A study released today by Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that the lack of sleep could lead to an increase in fat accumulating around vital organs, resulting in higher rates of metabolic diseases.

The results showed a connection between getting six or fewer hours of sleep and unhealthy visceral fat. The study also showed a connection in those who slept more than eight hours a night, though more slight.

“We put a lot of stock in diet,” said Dr. Kristen Hairston, an assistant professor of endocrinology and metabolism and lead author on the study. “But this study brings up some interesting questions about the way we live.

“We may need to start looking at other behaviors — besides daily food choices — that could be contributing to the obesity epidemic in younger age groups.

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-Shannon Powell

Menopause is a part of life that every woman will go through, but surviving it with ease is a goal doctors and patients are constantly looking to reach.

Hot flashes, sleepless nights and anxiety are just some of the symptoms that plagued 53-year-old Debbie Beck’s life when she entered menopause. She sought hormone balance.

“I had tried several other physicians and health care providers,” said Beck.

The mother of two sons, ages 12- and 15 years old, also used a number of synthetic hormones that she said just did not work, including a patch that made her cry for days.

“No one could ever figure out the balance that I needed, so I kept having hot flashes and anxiety and fatigue,” said Beck.

“A lot of women were not satisfied with what was out there for coasting through menopause,” said Dr. Screven Edegerton, with the Austin Area OBGYN . “It was either nothing or synthetic-type hormones.”

Yet, Edgerton is caring for his patients on another level.

Instead of introducing his patients’ bodies to a new foreign element, Edgerton is using a bio-identical hormone therapy plan on patients like Beck.

Edgerton said he believes the natural hormones are the same as the body’s chemistry.

“They usually take a plant compound, usually yam or soy, and that is manipulated in a way so that it mirrors exactly what a person’s body produces,” said Edgerton. “Estrogen looks just like estrogen. A compounded or bioidentical-type substance matches what the body is already used to and produces on its own.”

Edgerton has to take patients through thorough testing. He said it can take anywhere from one week to several months to find the right balance because each woman is different.

Beck said she believes it has helped her deal with menopause.

“I sleep great, and I have so much energy,” said Beck. “And I don’t have any depression.”

Bioidentical hormone therapy may not be for every woman, and Edgerton suggests women talk with their doctor about what is right for them.

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“Scientists who have been studying the interplay between hormones and mood disorders say this newest gene research adds one more significant piece of evidence to the growing body of studies showing that PMS and PMDD are biologically based conditions that affect a small group of women who have an unusual mood response to monthly hormonal fluctuation.”

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