AUSTIN (KXAN) – Morgan Taylor knows well the symptoms of the infamous Central Texas scourge known as “Cedar Fever.”

“I get red, itchy eyes, a lot of drainage, a lot of times I get sinus infections, ” she said. “Just really miserable.”

The miserable feeling is going around. Dr. Henry Legere , an Austin allergist, said his office is packed with cedar sufferers.

“This is definitely a busy time of the year for us,” said Dr. Legere. “We went from seeing 4 to 5 new patients a day to 12 new patients a day – and it’s all cedar.”

It is the time of year when the cedar count typically goes up in Central Texas. This year, the pollen has been made even more abundant by dry, windy weather.

“Cedar is the most allergenic of the pollens in the entire plant kingdom,” said Dr. Legere.

He said he is seeing a lot of new sufferers this year – people who have never had cedar allergies in the past.

“We have a very large population of newly arrived Austinites,” he explained. “They might have done OK the first couple of years, but now they’re hitting that critical time threshold where they’ve been sensitized, their immune system now recognizes the cedar pollen, and they’re having reactions.”

Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms. It could be as easy as over-the-counter antihistamines and a sinus rinse. For more severe sufferers, Dr. Legere recommends nasal sprays and allergy shots.

After years of suffering, Taylor started allergy shots last year.

“It’s been a massive improvement from what I used to be,” she said of this cedar season.

Dr. Legere also said it is important to keep good “pollen hygiene” when you walk back inside your home.

“Strip off your clothes, go straight to the washing machine, go to the shower, wash your body and your hair with soap and shampoo,” he said.

The cedar season usually ends sometime around mid- February.

Common symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, difficulty losing weight, fluid retention, cold hands and feet, difficulty concentrating, short term memory loss, hair loss, dry skin, low body temperature, elevated cholesterol, and depression.  However, the list of symptoms is not limited to these alone.

The thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly and  is located in your neck in front of your windpipe.  It regulates your metabolism, as well as the growth and development of your body.   Three very common reasons that you could have low thyroid function are 1) your thyroid is not producing enough thyroid hormones,  2) your thyroid is producing enough thyroid hormones, but your cells are unable to use them effectively, or 3) your immune system could be making antibodies to your thyroid gland.

The proper way for a doctor to diagnose hypothyroidism is through a physical exam.  Low body temperature is indicative of hypothyroidism, as well as the other symptoms you may be experiencing. Do not let your doctor rely solely on blood tests to make this diagnosis, for the tests could fail you.
Mainstream doctors will use the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test to determine if you have hypothyroidism.  If your thyroid is producing an adequate amount of thyroid hormone, even though it is not being used in your cells effectively, then you will fall “within the normal range” and your doctor will tell you that you do not have hypothyroidism.  Keep in mind that there is not a blood test which shows how effectively your cells are using thyroid hormone – but your symptoms will be a strong indicator. This is why it is so important for your doctor to listen to how you are feeling.

Hypothyroidism should be treated with desiccated thyroid, which is bioidentical to the thyroid hormones made by your body.  It contains both the active and inactive form of thyroid hormone.  If your body cannot convert the inactive thyroid hormone to the active thyroid hormone, then you will still have suboptimal thyroid function.

Don’t be a victim! Take our assessments today and start off the New Year with your thyroid in check!

1. A skipped or heavy period might be your first sign of menopause. Estrogen levels start falling even earlier, as eggs disappear from the ovaries, though we don’t notice. Ongoing hormonal shifts finally become obvious in the form of changing periods.

2. “Heavy” periods can feel different from woman to woman. Trust what seems like a change for you. “After you’ve been menstruating for 30 years, you know when there’s a change,” [says Sandra Carson, a professor of ob-gyn at Brown University.] Also look for: clotting, using more than one high-absorbency pad at a time, combining a tampon plus a pad, needing to change pads hourly, bleeding steadily for more than seven days.

3. There’s no link between menstrual difficulty in your reproductive years and menstrual difficulty in perimenopause.

4. You can still get pregnant even after you start missing periods. “Your chances of pregnancy are low and your chances of miscarriage are high once your periods become irregular in perimenopause, but you can still get pregnant,” says Carson.

5. You won’t know your last period when you see it. “There’s no test to say you’ll go into natural menopause next month or next year,” Carson says.

American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists details this, other details about reproduction and fertility

American babies are most likely to be born in August and on Tuesdays, least likely in November and on Sundays. A female is born with 1 million eggs, but only about 300 of the hardiest make it to the final gate, ovulation. About 6,000 women reach menopause every day.

These are a few of the fun facts from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ “2011 Women’s Health Stats and Facts,” documenting trends in U.S. fertility and reproduction. Some are reason to rejoice. Others, not so.

Teen pregnancies are down, especially in the North and Northeast regions. Mississippi has the highest teen birth rate, while New Jersey has the lowest.

Only 12 percent of women suffer from infertility. One-third of the time, it is attributed to the woman, one-third to the man, and one-third to a combination or to unknown factors.

Assisted-reproductive therapy, or ART, an infertility treatment, is on the increase, catering to women with an average age of 36, and resulting in more than 600,000 babies a year.

The number of twins is increasing; the number of triplets is on the decline. Both are more likely to occur if mom has assisted-reproductive therapy or is older than 30.

Episiotomies are way down, and forceps deliveries are also down.

Heads-up, parents: The onset of puberty for girls is occurring at younger ages, especially for African-Americans.

Nearly half of high school students have had sex at least once. For 10 percent of the girls, it was involuntary. Note to educators: Kids who have abstinence-only education are no more likely to delay sex or use condoms.

Premature births are more frequent, especially among blacks. Ditto for low birth weights, more so among African-Americans and mothers younger than 15.

One-third of pregnant women gain more weight during pregnancy than their doctors say they should, which is 28 to 40 pounds for women of normal weight.

Only 20 percent of new moms suffer from clinical postpartum depression, but 70 to 85 percent report the “baby blues.”

No wonder premenstrual syndrome is the subject of so many jokes; it strikes 85 percent of women. One-third will have at least one urinary tract infection in their lifetimes. The dreaded yeast infection plagues 75 percent of women at least once.

Abortions are down. Each year, 2 percent of women ages 15 to 44 have abortions. Delaware women are most likely to have abortions; Kentucky women least likely.

Half of pregnancies are unintended.

Sixty-two percent of women in childbearing age use contraceptives. The pill is No. 1, followed by sterilization of women, then by sterilization of men.

Women are most likely to have babies in their 20s, but more women in their 30s and 40s are having them. More than 500 older-than-50 women a year have babies.

The induction of labor is up, which could account for the lower number of babies born on Sundays — the doctors’ day off.

A cesarean section is the most common surgery among women of reproductive age. New Jersey has the highest C-section rate.

The hysterectomy is the second most common surgery for women of this age. The most common reasons are uterine fibroids for younger women and uterine prolapse or cancer for older women.

Some forms of sexually transmitted diseases are up, while others are down. Chlamydia is the most common, followed by gonorrhea, hepatitis B, herpes and HIV/AIDS.

Although life expectancy has increased, the average menopause age remains 51. Hot flashes affect 75 percent of women during perimenopause, the period before menopause, which lasts for about four years. Estrogen loss after menopause affects everything from skin to sex, so it’s no wonder that more than 38 million women are taking hormone therapy.

For every 1,000 live females born, there are 1,048 males. By age 33, though, the ratio is 50-50. By the time we reach age 100, girls rule. Then, it is four women for every man.

Copyright © 2011, Chicago Tribune

In Health,

Team BH2!

Italian researchers writing in the journal of the International Menopause Society, Climacteric, said they had found the first robust evidence that low doses of DHEA can help sexual function and menopausal symptoms, suggesting it may one day become an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

But they stressed that the trial was small, so far larger studies are needed to confirm the results.

“We must bear in mind that this is a pilot study with a small sample,” Anna Fenton, co-editor of Climacteric, said in commentary on the work. “We can’t yet say that this study means that DHEA is a viable alternative to HRT, but … we should be looking to do larger studies to confirm these initial results.”

DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, is a natural steroid hormone mostly made in the adrenal glands and has a variety of therapeutic uses.

HRT, which is a combination of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, is an approved treatment for women going through the menopause, who often experience unpleasant symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, loss of sex drive and mood swings.

But sales of HRT drugs have fallen sharply since a large study in 2002 found higher rates of ovarian cancer, breast cancer and strokes in women who took the pills, and the search has since been on for alternatives.

American researchers said in January that the antidepressant Lexapro, made by drugmaker Forest Laboratories, significantly cut the number and severity of hot flushes in menopausal women, and other antidepressants including GlaxoSmithKline’s Paxil and the Pfizer drugs Prozac and Effexor also have been found to be effective.

For this trial, a team of researchers led by Andrea Genazzani of the University of Pisa followed a group of 48 post-menopausal women with troubling symptoms.

Over a year, 12 women took vitamin D and calcium, 12 took DHEA, 12 took standard HRT and 12 took a synthetic steroid called tibolone which is used to alleviate menopausal symptoms.

The women’s menopausal symptoms, sexual interest and activity were measured using a standard questionnaire that explores factors such as satisfaction with frequency of sex, vaginal lubrication, orgasm, and sexual partner.

After 12 months, all the women on hormone replacements had improvements in menopausal symptoms, but those taking vitamin D and calcium did not show any significant improvement.

At the start of the trial, all groups had similar sexual activity, but after the year, those taking calcium and vitamin D scored an average of 34.9 on the questionnaire scale, while those taking DHEA had a score of 48.6, showing that those on DHEA had more sexual interest and activity.

The results for the HRT group were similar, and both the HRT DHEA groups showed a higher level of sexual intercourse in comparison to the control group, the researchers said.

Genazzani said the results showed DHEA has potential, especially for those women who may have problems in taking more conventional HRT. “But this is a small study, a proof of concept. What we need to do now is to look at a larger study, to confirm that these initial results are valid,” she added.

(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

What Is Hypothyroidism?

More commonly found in women, approximately 5% of Americans have hypothyroidism, which occurs when the thyroid gland is unable to produce enough thyroid hormone to support several metabolic functions in the body. The thyroid gland secretes two main hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). T4 is the hormone that is principally produced by the thyroid gland which is then converted in the liver and kidney to the metabolically active T3 hormone. It is the T3 that is responsible for regulation of metabolism, energy production, body temperature, body fat, cholesterol, cognitive function, and symptom improvement.

How do you know if your thyroid levels are low?

There are over 200 symptoms related to low thyroid function that improve with optimal thyroid replacement:

Blood Pressure
Healthy number: Less than 120/80 mmHg.

Blood pressure refers to the force of blood against the walls of your arteries when your heart beats (systolic pressure, the top number) and during rests between beats (diastolic pressure, the bottom) and is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

“The lower yours is, the better,” says Dr. Holly Thacker, director of the Center for Specialized Women’s Health at the Cleveland Clinic. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is 140/90 mmHg or higher. Hypertension is called “the silent killer” because it often has no symptoms and, left untreated, can lead to stroke, heart disease, kidney damage, and vision and memory problems. (If your top number is between 120 and 139 and the lower is between 80 and 89, you have prehypertension, which also carries risks.)

Have yours checked: Every time you see a doctor, including an ob-gyn. To lower your numbers, consume a low-fat, low-sodium diet; exercise often; maintain a healthy weight; limit alcohol intake; don’t smoke; and manage stress. Your doctor may prescribe a diuretic to flush out excess sodium. If that and lifestyle changes don’t work, other medicines, like an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, may be prescribed.

Blood Sugar
Healthy number: A fasting blood-sugar level of 99 mg/dL or less.

A fasting blood-sugar test measures glucose (sugar) in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood after you haven’t eaten for at least eight hours. A level of 126 mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes, a condition in which your body doesn’t produce enough insulin (which converts blood sugar into energy) or use insulin properly. Diabetes more than doubles your risk of heart disease and increases your chances of kidney disease, vision loss, and other health issues.

Have yours checked: At age 45, then every three years after that. (Your doctor may test you earlier if you are overweight or have a family history of diabetes.) Some doctors also do a hemoglobin A1C test, which measures glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), a substance in red blood cells that forms when glucose attaches to hemoglobin. This “gives a better picture of average blood sugar over the previous three months,” says Dr. Wendy S. Klein, an internist in Richmond, Va. An optimal A1C reading is less than 5.7 percent. To improve your blood-sugar numbers, shed any excess pounds.

From Margaret’s Natural Health Blog

Normally the fungus that causes yeast infection, Candida albicans lives in balance with the other microorganisms in your body. “Anything that upsets this normal balance can lead to an overgrowth of yeast and can cause a yeast infection,” says Wiyatta Freeman, MD, a gynecologist at Baylor Medical Center in Irving, Texas. A common example is taking antibiotics for a bacterial infection. The antibiotics kill off many normal bacteria, and that allows yeast to multiply and lead to a yeast infection.

Yeast grows best in a warm, moist environment, so providing those conditions can lead to an infection. For example, wearing tight-fitting jeans or spending time in a wet bathing suit can increase your risk of a yeast infection — and is a more likely cause than what you eat. But diet may play a role in some yeast infections.

“Eating foods that are very high in sugar has been associated with yeast infections. This type of diet may be especially risky for someone with diabetes,” says Dr. Freeman. Recurrent yeast infections may also be due to a poor diet if you are not getting enough iron and you develop an iron-deficiency type of anemia.

A poor diet can also increase your risk of obesity, and therefore, yeast infections. “People who are overweight may have more areas of warmth and moisture in skin folds that contribute to yeast infection,” says Freeman.

How Diet May Help

There are many good over-the-counter and prescription antifungal medications that effectively treat and cure most yeast infections. As an additional measure, watching what you eat may help.

“Diet recommendations for someone with frequent yeast infections include lowering sugar, increasing yogurt in the diet, and taking probiotics,” says Freeman. “Generally speaking, we just recommend a well-balanced, healthy diet.”

Alternative treatments for yeast infection, including dietary changes, are frequently tried, but most of these methods remain controversial:

• Yogurt for yeast infections. Yogurt is a popular natural treatment for yeast infections because yogurt is fermented with helpful bacteria. The idea is that by increasing the number of these bacteria in your system, you restore a healthy balance between bacteria and yeast. Some people have even tried putting yogurt directly into the vagina to fight a yeast infection, but there is not enough evidence to support using yogurt as a treatment.
• Probiotics diet and supplements. Studies show that some bacteria, such as Lactobacillus GG can shorten the course of some types of diarrhea. These good bacteria may also be helpful against yeast infections by restoring the balance between yeast and bacteria, especially in people taking antibiotics or birth control pills. Probiotics have been added to some fortified foods and are sold as dietary supplements, but they are not tested or regulated the same way that drugs are. Although these supplements are generally considered safe, you should check with your doctor if you are using them to treat an infection.
• Candida diet. This type of diet is based on the belief that the uncontrolled overgrowth of candida in a yeast infection affects the whole body and can be reversed by cleansing the body of candida with fasting and enemas. These diets promote foods like vegetable juices and algae, while restricting foods like cheese, alcohol, chocolate, and fresh fruits. “I have not seen any evidence that these candida diets are useful against common yeast infections,” cautions Freeman.

Your diet may contribute to yeast infection if you are diabetic or eat foods that are very high in sugar, and a healthy diet may help reduce your risk of yeast infection. If you are at risk for a yeast infection, particularly if you are taking antibiotics or birth control pills, a probiotic diet or probiotic supplements may be recommended. However, there is not enough medical evidence to support the candida diet as a cure or for protecting against yeast infection.

If you have symptoms of a yeast infection, such as itching, redness, burning, or discharge, your best bet is to see your doctor. The good news about yeast infections is that they usually respond quickly to over-the-counter or prescription medications.