Mary:  Due to illness, Power Surge Founder and Host, Dearest, asked me to take
over her guest chat tonight, so I'll be your host tonight. 

Dearest's guest tonight is Carol Schulz. Ms. Schulz's 25 years experience as a 
speaker and professional consultant to major U.S. and European companies has made 
her acutely aware of the possible implications of menopause in the middle of a 
career.

Carol has earned national recognition in televised appearances and book signings. 
She has conducted workshops on menopause for two major healthcare organizations 
that were interested in offering the women in their healthcare plans alternatives 
to HRT.

Carol is the author of "60 Second Menopause Management: The Quickest Ways to
Handle Problems and Discomfort", an informative "survival guide" on how to deal 
with distressing symptoms that occur at meetings, in the office, or in bed, plus 
quick remedies for coping with hot flashes, solutions for uncomfortable intimate 
moments, suggestions for tapping into natural food, vitamin and mineral 
resources, plus current research on menopausal women and heart disease, breast 
cancer, and osteoporosis. It also investigates the pros and cons of Hormone 
Replacement Therapy. 

Good evening, Carol. Many women on the message boards have wondered how in the 
world you can manage menopause in only 60 seconds. Could you give us a few 
samples of quick and easy tips, please? 


Carol Schulz:  Sure! Wear cotton, don't eat spicy foods, buy Replens, take 
calcium supplements, etc. 


Mary:  Could you please tell us some quick remedies for coping with hot flashes?


Carol Schulz:  First of all, start a Hot Flash Log to track what triggers it.


Mary:  Don't many women just have hot flashes with no triggers? 


Carol Schulz:  Then wear cotton, dress in layers, take vitamin C twice a day, E 
twice a day, B complex 1 time a day, and eliminate triggers such as alcohol.


Grace:  What kind of calcium supplement do you recommend? 


Carol Schulz:  Calcium Caltrate - NOT Oyster calcium. Take 600 mg.in the a.m. and 
600 mg. in the evening. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that this 
regimen will protect your bones as toothpaste protects your teeth. Keep one in 
your medicine cabinet and one in the kitchen.


Grace:  Thank you


Mary:  Can you explain the difference to the audience? 


Carol Schulz:  Calcium Caltrate is absorbable - oyster shell is not. 


Grace:  Thanks again


Daisy7521:  On Tuesday, my doctor put a estrogen patch on me, and on Wednesday I 
started the HRT pills, and did not sleep good at all, Tues. or Wed. night..will 
the insomnia go away? The Hot flashes have disappeared already. 


Carol Schulz:  Most women give up on HRT within 9 months because of the ups and 
downs in the beginning.  Daisy - Have you eliminated caffeine?


Daisy7521:  Yes, no caffeine, or salt


Carol Schulz:  One way to ensure a good nights sleep is to take up a walking 
program - 30 min. or one mile per day.

One woman (not on HRT) had a hot tip. She created an "Ugly To Do List" and kept 
it by her bed.  When she woke up the first night she made herself get up and do 
the first thing on the list - clean out a closet. After an hour, she went to bed. 

The second night she woke up and did the next chore - went back to bed. 

The third night she woke and thought "UGH, I really don't want to do anything 
right now and went to sleep. The fourth night she didn't wake up.  The worst 
thing you can do is to stay in bed when you cannot sleep - get UP!


Daisy7521:  Thanks Carol.


Mary:  That sounds like a great idea! If nothing else, you'd have a clean house 
:) Thanks :) 


Irene:  Do you feel the powdered Cal/Mag products are more effective than 
caplets/tablets? 


Carol Schulz:  Irene: I think they are fine. Just be sure to that you are taking 
at least 600 mg twice a day (according to the National Osteoporosis Organization). 


Irene:  Thanks 


Mary:  Thanks, Carol! Karroli, go ahead please 


Karroli:  Are there certain foods that trigger the hot flashes?


Carol Schulz:  You all need to know that I am not a physician - I was just a 
women who couldn't find any answers so I held focus groups with women who had 
been through it and I asked them to share with me their ideas on how to handle 
the symptoms. They worked for me and others but real medical questions should be 
presented to your MD.

Sharp cheese, spicy foods, alcohol, a relationship that is testy! That's why a 
log is so helpful. I know if I have a red wine I am going to have a flash. 
Sometimes it is worth it!  


Karroli:  Thank you  


BobbieLou:  My face gets really red and I am not hot at the time, what causes 
this flushing? and how do I prevent it?


Carol Schulz:   When a hot flash begins, the heart rate goes up, increased blood 
flow rises to the skin causing flushing.  As the temperature rises, the body may 
begin to sweat. Within a few minutes, as the sweat evaporates, the skin is cooled 
and you may feel chilled. The answer especially for working women - lighten up on 
the makeup! Go into the restroom and put a cool towel on your forehead - In a 
meeting hold a glass of ice water against your wrist (no one will notice) take a 
drink, too. On the train find something cool to put your wrist against.


BobbieLou:  Thanks 


HSpec:  Any suggestions for cutting down on the trips to the bathroom in the 
middle of the night? I have no liquids after 9pm and bedtime is usually around 
midnight.


Carol Schulz:  Well this is a funny (not so funny when you wake up 2/3 times a 
night). Do your Kegels. It is an exercise for your bladder. 


HSpec:  I do those all the time. 


Carol Schulz:  They are done like this: While urinating, try to stop the flow of 
urine. The muscles you use to do that are the muscles that need exercise.  
Practice makes perfect. Once you can successfully stop the stream, hold it for 
about 3 seconds. Count 1001, 1002, etc. Start and stop a few times. Eventually 
you will get so good you can do it on the shopping line, in the market. 

One caution - you must remember to breathe (quietly) or your co-workers may begin 
to look at you strangely. (As in the scene in Harry Met Sally)!


Cricket:  I Quit HRT because of the bloating and my breasts got huge, I can't 
seem to lose the water even without HRT. Any suggestions?


Mary:  Remember, Carol isn't an MD :) 


Carol Schulz:  Bloating with HRT is a common problem. People think HRT makes them 
look younger what it is actually doing is blowing some of you up and reducing the 
wrinkles! Did you consult your MD? May be there is some other problem? 


cricket:  Thanx 


Kit44:  Any suggestions for painful intercourse? I'm not on HRT. 


Carol Schulz:  Well, now we're talking! Earlier I mentioned Replens - many find 
comfort using it. Follow the directions as posted on the package. Some women then 
reduce the number of times they use. OR try a capsule of Vitamin E and put that 
to use.

KY Jelly works, too. Avoid douches, perfumed toilet paper, bath soaps, 
antihistamines - they all dry us out. Also, and here's the fun! Try longer 
foreplay and do have regular sexual activity!


Kit44:  Thanks. 


Suz:  In your focus groups were there any overwhelming tricks to handling hot 
flashes, flushed faces etc. when in the middle of a meeting:-) *just read the ice 
water/wrist idea* 


Carol Schulz:  Yes, you need to think about what you are doing in the meeting - 
are you presenting? Then dress in clothes that breathe. The main problem is that 
we PANIC! Don't - the more you breathe naturally - the faster it will dissipate. 


Mary:  I'm assuming you're in menopause. With all the research you've done, what 
is your personal choice for HRT, if you take it - and why? 


Carol Schulz:  I do not. I have been researching this for a long time and my 
educated choice was not to take it. If you chose to, you should not take it 
longer than two years. My book relates lots of studies that suggest that that is 
the time frame for safety. 

We will not know how the National Institutes of Health research project turns out 
until 2007. It is testing women that take calcium supplements and vitamins with a 
regular exercise program versus women who take HRT to see which group fares the 
best on Breast Cancer.


Mary:  Thanks, Carol! 


Grace:  This isn't really a question, but I see you use humor a lot. Is it one of 
the things you find helps? 


Carol Schulz:  Absolutely! I think we were programmed a long time ago to think 
that menopause was the "vapors" - actually your own experience may reflect your 
Mom's so each of us should ask our Mom how her menopause was. She may say, "Oh, 
it was nothing" that's because we didn't talk about it then. 

Actually, there are a lot of women 50 plus who are having the time of their lives 
- you know the feeling just before you get a period? The time when you rip the 
house up cleaning? That is what it is like when you get over the hump. There are 
lots of us out there with a big smile on our faces and that's not for nothing 
Baby! 


Grace:  Thanks...interesting observation too. Can't wait for that day to come. :) 


Kit44:  In reference to not using bath soap - what do you use to clean with?


Carol Schulz:  Cleaning - Water - get one of those hoses that attach to the 
shower and use just a light spray of water to clean yourself once a day.


Irene:  Did your focus groups have postmenopausal women represented and if so did 
they continue to have issues with menopausal symptoms? As I am 3+ years post, 58 
years old and feeling somewhat better but still have a way to go so this is a 
concern for me.


Carol Schulz:  Irene: I am one of those post people. I do presentations for a 
living and when I an nervous or FORGET to take my vitamins - ah - there it is 
again - a little flash. I had my last period 9 years ago. Yes, when I have wine 
it gets a little warm but not enough to notice anymore. 


Kit44:  How important is regular intercourse in reference to painful intercourse - 
how many times a week is considered regular? 


Carol Schulz:  That is a tough question. I guess whatever was usual for you 
before. Have you tried X rated movies? I sound like Dr. Ruth now. I would first 
try the Replens or KY Jelly. What the real answer as to regular is I would have 
to ask an MD - most of my friends tell me they have sex twice a week. 


LaAthena:  I heard that with HRT you only receive benefits, such as increase of 
bone mass after the first 18 months. Would you say that was true? 


Carol Schulz:  Ah, good question! I don't know but what I do know is this. There 
has been two/three studies with women who were 50 - 70 years old and sedentary. 

The studies state (NY Times) that walking a mile a day helps delay bone loss. In 
one study a year long, it was found that women who walked about a mile a day had 
7 per cent more bone density than those who didn't walk. 

In another study they took the women and split the group (Tufts University). All 
the women were given bone density tests before and after the study. Half the 
group met with a trainer twice a week. 

They spent 5 min. on the bike, five min. stretching, and forty-five min. of light 
weight training. The other women did nothing. 

At the end of the year, researchers found bone density among the sedentary women 
had dropped 2 per cent while that of the women in the exercise group increased an 
average of 2 per cent. They also gained better balance (less hip fractures) AND 
HAD A BETTER ATTITUDE AND SOCIAL LIFE. 


LaAthena:  That's very good to know. Thanks a lot.


Mary:  Carol, are there any final quick tips you'd like to share with us tonight? 


Carol Schulz:  Thanks - I hope this was helpful. Soy is an important ingredient 
in reducing hot flashes and many more side effects of menopause. It comes frozen 
called "Edamane" or something like that - it is great and tastes like nuts. It 
also comes in a powder you can add to juice. OH VERY Important - when you eat an 
orange - DON'T throw away the skin. The white of citrus fruits is an instant hot 
flash reducer. Eat as much of the white as you can. In my book there is a recipe 
for a honey & orange juice tonic you keep in the fridge and take it when you feel 
one coming or you know that you may be upset. Take a tablespoon and it is a 
goner. Above all - be happy. 


Mary:  Thanks, Carol! I know Dearest is sorry that she missed this most 
informative chat this evening. Perhaps you can return to Power Surge another time. 


Carol Schulz:  Thank you Mary - I would love to return! Happy Hots to All - Catch 
the ZEST! 


Mary: Everyone joins me in thanking you, Carol, author of "60 Second Menopause 
Management: The Quickest Ways to Handle Problems and Discomfort" for a wonderful chat.  




Disclaimer:  Every guest in Power Surge is a highly respected professional whose
opinions are his/her own. An appearance in Power Surge does not constitute an 
endorsement of a guest's views.

None of these transcripts may be reprinted or reproduced without 
the express permission of Power Surge™ and the respective guest.



Dearest
aka Alice Stamm
Power Surge
Founder, Facilitator, Host


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