The Prince George Citizen - Wednesday, October 23, 2002 - 25 file Herbal mist cools heat in a flash Southam Newspapers MONTREAL - It’s an alternative product for menopausal women that is so cool, it’s hot. Cooling Comfort Mist, a menthol-based spray from an Oregon herbal company and retailing for about $10 U.S., is proving to be a sleeper-hit. It can douse the heat of a hot flash for 20 minutes. The new product, says its U.S. maker, appeals to baby-boomer women, who are wary of using synthetic hormones and other drugs to manage their meno-pausal symptoms. “Since the HRT scare, women are looking for more natural products,” said Olga Haley, a spokesman for Emerita, Cooling Comfort’s U.S. manufacturer. “This stuff is perfect," she said. Cooling Comfort contains witch hazela, peppermint oil, allantoin, lemon oil and menthol, long used for its cooling properties. It can be sprayed at the nape of the neck, across the back and over the bosom for cooling relief. Sales of the product took off this summer after news that prolonged use of hormone-replacement therapy increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer, stroke, heart attacks and blood clots, said Haley. The first major government-backed trial on HRT - the Women’s Health Initiative at the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., involving 160,000 women - announced the HRT results five years before the study’s scheduled completion. The news created an instant market for Cooling Comfort, which was already available on the Internet and in U.S. stores selling natural products and health foods. The average woman experiences menopause at age 50. About four million Canadian women - 42 million women in the U.S. - are in the midst of the midlife rite of passage, characterized by mood swings, memory loss and hot flashes, among other symptoms. Women are concerned about managing their menopause naturally, said Kathleen O’-Grady, editor of Friend Indeed, a Montreal-based menopause newsletter. O’Grady, who also works with the Canadian Women’s Health Network, said she has fielded hundreds of queries from women at a loss to know how to manage their menopausal symptoms. The new spray, she said, could be a godsend for them. People can have adverse reactions to the essential oils in topical applications, such as those found in Cooling Comfort or in many HRT products (synthetic hormones), she said. Consumers have to be aware of the active ingredients in any natural or herbal products and of their possible effects, she said. Get back into shape one stretch at a time Study suggests pushing the pace better for heart than going slow CHICAGO (AP) — Moderate physical activity is good for preventing heart disease, but revving up the pace may be better — especially if combined with weight-training, a Harvard study of more than 40,000 men suggests. Researchers have debated whether pace makes a significant difference in protecting the heart, but the new study found that men who exercised at high intensity were 17 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than those who did low-intensity exercise. High-intensity exercise includes running or jogging at 10 km/h, while low-intensity activities include walking at a pace of about three km/h. Researchers also have debated whether weight-training has a big impact on the heart, since it does not give the heart and lungs the kind of workout they get from aerobic activities such as brisk walking or running for at least 20 minutes. But in the Harvard School of Public Health study, men who engaged in weight training for 30 minutes or more weekly had a 23 per cent lower risk of heart disease than men who did not pump iron. The researchers said the benefits may result in part from reductions in blood pressure and body fat achieved through weight training. Given the independent results from weight training, the researchers theorized that adding weight training to a high-intensity exercise program would reap even greater benefits. The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It is based on medical records and questionnaires given periodically to 44,452 health professionals from 1986 to 1998. Participants were ages 40 to 75 at the outset. Heart disease was ultimately diagnosed in 1,700 participants. Men who ran for an hour or more weekly at 10 km/h or more were 42 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than non-runners. Men who did brisk walking at a moderate pace of at least five km/h for at least a half hour daily were 18 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than those who did not. There were no significant heart benefits found from low-intensity walking. “The more exercise you do and the higher intensity seems to be better with regard to cardiovascular protection,” said Dr. Gerald Fletcher, an American Heart Association spokesman and cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. He said the findings correspond with AHA guidelines, which recommend aerobic exercise at least six days a week and weight-training two or three times weekly. But Fletcher said the results should not discourage couch-potatoes who may be contemplating starting an exercise program. “A little is better than sitting in front of the television,” he said. “The more exercise you do and the high* ei intensity seems to be better with regard to cardiovascular protection.”____ Dr. Gerald Fletcher, an American Heart Association spokesman and cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic. c o M M E N T S Jim Ewert Pharmacist Coenzyme Q-10 has been involved in studies to see it it decreases the number ot migraine headaches people get. Results were cautiously optimistic showing a 50% reduction in the number of headaches during the trials. Daily doses ot 150 mg were used. In another study, riboflavin (vitamin B-2) 400mg was used daily to similar results. The most commonly dispensed drugs In Canada are tor the following conditions (from #1 down): thyroid, cholesterol, hormone replacement, pain, peptic ulcers, high blood pressure. arthritis, anxiety, asthma and depression. The rate ol multiple sclerosis cases varies from country to country. However, Canada has one ol the highest rates In the world. About 50,000 Canadians have the disease with 3 more people being newly diagnosed every day. Herbals are very popular. If you are choosing an herbal product, ensure it has a Drug Identification Number (DIN), a lot# and an expiry date. It also should have the full botanical name on the label as well as an explanation ot potency. The contents should be made from a standardized pnduct. Check tor the name and address ot the manufacturer and be aware of cautions and drug Interactions. Lots to remember! Let bur pharmacists help you with your herbal choices and questions. TORONTO (CP) — Ann Chestney learned about exercise and breast cancer surgery the hard way. After her first surgery — a sectional mastectomy in the left breast — she didn’t start exercising early enough. Now, three years later, the range of motion in Chesmey’s left arm is limited. Six weeks after her second surgery — a radical mastectomy on the right breast — the 54-year-old mother of two teenage girls started doing yoga. “I can get my (right) arm all the way around,” Chestney said from her home in Milton, Ont. “I can really see the difference between this time and last.” Recovering from any surgery is difficult, but mastectomies come with so much extra baggage. In addition to dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation and tamoxifen, there is always the first time a woman looks in the mirror to see a scar where once lay her own personal symbol of motherhood and sexuality. Exercise is often a remote thought at best. “I was afraid of doing exercises for way too long,” said Miranda Esmonde-White, who teaches a class of stretches she created called Classical Stretch at the Club Sportif Montreal Athletic Association. She underwent breast cancer surgery four years ago. “Besides being in an emotional depression from the cancer, I couldn’t move my arm and that put me in an even deeper depression because I saw my whole career come to a crashing end,” said Esmonde-White, who one month before being diagnosed with breast cancer, signed a deal with PBS in the United States to do a series of fitness shows. The cancer meant she was unable to keep that commitment. When she was in the hospital, the physiotherapist gave her a list of exercises to do at home to help her regain the mobility in her arm. But every time she moved, Esmonde-White, 53, could feel a tug on a ligament. She didn’t know how hard to push herself because she didn’t want to aggravate or rip open the scar. “When you can’t move your arm and you’re already feeling very depressed, you’re scared. CP photo Miranda Esmonde-White, breast-cancer survivor and creator of Classical Stretch. Chestney learned about exercise and breast cancer surgery the hard way. You’re afraid of injuring yourself.” She decided to go back to what she knew best: She started doing the stretches that she developed and which had helped others overcome back pain. And that’s when things started changing for her. After a lumpectomy two years ago, Elissa Ross-Walfish did the exercises her physiotherapist had advised her to do, but felt it wasn’t enough. “I didn’t know where to turn,” said Ross-Walfish, 71. “I was too vain to go work out in a gym with a wig or a turban.” Ross-Walfish went to Gilda’s Club Montreal, a cancer support centre named after comedian Gilda Radner, and took part in exercise classes there, but wished she had something specific for breast cancer patients. “This (video) is something I could have used.” Meanwhile Chestney is happy to get out and exercise. Her classes at the Oakville Wellspring — a network of five cancer support centres in Ontario — give a chance to stretch her body, clear her mind and meet other women with the same concerns. “At first I didn’t know what to do. Should I just walk in and say: ‘Hi, I have breast cancer?”’ said Chestney. “I was never a yoga or meditation person.” But the place was so beautiful and peaceful that Chestney felt at ease immediately. “Now 1 really like (the classes) and I’m sticking with them,” Chestney said of her massage therapy sessions or yoga classes. “1 don’t find it difficult to exercise because I want to get better as soon as possible. I’m really looking forward to next summer.” You’re never too old to get physical Southam photo Gord Fester uses the beach ball to work on balance and leg strength. by CHRIS ZDEB Southam Newspapers EDMONTON - Seventy-seven-year-old Tommy Hallett’s challenge to his personal trainer: “Free me of my knee pain and have me taking a flight of stairs two steps at a time, within a year, and I’ll buy you a case of Wolf Blass Black Label (her favourite fine red wine)." In half that time, Janet Greer was sampling her first bottle of the Australian vino. “1 toast Tommy every time 1 open a new bottle,” she says with a grin. It’s never too late and you’re never too old to start sampling the benefits of physical activity. More and more research backs this up, but try it and you’ll see and feel the difference yourself. The primary focus of fitness in the twilight of life is function, says Greer, who runs her own company Advance Fitness Services Ltd. in Edmonton. “They’re wanting to keep moving and they’re getting to the point where they’re finding things in their day-to-day lives that they can no longer do - walking up a flight of stairs, housework, vacuuming, scrubbing floors.” Hallet started worldng one-on-one with a trainer after his doctor told him he’d better get some exercise. “So I’m doing it because I’m supposed to do it," he says. “It’s good for me. I’ve lost 14 pounds in a year.” His wife Marion has joined the Fit- 60 class “because I want to get rid of this roll and get my waistline back. Whatever other benefits .. . I’ll take too, thank you.” People who have never exercised can be skeptical of what exercise can do for them. “Then they start to experience the benefit and they don’t need any more convincing,” says Greer, who knows a woman recovering from a health problem who started exercising sitting in a chair and wound up being able to walk around the Kinsmen Centre track. Exercise has helped people with diabetes or high blood pressure to reduce the amount of medication they need to control their symp- toms. It has also boosted people’s immune systems. “What’s surprising to me is when they start to call me towards the middle of August wanting to know when we’re starting up again in the fall. Or we’re off for a week at Christmas and they come back reporting they’ve missed the exercise: they’ve noticed the difference between when they’re exercising and active and when they’re not and that’s what keeps most of these people coming back.” Using a wall and a beach ball in place of a floor workout, here are Greer’s exercises to improve balance, trunk stability and co-ordination at any age. ■ Stand close enough to a wall to hold a beach ball against it with the small of your back. Keep body upright - move belly button to spine. Slowly bend right knee and raise to waist height. Lower and repeat with other leg. Continue while counting down from 10. This exercise works the abdominals and hip flexors. Holding the beach ball up while standing on one foot also improves balance. ■ Stand sideways next to a wall and cross arm across chest, hand resting on opposite shoulder. Hold the ball against the wall with the side of your body. Raise your other arm out, while rolling your rib cage over and touch the wall above your head. Roll back and change sides. The movement strengthens trunk muscles and improves the flexibility of the spine. ■ Stand straight with your back to the wall and hold a ball against it with the back of your head. Keep shoulder blades up and back. Press and relax. Press and relax. Rounded shoulders are the result of poor muscle tone and muscle strength losing out to gravity. ■ To stretch out the back of the thighs and lower back, stand with back to wall, ball at buttocks. Bend forward from the waist while keeping the ball pressed against the wall. Cross legs at ankles and repeat the bend to stretch hip muscles. f v i r g tm n I* II A « H A C Y 3041 McGill Cr Mart Druii Mart 964-4244 3789 W. Austin j 1467 - 3rd Avn 9am • 9pm Mori. - Fri. , 962-9666 564-7147 Sat. 9 - 6pm 19am 9pin Mon. ■ Sal. 9 5:30pm 10 - 6pm Sun. & Hoi. Sun. & Hoi. 10 - 6pm . Mon. - Sat. “Wo accept all prescription drud plans"