A Menopausal Rant on Some Recent Medical Studies

If you have been reading the papers or various medical journals lately a few studies jump out from the page.
How about this one from the ‘American Academy of Sleep Medicine’,
“Biological clock out of sync in patients being treated for breast cancer with chemotherapy”?
You Think!
The study goes on to say that psychological factors such as stress, pain, depression, napping and more could be contributing factors. DUH!

In the Journal of Nature, “Gene therapy fixes colorblind monkeys”.
The study tells us that 7% of male Americans have red-green colorblindness, which is the inability to see a difference between shades of the two colors.
I am riveted to read more on how this research can help all humans. Let me say the researchers note that “Colorblindness is not life threatening”. They also acknowledge that gene therapy has risks of actually causing cancer and other life threatening complications. So…….?

In the Archives of Internal Medicine, “Defibrillators do little for women”.
A recent study showed that the devices do little for women in preventing them from dying of heart failure. This is one more study showing gender difference in regards to heart disease. Historically large studies have been on men with the results applied to women. So now once and for all can we say ‘What is good for the goose is good for the gander’ is a stupid saying?

The Demise of a Morning Tradition

I love reading the morning paper with my coffee and breakfast. Lately I find myself looking for more in my paper. More paper that is. When I pick up the paper in my driveway it feels lighter and lighter. Even the Sunday paper is light weight. I want more paper to sustain my 2 cup of coffee breakfast. I pine for the days when it would take me 3-4 hours of a Sunday morning to read and go through the paper.

Many people have stopped taking the paper. They may not even pick up a Sunday paper. We all know the reasons; 24 hour TV News, Internet news, Paper on line for free, the expense, etc.

I feel out of touch in the morning if with my coffee, and that is a deal breaker, I don’t have a paper to read. I like the food day sections, the front page news, the metro news, the comics and horoscope. I especially like the headlines and the pictures. Sure sometimes the news is not new by the time I read it in the morning, but what about the local commentaries, and opinions?

The obituaries and the bridal sections can give you a real flavor of the community. My paper now charges for wedding announcements and pictures in the obituaries, so those sections are thinning out too. The store supplement pages and free standing inserts are my favorites. I would not even know about some products if I didn’t see a coupon for it in my paper. I might be just having a menopausal rant, but I don’t want to see the morning paper ritual die!