Penny Wise Budoff - No More Hot Flashes... And Even More Good News

WARNER BOOKS EDITION

Copyright 1998 by Penny Wise Budoff, M.D.

All rights reserved.

Warner Books. Inc.

Hachette Book Group

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New York, NY 10017

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First eBook Edition: November 2009

ISBN: 978-0-446-56955-2

To the wonderful women who have been my patients. To their warmth and friendship, inquisitiveness, truthfulness, and to theirtenacity and ability to learn medical facts. I have learned much from them and admire and respect their ability to make difficultchoices and to face their problems with bravery and even a sense of humor.

Is perimenopause something I really need to worry about?

Although it doesnt happen to everyone, you may experience an increase in PMS, erratic periods, or even a decrease in yoursex drive. When you understand why, you can choose the course thats best for you.

Im concerned that hormones cause bleeding and increase cancer risk. What are my options?

Theres hot news about designer estrogens that may make them the ideal postmenopausal therapy for you.

I ache everywhereelbows, shoulder; I even have pain in my heel. Is this age-related or is there something I can do to feelbetter?

Read! You can keep yourself limberand pain-free for decades.

Can vitamins really help prevent cancer? Alzheimers?

New studies have shown exciting results. Find out which supplements actually work.

Required reading for women over thirty-five.

Library Journal

With this book in hand, women over forty can fully understand not only what is happening to their bodies, but why.

Publishers Weekly

No More Hot Flashes and Other Good News

No More Menstrual Cramps and Other Good News

I hope that the information in this book will help you better understand your many medical and surgical choices. However,this book is not intended to be a substitute for individual medical diagnosis and advice from your doctor or health care professional.Always consult with your personal health care provider before implementing any program or therapy.

Without a doubt, my first acknowledgment goes to Sy, my wonderful and supportive husband. My handsome son and gorgeous daughterare grown and no longer live at home, so unlike with the first two books, I no longer felt guilty about taking time from them.My daughter, Cindy, has taken my small vitamin and skin care business, Bonne Forme, under her wing. She also helps me every time I have a computer question or problem. My son, Jeff, an orthopedic sports medicineand hand surgeon in West Palm Beach, Florida, wrote a chapter that I am positive will be one of your favorites.

This book has contributions from several special people, each with excellent credentials in her or his own right. While itis true that I started out to write this book on my own, it soon became clear to me that writing all of the chapters by myselfwould be much akin to trying to do womens health care as a solo practitioner. It cant be done. Medicine and surgery havejust become too specialized and it is impossible for any one person to know all there is to know. Furthermore, new developmentsare taking place at such a rapid rate that even specialists have to really try hard just to keep up with their own specialties. Therefore, while I wrote portions of the book, portionsof it were written with other physicians in different specialties.

Actually this book reconfirms the need for a group attempt to provide womens health carethat was the basis of the womenscenter I established in 1985. If primary care doctors practicing in a multispecialist group offer the best womens healthcare, this book offering advice on womens health is written on a similar basis. As with a womens center, there must be onephysician in charge. The primary caregiver (orin the case of this bookthe author) must make sure that head to toe have beencovered and nothing is left undone. In addition, she helps her patients understand their options and acts as an ombudsmanmaking sure that information from these specialists is comprehensible and appropriate for the patients individual physicaland emotional needs.

There are many thank-yous to those whose work helped make this book special. The list is somewhat long; therefore, additionalinformation on those who made major contributions to the writing appear where I think it will be most likely to be noted andreadat the beginnings of the various chapters. Also, you may consult About the Author and the Contributors at the end ofthe book. The participants are a scholarly group with long lists of degrees. However, dont let that scare you.

The following short thank-yous are in the order that chapters appear in the book:

James Simon, M.D., for his chapter on perimenopause. He is Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at George Washington University and a Top Washington Physician as well as one of the Best Doctors in America.He is one of the foremost experts in the field of infertility and menopause and has an office in Washington, D.C.

Howard Fillit, M.D., for the chapter on estrogen and the brain. He is the Executive Director of The Institute for the Studyof Aging in New York City where he is also in private practice in consultative geriatric medicine. Dr. Fillit is a ClinicalProfessor of Geriatrics and Medicine at The Mount Sinai Medical Center and an expert on Alzheimers disease and related dementias.He was the first to report that estrogen replacement therapy improves cognitive function in women with Alzheimers disease.

Jeffrey E. Budoff, M.D., My son, the doctor!, for his chapter on the musculoskeletal system. He is a practicing orthopedicsurgeon fellowship-trained in sports medicine and hand surgery. He specializes in surgery of the upper extremity (shoulder,elbow, wrist, and hand) and knees and practices in West Palm Beach, Florida. His natural flair for writing plus a sense ofhumor makes this chapter fun to read. His former mentor, Dr. Robert Nirschl, contributed to the manuscript and provided hisown metaphors where emphasis was needed. Their fascinating chapter will effortlessly educate you about your muscles and joints.

Stuart Weinerman, M.D., for the chapter on osteoporosis. A practicing endocrinologist with expertise in osteoporosis, he headsthe metabolic bone unit at North Shore University Hospital and practices at the North Shore University Hospital Womens HealthServices in Bethpage, Long Island, New York.

Hemmi N. Bhagavan, Ph.D., F.A.C.N., for his help with the chapter on vitamins and calcium. He holds a masters degree in biochemistryand a Ph.D. in nutrition/biochemistry. He was elected Fellow of the American College of Nutrition many years ago. He workedas Senior Clinical Coordinator at Hoffman LaRoche in their vitamin division for many years. He is a wonderful source of solidinformation on vitamins and their therapeutic and preventive role.

John Miklos, M.D., and Lawrence Lind, M.D., are two urogynecologists who wrote the chapters on urinary tract infections andurinary incontinence. Their new specialty, urogynecology, will serve women better than ever before, offering both nonsurgicaland minimally invasive surgical techniques. They will convince you that incontinence and bladder infections are not a normalpart of aging!

Erna Busch, M.D., for the chapter on breast cancer. She has extensive fellowship training in cancer surgery and is a cancersurgeon at Pro HEALTH in Lake Success, N.Y. Nearly at the end of her first pregnancy, she produced a wonderful chapter, andthen a beautiful baby girl as well.