The Menopause Minute - Volume 73

Dear Red Hot Mamas

Fortunately, as founder of Red Hot Mamas many women share their concerns with me. Some feel great throughout menopause and are able to weather the storm of its typical symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and mood swings. Others are unfortunate and say, all I think about is whether I will feel normal and well again. These women feel as if they have lost control of their lives and feel helpless as what to do next. Menopause is a wakeup call and makes us realize the paramount importance of our health. Read More

Confessions of a Hypochondriac

I seem to have a bump on my head that isn’t going away. It’s a small bump, about the size of a pea (though, the thought of putting it in my ham soup makes me rather ill). It doesn’t seem to be growing in size or be getting any worse, but it certainly isn’t getting any better either.

I don’t think the bump has anything to do with my hypochondria tendencies. Throughout my life, I have been troubled by many different symptoms, all of which signal the onset of frightful (at times deadly) conditions. My bookshelves are filled with titles like Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment, 1995 and text books like Lessons in Physiology and Hygiene and French’s Differential Diagnosis. My computer bookmarks allow me to stream information instantly from The American Medical Association and other top medical organizations. I am a self-admitted hypochondriac, but what people don’t realize is- this does not make me exempt from real life medical problems!

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The Medical Side of Hypochondria

Hypochondria is a medical disorder where the sufferers believe they are experiencing a medical illness. They believe the symptoms they have are all attributed to medical ailments. Their fears are out of proportion with the illness and are based on symptoms that are non-existent.

Hypochondriacs attribute pain to major illness and believe the worst will happen to them. They oftentimes make recurrent visits with doctors, use a disproportionate amount of medical services, i.e., lab tests, surgical procedures and the like. Many are concerned with their own death due to their condition. They spend much time worrying and discussing their symptoms that are usually non-existent. Or, they make up conditions. Doctors are guilty of this too! Some doctors are eager to find, or invent new illnesses for us. New diseases usually get published in research journals or in the news if they are especially scary or seem interesting. Some are truly bizarre:

• Hairdresser’s Nipple- inflammation caused by the stubble burrowing into the nipple
• Telephone Stroke- holding a receiver twixt head and shoulder can block bloodflow
• Waterskier’s Enema- When women fall bottom first into water at high speed
• Information Fatigue Syndrome- Confusion caused by excess media

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Red Hot Mamas Website Makeover

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you; our website has a new and improved look! More and more Red Hot Mamas subscribers are accessing our content online, so we decided to get a makeover. We redesigned and added new features. You'll find more frequent menopause news updates throughout the day, expanded headlines, a better-integrated bulletin board and easier access to our popular e-newsletter, The Menopause Minute.

All registered users can now access and comment on our content as part of their membership. Scroll down the home page and check out our expanded, better organized menopause content.

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