Guest columnist Mary Clarkin, CNP discusses “Advances in technology over the last 30 years: A nurse’s perspective.”

Cool crisp watermelon, refreshing cantaloupe, and fresh basil create an extraordinary and invigorating light salad. This simple salad is also diabetic-friendly!

This recipe is from Holly Clegg’s trimandTERRIFIC® Eating Well Through Cancer.

When you feel the itch and pain of vaginal-area discomfort, your first thought is likely of a yeast infection. But other common disorders can cause similar discomfort. Ob/Gyn Oluwatosin Goje, MD, says some vulvar disorders are contagious and others are not. Either way, knowing the signs will help guide you in treating them. And if your problem is contagious, knowing this can help you avoid passing it along. Here’s a rundown on five of the most common vulvar conditions: 1.…

I am 51 years old and in good health. I have large 36 DD breasts. I wash my bras after one wear and shower daily. I have noticed I’m getting a vinegar smell under and between my breasts sometimes. I have never had this problem before. It’s embarrassing when I take off my bra to get ready for bed sometimes.

Are there any solutions for this? Should I wear deodorant around my breasts? I even once had a rash and bought baby diaper rash cream because I thought it might be a fungal irritation, but that just burned the skin and made it worse. Any suggestions?

I just left my local hospital a few hours ago, my reason for being there was because I was experiencing burning and horrific pain in my pubic area.

A week ago I had shaved and after a few weeks ingrown hairs started to appear. I used coconut oil to stop the sting but it only lasts for a second. I’m scared to pee because it burns every time I go.

There is also a sore in the area between my butt that stings and it is very swollen. I feel horrible from this and the ingrown hairs. In addition, I haven’t been able to poop either.

It’s really hard to move under these conditions. The hospital gave me a quick assessment and told me to put a cream on it and that was the best they could do. Should I go to a different hospital for a second opinion or should I just do what this hospital tells me? I’m still in so much pain.

I am 60 years old and have brittle nails. What could be the cause and what can I do about it?

I never had strong nails, however this is worse and I would like to know what’s going on.

It's easy for women to get caught up in family & career responsibilities, but Dr. Holly Thacker says it's important women care for themselves as well - and knowing some key numbers is a good place to start.

I passed a kidney stone a few years back and can no longer eat a lot of calcium rich-foods. I do not take a calcium supplement. Any suggestions?

I went to my doctor who told me I have a mass on my breast. How can I get the mass to go away, are there pills for it?

I am on Evista (raloxifene) for osteoporosis. Since this is a SERM (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator, also known as as Estrogen Agonist Estrogen Antagonist), can it treat vaginal dryness? Are there any problems taking Evista and Estrace (estradiol) cream at the same time?

Read Dr. Holly L.Thacker’s summer health column for important summer health tips for you and your family.

AHAH is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the health of women who have had a hysterectomy. In the USA, there are 8 million such women who are under age 60 with half of them age 45 or younger. On behalf of these women, we would urge the USPSTF not to suggest that estrogen therapy (ET) deserves a grade of D for disease prevention because the totality of recent data supports a higher grade.

Dr. Holly L. Thacker discusses how to take control of your sensitive bladder with Dr. Mache Seibel in the latest issue of The Hot Years: My Menopause magazine. Dr. Mache: How common is sensitive bladder? Dr. Thacker: Up to one in three women has some of these problems during their lifetime. It's because the vagina is essentially a hole in the pelvic floor. Dr. Mache: It's probably a little to do with having babies, too. Dr. Thacker: Absolutely, it's affected by childbearing, childbirth,…

This review summarizes how ERAAs can be used in combination with an estrogen or alone to treat menopausal symptoms (vasomotor symptoms, genitourinary syndrome of menopause), breast cancer or the risk of breast cancer, osteopenia, osteoporosis, and other female midlife concerns.Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. Release date: June 1, 2017 Heather D. Hirsch, MD, MS, NCMPAssistant Professor, Clinical Internal Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University,…

I’m 46 and perimenopausal for 6-7 years. I take Yaz birth control.

I still get light periods, but how will I know what hormonal stage I’m in if I’m on the pill? The weight gain and hot flashes really bother me.

I am a 61 year old woman. Lately, I have woken up in the middle of the night with acid reflux. It’s so bad that I feel I have something stuck in my throat. I swallow, but it is still there. What over-the-counter medicine can I take beside Tums?

When do hot flashes stop? I am 63 and still have them.

An analysis of 17 past studies suggests that while breast-feeding for any period of time appears to lower a woman’s risk of endometrial cancer, mothers who breast-fed for the recommended six months lowered their risk even further. Surpassing the 6-9 month recommended timeframe for breast-feeding seemed to have little benefit, the researchers said, but those who had ever breast-fed their children were 11 percent less likely than women who had children but didn’t breast-feed to be diagnosed with…

A big sugar cookie topped with luscious cream cheese filling and tropical fruit creates an easy and picture-perfect tropical decadence with seasonal fruit.

This recipe is from Holly Clegg’s trimandTERRIFIC® Eating Well To Fight Arthritis

June 2017 -- “Hormone therapy remains the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms and the genitourinary syndrome of menopause and has been shown to prevent bone loss and fracture,” says Dr. JoAnn V. Pinkerton, NAMS Executive Director and Chair of the Position Statement Advisory Panel. “NAMS discovered through its review of the literature published since the 2012 Position Statement that its previous position that hormone therapy should be prescribed only for the ‘lowest dose for the…