Health & Well-Being Pre-Menopause and Beyond

Ok, take this one for whatever it’s worth. This theory is certainly not news to some, as it has been floating around for the past several years. Lately it has surfaced again, and why remains a question (maybe a Starbucks promo).

A French study revealed that older women who drink three (or more) cups of coffee or tea every day showed improved memory. The study included approximately 7,000 men and women of age 65 and older, who reported how many cups of tea and coffee they drank every day, along with what medications they were taking regularly.

They were tested on their mental/memory skills, and then retested two years later and again four years later.

The women’s verbal memories improved the most from caffeine, while the men showed no noticeable difference. No real reason was given for this, only that women may be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine, or that they may metabolize it differently.

They were unable to determine if caffeine had any affect on a woman’s risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, possibly because the study was not long enough to show significant results.

Now don’t start downing those espressos yet! In researching menopause symptoms and treatments, we need to remember that too much of a good thing can be bad, especially if you suffer from fibroids. Too much caffeine can aggravate fibroids, as well as causing a host of other problems like nausea, diarrhea, frequent urination and jittery nervousness.

I just happened to find this bag the other day, maybe you have heard of it. It is called the Butler Bag, designed by a   busy mom after she discovered a way to organize a diaper bag using the utensil bin from a dishwasher, of all things!  She carried the idea over to designing the world's first compartmentalized handbag!

 This bag is a lifesaver! I mean, it really could be for some women. Think about the stories you have heard involving women's safety in parking lots and garages where valuable time is lost searching for their keys at the bottom of a purse. Besides being maddening, an unorganized bag can be dangerous.

 As soon as you open the handbag, everything is in plain view – no more searching for the keys, cell phone, money etc. There's even room for my water bottle!

 It comes in two sizes, a Classic style and the larger (my favorite) Hybrid style, which is large enough to hold a small notebook computer and file folders. You don't even need a wallet with this purse, since your cash and credit cards stand up straight in one of the compartments – fumble free!

I was very impressed with the quality of the bag. It is very spacious without being bulky and the leather is of the same quality as a designer bag that cost me a few hundred dollars more.  And what's more important, the stress of being unorganized was instantly lifted!

Click here for the Butler Bag Sample Sale!

Even at my busiest, I have always considered myself to be extremely organized – remembering appointments and schedules without the need of a PDA, notepad, calendar or any other mind-aid. Heck, I remembered every family member's schedule! My nickname was 'the human filing cabinet.'  However lately, over the past year or so (I can't remember )  it seems that I am tripped up by things that I never had to think twice about – can't begin to tell you how many times in the past six months I have had to turn the house upside down looking for my car keys. I mean, it is absolutely ridiculous how stupid and unorganized I can be on any given day. Lost keys, lost cell phone, forgotten appointments – I even forgot my own birthday! Then when asked, I had a hard time remembering my age.

I will be in the middle of speaking and forget the point I'm trying to make. It is especially frustrating because my daughters cannot understand why mom (who has always been so 'together') is loosing her mind. When she says, "..having another senior moment?" – I want to scream! I have more than ten years to go before I'm an 'official' senior (that's 55, right?). That is almost as bad as brain fart. Whatever the label for absent-mindedness -  brain fog, burnout, scatter-brained, etc. it is very frustrating and takes a real effort to overcome.

At first, sticky-notes became a way for me to keep-it-together, but that did not last long. They would either fall down and get lost under my desk, or become lost in the sea of other sticky-notes. Hanging a key rack next to the garage door has solved the lost key problem – as long as I remember to hang them immediately!

One thing that has helped a great deal is keeping a large dry-erase calendar up in our laundry room, right next to the garage door. The blocks are large enough for everyone in the family to log their appointments along with any additional notes or phone numbers on an adjacent note section.  As the month progresses, the days past are erased and filled in with the next month's information. Everyone (including me) can glance at the calendar on their way out of the house.

Reading through some women's message boards, foggy memory seems to be a common thread of perimenopause or pre menopause symptoms. It was somewhat comforting to know how common this is even among women in their mid to late 30s. Do you have any successful techniques to share? I would love to know what has worked for you!