Women Talking Frankly

Welcome to our second Women Talking Frankly newsletter edition! 
 
 Thank you for becoming a follower of our podcast and our Facebook page - as well as a subscriber to our newsletter. We have now recorded a total of 54 episodes, so if you are someone who just recently discovered us, you have so many wonderful 
episodes to choose from! 

As always, we want to hear from YOU. Please feel free to comment on our Facebook page and write a review both there and on Spotify. Your input does matter to us and will help to shape our future shows as well as the content of our newsletters. Our community is growing rapidly as women become more aware of the challenges that the second and third acts of life can bring - thank you for being a part of it!
 
This month’s podcast episode centered on what is causing the alarming rise of breast and colon cancer in women younger than 50. Like most diseases, the change in our environment is having a large impact on our health and wellness - so be sure to tune in and learn what is happening, why it is and what YOU can do about it.
 
Wishing you balance and health, 
 
Kyle and Candace

A WTF! 
Moment 
w/ Kyle
I subscribe to Katie Couric’s newsletter and I often get some pretty amazing and up-to-date information from that site. Candace and I have been waiting for just this moment for over 20 years: the convergence of women journalists, medical providers and activists in order to finally shine the spotlight on OUR health issues and concerns. A recent article by Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, executive director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU Law, provides an in-depth look at what is happening in the world of menopause and how YOU can take action as well.  
Jennifer, along with Dr. Mary Claire Haver, also created a a free digital booklet called “A Citizen’s Guide to Menopause Advocacy.” In her forward to this guide, she shared some startling facts from Maria Shriver that should make ALL of us scratch our heads and say, WTF!! Thankfully it looks like things might finally be moving in the right direction (though nothing is guaranteed as things are changing so fast on Capital Hill).
 
~Women make up over 50% of the population in the U.S. (and we tend to have more chronic diseases as well) but only about 10.8% of the money allocated for medical research goes to study women’s health!! 
 
WTF!!!!!!  
 
~Maria worked with the Biden administration, which created the very first White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. This led to a change in how funds are allocated and an Executive Order called on Congress for an additional $12 billion to help balance things out more fairly.    
 
We must take action to keep the pressure on the current administration so that we will continue to have adequate funding for research affecting women!
 
Also be sure to download the guide (linked above) as it has some specific action steps that you (we) can all take.  
 
Check out this excellent article and guide for women concerned with issues surrounding perimenopause and menopause as well. 
 
Be sure to share all of this info with the women whom you hold dear!! 
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HOT NEWS FLASH!
Sleep Week stats reveal that women in perimenopause & menopause are particularly vulnerable to sleep problems & disorders as they age.
 
1 out of 3 women going through hormonal changes have trouble staying asleep at least 4+ nights a week! 1 in 4 women can’t fall asleep - add to that the nearly 50% of women in perimenopause who say they never feel rested when they wake up in the morning.  
 
These and other stats are food for thought, especially when Sleep Awareness Week (March 9-15) rolls around and challenges us to think sleep hygiene & ask ourselves: 
 
Are you getting enough sleep to flourish in life? 
 
What does ‘flourishing health’ look like for women during times of hormonal change, when the night sweats, aches & pains and/or multiple trips to the loo wake us up at all hours? We women like to kid each other that we can call a friend at 3am since we’re all awake anyway :-) 
 
But no joke! The facts back us up on that:  
→ more than 30% of us have trouble staying asleep
→ A quarter of us have trouble falling asleep
→ 56% get less than 7 hrs of sleep a night, on average
 
It’s no surprise that a good half of women (49.9%) wake up in the morning feeling tired… and how many times have you heard people say they’re ‘tired all the time’?  
 
Constant fatigue & ‘crap sleep’ need not be your lot in life! In this WTF episode (#34) How Hormones Hijack Your Sleep During Perimenopause and Menopause, Dr. Valerie Cacho, an integrative sleep medicine physician, shares what it takes to get your Vitamin ZZZ, w/ action tips sure to put you to sleep (just not during the podcast!😊)
 
Dr. Cacho is the CEO of Sleephoria, an online educational and sleep wellness company for women.

hormones rule
Progesterone and PMS
Meet Dr. Katharina Dalton, MD: the British physician who unlocked the mystery of premenstrual syndrome and put PMS on the map over 70 years ago!  
 
Dalton became involved in the treatment of PMS in 1948, when, as a pregnant 32-year-old medical student, she realized that her monthly migraines had disappeared. Consulting with endocrinologist Dr. Raymond Greene, she concluded that her headaches were linked to a deficiency in the hormone progesterone, which drops before menstruation but soars during pregnancy.  
 
Her views were in direct conflict with those of many of her male colleagues back in the 1950s, who brushed off women’s monthly symptoms as more psychological than physical. (And still it happens!) But Dr. Dalton proved that it was just the reverse, and that women were not making it up when they described agonizing periods, hot flashes, night sweats, migraines and Jekyll and Hyde mood swings!  
 
She even concluded that Queen Victoria suffered from PMS, as indicated by historic anecdotes of the monarch’s monthly screaming and throwing objects at her husband, Prince Albert! A case of Hormones ruling the ruler! 

Kyle's Favorite Thing this Month
Last month I was in Todos Santos on the Baja peninsula of Mexico. I went to the Mercado Organico (organic market) and found a lovely booth (Aine Botanicas) that sold tinctures/powders and immune shots all designed to promote wellness. I bought a few of their immune shots as my husband had picked up a nasty cold on the plane down to Mexico. Not only were they yummy, but they really made him feel better and I have to think they helped him recover just that much more quickly!
 
Each shot is packed with a generous dose of cold-pressed ginger, complemented by lime, orange, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Per the Aine Botanicals website, here are some of the reasons to make and take these immune boosters: 
Digestive Health: Ginger restores balance and promotes a healthy gut by promoting the production of bile in the stomach to stimulate your digestive system.
 
Inflammation Reduction: Ginger, turmeric, and cayenne pepper are scientifically shown to reduce inflammation and soothe aches and pains in the body while promoting comfort in your joints. Great for those with arthritis!
 
Renewed Energy: Ginger oxidizes the blood and brain, boosting focus and mental clarity and helping you to experience renewed energy throughout the day.
 
Immunity Boost: Ginger strengthens your body's natural defenses, helping you to quickly and easily fight off any nasty bugs.
There are many recipes available on the internet but THIS one looks very close to the one we tried. You could also add some fresh lime juice if you want. Store the whole batch in the fridge. These are delicious and pack a little kick! 
 
Try one and let me know what you think! 
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Candace's Inspo: Sayin' It Like It Is!
With a 4-month old pup and a husband recovering from knee surgery at home, boy can I relate to this quote from NYT author, Leslie Jamison:
 
“The flip side of saying no is saying yes more fully, less grudgingly — because I’m not living life like a pat of butter spread too thinly across toast.”

 

 
We invite you to follow us on Facebook and become a subscriber of both our Podcast AND our newsletter. Our community is growing by leaps and bounds and we want YOU to be a part of our dynamic conversation!
 
 

See you soon!
Kyle & Candace
 
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