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By Kathryn Colas
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Podcast Description
I’m Kathryn Colas and Simply Hormones brings you the latest news on menopause and other women’s health issues like breast cancer, ovarian cancer and HRT. Learn what you need to know from someone who’s personally experienced and survived menopause or listen to my interviews with medical professionals.
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#18: Bio-identical hormones from your GP? | You heard right! Listen or read on to identify what to ask for. SH interviews Prof John Studd who continues to care about improving hormonal health in women. SimplyHormones Presents: Professor Studd on Bio-identical Hormones KC: I’d like to talk if I may about bio identical hormones. A lot of women are very interested in this because they are told it’s a more natural way to go because the hormones are absorbed in a more natural way than the equine oestrogen that’s mostly prescribed. Do you have an opinion on that? Bio-identical hormones have been available in the UK for 20/30 years! PS: Sure, I mean I’ve used nothing else but bio identical hormones for the last 20, 30 years. It’s been very common in Europe and what’s happened now is the Americans, now that they’ve overcome their love affair of horse urine and horse oestrones, they’ve just discovered it, they’ve just discovered the importance of using oestradiol, oestrone, testosterone and they’ve labelled this bio identical hormones and gullible people all around the world are thinking of this new American discovery which is a re-awakening on their part, a discovery of what we’ve been doing for 20 or 30 years and it’s quite true. If I hadn’t used Premerin for 20 years I think there’s no place for it whatsoever. We’re not horses, we’re not plants either, we should use natural human hormones, and that is oestradiol, oestrone and testosterone EHEA, which is the precursor to testerone perhaps, and natural progesterone if you can, and that’s all possible except the progesterone; we by and large use progestogen because it works. Progesterone cream doesn’t work, it’s not even absorbed, we’ve just spent, or I’ve just spent £100,000 studying this preparation and it’s not even absorbed, it has no effect with the bones, the mood, the flushes, the sweats. KC: It’s not metabolised. Want effective Progesterone cream? Ask your GP for Utrogestan PS: It’s still a racket that you go on the internet for £35 a pot per month and it’s a waste of your money. I wish it did work, it would be very, very useful and convincing logically and so we really, although we use the bio-identical oestrogen and testosterone we are by and large stuck with sythentic norethisterone or Provera, although there is a more natural progresterone called Utrogestan, which is effective, and so the compromise is that I use this almost natural progesterone Utrogestan. KC: So are the bio-identical hormones that you ‘re identifying with, where are they derived from, are they? Hormones naturally sourced from Vegetables PS: They all come from a laboratory. They don’t dig them out of the ground or dig them from trees, they are all made in a laboratory, by vegetable precursors and they’re pure and they are the same as the natural hormones in your body and my body. KC: So it’s just a case if women really want to go down the road of bio-identical hormones it’s really only available from a private practice isn’t it? Get your bio-identical hormones from your GP! PS: No that’s not true. There’s no reason why a general practitioner should not give you oestradiol either by tablets or preferably transdermally, that’s by patch or by gel, that would be my ideal way of giving hormones, through the skin, just rubbing the oestrogen gel or testosterone gel, or a patch, but the patch caused rings, black rings where they use it very much or with an implant of course, which is very effective, a very convenient way of giving natural oestradiol and natural testosterone. KC: That’s very interesting that you’ve explained that more fully, women can now go to their GP and say that I heard that you can prescribe me XYZ and they are then getting a la carte prescription aren’t they? PS: They may choose not to, and this happens more and more these days, and so many GPs have just shut | 1 5 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#17: Osteoporosis – the brittle bone disease you can prevent | SimplyHormones presents: An Interview with Prof John Studd, Vice President National Osteoporosis Society and Chairman of the British Menopause Society. Osteoporosis is a natural disease of aging but one we can ALL do something about – this brittle bone disease most often eats away at bones after degeneration of hormones at menopause. SimplyHormones Presents: An Interview with Prof Studd on Osteoporosis Prof. John Studd KC: I’d like if I may now to talk about osteoporosis, the silent disease as it’s often described. It’s something I very much don’t want to happen to me, I just can’t visualise myself walking down the road with a zimmer frame. The press and magazines, womens’ magazines are full of information telling us that we are supposed to be doing lots of exercise, weight bearing exercise, having better nutrition, in order to stay fit and healthy and stop the degeneration of our bones. What would you say, is that the right answer? Overweight? You won’t get osteoporosis! PS: Well there is some truth in that, but it’s more complicated. Having a good lifestyle, good diet and exercise is very good for you and what about exercise, it’s very good for the brain, it’s very good for the heart, it’s very good for the mood, depression etc and in large amounts it’s not bad for the bones, but I think it’s somewhat of a deception to think that if you just keep a good diet and you’re exercised by walking the dog for an hour a day, then that’s going to prevent osteoporosis, and I see it very often, you have these healthy 60 year old women, slim, healthy, who walk for 2 hours a day, with a dog, without the dog and they’ve got rotten bones. And they mustn’t think that because they are dog walkers and they exercise, that they are free from the risk of osteoporosis. Particularly, as I say, the thin women, the healthy thin women. By and large fat women don’t get osteoporosis, and the reason for that is because with this excess fat they make oestrogens in their body fat, and that protects the bones. Thin women and anorexics at risk of osteoporosis The thin women don’t make the same amount of oestrogens, so they are at higher risk, although they don’t know it, if they have a healthy lifestyle with lots of exercise. So it’s these women, they may have the menopause, they may have had anorexia when they were young, and they were very thin and healthy, and have lost their periods for 2 or 3 years when they were teenagers, they’re the ones that are at risk, whether they exercise or not. KC: I suppose that’s why women have a natural propensity to gain weight as they go through menopause, because their cells are changing into fat cells instead of energy cells and in our day and age that’s something we don’t really want to see, women don’t enjoy putting on weight, but actually it’s good for us. Weight gain in men and women is complex PS: Well, weight gain in men and women is a complex thing, I don’t think it’s that simple. As you get older you do less exercise, you probably eat more, you might even drink more. KC: Metabolism is slower. Fact: HRT does NOT cause weight gain PS: Metabolism is probably slower with age, so you tend to put on weight and I don’t think it’s a great deal to do with hormones, it’s to do with age and exercise. And the same thing applies to giving HRT, because HRT causes weight gain when it doesn’t . All the studies looking at thousands of patients over the years, what we call a longitudinal study does not show any increase in weight with HRT. There is an increase in weight, a small increase in weight with age and the menopause, but not HRT. Now that’s quite clear, but of course there is the occasional woman who has an idiosyncratic effect of oestrogens who does put on weight. You stop the hormones and they loose weight so you have to accept that. But if you are looking at a big pop | 24 4 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#16: Testosterone puts your lights back on! | Testosterone for libido, oestrogen for depression – when the imbalance of hormones with monthly PMT and later on menopause are the cause depression, why are women referred to psychiatrists and prescribed mind-numbing anti-psychotic drugs? You may well ask! Prof. John Studd, specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist tells us here, in the first of three interviews, about his quest to break down barriers in the medical profession to correctly treat women when hormone imbalance is not obvious. SimplyHormones Presents: An Interview with Prof John Studd on Testosterone, oestrogen and depression Prof. John Studd KC: I wonder if we can start in this interview by talking about low levels of Testosterone. Headlines that are attracting a lot of media interest, especially in space are talking about this, how men can improve their sex life just by having more testosterone. What’s your view from a woman’s perspective and the menopause? JS: It’s certainly true, there’s a relationship between Testosterone and libido and levels of Testosterone and ease of orgasms and so on, and we’ve literally known for a long time, and certainly in this country we’ve been using Testosterone for many many years. So it is not an American discover, it really is not. They are becoming aware about Testosterone about 20 years after we have in Europe, mind you the Americans are rather keen on treating men with Testosterone and they are just getting round to treating women with Testosterone. We forget that Testosterone is a normal female hormone. Women have 10 times Testosterone in their system, it’s just that we men happen to have more than women, thank the Lord, so it is not a male hormone, it’s not a foreign hormone and I would think that of all my patients that have HRT in various forms, probably about 80% have Testosterone as well as Oestrogen, and the reason for that is that it is good for their energy, good for mood, depression and of course for libido. They generally feel better if their Testosterone levels are at the correct level. KC: And I’ve read and even attended your lecture, when you’ve spoken in depth about this, but what do you think about the placebo effect? Do you think that plays a part as well? JS: There’s a placebo effect with any drug that you want to give, this is why it’s a very important that the study that we do have a placebo belonging to it. And I think I wrote the first paper on ‘Testerone and Placebo’ about 30 years ago and that was an uncontrolled study, and it is the one paper in my career that I regret writing up inadequately, because I did not, then, 35 years ago have a placebo belonging to it, so you are absolutely right, the results could all have been worthless, in fact they are not, they’ve been repeated many times and it’s quite clear that apart from a placebo effect there is an extra effect of Testosterone. KC: Yes, so it’s beneficial. JS: There is no doubt it’s beneficial to women. KC: And I’ve also read that you feel it’s beneficial, especially for depression as well. JS: Yes, absolutely. Depression in women is a complex thing. Much of it is hormonal, and improved with Oestrogen, transdermal Oestrogen; that’s Oestrogen put through the skin by gels, patches or implants. And also the addition of Testosterone does improve mood as well. And it’s very important because depression is more common in women than men and it occurs at times of hormonal fluctuation, like pre-menstrual depression, post natal depression, depression around the time of the menopause, depression after removing ovaries at hysterectomy. All of these types of depression in women should be treated as first option by Oestrogens and perhaps also Testosterone. KC: So there are a lot of benefits there and thank you for making women more aware of what it can do for our health. JS: What I would like to do is make p | 18 4 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#10: Cervical Cancer is a known STI | My interview with Gill Burgess tells you everything you ever wanted to know about this silent killer; cervical smears – why they’re important and much much more. Gill Burgess is the Cancer Screening Co-ordinator for Croydon PCT, specialising in Breast, Bowel and Cervical Cancers. Gill is innovative and forward thinking – just listen to what she has to say and the full transcript appears below. Interview with Gill Burgess on Cervical Cancer KC: Hello everyone, it’s Kathryn Colas here from SimplyHormones.com and I’m here today talking to Gill Burgess, who’s a Cancer Screening Co-ordinator for Croydon PCT (NHS Primary Care Trust) and her speciality is breast, bowel and cervical cancer, and we’re going to be talking to Gill this morning on cervical cancer to see if we can find out some more about it. So good morning to you Gill. GB: Good morning. KC: We’re going to be talking about cervical cancer, and I think the first thing our listeners would like to know is what is it exactly? GB: Well, it’s the most common cancer affecting women in developing countries Kathryn, and it’s caused by Human Papilloma Virus, which is an infection of the cervix. It’s associated with cellular changes which can be detected early on under microscopic examination; for example the smear test. HPV infection usually clears within a few months, I think it’s about 90% within 2 years. The problem is it’s persistent infection beyond 12 months which is associated with the high risk of cervical cancer. KC: And who is most at risk? GB: It’s transmissible mainly in the younger age group. You find most of it in women under the age of 30, but it’s younger people that will pick up this virus. It’s a very transient virus and it just goes from one to the other very very quickly, but like all viruses they move on as well, it’s those, that as I said earlier, that persist that create the problem of cervical cancer. And only a very small proportion will go on to develop the cancer as well. KC: So it’s still quite rare in a sense? GB: Yes the risk infection is soon after sexual activity begins. In some populations there is another peak among women actually at the menopause in older women, and although HPV is sexually transmitted, penetrative sex is not required for transmission. Skin to skin genital connections, penile to vulva for example, contact is a well recognised mode of transmission. KC: That throws a different light on it, doesn’t it? GB: Yes, I think some data was brought up a while back on age specific prevalency of HPV, suggesting that there’s a pattern of infection between regions and socio- economic groups. Also HIV infected individuals are at a higher risk of HPV infection. And they can be infected by a broader range of HPV types. So if you’ve got HIV you’ve got a low immune system and you’re very sexually active with different partners, then you are at a much greater risk. KC: I’ve also, continuing on risk, I’ve read some research that says the pill could increase the risk. Do you have a view on this? GB: Yes, there are risks to the pill. It is actually one of the contributing factors alongside having a lot of children, at the early age of the first sexual activity. Cigarette smoking is another huge factor. And long term use of the pill, you’re absolutely right, it is another risk along with co-infections like Chlamydia, because persistent infection, again, this is the risk factor. And the peak prevalence of the infection is in women under the age of 30, and, as I said earlier, those that are actually over the age of 50 going through the menopause. KC: So you say long term use of the pill, what would you describe as long term? GB: They won’t give the pill to obese women, or women who are over the age of 35 or women that smoke, because there are risk factors involved, but to me the pill is a better scenario than getting pregnant, because pregnancy is the | 10 4 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#3: The Pill is it right for you? | Listen to Alexandra Pope discussing HRT, The Pill; their toxicity and what is the tsunami of menopause? Such powerful information – if only I knew then… Transcript of INTERVIEW with KATHRYN COLAS and ALEXANDRA POPE Hello, Good morning. It’s Kathryn Colas here from http://www.simplyhormones.com and I’m here today with Alexandra Pope. Now Alexandra, together with Jane Bennett wrote a book called: ‘The Pill, are you sure it’s for you?’ And I think it’s absolute reading for everyone. Alexandra is also featured in a documentary called The Moon Inside You which has already been seen in a number of countries. Some background to Alexandra is that she was originally a teacher of English in both the UK and Australia before training as a psychotherapist and in Psychosynthesis resulting in 20 years of private practice in Australia. She now continues in the UK and Europe, running private and public workshops on menstrual cycle education. Kathryn Colas: Now, Alexandra, Good morning to you… Alexandra Pope: Good morning to you, Kathryn. It’s lovely to be talking to you like this. KC: Thank you, yes, we have been trying to do this for ages, haven’t we AP: We have indeed KC: I’d like to start with your book, Alexandra, The Pill, are you sure it’s for you. Now I’ve read your book and found it so informative. Tell me, what prompted you to research this subject and write a book, together with your co-author Jane Bennett and what’s your connection with Jane? AP: Well, I’ll begin with my connection to Jane. Jane and I have been friends for a number of years. This is in Australia and we both share a passion for menstrual education and Jane was particularly focused on girls work and has written a book in that area, you know, preparing girls for their first period and I, of course, was doing all the women’s work and so we would often rave about our favourite topic and we would also bemoan the low status that menstruation has, you know, that it just seems such a negative in our culture and we are just passionate about transforming that and what brought us to The Pill, was that Jane, herself, is a teacher of natural fertility management which is teaching women how to chart their cycles for birth contraception and conception purposes and so that is her area of expertise and she has written in that area and works with a very well-known Australian woman, Francesca Naish and then of course I was doing the menstrual work and women often use the pill for dealing with menstrual problems. Both of us were tracking the research, you know, as it would come out, it would be in the press and would be more research on the dangers of the pill and always this research was dismissed as it’s not, you know women, don’t really have to worry and oh, yes, yes that it causes and potentially causes this cancer and that cancer and don’t worry, keep on taking it. KC; It never seems to make the national press does it AP: It never seems to cause any kind of wake up. My God, this is a drug that is having all these side effects. It seems to have some sort of diplomatic immunity from any kind of questioning and the medical profession, generally speaking, there are individuals but they don’t speak out. We know of them because women have told us and individual doctors have spoken with us but in general the medical profession sees the pill as entirely safe that the jury is in. It’s safe. Women don’t have to worry; they can go to sleep now on contraception, you know; take the drug, don’t worry, that’s contraception solved. Big tick there let’s go on and do something else and actually, Jane and I are saying, no, no, no! The research is compelling. And anyway, it’s a drug, you know and all drugs have consequences and you’re shutting down a really vital system in women – the menstrual cycle. You can’t shut down a cycle and not have consequences. KC; Absolutely, yes AP: So Jane and I were getting more and more apopleptic an | 28 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#15: Celia Johnson reveals Top Tips-Fitness through Menopause | There are 3 areas to concentrate on but first off, take it easy by listening to how to achieve your body shape – then put all your promises into practice! KC: Hello everybody, it’s Kathryn Colas here from Simply Hormones.com. And today I’m here talking to Celia Johnson who Celia Johnson specialises in health fitness and wellbeing, and how that fits in with going through menopause. If you’ve been listening to these podcasts you may already know that Celia has interviewed me about menopause and we’ve discussed the seven dwarfs of menopause and the symptoms and how they are affecting women and we’ve also done an interview on depression but today we’re talking to Celia who specialises in heath fitness and wellbeing and how she can help us as we go through menopause, to understand our bodies better and get fitter. But first off, let me introduce you to Celia and we’ll find out a bit more about her. Hello Celia and welcome. How are you today? CJ: Oh hi Kathryn, great thank you. Very excited to help those women out there on the topic of exercise and menopause. KC: Good. First off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, where you come from, how you got into the health industry and where you are today? CJ: Right, well it started a long time ago. I was born in Preston, Lancashire,England. As from 18 I moved away from home. I lived in London and had a feeling that there was a career that I wanted to go on to and that started off with health and beauty. So I started off working for a cosmetic company in London, in the department stores, working with Mary Quant and Revlon, yes it was really great. I was into the makeup and everything and I really really loved it, I always thought the women in stores looked so glamorous I thought that’s what I want to do. T Then later on I moved to Ipswich, where I found my partner and then we got married, moved over to America, and again went in the department stores there, still working with the makeup, then I had a baby and started going to the gym because afterwards trying to get rid of… I was really big and fat, so I joined Gold gym, and I started in the gym and as then as I started to see results I thought “oh God this is fantastic”, but the problem there was I got addicted. I was in there morning noon and night, and also working as a job when I had the baby, I also did another college course in America, which was ‘cosmetology’, which includes hairdressing and manicure, pedicures, so I got a bit more into the beauty side of it by going to college and getting more experience there. Then I became a hairdresser. While I was hairdressing I started the gym and it just happened one day the instructor was off and the manager of the Golds gym said “oh God sorry ladies and gents we have no instructor, but I see someone who’s here 24 hours a day and that’s Celia. Celia what about if you’d like to take the class?” I said “what?”. He said “well you’re here 24 hours a day I know you know what to do” and I said “of course I know what to do but I’ve never taught a day in my life”. And all the people were saying “Oh great, come on Celia” edging me on, and then she said “Oh Celia, if you do it we’ll give you a month’s free membership”. So anyway I did it, but then after I finished it, it gave me a real great buzz, everybody was clapping and I though “uhh, God I could do this as a living, I love it”, so that’s when I transitioned then. Later moved over to Saudi Arabia, because my husband had started working over there, and so I thought, oh I’ll give some exercise classes to women. So 5 0’clock every afternoon I put on an exercise class and experimented with the ladies. Did different types of exercise and later on moved back to England, back to Preston where then started to work for a leisure centre and then decided I’m going to get qualified in the industry, so I got all my q | 17 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#14: Early Menopause-My sex life is over | Plunged into menopause at an early age is devastating but to find out later, rather than sooner | 21 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#12: Down to Earth Nutrition | Liver function, bowel health, weight gain-all in a day’s work! Here’s my interview with Shirley Ward. It was a great pleasure interviewing Shirley; she’s helped a huge number of people understand their health especially as they approach menopause. Click on the link to hear the interview, get top tips plus the transcript is set out below. KC: Hello, good morning everyone, it’s Kathryn Colas here from Shirley Ward http://www.simplyhormones.com. And I’m here today with some very good information for you on nutrition. That’s a subject we all need more information on to avoid further confusion. I’m talking to Shirley Ward from Down to Earth Nutrition who’s an established nutritionist and runs her own practice http://www.downtoearthnutrition.co.uk in Brighton, which is where she delivers a range of health improvement solutions. She gives private consultations and runs corporate workshops for improving employee health and wellbeing. Shirley has noticed a steady increase in clients with hormonal imbalance issues such as pecos which is polycystic ovary syndrome, which is becoming more prevalent and PMS of course, premenstrual syndrome, as well as menopausal symptoms. Shirley recognises that each client is an individual and has a unique lifestyle which can impact on their health quite differently and she helps clients take back control of their health by recommending small changes for significant benefits to their health so she’s really singing from my songbook there. Let’s start having a chat. Hello Shirley. SW: Hello Kathryn, good morning everybody good to be here. KC: I know you’ve helped a number of women going through menopause which is really why I really wanted to interview you, and I know our listeners are keen to hear more about the true values of nutrition. So let’s get started. “Why do I keep putting on this weight, when I’m watching what I eat”? I was so surprised to find out during my own journey through menopause how women’s metabolism is turned on its head and we store fat than energy, which of course then answers that question, “why do I keep putting on this weight, when I’m watching what I eat”? Can you describe for us Shirley your view on this? SW: Yes of course, it is actually quite a common issue with many clients that come to see me. But if we look at, as well as dealing with the menopause, around that age obviously we are ageing as we age our bodies become less efficient, converting food to energy rather than fat, you’ve got to combine that fact with the hormonal changes that are going on during the menopause, which combined can actually lead to additional eight gain for some women. If you think during the fertile years reduction of progesterone and she helps increase her metabolism so we therefore burn fat more efficiently, we’re going to turn less food into fat and more food into energy. During the menopause when we stop production of this fertility hormone, so this can be one fact linked with weight gain, combined with declining levels of oestrogen, can also be a factor, as this hormone can help stimulate production of controlling weight and mood balancing hormone called serotonin, it’s important, declining levels of oestrogen and this can therefore lead to increased cravings for carbohydrates. KC: We all know that one. SW: Especially, you can find yourself choosing the wrong type of carbohydrates which are linked with weight gain, so that can be quite an important factor. KC: Yes definitely and it seems to me a lot of women put that weight on around their middle and they become the apple shape. What tips can you give us to address this? SW: OK, well, perhaps if we can firstly look at why that may actually be the case, so when we store weight around the middle it can be a classic sign really of stress process and when you look at the way some women perceive the menopau | 16 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#11:Sex, Meaning and the Menopause | As seen in the Daily Mail, here is the interview: It was a privilege to interview Sue Brayne on her book: Sex, Meaning and the Menopause. Written for men and women, this book describes the pain and anguish, the broken relationships through misunderstanding menopause. A highly recommended read, now listen to the interview. Interview with Sue Brayne, author of Sex, Meaning and the Menopause KC: Hello everybody it’s Kathryn Colas here from Simply Hormones.com, and I’m here today to talk to Sue Brayne. Sue has written a super book that’s just come out called Sex Meaning and the Menopause. I’m going to just say a bit about that before we start talking to Sue. I’ve had a preview, and I like it very much. The book tackles taboos around sexual changes, looks at the grief of saying goodbye to youth and fertility, explores deeper spiritual significance of the ageing process, provides a different perspective on medical treatments and alternative approaches, and hears from men about what it’s like to live with a menopausal woman. I know my husband would like some input on that one. Anyway, hello Sue, nice to talk to you at last. SB: Hi Kathryn. KC: If we can just plunge straight into your book, I’d like to ask you what thoughts ultimately led you to wanting to write this book? SB: I got really fed up trying to find information that worked for me personally, and being told that I ought to have my menopause fixed through hormone treatment. I felt angry about that. I was certainly having some changes, but I was lucky with my menopause – I only had a few tepid glows, as I call them, and some headaches – but I noticed huge sexual changes. That was the big thing. I didn’t understand what was going on, but all the information I read about it was that I should get it fixed. If I didn’t, there was something wrong with me. I found that really distressing. KC: Yes, and it’s that dreaded ‘M’ word, nobody wants to mention it do they? So is it a dysfunction in need of treatment? What’s your view on this? SB: Well, I don’t necessarily think it is [dreaded]. Some women have a lot of symptoms that I didn’t, which are very distressing. When it is extremely distressing, we do have modern medicine that can help. Certainly to contain it, or to re-balance what’s going on. Everybody has every right to that treatment if it is available. But I think there’s an awful lot of women like me who aren’t necessarily distressed about what is happening to them, except there is a confusion about the sexual changes which are happening. Certainly my libido took a major plummet. [At the time] I didn’t understand this. [Most information] talks about the body beginning to malfunction. I thought, ‘No, it’s not. I’m 52. I’m just normally going through what my body should be going through at this age.’ KC: I read recently research on how it’s now being accepted that menopause is a major health event in a woman’s life. There’s so much information out there if you want to become pregnant, if you are pregnant, and if you’re a new parent, but there is still so little on the menopause itself. SB: My big issue is that the menopause is much more than a medical event. It’s much much more complex than that. [It’s also] a profound spiritual deepening. You’re called to the deepest part of yourself. You have to say goodbye to the woman that you were. You have to say goodbye to your fertility. You have to say goodbye to the fact that men don’t fancy you particularly any more – or certainly find you attractive in a different way – and you have to face the fact that you are now ageing. For me, it was a confusing time. I couldn’t find anything out there to help me. That’s why I ended up writing the book. So, the book is not about medical symptoms. It’s about deeper, complex issues that we face as individuals, and collectively, as we go through the menopause. KC: Yes, that’s right, because it i | 3 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#9: Breast Cancer-The Pill-menopause | A no-holds barred open discussion on breast cancer, the pill and menopause. Check out this online radio http://www.redshiftradio.co.uk, the Scarlet Ladies slot – a bit like Loose Women only it’s audio! It’s already happened, so click on the link for the recording. It’s great to have a UK based internet radio – check it out. | 16 11 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#8:Breast Cancer on the increase | Get the real story behind Mammograms and my preferred route of Thermal Imaging. Listen to Prof Gordon Wishart on why this disease is on the increase. Here’s the full transcript of the podcast interview: Hello it’s Kathryn Colas here of http://www.simplyhormones.com and I’m here today to talk to Professor Gordon Wishart about the early detection of breast cancer and how thermal imaging fits into this profile. Before I speak to Professor Wishart, let me tell you something about him. He’s a consultant breast and endocrine surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. He is distinguished for his pioneering work in the treatment of breast cancer, where he has introduced innovative and sometimes controversial techniques, which have subsequently seen wide acceptance and adoption. (If you want to find out more about Professor Wishart I’ve put all the details at the end of this transcript.) KC: Hello, Professor Wishart, and welcome… GW; Good morning. KC: I’d like to start if I may by discussing the current breast screening program. There’s currently a very good NHS screening program in place that calls forward women aged 50+ every 3 years, until the age of 70 for a mammogram. But it seems to me that evidence is becoming more widely available in the public domain about an alternative, less invasive method, and perhaps more effective method that can detect tumours at a much earlier stage, and that is thermal imaging. The use of a heat seeking camera. Professor Wishart, can you explain to our audience in layman’s terms how thermal imaging works? GW: Yes well, thermal imaging has been around for approximately 50 years, but the reason it’s come back to the fore is because there have been great advances in the digital camera technology, mainly because these are now being used by the military. And in addition to that we now have the ability to interpret these scans, which are lots of different colours, and we can interpret those with computer algorithms much more easily. So because of that we now have a system where we can take digital temperature pictures of the breast while it has been cooled and what we are looking for are areas of the breast that have abnormal blood patterns, or areas of the breast that don’t cool down during this period of cooling, and the reason that the cancers and tumours don’t cool down is that they encourage their own blood supply to go around them to feed the tumour, and these are abnormal blood vessels that don’t contract when they meet cold air, so they retain their heat, so those are the things that we’re looking for on an infrared scan. KC: It seems to be working quite effectively doesn’t it? GW: Well the recent research study that we publish said that it was very effective in detecting breast cancer especially in younger women, and that’s the great challenge for us. Most of the delays in diagnosis in breast cancer occur in women under 50 and it’s in that age group where the breasts are more dense, the mammograms are less sensitive and it’s just much harder to actually detect breast cancer in those women. KC: But it also seems to me that no-one is paying any attention to looking at ways of reducing the incidence of breast cancer. In my view I wouldn’t want to be faced with such a diagnosis and be subjected to disfiguring surgery and a lifetime of dependency on drugs, but instead it’s become the norm, if you like, where both the NHS and cancer charities channel the research and thus our understanding of the process towards looking at a truncated life after diagnosis and how they would provide a reasonable quality of life through drugs. What would you say to this? GW: Well I think the prevention of breast cancer is probably going to be something that we are going to talk more about. Up until now the two main risk factors for breast cancer are being female, and having a family history, of course neither of which you can do anything about. I think some of the things | 27 10 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#7: How to improve your pelvic floor and enjoy better sex | I recently interviewed Susan Gala who specialises in strengthenening the pelvic floor. What a find! She is already helping women avoid leakage and improve your sex life! This subject is so embarrassing and Susan handles it beautifully. Listen to the podcast – I am sure this will help you. Susan Gala Interview – The Pelvic Floor Hello, it’s Kathryn Colas here from SimplyHormones.com and today I’m talking to Susan Gala from pelvicfloorexercise.net about incontinence and how pelvic floor exercises can improve not only this much forgotten area of the body but how it can have a beneficial effect on your sex life too. Susan is a lifestyle fitness and wellness professional, which includes being a Certified Stott Pilates practitioner and a licensed massage therapist and she’s been involved in the industry for over 25 years, so she knows what she’s talking about. Susan’s enthusiasm for maintaining healthy lifestyles and wellness is contagious! She’s devoted some time and expertise to a new website called http://www.pelvicfloorexercise.net as she understands the problems that can develop when we don’t look after this particular area of the body. So, let’s talk to Susan, now. Hello, Susan and welcome. Susan Gala: Hello Kathryn, it’s a pleasure speaking with you today. Thank you for having me. KC: You’re most welcome it was a joy when I first found your details. I must say that, first of all I am most glad I found your website, I think it was through Twitter, one of those because what you’re doing is actually supporting what I’m trying to do.. In my professional life, of course, with simplyhormones.com, I’m always standing on my soapbox talking to women about incontinence and even vaginal dryness and what they can do about it. As you know it’s an area that’s acutely embarrassing for women to discuss with anyone, so to be able to interview you today is just brilliant and I hope all our listeners think so, too. So, let’s start with some questions. We’ll go on and talk about your new specialist feminine fitness regime called Sexercise(R), in a little while but first of all can you tell us something about the pelvic floor and how it gets into such a bad state? SG: The pelvic floor muscles can become very weak from life specific events which we need to be very aware of, such as pre and post-natal, menopause, the natural ageing process, obesity and oral nutrition, drinking excessive caffeinated fluids that irritates the bladder, the bowel and the nervous system; some medications can increase bladder dysfunction and, believe it or not, inactivity and what I mean by that is not being physically or sexually active. The pelvic floor muscles form a balance or a foundation that supports the bladder, uterus and rectum and just like other muscles in our body, such as the biceps and triceps in our arms, the quadriceps and ham strings in our legs, that need to keep strong for flexibility and balance, the pelvic floor muscles also need to be strong. KC: That’s quite interesting what you were saying, it’s not just an ageing process, it’s about diet and exercise and medication and all sorts of other things, too that you mentioned. So can you say why do we need to make sure it stays healthy and strong? SG: We need to make sure that the pelvic floor muscles stay strong because it insures us from incontinence, it protects us from infection and also I think that while we’re looking at the big picture, most women have babies and that is the foundation or the bowl of the pelvic floor muscles that hold up the bladder, uterus and rectum, that forms the birthing canal and also it is a very sexual epicentre which enhances our sexual desire and if we don’t keep those muscles very strong and active during life specific events, they become weak but also as we age or experience menopause, the area can become very dry. So the pelvic floor is your foundation for all movement, all balance, all flexibility and alignment and | 17 9 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#6: Target Ovarian Cancer | The Silent Killer! A recent phenomenon, in medical terms, and it’s up to YOU to find out about it – it could save your life. Look no further, here you will find symptoms and treatment options and ‘where to go next’ inforamtion. It has been a pleasure to interview Dr Sharon Tate. Raising awareness of this deadly disease can only help to improve the low survival rate. It’s such a recent phenomena, in medical terms, but symptoms can now be identified enabling women to take charge of their own health Trasncript of Interview with Dr Sharon Tate, Target Ovarian Cancer and Kathryn Colas, http://www.simplyhormones.com Kathryn Colas: Hello, good morning, it’s kathryn Colas here from SimplyHormones.com and I’m here today talking to Dr Sharon Tate of Target Ovarian Cancer. Target Ovarian Cancer is a charity dedicated to achieving a long and good life for every woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the United Kingdom, and working to improve diagnosis and treatment of this disease. This silent disease.. They have a challenge. Ovarian cancer in the UK today is characterised by low survival. We have the lowest survival rates in Europe. Low awareness, though lack of understanding. Chronic underfunding, that means they’re not getting the investment. Fragmentation, means it’s a piecemeal approach to research and patient care and there is no national platform, as such, just yet, so there’s no research grant for them. To me, that looks quite grim! And it seems to me that whatever stats I look at for whatever degenerative disease, the over 50’s seem to be prime candidates and I feel that by helping to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and the challenges to overcome it we can reduce the incidence of this dreadful disease, particularly in the most vulnerable age group, which just happens to be mine! KC: Good morning Dr Tate ST: Good morning KC: Morning. So, let’s get some answers for the listeners about ovarian cancer. How familiar do you think people are with the symptoms? ST: Well, Kathryn, awareness of ovarian cancer and, in particular, its symptoms is very low amongst women and we know, from a big piece of research that we did last year called the ‘Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder Study’ that only about 4% of women are confident in naming a symptom of ovarian cancer. KC: Right. That’s very low, isn’t it? ST: It is. This tends to be the case for women of all age groups. Women who are slightly younger, say in the age group 16 – 34 are a little less confident in naming symptoms than women who are more mature, say, age 55 or over but overall, awareness across all the age groups is poor. KC: It’s, poor, yes. Can you tell us about the most common symptoms and are they the same across the board in the different age groups. ST: Well, the symptoms most commonly experienced by women of all ages who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer include: an increase in abdominal size or persistent bloating, so this is not the kind of bloating that tends to come and go and fluctuate like women experience around a period or if they have food intolerances. It’s not like that. They also experience persistent pelvic or abdominal pain in the tummy or below and many of them experience difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and those three tend to be the major symptoms. However, occasionally, women do experience urinary symptoms so this may mean that they need to pass water more urgently or, perhaps, more often than usual. Many women experience changes in bowel habits so this may include ongoing diarrhoea or constipation and also extreme fatigue and back pain are symptoms that women do experience. And it’s important to bear in mind, as well, that the list I have just reeled off, is not a check list, per se, so women don’t have to be able to go down it and say, yes I’ve got that got that, got that one… KC: Yes. If I just interject there, because some of those symptoms you’ve mentioned cross over | 3 9 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#5: Menopause Real Lives: Marian Child | I had the pleasure of interviewing Marian Child on her own journey through menopause. Experiencing an Early Menopause, Marian felt lost; her own family were highlighting her symptoms, as she wasn’t recognising them. Marian Child Transcript of INTERVIEW with KATHRYN COLAS and MARIAN CHILD – June 2010 Hello, Good Morning, it’s Kathryn Colas, here from http://www.simplyhormones.com and I’m here today talking to Marian Child from her clinic called Marian Child. And I know that Marian specialises in a variety of different therapies which we’ll talk about during our conversation but we’re going to start by talking to Marian about her experience going through menopause. Marian thinks she’s now post-menopausal, she’s 45 and has probably gone through it earlier than most people which, normally you might reach post-menopause by about 51. So, Good Morning, Marian, how are you? Marian Child: I’m fine, thank you, how are you? KC: I’m very well, it’s a nice sunny day, here in Sussex. So let’s talk about menopause, Marian, you are currently, well still experiencing some symptoms but can you describe the symptoms you experienced as you were first going through menopause? MC: First of all, I started to suffer from hot flushes, both during the day and during the night because I wasn’t really sure what they were. I just thought it was a bit strange and then the periods stopped and that’s when I sort of, I guessed, that I’m quite young, I was 43 when they started, so I just wondered whether it was a blip in my health. KC: Oh, right, yes, yes. So you didn’t really experience, or, let me ask you, did you experience other symptoms that you may not have associated with menopause like loss of confidence, loss of self-esteem, or even mild depression. Do you think any of those might have affected you? MC: I think, possibly but that was the time I started to work for myself and when you’re working for yourself there is a lot of that when you’re on your own, so maybe I did experience them but it was a bit hit and miss with what I was going through anyway. So it wasn’t something that I identified. KC: No. But it might perhaps have added to your own feelings at the time because you were starting a new business? MC: Yes KC: Yes. OK. So now, we’re pretty sure that you’re post-menopausal now. You haven’t had any periods for a year, although they did briefly re-start once you’d done, you told me, didn’t you do some reflexology, or something? MC: I was practicing reflexology for my exams so thought I’d try it on myself and it seemed to co-inside with that because as soon as I stopped doing it on myself they did not come back again. KC: Ha, ha, how bizarre, isn’t it. Don’t know the answer to that one… MC: Might just have been coincidence KC: Yes, yes. But you say you are still experiencing some hot flushes? How’s that? MC: They’re not as they used to be, they’re just, sometimes I’ll suddenly feel warm. I don’t get the sudden flush and sweaty feeling in my face. I just feel unaccountable warm suddenly and I need to take my jumper off and then I’m back to normal again very quickly. KC: And do you get that many times during the day? MC: Yes, I’d say, seven or eight times during the day but not very often during the night, though KC: Yes, that’s good, that’s something. I do know from my own research that I was horrified to discover that elderly women in their 70’ still experiencing hot flushes. So, it’s obviously a hormone imbalance that we’re still experiencing in there, that’s creating these hot flushes. So it’s a bit rough on some of us, well, it just goes on, doesn’t it. We never seem to… Although other areas of our lives improve; I know from my own self, my health and wellbeing is certainly much more improved, have you found the same? MC: I think I’m still getting there, I think I’m still getting to the point… various things like m | 3 9 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#4: Early Detection of Breast Cancer | The early detection of breast cancer is essential, in my view. Detecting rogue cells up to ten years before they cause serious problems has to be our first line of defence. Here, I speak to Dr Nyjon Eccles about how Thermal Imaging can help reduce the incidence of breast cancer and how subsequent preventative measures can reverse the damaged cells creating good cells. Very powerful! Dr Nyjon Eccles Transcript of Interview with Kathryn Colas and Dr Nyjon Eccles BSc, MBBS, PhD, MRCP – July 2010 Hello, It’s Kathryn Colas here from http://ww.simplyhormones.com and I’m here today to talk to Dr Nyjon Eccles about Infrared Thermal Imaging for the early detection of breast cancer. First of all, I’ll give you a brief biography of Dr Eccles so you can see all the different things he’s done. Following his double doctorates (medicine and pharmacology) Dr. Eccles has worked as a general and naturopathic physician with special interest and experience in complementary nutritional treatments that promote well-being and recovery. He significantly expanded his knowledge of complementary medicine by blending research, extensive training and clinical practice. The outcome has been the compilation of an extremely powerful repertoire of treatments and products. He has a special interest in complementary cancer and cellular health therapy and has become well known for his treatment and product innovations in the field of complementary medicine and also for his research based verification of non- conventional treatments. As the medical Director of a private clinic in Harley Street he has become the UK’s leading clinician involved with Medical Infrared Thermal Imaging and particularly its application as a non-invasive tool for early detection and monitoring of breast cancer. Much of his time is spent in research and his reputation is supported by numerous papers and scientific reviews on a wide range of topics related to integrated medicine. Kathryn Colas: Hello Dr Eccles and Welcome Dr Eccles: Hello, Good Morning KC: I’d like to go straight into our discussion if I may and I think the first point I’d like to raise, as a woman is that I feel a radical change is needed, not just in breast cancer awareness but in diagnosis. Is mammography, still the equipment of choice to detect cancer cells and does it detect cancer cells early enough. Certainly from my perspective, I find mammograms barbaric and archaic; a piece of machinery that should be consigned to the recycle yard. What can you tell us …? NE: Well, the first thing to say is that I don’t think we can throw mammography away. That’s the first thing to say, it has a place, however, we need to clarify some reservations about this technology and perhaps I can start with that, so what I’m about to say is not in any way to say that this is a useless tool, it has a place but the listeners need to understand that basically, the use of mammography has not really lead to any survival advantage in terms of breast cancer. In other words, the whole screening programme has not improved survival rates, so, we’re failing with it. We’re not doing what we set out to do which was to reverse or stop breast cancer, at least reduce it. And the reason for this is because on of the problems with mammography is it can only detect a tumour when it is a certain size. A tumour has to be big physically big enough to block enough x-rays for it to appear on the plate by which time it is the size of a small grape. And that actually represents about 500 million cancer cells at that stage. This is not early detection and in fact between 60% and 70% of those that are detected by mammography are already starting to invade (cells) outside of that local space, so this is one of the problems. The other problem with mammography is it’s only offered to women, in the UK, at age 50. So what about women who are younger? Some of those, there’s an increasing incidence of breast cancer and they’re | 3 9 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#2: Menopause Real Lives with Wendy Calver | Hello, It’s Kathryn Colas, here from http://www.simplyhormones.com and I’m here today talking to Wendy about her experience of Menopause. Click on Recording and see transcript below… KC: Hello Wendy, How are you? Wendy: Hello, Kathryn I’m very well, thank you KC: That’s good. Can I ask you, from your experience of menopause, what your age is now? Wendy: 55 now KC: You’re 55. And do you know what stage of menopause you’re at? Wendy: Two years post-menopause KC: OK. So that really fits into the national average of between 51 and 54, really, doesn’t it. Can you remember what age you were when you started to experience symptoms? Wendy: I was about 45. I started to miss periods. I was quite fuzzy headed, un-confident, not myself. KC: No and I think that not a lot of women recognise those symptoms as potentially being the start of ‘the change’ as it were, do they? Wendy: No. I don’t think they do KC: No, because, like you, I experienced those same symptoms and didn’t really understand what on earth was going on. So, as you went on, what sort of symptoms did you start to experience? Wendy: Well, missed periods, fuzzy headedness, really not being very confident about myself; feeling not right; I was quite depressed, didn’t understand what was happening, really. I thought it was possibly menopause because both my mother and sister had gone through this at 45. KC: And I think, also, a lot of women don’t realise that depression seems to be a natural process of menopause. I know from my own research that depression is four times higher for women going through menopause than it is for the national average and, again, the same thing happened to me, so we’re not alone on that, are we? Wendy: No we’re not, definitely. KC: Did you use any kind of supplements or hormones supplements to try and help with, to reduce any of those debilitating symptoms? Wendy: Yes. I tried some Progesterone cream which I applied, which didn’t help. KC: It did help or it didn’t? Wendy: No it didn’t KC: Did you get it off the internet or from a therapist or something? Wendy: It was from a health food shop, I found a leaflet and I got the cream from there. KC: It didn’t really help very much then? Did you try anything else? Wendy: No. Not at that time. I just coped with it really. KC: Yes, as we do… Wendy: Yeah, that’s right. And I spoke to some ladies, menopausal ladies who gave me various ideas about phytoestrogens, the evening primrose oil. I thought the evening primrose oil was very good for the flushes but it didn’t really make me feel any better, generally. KC: I think that’s why some women go into these health food shops, as I did and end up with a basked full of goodies, not really understanding how much to take, when to take it, how it’s going to benefit us. Wendy: And it’s pretty expensive as well. KC: It is, yes, very expensive. Can you tell me did you go onto HRT or anything like that? Wendy: Yeah, I originally asked my doctor for HRT but she wasn’t happy about giving it to me, then a few years later, my hair started falling out and I was really getting distressed so I went to the doctor again and I told her what was happening to me and then she did give me HRT patches and now, my hair is thinner, it’s never come back completely but it’s far better than it was. And it basically gave me my life back, the HRT, made me feel a lot better. KC: I think HRT has had a lot of bad press because it seems that it can contribute to the incidence of breast cancer but it seems to me that, again, having read the research, the risk is all relative, it’s a very small risk and it’s all down to your own history because cancer doesn’t start overnight, of course and it takes several years for those cancer cells to grow and grow and grow and cause serious problems. So I think HRT in my view, I don’t know if you agree with me, is a definite choice for women whe | 3 9 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 16 Episodes |
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