Menopause and Hormones After heavy duty chemotherapy, menopause is virtually a given regardless of your age.

Before I was diagnosed, though, I had menopausal symptoms that drove me crazy. I had hot flashes virtually every day at 6:15 p.m. which, coincidentally, was 15 minutes before I left my office to head home. I had cramps for the first time in my life. And more . . . well, I'll spare you the details.

My doctor immediately suggested hormones. Many of my friends -- primarily my working friends -- said hormones had saved their sanity. Now I admit that my life has not been without its experiments, but before I had cancer, I never took a pill every day for anything for more than a 21-day cycle of antibiotics. So I chose to tough it out and make lifestyle changes, e.g., more exercise and less stress. And my strategy worked for the most part.



So the study on hormone therapy that was publicized today underscored what I have come to believe after chemo and menopause and life itself: the less medicine you take, the better. And the more exercise you take, the better. Not exactly profound, but when you are in the middle of an uncomfortable but not life threatening physical crisis, don't reach for a pill.

See the study at: http://jama.ama-assn.org/  ¶ 8:15 AM