Menopause Expert Toni Hurst shares Menopause management news and commentary at MyMenopauseConnection.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140 http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140 http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/76044/participate Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:15:34 -0400 Toni Hurst On tonight's evening news, I heard a story about cancer patients who participated in a drug trial who got great results. At the end of the piece, the reporter said that the results were so good that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) would fast-track its studies on the drug, meaning it might be on the market in a year or two.   I thought, "If I had cancer, I'd sure want this drug faster than that." I wondered how I could... http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/76044/participate http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/74915/menopause-drugs Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:44:59 -0400 Toni Hurst One of my last blog posts was about new drugs being developed to help relieve menopausal symptoms. Since then I've found even more drugs or treatments that are new or in the works. I am so excited about them, I wanted to share right away! Some of these drugs are being researched by huge pharmaceutical companies, and while I'm no cheerleader for the big drug companies, just the fact that they are looking into this stuff indicates to me that they... http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/74915/menopause-drugs http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/73877/reproductive Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:13:59 -0400 Toni Hurst Over the weekend I became a grandmother. I don't like the concept much, or the word "grandmother" at all. Where I come from, grandmothers have blue-gray hair and always disapprove of what you're doing. They're old and infirm. They aren't active and young (!) like ME. In fact, when I found out I was a grandmother, I was on a rock-climbing trip. Grandmothers aren't rock climbers.   Don't get me wrong; I instantly fell in love with my... http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/73877/reproductive http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/73451/promising-drugs Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:32:47 -0400 Toni Hurst For those of us suffering from menopausal symptoms, help is on the way. Or MAY be on the way. Several new drugs are in development that promise relief for some of menopause's most annoying symptoms.  These drugs are not approved for use by the FDA yet, so don't expect your health care provider to prescribe them. Some are just now going through trials.   One, called Menerba, shows promise in relieving hot flashes without hormone... http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/73451/promising-drugs http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/61888/skinny-dry-skin Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:53:00 -0400 Toni Hurst Sometimes I feel like a prune.  Everything seems to be drying up and wrinkling. The skin on my upper chest and back constantly itches. Honestly, I have a back scratcher in a desk drawer at home and one at work. My scalp has started itching. No amount of hand cream helps my hands. I feel like I have the creepy-crawlies. What's going on?   I asked my dermatologist. He said one word: Menopause. The lack of estrogen, to be... http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/61888/skinny-dry-skin http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/60210/menopause-sexy Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:15:00 -0500 Toni Hurst Can there be a woman on Earth (or at least in this Hemisphere) who hasn't seen an episode or a season of the TV show, Sex and the City? I was never a fan of the show starring Sarah Jessica Parker, but friends dragged me to the film when it came out and I have to admit, it was fun. If you haven't seen it, it chronicles how these women with incredibly silly lives start to grow up a little and begin realizing what's really important in... http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/60210/menopause-sexy http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/58502/menopausal-woman Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:41:00 -0500 Toni Hurst I'm sure it hasn't escaped anyone's attention that Valentine's Day is coming up. I remember when I used to like that day. I even looked forward to it. The romance. The anticipation. But in recent years, it's been The Dread.   Sometimes I feel like our bodies are just not made for sex anymore. In my case, my middle is decidedly unsexy. I feel like I swallowed a beach ball. Next, most of us are always tired. I don't know about you, but I... http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/58502/menopausal-woman http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/56974/mad-hell Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:16:00 -0500 Toni Hurst I just read a newspaper article about a woman in the Midwest who says she was fired because of her menopausal symptoms, and if it's true, I am hopping mad.   Bad enough that we have to go through hot flashes, weight gain and mood swings, now we have to fear for our jobs, too? I know what it's like to lose your job because of age discrimination. Ladies and friends: This has got to stop!   The woman in the Midwest said she was caught... http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/56974/mad-hell http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/56110/beauty-inside Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:40:00 -0500 Toni Hurst I'm so happy that my fellow expert on this site has written about osteopenia and osteoporosis, and enlightened me about the drugs being touted. Sandy Greenquist's post from 1/12 shows how words from an ad agency can mislead doctors, clinicians and smart women like you and me.   I worry about osteoporosis, since I have been diagnosed with its precursor, osteopenia. It's a silent disease; you simply cannot know if you have it or if you are... http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/56110/beauty-inside http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/54370/common-oprah Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:38:00 -0500 Toni Hurst Like many of us, I've made a New Year's resolution to lose weight. I know it's only a few days into the year, but so far I'm doing ok. I got the treadmill fixed, that was step one. Then I got on it. That was step two. So far so good.   I know I'm not the only one who has noticed a big difference in my weight gain since menopause. It's in my belly. My nurse practitioner (and everything I've read) says that's dangerous. Plus it used to be... http://www.healthcentral.com/menopause/c/96140/54370/common-oprah