Choosing the right foods to eat and snack on can help you maintain your energy throughout the day. Food is fuel for the day, so make sure your diet is full of healthy food and avoid foods that can bring your energy level down. Try These 2 Types of Food to Help You Fight Fatigue 1. Foods high in generally unrefined carbohydrates When carbs have not been refined, that means that dietary fiber is intact. Examples of these energy-sustaining foods include: Oatmeal Oat…

The latest Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study shows that women who have had a hysterectomy can benefit from taking estrogen therapy. Speaking of Women's Health Executive Director Dr. Holly L. Thacker discusses how the study's findings can improve the quality and longevity of women's lives.

The secret ingredient in this delicious drink is kale! Kale is an excellent natural source of omega-3 fatty acids, which protect your heart and joints, and aid memory. This leafy green also reduces inflammation.

Unchecked inflammation can lead to heart disease, cancer and arthritis. Kale is also a phenomenal source of Vitamin K, which offers protection against heart attack and stroke.

Most people I know have headaches. How do I know what is normal and what is not?

One of the interesting things to note is how many times you are given a piece of information but do not pay attention long enough to be able to recall it later. You are in good company because this is what happens more often than anyone of us would like to admit. This complaint is not limited to older adults any longer. Maybe you need to sharpen some of these skills and notice what happens to your short term memory. Take Notice of Your Mind Many years ago, I read a novel where a man was…

July 2013 -- Researchers at Yale University hope their estimates of what they call the unnecessary premature deaths of women over a 10-year period will jolt patients and their physicians to re-think their avoidance of estrogen hormone replacement therapy.

In an article published online Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health, the researchers project that the deathsof nearly 50,000 women who had a hysterectomy in their 50s and 60s could have been avoided by taking estrogen therapy. The deaths occurred between 2002 and 2011.

July 2013 -- Thousands of postmenopausal women have died prematurely over the past decade because they avoided estrogen therapy after hysterectomy, a new analysis of a landmark study showed.

Ripe juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, this salad rocks! Enjoy more recipes from Holly Clegg’s cookbook, trim&TERRIFIC Kitchen 101: Secrets to Cooking Confidence.

I recently read a newsletter that featured a section on lowering one’s LDL and it recommended the use of statins. However, and given this is a newsletter specifically focused on women’s health, it has been my understanding that there has been no good research results to date linking the use of statins to lower LDL in women and the prevention of heart disease.

I have had high LDL since my early 30s, and despite the fact that I eat almost no saturated fat and I exercise frequently and rigorously, it has not gone down. I did go on a statin for a while, but felt some muscle weakness, which I did not want to tolerate, as I felt it was interfering with my workouts. Because of my concern and because I could find no good evidence for the use of statins in women, I discontinued its use.

I would love to hear your opinion and that of other medical professionals from the Center for Women’s Health on this issue. Thank you.

Has sex become a chore you no longer feel like doing? Or worse, is it painful? For many women, these feelings are all too common. As you get older — particularly after menopause — you may face an increasing number of barriers to sex, including dryness and constriction of the vagina or medical conditions such as diabetes and extra weight. For more tips and information on how to restore enjoyment in your intimate relationships during menopause and beyond, download our Free Sexual Health in…

Read Dr. Holly L. Thacker’s blog on the 5 common headach triggers and what you can do to reduce the pain in the head!

Estrogen and progesterone are hormones that are produced by a woman's ovaries. Why Does the Body Need Estrogen? Estrogen thickens the lining of the uterus, preparing it for the possible implantation of a fertilized egg. Estrogen also influences how the body uses calcium, an important mineral in the building of bones, and helps maintain healthy levels of cholesterol in the blood. Estrogen also keeps the vagina healthy. As menopause nears, the ovaries reduce most of their production of these…

Q. I have high blood pressure, and my doctor has restricted me to a low-sodium diet of less than 1,500 mg a day. Are salt substitutes a good alternative? A. While the spice aisle in your grocery store abounds with salt substitutes, they are not a healthy option for everyone. Many contain potassium chloride in place of sodium chloride, and potassium consumed in excess may be harmful for some people. For example, many people with kidney problems are unable to rid their bodies of excessive…

Lowering Your Cholesterol can Help Prevent Heart Disease Preventing heart disease is like dancing the limbo: You’ve got to find out “how low you can go.” Study after study has shown that when you lower your cholesterol, you lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, America’s leading killer. Lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) is relatively simple. Drugs called statins really work. People who can’t tolerate statins have options, too, such as: Alternative medications Lifestyle…

June 2013 -- Here's another reason for women to lose weight. Losing weight could improve memory in older, overweight women, according to a new small study. In addition, the women's brain activity actually changes in the regions of the brain that are vital for memory tasks after weight loss.

Kathryn Kilpatrick offers suggestions for lifelong learning and successful aging. As a speech-language pathologist with over four decades of experience working with older adults, Kathryn Kilpatrick specializes in working with older adults and their families facing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. In the last decade people of all ages seem to be complaining about their memory. Have you noticed that your memory is not what it used to be? Join the many people, both young and old,…

June 2013 -- A recent discovery from a lab at Harvard University's Stem Cell Institute could be a step toward drastically reducing those painful numbers. Researchers there, led by the institute's co-director Douglas Melton, found a hormone that caused an amazing increase in the ability of mice to produce their own natural insulin.

The hormone, called betatrophin, caused up to a 30-fold boost in the production of beta cells, the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. The lab's results were published last month in the journal Cell.

"Imagine instead of taking three insulin injections a day, if you took one injection of betatrophin a month, or every year," said Melton. Then "your body makes more beta cells and then those beta cells produce the insulin you need."

These veggie-stuffed boats make a great summer dish and are made with cornbread stuffing, shredded carrots, onion and low-fat cheese. They are also wonderful paired with any meat.

Hot flashes and night sweats are two of the most common menopause symptoms, although their severity and duration can differ, depending on the person. Although not life threatening, these symptoms often are a major disruption to one's sleep patterns. Now a new study finds that more than half of middle-aged women with regular menstrual cycles also experience hot flashes.

Researchers from Group Health and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center surveyed 1,500 women between the ages of 45 and 56 -- all of whom had not skipped any periods -- and discovered that 55% of them were experiencing hot flashes or night sweats.

I had a partial hysterectomy and now most of my weight is in my midsection. Is it possible to lose belly fat and make my stomach flat again? What exercises can I do to get rid of the extra weight?