Now that we are in almost-holiday mode, I still have to give you some news titbits from the medical press…
ANTIBIOTICS IN GENERAL PRACTICE
For most of my medical life I have been cautious about giving people with a cold any antibiotics. It appears I may have been right all along. The BMJ (British Medical Journal) has published a study to how that organisms can get to be resistant after even one prescription of antibiotics! Previously we doctors were aware of antibiotic resistance but it was thought to be a community problem, rather than an individual patient problem. So watchout when you think you need antibiotics, think again!
HEALTH FOR MID-LIFERS AND SENIORS
As you all know, I am very interested in the preventative issues for our health at and after menopause. So I was surprised and delighted to find that the American Heart Association has praised Nintendo for their WiiFit etc games because they increase fitness and reduce obesity in a fun way. Gyms have become a necessary part of our community but they are inherently boring to ‘head types’ like me but having fun at home might be just the ticket!
MENOPAUSAL KIDNEYS
Those of you who have seen me at my clinic know that I always measure your hormones, but I also do some basic non-hormonal tests, which include kidney function tests. Now there is a study to show that kidney function tests are “independent predictors of mortality risk in the general population”. Wow! The tests assessed were eGFR (don’t ask me, too long to explain) and ACR (albumin to creatinine ratio). The eGFR should be over 60 and the ACR should be under 1.1. So get your own figures from the doctor.
NEWCASTLE MAGICAL MENOPAUSE
The seminar planning for Newcastle is complete and we are very excited to be doing the seminar down in NSW. There will be time for local doctors to come to find out more about natural hormone management as well as attend the seminar. Because we have found a reliable, easy way to manage hormones, it is time that the word went out for everyone to understand more about it. My friends in NSW have no idea what I am going to be like on stage! I ‘take the mickey’ out of everything and everyone and we all have a lot of fun. By the time I am finished with them, they will all be ready to ‘go natural’!
CUCKOOS INTO SWANS
– The Book! Well, I am well on the way now to getting the book published, I am guessing in time for Easter, so watch this space. It is a very good thing to sit, write, and detail one’s thoughts so that the result of so many years’ work can be readable and interesting to so many women. The numbers of menopausal women are increasing a the Baby-boomers get into their 50s. So there will be a huge demand for more information, as our generation does not take things lying down!!
