Treat Menopause Before It Grabs You

If you're a woman in your forties and maybe in your late thirties, you might want to think ahead about menopause. Dr. Karen Deighan, chair of obstetrics/gynecology at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, encourages these patients to be proactive about their health by taking appropriate steps to minimize the side effects of menopause before it arrives.

She suggests:

1. Exercising to prevent the 5-10 pound weight gain.

2. Do your kegels to strengthen the pelvic floor.

3. Do weight-bearing exercises to keep bones strong.

4. Exercise the brain with word puzzles.

5. Get enough sleep to be mentally alert and to keep libido high.

6. Treat vaginal dryness.

7. Get your annual check-up.

8. Protect your teeth.

9. Eat your fruit and veggies and bypass processed food.

10. Take 1,000 - 1,200 milligrams of calcium.

Adding Monounsaturated Fats to Diet May Boost Heart Health

New research suggests that adding monounsaturated fat (MUFA) to your diet in the form of nuts, seeds, avocados, and oils such as olive, canola and sunflower oils, raises your "good" HDL cholesterol by about 12% and lowers your "bad" LDL cholesterol by about 35%.

The study randomly assigned 17 men and seven postmenopausal women to either a high or low MUFA diet.