The Health Costs of High Fashion

For years, women have worn high heels to add inches to their height, to make a “fashion statement” or to accentuate a long lean leg. All this fashion NONsense has wreaked havoc on women’s spines, necks, legs and backs.
Ask most women why they wear high heels and they might respond, “They complement my outfit,” or “They make me look taller.” Ask these same women if these shoes are comfortable and most will respond with a resounding “NO!” What they may not understand is that wearing these types of shoes can alter the forward curve in the spine, causing the pelvis to tip forward. This affects the body’s ability to maintain its center of gravity. Because of this, wearing high heels can actually increase your risk of falling!
When I see a woman walking down the street with high heels and a two-ton bag, I want to stop her and make her aware of what she is doing to her body.
Your legs are an important part of your musculoskeletal system. When you stand bare-footed you have the best opportunity to balance yourself. Your hamstring muscles along the back of your legs are taut and both parts of the pelvis are stabilized. But by raising your heel, you shorten and actually weaken these crucial support muscles.
Aside from all the stress you place on your spine by wearing high heels, they can also cause damage to your feet, such as corns, calluses and bunions that can last for a lifetime. They can even change the shape of your foot!
The solution? Wear flat shoes or lower heels with the proper arch support as often as possible. And if you’re concerned about the long-term effects that wearing heels may have had on your spine, mention it on your next visit.

Flax Seeds and Menopause

Several studies looked at the consumption of flax seeds and its effect on menopausal symptoms. One study
published in the Journal for the Society for Integrative Oncology (2007Summer; 5(3): 106-12) involved 30
women having at least 14 hot flashes each week. The subjects were given 40 grams of crushed flax seeds each day. Over a six week period, the women experienced a mean 57% decrease in the number of hot flashes. Subjects receiving the flax seed also experienced less joint and muscle pain, a reduction in sweating and chills, and a general improvement in the quality of life.

Another study, appearing in Family Practice News (February 1, 2005:48), was double-blind and placebo
controlled. It involved 85 women who were experiencing at least 5 episodes of either hot flashes or night sweats per day. They were randomly assigned to receive either 40 grams per day of flax seed or a placebo for three months. After the initial three month therapy, the subjects switched roles, with the placebo group receiving therapy and the initial therapy group receiving a placebo (crossover). There was a 38%
decline in the median number of hot flashes when a group was receiving the flax seed. Occurring with the decline in symptoms was an increase in enterodiol, enterolactone and other lignans found in the urine.

Other Flax Seeds and Menopause research appearing in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Preview
(October 2000;9:1113-1118) also found an increase in urinary lignans when women were supplemented
with flax seed. The flax seeds may affect estrogen levels. A study that appeared in Cancer Epidemiology
Biomarkers Preview (July 2000;9:719-725) found that supplementation with flax seed increased the ratio of the urinary excretion of 2-hydroxyestrogen and 16 alpha-hydroxyesterone. A study appearing in Gynecology
and Obstetrics Investigation (2007; 64(4): 204-207) looked at the effect vitamin E supplementation had on
hot flashes. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 51 female subjects who were given
either 400 IU of vitamin E or a placebo for a period of four weeks. They were taken off of the
supplement for a week and given it again for another four weeks. The vitamin E supplementation produced
statistically significant reduction in the number of hot flashes experienced by the group receiving the therapy.