What the Stock Market and my Menopause may have in Common!

If you are a male reader, don't be squeamish. Read on. For my female readers, especially those of you enduring never-ending hot flashes, you'll totally get it.

For some strange reason, I haven't found the stock market crash or the ensuing ups and downs of the exchanges, or even the imploding world economy, all that hard to relate to. None of it came as a surprise. Oddly, I have found that I relate to the volatile ups and downs that each new day brings. And last night (or through the night, shall we say), I finally figured out why.

Bear with me for another minute as I explain the menopausal process in MY skin. There are two major factors at play. One: my hormones are trying, with increasing fury, to force me to drop an egg in a last gasp at fertility. My hormones don't seem to realize that I've already had the child I'm going to have and have no plans on another. However, in this valiant attempt, every month, whether the menses arrives or not, my body puts me through torture as it tries to convince my tubes to produce and drop another egg. This creates hormonal surges which in turn reek havoc on my temperature regulators...meaning...hot flashes.

Two: Hand in hand with the hormonal fluctuations are mood swings, the likes of which I've never experienced in the past, and are absolutely, passionately horrific and have brought the worst out in me...actually worse than I could have thought possible. My general demeanor is calm, patient, infinitely kind and incredibly loving. This monster that strikes out from within is cranky, crabby, mean-spirited, angry and...yes...nasty. Just as the hot flashes surge, this nastiness, the other side of Janet, surfaces in full glory as my body tries to ovulate and then, crescendoes in a PMS (Pre-Menstrual Syndrome)worthy of Hollywood.

The minute I get my period, my hormones immediately (as in within minutes) go back to normal and my true nature (or let's just say the one I'm more used to) comes back for another couple of weeks until the entire vicious cycle starts again. And may I add that you don't just hot flash for a day...no...it goes on for one or two weeks at a time...from when you "should" have ovulated, all the way through to when you "should" have had a period.

What no one tells you is that regardless of whether or not you have your period, your hormones will still cause the uproar...and riot and storm...until you no longer have eggs to potentially drop.

Which brings me to last night. For the last couple of weeks, the flashes have flashed again. Just last week, sitting at a friend's home, in the space of 30 minutes I put on and took off my sweater at least 4 or 5 times, wiped sweat off my brow and kept asking, "Is it hot in here???" Worst of all, is that when your internal temperature regulator is shot, you can get alternately very cold and very hot within minutes of each other...for hours, days, weeks at a time. (Aha...are you starting to see where I'm going with this?)

Last night was a killer night. It was about 65 in my house and when I went to sleep I was freezing. I put on a sweatshirt and socks over my summer PJs (shorts and T) and cuddled up under my covers. That was at 10 pm. 11 pm threw my covers off. 11:15 was freezing again and grabbed as much of the comforter as I could to warm up. Midnight? Boiling. Threw left leg out of the covers and arms up over my head. 1:30 am: FREEZING. Covered up again. 2:30 am: Sweat dripping down my forehead, ripped off the covers, the sweatshirt, but kept socks on. 4:00 am. Freezing once again. Put sweatshirt around me and covered up. 4:22 am: BOILING. Threw everything off except the shorts and T. Decided to call it an early day and grabbed my computer.

Covered up again and as the heat of the laptop caused, yet again, another flash, I realized that my volatility was strangely similar to the ups and downs of the STOCK MARKET. "Our economy is in the throes of MENOPAUSE!" was the big thought at 4:22 am. Of course. All the useless credit just like the eggs no longer worth anything. The readjustment of the economy to no more credit eggs is like a broken temperature regulator and the market is suffering hot flashes and cold sweats until it will rebalance at the other end. Unable to produce more offspring, but at least to make use of lessons learned...maybe?

It's 5:52, I'm suddenly cold and quite tired -- this surge is done for now. I'd say I'll be 3% up at day's end.

Butter. Real Butter.

As the economic disaster continue to unfold, I find myself turning to comfort foods. I had always loved a good baked potato with sour cream, but in my late 20's I became allergic to white potato starch and also VERY lactose intolerant.

As the years have progressed, my lactose intolerance has become less severe, so I can handle yogurt, butter and harder cheeses in reasonable quantities (and even a bit of ice cream), but not milk. But I never quite found a way to really substitute the glorious satisfaction of a bite of baked potato with sour cream...until now.

But first, I have to take you with me to last summer. When I was still a corporate exec, my company flew me to London, England to train the English (and some of the European) education team. While there I had the privilege of staying in a beautiful apartment in a small countryside town, just minutes walk from the local village shops. Fresh and Easy is a new concept of grocery store in the US, but it is the Trader Joe's of England. There I was able to pick up outstanding frozen Indian dinners, real farm fresh eggs and best of all... Irish butter. I thought I was just buying butter, as I'd gotten used to it in the US. But with my first piece of toast, with just a bit of butter, I was TRANSPORTED back to the breakfasts of my youth. It was the butter I remembered. Of course, everything I could get butter on after that was literally slathered. And so went my butter experience in England.

Last week, in the doldrums over the economy, but feeling a heck of a lot more optimistic over the outcome of the election, I decided to treat myself when I saw IRISH butter in the dairy section at Trader Joe's. Twice the price of US butter, but I thought...what the heck. I had the $3.69 in cash, so I went for it.

And when I got home, I baked up a sweet potato (not allergic to those) and slathered on the Irish butter and ladled on some 2% Greek style yogurt (ALMOST as good as sour cream) and found myself in a little bit of heaven. After a 20 year absence, I was able to capture, if not exactly, then almost, the glory of a baked potato with real butter and sour cream. Ah...blessed comfort!

Less than $5?

Wisebread recently asked for submissions on what a person could do in their city for under $5 a person, so given the crunch on ALL our finances and with the turn to autumn, I gave it a thought and decided I'd post a few things that I love to do for under $5 in my city. Feel free to add your own. This will get linked to the post on Wisebread.

Encino, CA (Los Angeles)

I happen to live in a lovely part of Los Angeles -- ungodly hot in the summer, but fantastic weather the rest of the year. That means I can pretty much count on decent weather for an outdoor excursion on the weekends.

Right around the corner from me is the stunning Balboa Park. From my house, I can hop on my bike, get onto a bike path and cycle for about 10 miles through and around the park and Balboa Lake. To spend my $5, I stop, with my daughter, at the ice cream trucks dotted around the park and for $1 we can each enjoy a Superfudge and a SnoCone. If we're starving, we can find a hotdog vendor, which will top us up to our $5!

Another great local place is "The Stand". Every Monday night, hotdogs are free (or $1), and every Thursday night is free jazz in their outdoor patio. For $4 or $5 we can have a hotdog or mac'n'cheese and listen to some jazz in the great outdoors.

Last one -- throughout the summer, the Skirball Center has free jazz concerts in their outdoor hall. You can bring your dinner with you and eat out while listening to the sweet sounds of the multinational talent that comes in to tantalize the audience with their music.

The Bane of Adult Acne, or a Nit about my Zit

After spending a blemish-free adolescence and young adulthood, I have been struck, in my 40's and now almost my 50's, with adult-onset acne. For the past 5 years I have struggled to reconcile my mental image of my zit-free face with the reality of an almost persistent blemish on the lower right or lower left of my jaw (depending upon where in my hormonal cycle I am at the moment).

For so many men and women, who were afflicted by acne in their teens, they experience renewed acne in their middle years. They relive the memories of their youth, of Clearasil, and face wipes and alcohol and hydrogen peroxide and plunge into the myriad of new products now available for adult acne.

For me...I'm just so disappointed. I guess I was really lucky to have had good skin as a young person and now I experience constant frustration. Stressful day? Zit at night. Painful ovulation? Immediate eruption. Paying a big bill? I feel that pustule forming under the skin as I'm worrying.

Gross talk? Probably. But, I'm sure at least SOME of you have experienced your body's betrayal, just when you thought you had just a wee bit of control. Never thought I'd look forward to menopause and the end of hormonal surges. Never.

The only GOOD thing is that my near vision has gotten very blurry and I now wear reading glasses...so when I look in the mirror first thing in the morning "sans lunettes", I actually look fantastic (to ME anyway!)...kind of soft-focus, hair-tousled, vaseline on the camera lens gorgeous.

Just another summer weekend in Los Angeles...

Looking for something to do this weekend? Well, if you are looking to stave off aging or find out the latest in biomedical advances in the "disease" of aging, AND you live in Los Angeles, head over to UCLA and join in on the conference: AGINGThe Disease - The Cure - The Implications(Aging 2008)

If you prefer a bit of theater to avoid all thoughts of aging and spend some time reconoitering with your own life path, then you might be interested in the short run in Los Angeles of Birth Story (if you like DefWest, you'll love this...). For a moving preview, click here. There is one show tonight and one more show has been added July 5th.

Clinical Research Study for Men 60 years or Older

Here is an interesting FYI -- EDAP Technomed, Inc., a company that is actively seeking male volunteers who are 60 years old or older for a clinical research study.

The request and info follows:

"Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer, excluding skin cancers, in American men. Men who are older, are of African-American descent, and those with a family history of the disease are at a greater risk for developing prostate cancer. In fact, as men mature, the likelihood of developing the disease increases exponentially. More than 65 percent of disease occurrence is in men older than age 65.

Researchers currently are conducting a study to compare the effectiveness of two procedures in treating low-risk, localized prostate cancer. One of the procedures being tested is cryotherapy (freeze therapy), a commonly used minimally invasive treatment for localized prostate cancer that already is approved for treatment by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the study, cryotherapy will be compared with an investigational procedure called high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). This procedure is not approved by the FDA. This comparison will help researchers understand if HIFU is as safe and effective as cryotherapy.

Both of the procedures being studied are less invasive than other options. In the last several years, minimally invasive treatment options, of which cryotherapy is one, have been examined closer to determine what benefits they may offer over other standard therapies. The goal of minimally invasive options is to reduce the impact of the treatment on the patient, resulting in quicker recovery and fewer side effects, while maintaining the effectiveness of standard treatments. "

If you are interested in learning more about the study and prescreen, call toll-free at 1-888-707-3737 or visit www.PCaResearch.com.

Earth Day...Whatcha doin?

It's Earth Day and many people (myself included) pay more lip service than actual impactful service to reducing carbon emissions and preserving the planet.

But there is an organization that has found an incredible, reasonable and effective way to bring both attention and resources to carbon offsetting. About a month ago, I participated in a web conference held only for bloggers (these are becoming quite popular and I get asked to participate quite often -- it's a phone conference with bloggers, the questions and interchange are honest and frankly, great, and we get a link of the audio recording to share with our readers.)

The organization is Brighter Planet. Jonathan Isham Jr and Andy Rossmeissl , cofounders of Brighter Planet, created this new company to empower individuals to take on climate change. (Isham is also Luce Professor of International Environmental Economics at Middlebury College .)

How?

By creating a frequent user Brighter Planet/Bank of America credit card program where the benefits go directly to offset carbon emissions and YOUR carbon footprint. Fantastic? I thought so. Here is the full interview. If you don't have the time for the full interview, please, please, on this Earth day, head over to Brighter Planet, educate yourself on what they are doing, and on the types of things you can do to better the planet (and, yes, changing your light bulbs to fluorescent really DOES make a difference.)

Here's a brief on the company, sent to me by Cindy Samuels, a phenomenal PR power in her own right:

"A socially responsible company, Brighter Planet offers innovative products and services to help create a sustainable future for the planet and its people. They provide individuals with practical tools, like their recently launched Credit Card that fights global warming by investing in premium renewable energy projects instead of encouraging further consumerism with rewards like airline miles.

Brighter Planet’s innovative carbon impact tools were recently featured on ReadWriteWeb ( http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/brighter_planet.php). They encourage individuals to make a profile on their website, calculate their carbon footprint, and watch their footprint shrink with certain choices in products and lifestyle."

Why should you be interested? Because you, like me, seek ways to both reduce out “carbon footprint”, but also join in the fight to halt global warming.

Happy Earth Year.

Diabetes Type 3 and a possible link to Alzheimer's

A new study by a Brown Medical School team believes it may have discovered a new type of diabetes, which they are dubbing Diabetes Type 3. This is because the brain apparently produces insulin, in much the same way the pancreas produces insulin. As well, the brain plaque found in Alzheimer's patients is similar to the type of plaque produced in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients.

The study is at a very preliminary stage, so not a good idea to jump to any conclusions, but there has long been consensus that we are only at the tip of the iceberg in truly understanding diabetes in all its forms.

Earlier this week I caught a few sentences from a news story on how cellular interference has also provided some relief and reversal in Alzheimers sufferers (I can't find the source, but when I do I'll list it) and the links to the aging genes.

[Found it! http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/93508.php]

As medical technology continues to evolve, I believe we will see lifespan increasing by 10, 20 or 30 years. Our years of working, once the bulk of our adult life, will either increase to adapt to lifespan changes and financial needs, or out of necessity, life and our materials needs will change to accomodate the lifespan. All of the trends that are starting to gain in popularity are going to pick up steam with the continued aging of our population - from mature worker environments, to mult-channel jobs, to national health care programs, to multi-generational living communities. More to come. More to come. For a sci-fi junkie, like myself, I can't wait to see what is next.

It's January 4th and You've Forgotten Your Resolutions? Help is on the WAY!

Have you heard of Judy Marcus? She's the Memory Lady and she's got the goods on keeping those memory cells sharp.

Are you one of those people who just couldn't remember who you met at the holiday parties this year? Heading out in the New Year to make a bunch of new contacts wherever you go? Well, here's the SKINNY on Remembering People's Names.

If you want to improve your memory so you can remember the names of the people you meet, then a ccording to Judy Marcus, (Memory Lady and Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?), you will, if you use the SLIM rules:

1. Set your intention. Focus. Think, "YES, I can!"
2. Love the name of each person you choose to remember.
3. If a name gets stuck on the tip-of-your-tongue, just take a deep breath and start talking.
4. Make yourself memorable too.

For more information on how to LOVE what you remember, click on Judy's Blog or visit Judy's website: www.memorylady.com.

So...what were those resolutions?

Looking ahead to 2008

I love, love, love this time of year. The air is crisp in California, life simultaneously speeds up and slows down over the week between Christmas and New Year's, and just like "spring clean", I go through a "year-end clean up."

Going through some old magazines, I pulled out one that had an intriguing article that I hadn't written about, but seems very appropriate going into 2008. The magazine, Icon, the magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers, focuses on the creative direction of designers, looking at trends and innovations in American design. In the January/ February 2007 issue, there was a solid article on redefining the workplace based on generational work habits and preferences. Creatives always tend to be ahead of the trend, because they invent and reinvent by picking up on change -- or a need to change or progress, which inspires their creativity.

I haven't been able to source a link to the article " Workplaces That Span Generations" by Michael Berens, but there were some creative observations that translate directly to the changing face of the workforce. Were these observations ahead of trend? Yes. Is the workforce slowly, slowly shifting in a way that recognizes these trends? Barely. But starting. Here is what Berens, director of research and knowledge resources for ASID, observed:

From Bureau of Labor statistics, the workforce is working longer and the age spread between younger and older workers is growing from 30 - 35 years to upwards of 40 years. In the next ten years the 55 plus age group of workers will increase by 50% whereas only by 5 - 10% in the younger age categories.

What are the age cohorts or demographics? Traditionals (my mom -- born and raised around the World Wars -- 1900 - 1945), Baby Boomers (me -- born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (Gen X - my younger cousins -- born 1965 - 1980) and the Millenials (also called Generation Y or Gen Y, born 1981 - 1999...my daughter was born in 2000, but I consider her a millenial.) Each of these demographics enjoys very specific types of work values and styles of work. In a nutshell, the traditional is the typical "company" worker, who responds to power of position. Boomer is competitive (we know that) and values performance and symbols of recognition. Gen X distrusts institutional structure and heavily values work/life balance. Gen Y is "wired" but accessible. Wants to make a difference doing "value" work, expects good technology and likes to socialize.

The new direction in design is to create work space that respects these values and the drivers that push each group. So, for example, a private office wasn't as important to a younger worker as overall office design. Gen Y'ers find their privacy behind iPods and earbuds, but still crave interaction and direction. Traditionals and Boomers value office space. So the most creative designers are showing employees that they are valued by creating flexibility in the workplace design that reflects the flexibility that workers are looking for. Community area is increasingly important for interaction and workplace design looks for ways to integrate younger and older workers, who benefit from the best that each demographic has to offer. Some examples include wired breakrooms (think corporate Starbucks) where workers can work, meet and socialize with their laptops. Ergonomics (and privacy) are important for older workers, so ergonomic design is a choice -- including things like adjustable workstations, keyboards, lighting and surfaces...think good chairs, larger monitors and ways to address hand and neck problems.

Designers have recognized that they can do their best by bringing the generations together. Now it is up to employers to catch up and do their best, by proactively seeking out the 50 plus employee.

Pure Prevention, Breast Cancer Fund and Luna Bar -- a Powerful Combination

What do you get when you bring together some of the best and brightest bloggers for a web news conference with a couple of powerful, grass roots movers and shakers?

An hour of exciting, dynamic conversation supported by a wealth of experience and expertise. That is what happened earlier this week when top notch moderator Cindy Samuels brought together a group of influential bloggers to conference with Breast Cancer Fund’s Executive Director Jeanne Rizzo, RN, a nationally acknowledged leader in the field, and environmental health expert Dr. Janet Gray, editor of the Breast Cancer Fund’s newest State of the Evidence report and Professor of Psychology and Director of the Program in Science, Technology and Society at Vassar College. The Breast Cancer Fund published the landmark report State of the Evidence: What is the Connection between the Environment and Breast Cancer?, a ground-breaking report now in its fourth edition.

Pure Prevention is a joint effort of LUNA Bar and the Breast Cancer Fund, focused on bringing awareness and education about cancer prevention and treatment to women and men who want to (and need to) understand more about how what they eat, do and experience in their daily environment impacts their health and more importantly, the health of their children.

To listen to the full interview, visit the web podcast of the live conference (and you'll hear some of the questions and answers that specifically are directed to the 50 plus market.)

Here are a few areas that engendered LOTS of discussion -- environmental factors that are causing our young women to enter puberty at earlier ages than ever before; the types of environmental factors that ingested over a lifetime are causes for concern for the 50 plusser; discussions on the pill and Hormone Replacement Therapy on breast cancer; cosmetic ingredients and the type of advocacy role the Breast Cancer Fund undertakes...and much, much more.

This is an eye-opening, exciting discussion. I urge you to take a listen and also to visit and pass along the Pure Prevention website to others. An exceptional resource and one that we all need to support. Hats off to LUNA Bar and The Breast Cancer Fund for putting together a fantastic program.

Eat Your Way Through a Food Fight!

Back in December, I brought an innovative site to your attention, Eat Better America (EBA), an initiative by General Mills to bring health awareness to our diets, especially important at 50 plus and even more important if you are trying to stay on the top of your game in the job market. Melissa, from EBA sent me a link to their latest addition to the site...a very quirky little game that will help foster awareness of the information available though EBA.

The Good Food Fight really is fun! For the game, you get to choose one of three dishes, along with one of three warriors (I loved the hot dog vendor), and start slinging virtual food at each other in a very creative way. You can win if you are able to figure out how to hit the warrior and I guarantee it will pique your curiosity about the healthy recipes available on the site. And it is a clever use of the web to spread the word...you'll find yourself forwarding the game along to your family and friends.

Peels, Botox, Hyperpigmentation...getting the inside scoop for Gen Plussers!

One of the greatest challenges of being 50 plus is facing...well...our faces. Yup. We are aging and, unfortunately, it shows. Millions of aging boomers spend billions of dollars in pursuit of a more youthful appearance and we are all looking for the newest, the better, the best result. Well, today, I was invited, by Revolution Health, to join a small group of bloggers to interview dermatologist Diane S. Berson, M.D., a highly-regarded professor and practitioner. Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, she also has a private dermatology practice in New York City and is offers a wealth of information.

Revolution Health (http://www.revolutionhealth.com) is the new health resource website founded by Steve Case, partly because of the difficulties he and his family faced during his brother’s battle with brain cancer.

The news conference call was, I have to admit, a lot of fun. I learned a ton (which, of course, I'll be sharing with you) AND it was recorded as a podcast. Here is the link to the podcast (you have to click on the grey Audio button), but there are a couple of pointers I wanted to share right away.

I had a few specific questions that I wanted addressed, and Dr. Berson gave great information. I'll be sharing information with you on dealing with hyperpigmentation (if you have "the mask" you'll want to be in the know), on what men are looking to correct or boost as they age, particularly for job search, and best protocols for daily skin health.

A couple of important pointers that I'll pass along right away.

1) Get a full body check by a dermatologist once a year. This is particularly important as we age due to so many years of sun damage and the dangers of skin cancer.

2) Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. The sun is one of the greatest contributors to premature aging. Your everyday regimen should include cleansing or toning with a salisylic acid-based product to cleanse your pores, application of a good, high SPF sunscreen, and a nightime application of a topical retinoid (for exfoliation). So cleanse, protect, exfoliate. Every day.

3) There is NO known, proven treatment for cellulite. Accept your cellulite. Accept your cellulite.

Stayed tuned. I'm sure I'll be writing more about Revolution Health in the coming months.