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Clarkson, a professor of comparative medicine, and Richard H. Karas, M.D., Ph.D., director of the preventive cardiology center at Tufts, reviewed numerous studies of postmenopausal women and monkeys that evaluated the cardiovascular effects of HRT. Their evaluation included the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), which showed an increased risk of heart attacks in women taking HRT and led to recommendations that women not begin hormone replacement therapy for the purpose of preventing heart disease. They also reviewed trials of postmenopausal monkeys conducted at Wake Forest over the past 12 years. "The literature demonstrates that HRT has beneficial effects in inhibiting the early stages of heart vessel disease, but can have deleterious effects if initiated at older ages when some women have already developed disease," said Clarkson. For years, doctors had prescribed hormone replacement therapy to prevent heart disease in postmenopausal women. These treatment decisions were based on observational studies showing that women who took estrogen had fewer heart attacks. But, these assumptions were called into question with studies such as WHI.
Click here to learn more about your skeleton, what is and what causes osteoporosis In this article I will examine how people react to stress, and how these reactions can affect the nervous system, muscular systems and sleep patterns. The presence of stress is a normal part of life; however, one person's reaction to stress can be dramatically different than another person facing the same stress. In other words, there are desirable and undesirable (or inappropriate) reactions to stress. Excessive or unrealistic worrying, chronic muscle tightness and spasm, and loss of sleep are all undesirable reactions to stress. When undesirable reactions to stress happen at inappropriate times, or if their duration or severity interferes with normal activities, it is considered an anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, in America today the number of people experiencing anxiety disorders is reaching epidemic proportions. Anxiety is an emotional and physical reaction to a threat, whether it is real or imagined. It is an unpleasant emotional state, which ranges from a vague uneasiness to intense fear or even overwhelming panic attacks. Thoughts and emotions associated with anxiety include apprehension, dread, fear, irritability and uneasiness; often accompanied by physical symptoms, including bad dreams, dry mouth, fatigue, headaches, inability to sleep, increased pulse rate, muscle tension or trembling, and sweating. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is defined as excessive or unrealistic worry related to a variety (two or more) of life's daily activities or events, and lasts at least six months. Women experience GAD at twice the rate of men. 1. Excessive anxiety is associated with numerous disorders including; phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks, and acute and post-traumatic stress disorders. 2. Common causes of anxiety include actual danger (terrorist's threats), responsibilities at work, financial stress, poor health, grief, side-effects and reactions to drugs (especially to caffeine, cold remedies, decongestants, bronchodilators, and antidepressants.) 3. Nearly 20 million Americans, aged 18 to 54, are affected by anxiety disorders every year, making them the most common mental illnesses in America. 4. People of all ages can develop anxiety disorders. Among people aged 65 and above, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue. 5.
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