tumor properties, antioxidants of 800 ppm and could mimic the results of Tamoxifen ---- the anti-cancer drug for breast cancer. Omega-3's lower high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels by as much as 25% and 65%. Omega-3's decrease the probability of a blood clot blocking an artery. They are necessary for visual function, sperm formulation, brain development, and adrenal function.

Omega-3's also lower high blood pressure, and help to decrease allergic response, and may help inflammatory conditions with the diseases ending in ---"itis." Omega-3's lower the insulin requirement of diabetics and have been used in the treatment and prevention of arthritis.

Cancer --- omega-3's dissolve tumors and are being researched continually. Dr. J. Budwig in Germany, has over 1000 documented cases of successful cancer treatment using flax oil and lo-fat cottage cheese.

PMS and menopause ---Many cases of premenstrual syndrome and menopausal symptoms are completely relieved within one month of flax ingestion.

Flaxseed can also be helpful in multiple sclerosis (in places where essential fatty acid consumption is high, MS is rare); some behavioral problems (schizophrenia, depression, manic-depressive disorder); the oil in the seed has a calming effect under stress. Omega-3 fatty acids prevent excess toxic biochemicals which our bodies produce under stress.

Asthma can be relieved noticeably in a very short time (one week) of taking flaxseed(s) or oil.

Vitality is another one of the most noticeable signs of improved health from the use of flaxseeds. Athletes notice that their fatigued muscles recover from exercise more quickly and flax increases stamina.

Fiber is another important factor in our diet. The average person in America has a fiber intake of 8.75 Grams per day. To prevent certain forms of cancer, colon and or breast, a high fiber diet has been known to be beneficial. Flaxseed ground in juice or flaxseed oil, provide at least 20 Grams of fiber, plus the 8.75 gives you a total of 28.75. It has been reported that if you maintain between 25-30 Grams of fiber, it greatly reduces chances of colon and breast cancer.

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SAFE AND EFFECTIVE PHYTOESTROGEN OPTION TO TRADITIONAL HRT
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The one thing that eliminated my hot flashes, depression, fatigue, vaginal dryness, mood swings, lowered my cholesterol by over 100 points and generally gave me back my life the past two years has been Revival Soy Protein. I've seen Revival with its 150+ soy isoflavone count help not only me, but thousands of other women experiencing the typical symptoms of perimenopause. It's safe, effective and reliable at a time when everyone, even the medical community, is confused about hormone replacement therapy.

http://www.power-surge.com/revival1.htm

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IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE HORMONE THERAPY
THE OPERATIVE WORD IS "BIO-IDENTICAL"
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Power Surge doesn't advocate synthetic hormones. If you're dealing with a menopausal issue you can't resolve with other natural modalities and you want to try hormones, use only BIO-IDENTICAL, naturally compounded hormone therapy. Pete Hueseman, Pharmacist of College Pharmacy about will discuss low-dose compounded hormones with you and your physician. College Pharmacy will tailor make natural hormones for YOU --- not the "one size fits all" HRT that doctors prescribe.

E.mail Pete Hueseman at: Consultph@aol.com Or, you can call him directly at 1.800.888.9358, Ext. 116

View Pete's transcripts in the library:
http://www.power-surge.com/library.htm

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HUNDREDS OF GUEST TRANSCRIPTS
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You can read more of what Power Surge Guest Experts have said in the transcripts of their visits to Power Surge in the Library

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EVERYONE IS WELCOME
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Feel free to FORWARD THIS ISSUE of our Newsletter to a friend who would appreciate what Power Surge has to offer. If you're on this listserv, you've already found out :) Tell them they can easily sign up for the mailing list here:

http://www.power-surge.com/mailsubs.htm

To unsubscribe from this Listserv, go to:
http://www.power-surge.com/mailunsub.htm
Type in your E.mail address and click on "unsubscribe"
I hope to see you at the chats and on the message boards. See you again in E.mail next week!

Until then, remember... I know menopause can make you feel like you're going to hell in a handbasket.......but, there are treatments that work for your issues. It isn't terminal and it does eventually pass.

Dearest
Alice Stamm
Power Surge
http://www.power-surge.com
Dearest@power-surge.com
In its 8th year as an award-winning community for women at midlife and in menopause.
Copyright 1994-2001 by Power Surge