Beer, Wine and Your BonesWritten by Michele Webb
If you like taste of a good brew, then here is some good news! In a recent research study of over 2,900 women and men, researchers found that beer, which contains silicon, may promote bone health. Silicon is a mineral that is thought to stimulate collagen production, which is a building block in bone formation. Wine is rich is phytochemicals, which may also benefit bones. Research does not show, however, in battle of sexes, that beer or wine has better or less results in either men or women. In a recent WebMD interview, Katherine Tucker, PhD says that it is possible that two glasses of wine could benefit men, while women may get a bone boost from two cans of beer. Another study of 2,847 people from Framingham Osteoporosis Study found that men and pre-menopausal women who drank most silicon, about 40 mg a day, had highest bone mineral density, a measurement of bone health. Silicon is rarely listed on food labels, so it is hard to tell exactly how much you are consuming. But, you can estimate that one 12-ounce beer has approximately 7 mg of silicon. It is important is that you drink any alcoholic beverage in moderation because while two cans of beer or two 6 ounce glasses of wine may be good for promoting bone growth, drinking more is harmful. The not-so-good news is that if you drink distilled beverages such as vodka or Scotch, daily consumption of these beverages has shown to actually promote osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a bone-wasting disease that makes your bones brittle and more prone to breaks. The disease increases with age and is more common in women than men, especially postmenopausal women.
| | Menopause and Bioidentical HormonesWritten by Cathy Taylor
Can menopause symptoms be safely comforted with bioidentical hormones? Recent research suggests that menopause can be treated with bioidentical hormones, a natural replacement for a woman's body, with no reported side effects. In past, menopause has been treated like a disease - primarily with Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT (including Premarin, which is made from pregnant mare’s urine, Prempro and Provera), which meant ingesting synthetic chemicals on a regular basis. Now we know that these drugs are causing very problems we’re trying to avoid including breast cancer and heart attacks. Bioidentical means hormone molecule in product, for example progesterone cream, acts exactly like molecules produced by female body. They function in your body in a natural and normal way unlike synthetic chemicals. A “natural hormone” is really a compound synthesized in lab from a natural source (such as soybeans used for estrogens and testosterone; or wild Mexican yam in case of progesterone and sometimes testosterone). Synthetic hormones are typically only available in oral form, but bioidentical hormones come in a variety of delivery systems such as oral, transdermal patch, cream, lotion or sublingual drops. Bioidentical hormones recently caught mainstream attention in part because of Suzanne Somer's new book, The Sexy Years
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