Senior Moments at 45 – OMG!

by Linda Franklin

Where did I put my keys?  Why did I come into the kitchen?  Sound familiar?  We refer to this temporary memory loss as a senior moment, or at least I do.  And, scientists last week declared that our ability to remember everyday things such as names and numbers starts to go at the tender age of 45. OY!!!

But before you resign yourself to spending the second half of your life as a mental basket-case, there is positive scientific news, too. 

First the bad news….Last week’s study of more than 7,000 participants published online in the British Medical Journal, revealed how our power of recall starts to decline earlier than previously thought. Men and women suffered the same 3.6 per cent loss in memory power between the ages of 45 and 49. 

Processing speed in our brains slows down from our 20s onwards. ‘By mid-life, most of our brains show some fraying around the edges,’ says Barbara Strauch, author of The Secret Life Of The Grown-Up Brain.

Senior moment – or something worse?

In normal age-related memory loss, short-term recall is usually most affected. In moderation, this is quite healthy. It is also natural to worry that such mid-life forgetfulness is a harbinger of something more sinister, such as dementia.

The ‘aha!’ test can indicate if you should be concerned. If you forget a word temporarily, but feel that it is on the tip of your tongue, and finally recall it with a sense of ‘Aha! That’s it,’ then your reaction is healthy.

Growing older is not the only reason that our memory power may dwindle. Our ability to remember things can also be afflicted by our lifestyles. One common problem may be stress.  Isn’t it always?

Studies show that quick bursts of stressful excitement can actually benefit our memory — perhaps because our brains evolved to rally their best resources when faced with an immediate threat such as a tiger in the grass. But long-term chronic stress, the sort that can grind into us with the constant demands of busy modern life, can damage our brain’s ability form new memories. 

The good news…

Stresses and strains aside, modern life has good news for middle-aged brains. Neuroscientists have recently begun to discover how the mid-life brain, rather than giving up, instead reconfigures itself in order to cope.

As researchers at Duke University, North Carolina, and elsewhere have found, people in middle age begin to use two sides of their brains where previously only one might have been employed on a task. This is called bilateralisation.

How to protect your memory

Fortunately, health researchers believe there are ways in which we can significantly help to preserve our memory in later life.

Brain training: Just a little daily exercise,  could reduce the risk of the decline of your mental abilities, many studies have shown

Just taking a little more daily exercise could make a huge difference for millions of people. ‘More than 13 studies show that exercise can reduce risk by up to 45 per cent,’  ‘Evidence shows that the exercise does not have to be strenuous to have this benefit: it can involve active walking for around 30 minutes a day, three times a week.

And beware any claim about how any single food can boost your memory. Only last year, an important report in the Journal of the American Medical Association punctured the idea that the herbal supplement ginkgo biloba is a brain-saver. The study of more than 3,000 adults found that it made no difference at all.

 

This I find very interesting.  No matter how good we think our powers of memory are, they can all be fooled. Because, whatever our age, memory is a slippery thing that can be grossly misleading.

Researchers who study how people remember momentous events have discovered that although people will swear faithfully that they remember exactly what they were doing when they first heard news of the event, their memory is wrong in about a third of cases.

When we use our minds to recall a particular memory, we do not go back to the event itself, but rather to the last time we remembered it. Each recollection adds new flaws and reinforces previous flaws. Eventually, we settle on a version that we subsequently consider to be gospel truth.  So be careful about what you think you remember.  Memory, — including the false elements — solidifies and becomes your person’s constant ‘truth’.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Pregnancy After 45 – When Do You Hang Up The Baby Booties?

By Dr. Jennifer Landa

With the recent miscarriage suffered by TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” star, Michelle Duggar, the risks of pregnancy after age 45 have stepped into the limelight. These days, many celebrities are having children at older ages and making it seem easy and the norm, but such a feat is not without significant risks.

The risk of miscarriage in general is high – one in seven pregnancies end in miscarriage, and with the ability to detect pregnancies at very early stages with at-home pregnancy tests, the true union of sperm and egg often ends in a miscarriage 60 to 70 percent of the time. After the age of 40, this risk increases to one in three pregnancies and by age 45 – one in two pregnancies will end in a miscarriage.

A number of factors contribute to this high-risk – the first being lower levels of progesterone. As a woman ages her hormone levels naturally decline.  Low progesterone makes the pregnancy at extreme risk for miscarriage because this hormone is responsible for supporting the embryo and growing fetus. Without adequate levels, that support to the fetus is non-existent and the pregnancy fails.

Genetic abnormalities, due to the eggs of an older female being…well, older – also contribute to the riskiness of the pregnancy. In an older egg, the risk of mistakes when the DNA is replicated skyrockets, putting the pregnancy or, ultimately, the baby at-risk. In this case, pregnancies that do make it term have a greater risk of producing a child with special needs.  This is something women should take into serious consideration when planning pregnancy after the age of 40.

Not only is pregnancy after age 45 risky for the baby, it can be a challenging situation for the mother-to-be as well. Gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia are significant disease risks.  Both threaten the health and future health of the mother and the fetus. Pre-eclampsia is the number two cause of maternal death in the United States, primarily affecting pregnant women under 20 or over 40 years of age.

In the case of Michelle Duggar, her age was not her only risk factor – women who have had several children are at an even greater risk of premature delivery and postpartum bleeding.  After multiple deliveries, the uterus loses its muscle tone.  These muscles are essential to slowing and stopping bleeding after delivery – excessive bleeding following delivery can also lead to emergency surgery, hysterectomy or even – death.

Pregnancy is always a blessing and many women might argue that it is worth every risk to bear their own child, however, if you carefully examine the risks – it is not just the health of the mother that is affected – the baby’s entire life could be altered.  If you are planning to or do become pregnant at an older age, generally after age 35, talk to your doctor to minimize risks associated with your pregnancy.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Aging Has It's Rough Moments

By Linda Franklin - The Real Cougar Woman

Is it true that once we hit 45 looking in the mirror becomes painful? I guess most of us would agree that it's hard to come to terms with getting older and our faces only confirm what we feel inside.

In a survey of 3,000 people done in Briton, they found just a handful of middle-aged people checked their reflection more than once a day. I find that hard to believe don't you?  Even though I may not always like what I see looking back at me, I am compelled to check myself out when I pass by a mirror.  For me that likely to be more than 10 times a day.

Hot Flashes Not Helped By Soy Products

by Linda Franklin - The Real Cougar Woman

Today's New York Times has a great article by Tara Parker Pope.  She reports on a clinical trial that found that soy worked no better than a placebofor hot flashes and had no effect on bone density. That followed a similar finding about hot flashes from a clinical trial of flaxseed.

Study after study has shown that many nondrug treatments — black cohosh, red clover, botanicals, and now soy and flaxseed — simply don’t work.

“There is no alternative treatment that works very well, whether it’s a drug or over-the-counter herbal preparation,” said Dr. Deborah Grady, associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University of California, San Francisco.

The question is whether a woman is willing to trade off that risk for a very effective treatment for symptoms that are otherwise ruining her life.”

I highly recommend that you read Ms. Pope's article.  Finally women are getting a much clearer picture about effective treatments for menopause.  Now, perhaps the researchers will start to include Bioidentical Hormones in their research.   It's about time.  

Hormone Replacement Is Essential For Our Brains

by Linda Franklin -  The Real Cougar Woman

Hormone Replacement Therapy is a subject fraught with high levels of controversy.  Some doctors recommend it to their patients, while others are advising women to steer clear.  This cross current of information is confusing and leaves women wondering what to do.  And, now that women are entering menopause earlier, some as early as 35, it's often misdiagnosed. (Read this article By Dr. Jennifer Landa).

When women start to lose estrogen their bodies are more susceptible to many health risks. There is no shortage of articles on the perils of Hormone Replacement but we rarely see research that points out the benefits of replacing our estrogen supply.

Menopause Before Forty

by Dr. Jennifer Landa BodyLogicMD

I'm too young for menopause right? It’s funny. Women are always talking about how they can’t wait to be done with their periods forever!  But, when it finally does come, many women find that they’re not quite ready for menopause – especially if it comes earlier than expected.

Recently, a study was done involving 5,000 women in which 7% of those women went through “the change” before their 40^th birthday. It was previously believed that only 1-2% of women went through menopause before their 40^th birthday. So what happened? It used to be that we could expect to go through menopause around the same age our mother did – which would be well into our late 40s or 50s. But now, things have changed.

Sex Has No Expiration Date

by Linda Franklin - The Real Cougar Woman

When it comes to sex, there’s no such thing as as expiration date.  Sex is proven to be a good way to stay healthy,but it seems to have an extra special benefit in August.  Researchers from Boston State Hospital have found that summer sun at least doubles levels of the sex hormone testosterone.  So now have more fun in the sun takes on an entirely new meaning. 

There are so many benefits of having sex on a regular basis and here are just a few that you may not be aware of. 

Sex 3X a week halves the risk of heart attack or stroke - A study in Israel found that women who had two orgasms a week were up to 30 per cent less likely to have heart disease than those who didn’t enjoy sex or didn’t orgasm. 'The endorphins released during sex also neutralize the stress hormones in the body, which are linked to heart disease.

Sex At Our Age - This You Have To Read

by Linda Franklin The Real Cougar Woman 

Joan Price is talking out loud about a subject that is often ignored or ridiculed in our society: later-life sexuality. Naked at Our Age is a candid, straight-talking book addressing senior sexuality in all its colors—the challenges, the disappointments, and the surprises, as well as the delights and the love stories.

This book gives real-life people over fifty a voice to tell stories of their past and present sex lives, ask questions, and get straightforward advice and information from experts. No topic related to elder sexuality is off-limits.

Face Lifts, Botox and Now We're Talking Voice Lifts

by Linda Franklin, The Real Cougar Woman  

Is it our imagination or does our voice show the signs of aging just like the rest of our body?  Does it get deeper and perhaps a bit crackly? Do you find yourself clearing your throat a lot more during the day.  Oh horrors! - is our voice betraying our deep dark secrets too? 

For women who think they are sounding more and more like old biddies there is a drastic measure that can be taken - a  surgical voice lift.  No, I'm not kidding.  So add voice lift surgery to the list of fixer-uppers along with botox, juvaderm, liposuction for canckles and having the wrinkles on your knees removed. 

 

Sex Drive Ramps Up With Healthy Food

Do you have fond memories of your 20s? Eating anything you wanted, not  needing to exercise to stay slim and always being up for sex whenever the occasion called for it?

Well most 20-something year olds could. However, as I mentioned in my previous blog, I lost my libido when I was only 28-years old. I thought it was only my stressful work life and being on birth control. But now I know that there were many other things that contributed to my lack of libido.

Everything you do affects your libido.