Bringing sexy back!

Last weekend I gave a talk on men's sexual function, actually men's sexual dysfunction to be precise. A lot of couples don't realize that men's sexual function does decrease with age even when the desire is still strong. Hence the immense popularity of Viagra and Cialis kinds of drugs. My talk involved the natural decline in sexual function and how to restore it even if these drugs don't work. Before I switch subjects, many are not aware that if a man has had Cialis within 48 hours he cannot take nitrates for a heart attack or chest pressure. I want to give that little piece of information so that people remember to mention the use of these medications should they find themselves in an emergency room. As it happens the conference called 'Bringing Sexy Back' was for married women only and they had a myriad of concerns about their husband's sexual function. The rest of the 2 days was spent 'getting sexy' with workshops and advice that I think would be hard to find elsewhere. Suffice to say it was 'live' and pretty wild (by my standards at least). I would certainly be happy to discuss either female or male sexual dysfunction with any patients who have an interest in the subject. This conference underscored the very important role that sexual intercourse plays in a marriage and how it reinforces bonding, intimacy and even friendship between the spouses. Here's a heads up: On April 30th at 11 AM I will be speaking at the Howard county Womanfest on "sex, sanity and sleep". The subject matter in this case will be strictly about women and it is free.. More on that in future blogs, in the meantime put some thought into spicing up your sex life and if its not working come and see me.

Our Annual Spring Seminar is (almost) here again!

Whenever I go to Anti-Aging meetings and listen to the presentations and review all the exhibits I can't wait to share all the new information with my patients. This is why I hold seminars twice a year.
Science is always evolving, even a tried and true remedy may have improvements or new uses and when I do the seminar I can bring up-to-date information to people, its nothing short of exciting!
Even though I am bursting to share immediately, I think it is good that I have a little time to try out products and research more information on things I am interested in, so I have first hand experience.

In addition to dynamite information, I find good products and order them so people can try them at a discount. As my husband will attest I try EVERYTHING myself first! Some products are duds and some like my Anti-Aging serum (SAST) are brilliant, I was able to discuss creating that with a holistic biochemist 10 years ago at the Anti-Aging conference and I still swear by it!
Among other things I found some anti-wrinkle gel that is incredibly affordable and works. It is listed as Nature's Alternative to Botox and it will only be $15 at the seminar (usually $45 though some websites have it listed as high as $100!!!). And then there's the portable infrared sauna, I am loving it daily. It makes me sleep like a baby. (That's me in the sauna!).
I have had several people offer to do a testimonial regarding their Hormone Treatment and HCG weight loss programs, so there will be people who have been there and done it, that you can talk to and as usual... Zumba and Nia

All that to say, "it's Time!", the seminar will be on May 12th 2012 at Turf Valley from 9.00 to 3.00
Hope to see you there.

Video from the Spring Seminar

What a busy summer! My son videotaped me (from the side) at the last seminar and has put it on youtube. I thought it was worth sharing the link with those of you who might be interested in listening to the kinds of topics I cover at my seminars. The angle is not deliberate but hopefully it is informative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1p2bd0UN5w

The Fall Seminar

Hard to believe it will soon be time for our Spring seminar and I haven't written about the last one yet! The spring seminar will be in May this year and once an agenda is decided on it will be posted. Meanwhile for those of you who missed it, here's the 'wrap' on our Fall conference:

Our Fall Seminar was held on October 24th at Turf valley Golf Club and Resort, it was great!
We had a really good turn out, perfect weather and lots of enthusiasm. From the minute Claudia (Salomon4Nia.com) started us off by putting us through the paces of NIA there was great energy and excitement in the banquet hall.

The inital discussion was about obesity and why many diets seem to fail. We talked about the 'D'spot in the brain which controls the loss and redistribution of fat and how abnormal fat stores are kept in a vault that is difficult to access. We talked about ways to get rid of this fat and other weight control tips.

After this a doctor from the Vein Clinic talked about Fibroid embolization, Varicose viens and Venous congestion. The audience listened with great attention and had plenty of questions for the speaker.
We then got started on the subject of skin care and tips. Always be gentle with your skin even when it itches or you cant resist the urge to pick. Apply your anti-oxidant solution daily. I showed several 'before and after' pictures of skin procedures we do in the office including : removal of moles and other lesions, clearing up severe acne, melasma (dark pigmentation of the face associated with hormonal changes and pregnany)and then pictures of Botox and Fillers to prepare everyone for the afternoon demonstrations.

The morning ended with an in depth discussion of Andropause (Male menopause). Most of the men were nodding in agreement by the end of the presentation with the sudden realization that they do indeed suffer from symptoms of Andropause but had just never known what to call it.
The vendors/sponsors of the program were a great hit. People signed up for Viridian "green" electricity supply, Vitamin testing, NuSkin demonstrations, Vien assessments and Zumba.

Our afternoon program included live demonstrations of Botox and Filler and discussions of Bio-identical hormones. Some lucky participants won Obagi products and free vitamin testing.

We finished with a Zumba class!

Well, more fun is in the offing, Stay tuned! If there is any specific subject you are interested in that you would like discussed at the next seminar please let me know asap.

Meanwhile, Happy New Year and see you soon.

IS IT HOT IN HERE?? You bet!

Wow! Talk about spring fever, from 60 degrees to 92 overnight.
I was doing Soccer Mom duty today and I was burning up.
Yes, it was hot today and it certainly doesn't help those with hot flashes. If you thought you were going crazy at least no one noticed that you were sweating more than everyone else but remember there are ways to relieve the flashes and all the other symptoms of hormone imbalance.
For people who prefer not to use hormone replacement there are many herbal supplements which can be quite effective but far and away the most effective management is hormone balancing with bio-identical hormones.
Hormone replacement is not just for the over 50 crowd anymore it is used for younger women for severe PMS and other imbalance related disorders.
But this is not just about hormone imbalance, Spring is a great time to get your health in general well balanced and on a good path. One of the parents today proudly displayed that he had lost 25 pounds just by stopping sodas.
Just do it! Off with all the winter woolies, get off the couch and get moving! You can no longer use the weather as an excuse for not walking. If you don't already have a pedometer, you need one.
We always over estimate exactly how much we walk, shoot for 10,000 steps a day. It's a lot harder than it sounds. It's amazing how little we walk in this country, I often have a hard time making 6000 steps here and yet when I'm in Europe at the end of the day I realise I have done 12,000 just moving around and boy do I feel it.

The warm weather also ushers in the good fruit and vegetables in the supermarket. The prices of course have sky rocketed which means eating well and reasonably, takes a little more planning than previously but...... you are worth it. Try to drink some pomegranate juice during the week and some sort of salad daily.

Sunblock! What a dilemma. Over 80% of patients in my area are vitamin D deficient this time of the year and the best (for some the only)source of vitamin D is the sun. So weigh the pros and cons, if you can get half an hour of sun exposure a day it would help. Darker skin tones need more but if you are very fair skinned and at higher risk of skin cancer you may just have to break down and rely on the supplements. You are going to need at least 1000 units a day!
Either way keep your sunblock handy for prolonged sun exposures. They say any SPF above 45 is wasted. Dont forget to use your Stop Aging Skin Therapy twice a day, it is fantastic.

A little Heads Up. This summer I will be working at the Clinica Esperanza in Roatan, Honduras
and checking on one of my favorite seniors a former Dean of a Law School in Peru who is now 94!
I will also be in Europe later in the summer so the best time for appointments is before June.

Remember Spring time is about renewal. Get energized, get healthy, its not a dress rehearsal!

Add years to your life and life to your years!

Dr Tuakli

Susan Boyle! What an inspiration.

I am making a major departure from my normal blog to talk about Susan Boyle!
Wow! I am not one for television but I happened to see a blurb about Susan and watched a video of her performance on Britain's got Talent (or something of the sort!). I must admit I found it really inspiring. I can only imagine what guts it took for an unemployed 47 year old Scotswoman from a small village to travel down to London and follow a dream. When she got there she had to endure the snickers and thinly veiled insults of a host of people before she got her chance on the big stage.
Did I mention that she is somewhat uninspiring to look at, and according to her she has never been kissed?
Well, the old adage "you cant judge a book by its cover still holds true".
When Susan opened her mouth to sing her song about a dream she ROCKED the house including Simon Cowell and all the judges.
If you have not yet seen the video I highly recommend it, it is inspiring and very touching. guaranteed to melt your heart!

OK Susan, now on a professional note:
Life is just beginning at 47 you are going to need my help! I can help you become vital and self assured and optimistic. With a sharp mind and tons of energy.
Just like my patient MW who was in yesterday. She turns 90!!! next month and I am hoping to post a picture of her on my blog when she does (if she gives me permission).
She drove to my office yesterday and shuttles other seniors around. She bowls twice a week and is only on one medication, she really is quite amazing.

Life is full of great miracles and you are one.

Wishing you much success,

Add years to your life and life to your years.

Dr Tuakli

Resolving Headaches and other Symptoms

I had a patient come in today with surprisingly good news. "I feel great" she said
"almost all my symptoms are gone. I can now focus on my foot pain because I feel so good!"
When the patient was referred to me by the local health food store 2 weeks ago and she began to tell me all the things that ailed her, I wondered where to start. Her over-riding concern was the headache she was getting daily along with some dizzy spells but as the tale unraveled she had a host of other complaints too.

Given the number of physicians she had seen in the past I wasnt expecting miracles.But when all else fails start with the basics!
I put her on magnesium and gave her a book to read about self help for headaches, ran some routine tests and asked her to make a follow up appointment.

Magic! Apparently that's all she needed to get rid of her migraines,she completely changed her diet, stopped caffeine and wine and there they went!
Interestingly enough it seems a lot of the other symptoms she was having were tied in with her migraines so once we fixed them, everything else just fell into place.

As she said earlier today: Once I was given the information I had the tools to take control of my condition, and that's all I needed.
Aah! how nice if all my cases were that simple.

Its your life take control!

Buying Blinds,Balancing Hormones and Trekking from Pennsylvania!

Having prescribed Bio-Identical Hormones for nearly 20 years, I have many amusing anecdotes that I tell from time to time. i thought I would share some of them on my blog.
When a new patient requests Bio-identical Hormone Replacement we perform a thorough review of their medical history and symptoms. In addition, I consult with them so that they have a good understanding of how Hormone Replacement works and together we determine if they would be a good candidate for Hormone Balancing.

One day, after a long discussion with a patient who had driven down from Pennsylvania, she stood up and said with a big smile on her face "I'm so glad I decided to buy those blinds!".
Baffled I asked her what she meant, the ensuing story was amusing:

She went on to explain that she had ordered some window treatments. The installer brought his wife along with him to the job. While he was installing the blinds, his wife noticed my patient fanning herself and sweating incessantly. This resulted in a conversation about menopause and the installer's wife referring the customer to me!

That story tickled me and I always chuckle when I recount it.

These days she tells another one that I like, she says her husband refers more patients to me than she does! She says when they go out to dinner with his friends and their wives he leans over to his friends and whispers "Your wife should see my wife's doctor!" or when his friends complain about their love life he tells them to fill up the car and drive down to Columbia.

Happy Easter! Still waiting for Spring.

Dr Tuakli

The WISDOM study waiting for spring!

Hi welcome back.
Got the winter blues? Let's talk about the symptoms of menopause.

This week I want to mention a study that many in this country are not aware of regarding HRT. Most people know about the Women's health Initiative study (WHI) which was stopped at the NIH after the results of women taking Prempro and Premarin did not look good.
However it seems that when some positive studies come out there is not as much publicity.

The most recent large scale Hormone Replacement study published is the WISDOM study taken from a trial of 5000 women in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
WISDOM stands for Women's International Studyof long Duration on Oestrogen after Menopause.
This study was actually going on at the same time as the WHI but the investigators decided not to stop it when the WHI study stopped.
You can read the full study in the British Medical Journal, part of it was discussed in May 2008
and part in the August 21 2008 edition (BMJ 2008:337 a 1190).

The May edition discusses the fact that there is much less risk of venous thrombosis (blood clots in the veins) especially in the first year when it is usually higher if the (O)estrogen is not taken by mouth.
The August article dwells on quality of life issues, something which is, to my mind at least, just as important as keeping people physically healthy.

The study essentially shows that hormone replacement improves the physical and emotional well being of menopausal women (big surprise!).

There was SIGNIFICANT improvement in 'vasomotor' symptoms (i.e hot flashes, night sweats etc), sexual functioning, sleep problems and aching joints and muscles (now that IS a surprise!).

I have to admit that does pretty much sum up my clinical experience over the past 2 decades.
The VAST majority of women who come in for hormone replacement are complaining of:
Hot flashes, zero sex drive, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbances and general malaise.
The unfortunate thing about the study is that they used the Premarin (yep, the horses urine) and Provera (yes, the one that can increase the incidence of breast cancer).

So what's the bottom line?

You CAN treat Menopause and feel better, you just have to do it safely. Every woman should choose what's RIGHT for her, no two women are the same. Stay away from things that are not natural to the HUMAN female and keep reading and educating yourself about your choices.
Remember:YOU CAN FEEL BETTER!!!! Yeah!

Have a good week, add years to your life and life to your years!

Dr Tuakli