|
 Interview
with Dr. BruceBook Excerpt:
from "Your Guy's Guide to Gynecology"
by Bruce Bekkar, MD
Attack of the Killer
Hormones
Excerpt reprinted by the permission of the
author.
©2000 Bruce Bekkar, MD. All rights reserved
'Honey, I'm home!"
(No answer)
'Honey.?"
(Silence.)
Slowly he walks through the house, becoming increasingly
alarmed as he observes signs of an apparent struggle: Beds unmade, papers strewn about,
dirty dishes everywhere. Their usually tidy house seems to have been visited by an
indoor tornado.
At last he finds her, hunched silently in front of the TV, hands clutching a near-empty of
Doritos bag. With tears streaming from her eyes, she stares at a Melrose Place
rerun and continues to ignore his presence. "Hi. Are you okay? What
happened here today?" He asks with concern.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHAT HAPPENED?!" she snaps.
"I mean, the house looks terrible, and you look.upset!"
(Silence.)
(More silence.)
"YOU NEVER REALLY LOVED ME!" she blurts.
" Honey, of course I love-
"YOU THINK I'M FAT!!" She sobs openly.
(Even more silence.)
He suddenly remembers an urgent home-repair project, requiring an immediate trip to the
hardware store. He exits, stage left.
  The apparent
struggle that precipitated this slightly dramatized scene was a hormonal phenomenon known
as PMS, or premenstrual syndrome. For those women who have it, and for many men who
have been exposed to someone with it, the lesson is clear: PMS is real, and it can be
quite severe.
A very different but often troubling hormonal event in
women's life is known as menopause. Occurring in women at, on average, the age
of 51, the menopause heralds the end of a woman's reproductive years. The
physical and psychological changes brought on by falling estrogen levels can be just as
difficult to manage as PMS.
So what's a guy to do?
Suddenly outflanked by a partner who seems to have
become a s somewhat less kinder, gentler person, many men retreat to the relative safety
of their garage. Here, they may find themselves "fixing that damn toaster"
for several evenings, or changing the oil, on both cars and then the lawnmower. And
then offering the same service to the neighbors. Some desperados even sneak a few
personal articles out of the house in a n attempt to set up temporary residence by the
Weedwacker.
These "coping strategies" may work briefly, but they eventually fall short of
fulfilling the needs of either partner. We suggest instead that, when faced with
such a situation, you read this chapter, "The Attack of the Killer
Hormones." In the first section, you'll find out what PMS is, what symptoms it
causes, and how it's diagnosed. We follow with a detailed discussion of the
available treatments- and there are many. This section ends with specific
recommendations for you if your partner has PMS, and our own "Top Ten List of Things
We Don't Recommend You Say to a Woman with PMS."
Memorize this list and then destroy it.
Top
Ten List of Things
We DON'T Recommend
You Say to a Woman with PMS
10. hey, what happened to that big bag of chips we
had?
9. Let's rent that new movie, Honey, I Shot the Kids!
8. Surprise! I invited the boss and his wife over for dinner tonight.
7. The chainsaw is in the garage. Why?
6. Hey, those jeans used to be real loose on you, didn't they?
5. I'll arm wrestle you for the last Dove bar!
4. Honey, you have to stop using that Nordstrom card!
3. I told my mother she could come live with us, okay?
2. Yes, of course I have a life insurance policy. Why?
1. Aw, c'mon-that PMS stuff is all in your head!
Interview
with Dr. Bruce
What is PMS?
(Pre-Menstrual Syndrome)
 symptoms,
causes & treatments
PMS or premenstrual syndrome is a regular pattern of physical and/or emotional
symptoms that can severe enough to disrupt your life. PMS can take many forms as are the
women who suffer from it. Find out about what symptoms are part of PMS, what causes them
and also ideas on what you can do about them from the experts in the field such as
Stephanie Bender author of PMS : Women Tell Women How
to Control Premenstrual Syndrome and Dr Bruce Bekkar author of Your Guy' Guide to Gynecology and more. |
Migraine Headaches
What can you do about them?
by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
Right now, 1 in 11 Americans get migraine headaches.
 These 28 million
people have to deal with strong, unexpected, severe throbbing, pain usually located on one
side of their head ; they may even experience nausea and vomiting. Migraine headache
suffers in the United States, are on the rise; since 1990 the incidence of migraine
headaches has increased by 60%. Find out more about Migraines: Who has them? What are
the Beginning Signs and Symptoms of a Migraine Headache? What Causes Them & How Can I
Prevent Them? What medications are available?
 Find out more
Your Guy's Guide
to Gynecology
by Bruce Bekkar M.D., Udo Wahn
This book was written with guys in mind, but many women have told us that they'd
like to read it too. They like the idea of a medical book that doesn't take itself too
seriously, that uses interactivity and even a little humor to decipher a difficult topic.
Both men and women need to understand women's reproductive health, because it's central to
relationships and family life.
Meet the author
Linda Ojeda, Ph.D
"Menopause Without
Medicine"
hosted by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
 interview & FREE
Excerpt
 Back
in the 1980s when perimenopause and menopause were unheard of, Dr. Ojeda was pouring over
medical journals researching what has now become of the most important health issues for
women- perimenopause and menopause.  Learn
more about Perimenopause & Menopause, Health Supplements, Herbs & Other products
including Black cohosh, Dong quai, Chaste tree (Vitex), Promensil, and
Estroven. Learn more about Anxiety & Perimenopause, the role of exercise along
with a FREE excerpt on Depression & Mood Swings.
Strong Women,
Strong Bones:
Everything You Need to Know to Prevent, Treat, and Beat
Osteoporosis
by Miriam Nelson (Contributor), Sarah Wernick
For those to whom osteoporosis is a serious concern, this will be welcomed as a
straightforward, single-purpose guide to its prevention and treatment. Nutritionist Nelson
and writer Wernick (Strong Women Stay Slim; Strong Women Stay Strongneither reviewed)
recommend exercise and nutrition measures as the building blocks of prevention, bolstered
by medications when needed. |
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