The Menopause Minute - Volume 99

Have you ever walked out of your doctor's office feeling confused about what he/she has told you? I must confess, it frequently happens to me. Mid life crisises are rare, but mid life confusion is a common malady, especially at menopause!

To make matters worse, I find it difficult to keep track of all the continually changing advice we get fed from news reports. Forgetfulness is at the beginning of the list of changes occurring at menopause, so I know I'm not alone.

I've spoken to many Red Hot Mamas and they feel the challenges of taking care of their health are truly not as easy as we think. The more we do for our health at middle age to prepare for aging, the better.

One of the best things we can do for our health now in order to set up for success in the future is to learn what we can control. A key component in that is to be able to identify your risk factors for getting certain diseases. Then, you can make changes to your health by incorporating healthy behaviors to reduce those risks.

If everyone knows the harmful effects of cigarettes, then why do 1 out of 5 women in the US (about 20 million) continue to smoke? For women at menopause, the effects are even more unpleasant. Here are the hard, cold facts:

In college, I wore them to avoid people seeing that I only had four hours sleep. Now, I wear them religiously to prevent wrinkles, as I always squint when it's sunny outside. Celebrities always seem to wear them. Sure, they may be wearing them to avoid eye contact with the public, but why is it important for you to wear them whenever the sun shines?

Sun can damage our eyes because they emit different types of rays (visible, infrared and ultraviolet). The invisible UV rays may damage your eyes and can lead to vision impairment, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and yes, your eyes can get skin cancer in the orbital area. Sporting sunglasses can help avoid these damaging conditions. Which sunnies are best?