Tales of A Mid-Life Hippie

As you probably know , today was Global Earth Hour Day - the day that everyone around the world was to shut their lights between 8 and 9pm in order to help save the earth's resources, reduce global warming and generally pamper the planet.

I did this. Here are 3 things I learned.

1. Do not shut out all the lights AND THEN attempt to walk across the room.

2. No matter how rushed you are on Global Earth Hour Day, do not leave your three new pair of Manolo Blahniks piled up in their boxes in the middle of above mentioned darkened room.

3.Next Global Earth Hour Day: Leave on lights and instead write check to Global Warming Foundation and mail between 8 and 9 pm. If you are out of traction by then.

Activism is easier when you are 25, don't you think?

Buy A Soap - Save A Woman's Life

Each year up to 3 million women are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend.

One-third of all American women will be sexually abused by a former husband, partner or boyfriend in their lifetime.

Every day, 3 women are murdered by a husband or boyfriend.

Women of all races, from every walk of life are equally vulnerable to domestic violence.

You can do something to help. Click on the Body Shop Daisy Soap link in the right hand column ( just under my picture). It's just $4.50 and The Body Shop will donate all the proceeds to the Coalition to Stop Domestic Violence. You'll have a great anti-aging shea butter and glycerin soap - and you just might save a woman's life. Do it today ...don't wait. We must help each other . . .

Critical WARNING: Cervical Cancer Vaccine Dangers

STOP - LOOK- AND LISTEN: As the FDA sits poised and ready to approve Gardasil the cervical cancer vaccine, for use in older women, there's startling new evidence that it may not be as safe as we are being led to believe.

In a new report uncovered by public interest group Judicial Watch, the FDA appears to have kept from the public records detailing a troubling total of some 3,461 serious or potentially serious adverse reactions - including as many as a dozen deaths - all allegedly linked to the Gardasil vaccine since it's FDA approval in June 2006. Adverse reactions linked to the vaccine have included paralysis and serious circulatory problems.

According to the Judicial Watch report - with data retrieved via the Freedom of Information Act - these additional worrisome statistics were recently uncovered:

• From May 10 to September 7, 2007, of the 1,847 adverse vaccination reactions reported to the FDA via the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), some 347 were considered medically "serious".


• The death toll linked to the vaccine given to young women is at 12 - and counting.


• Of the 77 women who received this vaccine while pregnant, 33 experienced side effects ranging from spontaneous miscarriage to fetal abnormalities.


• A range of serious side effects including paralysis, Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome and seizures have been reported.

This is of tatamount importance not only to women over 40, who may soon be offered the vaccine, but for our daughters and grand daughters, many of whom have already been encouraged by pediatricians and family doctors to have the vaccine. Currently, two states, Texas and Michigan have made it mandatory for girls aged 11 to 12 to have the vaccine, while other state and local governments are considering similar actions.

What does this mean for you? It doesn't mean turning away from a potentially life-saving treatment. It does mean knowing the facts, and making sure your doctor knows the facts, and having a serious conversation with your physician about your specific risks and benefits in regard to this vaccine.

Remember, this is not about removing the vaccine from the market - it's about intelligent use of it - and informed use. Every drug has it's side effects and risks. But in order to make an intelligent decision about whether the benefits outweigh the risks, you've got to at least know the risks.

Finding out a treatment has side effects is not shocking. Discovering it took a Freedom Of Information Act inquiry to find out about those risks is shocking.

Gardasil, manufactured by Merck, is approved for use in young women aged 9 to 26. It protects against several strains of HPV ( the Human papilloma virus) which is a leading cause of cervical cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2008, about 11,070 cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. ACS reports some researchers estimate that non-invasive cervical cancer (carcinoma in situ) is about 4 times more common than invasive cervical cancer.

ACS also estimates that some 3,900 women will die from cervical cancer in the US during 2008. While once a common cause of cancer death for American women, death rates have declined steadily over the past several decades, due largely in part to better screening that finds this cancer at an early and very treatable stage.

Cervical cancer, which is related to several strains of the HPV virus, is considered a sexually transmitted cancer, because the HPV virus can be passed on during intimate contact.

Study Shows Herb Helps Boost Memory

Forgetting where you put those car keys? Walk in a room and can't remember what you came to get? Pick up the phone ...and don't remember who you're calling ?

Relax. You're not losing it - ya just can't find it! Indeed, declines in memory are common as we age - particularly among gals going through perimenopause and menopause. Estrogen is tied to the memory functions of the brain and as levels decrease, your bouncing hormones can play some mean tricks on your brain cells.

But the good news is, new studies show a common herbal preparation can actually help prevent memory loss in some - and possibly keep it from getting worse in others.

What's the magic memory potion? It's Ginkgo Biloba.

In a study conducted at Oregon State University and recently published in the journal Neurology, doctors found that those who took the supplement regularly - and consistently- definitely experienced a protective effect against memory loss - up to 68%.

Interestingly, previous clinical trails conducted in Germany and France found that Gingko Biloba offered long-term improvements in memory in adults already suffering from dementia.

On the downside, the Neurology study also found a very slight increase in the risk of mild, blot -clot related strokes among those using the Ginkgo supplements . So, if you have high blood pressure or are at increased risk for stroke for any reason, you do want to consult with your doctor before taking this supplement.

Ironically, the key to Ginkgo's success was ....remembering to take it! Try sticky notes ...:)

Click here to learn more about menopause and memory - and some tips and tricks that can help.

Sitting On The Hormone Fence

Still on the fence about whether or not to use HRT ? Here's some news that might help you make up your mind.

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that risks appear to outweigh the benefits for most women.

In a 3 year follow up of some 16,000 women from the WHI (Women's Health Initiative) trial, doctors found that the risk for "all cancers" were higher in the women who used hormones. Although the margin was small - barely statistically significant - still, the increase was there.

In terms of bone health, the news was also disappointing: The protective effects experienced while the women used hormones did not carry over after they stopped. So, even short term use is not likely to benefit bone health in the long run.

If you were taking hormones - and stopped - the good news here is that the study found the increased risk for cardiovascular events seen during the trial dissipated after the women stopped the treatments.

The overall conclusion by the study group: The risks occurring from hormone therapy are greater than the health benefits.

If you're on the fence about whether or not to try HRT - come down. Take a breath. Relax. And buy a shiny new pair of red high heels. I promise you, all the troubling symptoms you're experiencing now will pass . . .

How Badly Do You Want To Look Young?

That's the question you may be asking yourself when you hear about the newest anti aging ingredient on the horizon: BULL FROG SKIN!

Yes, those slimy, dare I say horny toads at the bottom of your pond may actually hold the key to skin aging - at least according to a group of Korean researchers, who say they have not only found the fountain of youth, but are pretty certain what's swimming at the bottom!

According to a report published in Bioresource Technology , the key element in frog skin is a peptide with such strong antioxidant properties it can practically do away with wrinkle-causing free radicals- you know, the kind caused by pollution and the sun.

If it proves out in further studies, researchers say they'll use the peptide to replace synthetically produced vitamin E, which, though widely used in many skin care products, costs a lot and has a relatively high rate of allergic skin reaction.

Now why they seem to think that we'll be any less likely to have a response to frog skin, I dare not even guess - particularly since, as we all know, touching frogs can mean picking up that nasty finger wart virus.

That said, the Korean team of scientists developing the frog extract seem to think it's not going to be a problem. And in fact, animal-based ingredients are becoming quite the anti-aging rage. Most recently, snail slime extract and snake venom have both been incorporated into anti aging skin care ( and you thought it was all flowers and herbs, right? :)

The latest in the Noah's Ark approach to anti aging skin care: Donkey and Camel milk, both being hailed for their high vitamin and mineral content.

Me? I'd rather eat broccoli and use Prescriptives! :)