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Is Low-Dose HRT Safe for Menopause Symptoms?
Tweet Share on Facebook August 19, 2009 Comment (10)I'm a 49-year-old woman struggling with menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, depression, and emotional swings. Is a blood test for estrogen levels worthwhile? (I saw Suzanne Somers talk about this on Oprah.) And is low-dose hormone replacement therapy a valid treatment for these symptoms, or is it too risky?
There are many approaches to menopausal symptoms that can help with this transition. Some of them are hormonal, many are not, and all of these decisions need to be individualized depending on your personal health history, your family history, and the symptoms or issues you are trying to address. In other words, there is no approach that fits all, and having a health provider you trust and who will work with you as you make decisions along this journey is critical.OK, so you are 49 years old. The FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) level can indicate whether you are hormonally menopausal at this time. This hormone signals your ovaries to develop an egg. When you are not ovulating, it keeps getting higher and can therefore indicate if you are in menopause. An estradiol level will also tell you if your circulating estrogen levels are consistent with premenopausal levels or post-menopausal. In your situation, these levels can help delineate whether your symptoms are due to hormonal changes or other causes need to be investigated.
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Will Neurontin Work as Well as Lyrica for Fibromyalgia?
Tweet Share on Facebook August 19, 2009 Comment (18)Lyrica is prescribed for fibromyalgia, but its cost is excessive. Will Neurontin deliver the same relief?
Lyrica (pregabalin) blocks calcium channels in the central nervous system and peripheral nerves. It is used to control seizures and also painful peripheral neuropathy such as that seen in some diabetics, some people after an outbreak of shingles (also known as post-herpetic neuralgia), or in nerve compression syndromes such as spinal stenosis and herniated lumbar discs. It has been found to be helpful in a significant percentage of people with fibromyalgia. Neurontin (gabapentin) is structurally similar to Lyrica and has a similar mechanism of action. Both are structurally related to the neural transmitter GABA, but neither drug seems to affect GABA uptake, release, or degradation. Both drugs can cause sleepiness, so it is good to start with a relatively low dose and gradually build up therapeutic levels. Likewise, one should taper off both drugs over a week or two to prevent seizures or other withdrawal symptoms.I feel that it is essential that all patients thought to have fibromyalgia have their vitamin D3-25 levels checked. A significant number of these patients will be found to be vitamin D deficient, and many of their aches and pains will improve if they take 2,000 to 4,000 units of vitamin D3 a day.
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Can Stem Cell Therapy Treat Pulmonary Hypertension?
Tweet Share on Facebook August 19, 2009 Comment (8)I'm a middle-aged woman who has pulmonary hypertension. My doctors want to put me on Flolan. But my husband and I have identified an established adult stem cell therapy program in the Dominican Republic in which my own blood would be used to provide stem cells, which would then be inserted into my lungs via a heart catheter. I have spoken to a patient who had the therapy for the same condition, and he is off oxygen and drugs and is back to work. Do you think this could be credible? My doctors seem to scoff at it.
Stem cell therapy holds promise for the treatment of almost all human diseases, from spinal cord injuries to damage caused by heart attacks. Stem cells are the cells in our body that have the potential to "grow up" to be any type of cell in the body. But organs are more than just collections of cells. They're highly organized collections of a multitude of cells.All treatments with stems cells are still experimental, and therefore the risks of this treatment are not completely understood. Clinical trials are monitored in the United States by academic and government agencies to help protect research subjects. We are not familiar with the safety measures in place to protect research subjects in the Dominican Republic, and I am unaware of a stem cell pulmonary hypertension protocol in the Dominican Republic. Information about research protocols from around the world and information on how to enroll in such a trial can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov.
