Mammograms – Are They Saving Lives?

by Linda Franklin 

Whether or not to have a yearly mammogram has women more than a little confused.  I  have been getting an annual exam since I was 40 – this year I didn’t.   I am scheduled to go again in January because I am afraid not to.  It’s a real dilemma – a damned if you do damned if you don’t scenario.

Last week there was an article in the New York Times blog on the latest research published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The research shows that, “mammograms increased diagnoses and surgeries, but didn’t save lives”.

Mammogram screening led to an increase in the number of breast cancers detected at an early stage but the number of cancers diagnosed at the advanced stage was essentially unchanged.  If mammograms were really finding deadly cancers sooner (as suggested by the rise in early detection), then cases of advanced cancer should have been reduced in kind.  But that didn’t happen.

So what are we to make of that?

Mammograms have become standard care for women based on the understanding that early detection is key to preventing death from breast cancer.  As the article states, “the trial results threatened a mammogram economy, a marketplace sustained by invasive therapies to vanquish microscopic clumps of questionable threat, and by an endless parade of procedures and pictures to investigate the falsely positive results that more than half of women endure.”

Are mammograms benefiting women, or are they just something that helps fund a dysfunctional health care system?   I guess every woman has to make that decision for herself.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says, ”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Enzymes Keep Us Young

By Linda Franklin

Women are always having problems with their bellies.  Bloating, cramps, constipation - an overall uncomfortable feeling. One of the things that might be causing that discomfort is the body’s lack of enzymes.Enzymes play a big role in our digestion which translates to feeling good and aging well. If we can keep our digestive system functioning like a young woman, we can maintain youthful health and appearance.

So what are enzymes?  They are delicate lifelike substances found in all living cells. Enzymes are biologically active proteins necessary for all living organisms. Metabolic enzymes regulate every biochemical reaction that occurs within our body.

Here’s what you need to know.

 

Metabolic enzymes are an essential component for optimal cellular function and health. They speed up the chemical reactions within the cells for detoxification and energy production. They enable us to see, hear, move and think.

Digestive enzymes are secreted along the digestive tract to break food down into nutrients and waste. Most of the digestive enzymes are produced by the pancreas. The liver, gallbladder, small intestine, stomach and colon also play pivotal roles in the production of these enzymes. Digestive enzymes allow the nutrients found in the foods we consume to be absorbed into the blood stream and the waste to be discarded.

Food enzymes are introduced to the body through raw foods we eat and the consumption of supplemental enzyme products. Raw foods naturally contain enzymes, providing a source of digestive enzymes when ingested. However, raw food manifests only enough enzymes to digest that particular food. The cooking and processing of food destroys all of its enzymes. Since most of the foods we eat are cooked or processed in some way and since the raw foods we do eat contain only enough enzymes to process that particular food, our bodies must produce the majority of the digestive enzymes we require, unless we use supplemental enzymes to aid in the digestive process.

Between 60 to 80 percent of the body’s energy is used to move food through the digestive system, maintain balance between the acidity of the stomach and the alkalinity of the body, and most importantly, produce the massive amount of digestive enzymes necessary to extract nutrients from food in order for the body to benefit from its intake.

It’s possible that when we suddenly start experiencing indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux, gas, food craving , bloating and other digestive issues, that the real culprit is something else.  Most people give little thought to the connection between their digestion and their overall health, but the two are intertwined. Understanding the digestive process in an important part of understanding how digestive enzymes can be beneficial to your health.

Some very convincing research shows that the greater the burden on the digestive system, the less effective and active our immune system becomes. When we eat, digestion becomes the priority. Our body will always supply the energy our digestive system needs to benefit from the food we have eaten, no matter how little that leaves for the other systems. If the pattern persist over time, our body may no longer be able to keep up on a regular basis; a shortage of metabolic enzymes ( metabolic energy ) will then occur, eventually takes it’s toll. However we do not call it en enzyme deficiency — we have given it other names, like diabetes, cancer, heart diseases, and lupus.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Hormone Replacement Is Essential For Our Brains

by Linda Franklin –  The Real Cougar Woman

Hormone Replacement Therapy is a subject fraught with high levels of controversy.  Some doctors recommend it to their patients, while others are advising women to steer clear.  This cross current of information is confusing and leaves women wondering what to do.  And, now that women are entering menopause earlier, some as early as 35, it's often misdiagnosed. (Read this article By Dr. Jennifer Landa).

When women start to lose estrogen their bodies are more susceptible to many health risks. There is no shortage of articles on the perils of Hormone Replacement but we rarely see research that points out the benefits of replacing our estrogen supply.

Menopause Before Forty

by Dr. Jennifer Landa BodyLogicMD

I’m too young for menopause right? It’s funny. Women are always talking about how they can’t wait to be done with their periods forever!  But, when it finally does come, many women find that they’re not quite ready for menopause – especially if it comes earlier than expected.

Recently, a study was done involving 5,000 women in which 7% of those women went through “the change” before their 40^th birthday. It was previously believed that only 1-2% of women went through menopause before their 40^th birthday. So what happened? It used to be that we could expect to go through menopause around the same age our mother did – which would be well into our late 40s or 50s. But now, things have changed.

Sexercise – A Great Way To Burn Calories

by Linda Franklin The Real Cougar Woman

Women are more likely to have sex after a long day if they think it will help them lose weight.

Women are resorting to sex to stay fit because dollars are scarce and gym memberships are expensive.  Drastic times call for drastic measure so yes, women are resorting to sex to burn calories.

Research shows 76 per cent of women are more inclined to weave the nocturnal workout into their routines if they think they will burn calories.

Sexercise fans: Kim Cattrall and Melanie B say having sex is a great way lose weight.  Who can argue with that?  Sex is great and burning off calories is just icing on the cake. 

Bottled Water Can Kill You

by Linda Franklin The Real Cougar Woman 

 
This is important!!!

Bottled water in your car or left out in any kind of heat is very dangerous!

On the Ellen show, Sheryl Crow said that this is what caused her breast cancer. It has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer tissue. Sheryl Crow's oncologist told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car. The heat reacts with the chemicals in the plastic of the bottle, which releases dioxin into the water. Dioxin is a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue.

So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left out anywhere it could get really hot or in a car. Pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind women need to know that just might save them! Use a stainless steel or a glass bottle instead of plastic!

 

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality.  Linda Franklin says,"there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible". Linda's book, Don't Ever Call Me Ma'am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Coffee Could Be Making You Fat

Caffeine, consumption over the long term is proven to reduce your metabolism. You start to need increasing amounts of caffiene just to stay alert. And,with a slower metabolism, you gain weight eating less food.

Caffeine also raises cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone responsible for fat  storage in the body. It causes your blood sugar to spike. As the caffeine begins to wear off your blood sugar plummets. This causes you to crave sugar. In other words you think your hungry when you’re really not.

Obviously this is counterproductive to your weight loss goal. Have you ever noticed you crave carbohydrates after a cup of coffee? This is why. Your body is trying to get you to eat carbs to get your blood sugar back to where it should be.

Sex Drive Ramps Up With Healthy Food

Do you have fond memories of your 20s? Eating anything you wanted, not  needing to exercise to stay slim and always being up for sex whenever the occasion called for it?

Well most 20-something year olds could. However, as I mentioned in my previous blog, I lost my libido when I was only 28-years old. I thought it was only my stressful work life and being on birth control. But now I know that there were many other things that contributed to my lack of libido.

Everything you do affects your libido.

Women’s Guilt Is Undeniable – It’s Time To Free Ourselves

Women’s guilt is undeniable   We are always apologizing and feeling bad about something. Here’s a statistic that might surprise you – or maybe it won’t.  Apparently, ninety six percent of women feel guility at least once a day and sometimes as much as four times a day.  If you skipped the gym today, which I did, or you forgot to call your mother, you are probably feeling guilty right now.

Dubbed the GAT (guilty all the time) generation, the study found women beat themselves up daily about their friendships, relationships, work and body shape. It also discovered that almost half of the women interviewed were kept awake at night by guilt.

Author, Erica Jong said: ‘Show me a woman who doesn’t feel guilty and I will show you a man’.

So what topped the list of things that make us feel guilty?

 Eating the wrong foods, followed by not spending enough time with family and neglecting work.  OMG what demon do we possess that drives us to always feel bad about something.  Susan Carrell, author of Escaping Toxic Guilt, said: ‘Women feel guilt when they don’t think they are being good enough in their various roles – especially as wife, mother and daughter. ‘That’s because familial, cultural and religious tenets teach women that being “good” is the most important thing. ‘When a woman feels she is not putting another first, she quickly feels like she’s doing something bad, then guilt rushes in.’

Men are completely different animals. They tend to externalise faults. If they fail an exam it’s because “the room was too hot” while women are more likely to internalise faults and would be more likely to admit to feeling guilty because “I am stupid”’.

Guilt is useless, I think you would agree, so let’s make a pact to rid ourselves of that energy sucking demon. To break a nasty habit, like guilt, we have to replace it with a better choice.  How about pride?  Instead of beating ourselves up when things aren’t perfect, give ourselves a big hug for making the effort or taking the risk.  Let’s give ourselves permission to be human.

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The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality.  Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest

Paula Deen Has Diabetes???

Paula Deen has allegedly been suffering from Type 2 diabtes.  If this is true it's not hard to figure out why.

'Ironically, the very thing that made her rich and famous turned her into a poster child for what could happen if you follow in her footsteps.'

One of Deen's most famous dishes is the Lady's Brunch Burger,  which is a hamburger topped with bacon and a fried egg and served on a glazed donut.

 

 

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
2 tablespoons grated onion
2 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
6 slices bacon, cooked
3 hamburger buns
3 English muffins
6 glazed donuts 

I hope this news about Paula isn't true, but I sure hope she starts using her culinary talents to start cooking healthy.