I’ve been a fan of Bill Maher for years. My husband and I used to watch his show weekly and especially liked his “New Rules” section and closing monologue. Nowadays I listen to him via a podcast when I’m out for my daily walk, usually the day after his show. In his most recent show, Real Time with Bill Maher, his monologue was about obesity – many times using the term “fat.” I was a chubby child and I know how that term hurts. My father called me “fatty” until I naturally lost my chubbiness when I went through puberty. Lucky for me but not so lucky for others. There has been a lot of scuttlebutt about Maher’s recent words – in fact, fat people complained that there is not enough support for them and denigrated the adored singer, Adele, for losing weight in the last several years. Another thing he pointed out is the new way of making men’s business suits – with drawstring waistbands so men can adjust them as their stomachs enlarge after a huge meal. Really now? That’s going a … [Read more...]
I’m still taking hormones – are you?
I feel so vindicated after reading this article that I have to post it here verbatim. I started taking hormone replacement therapy in the mid 1990s while I was in my mid fifties, and I refused to go off of them as many of my friends did when the 2002 Women's Health Initiative final report came out. I cited my gorgeous and youthful aunt who then in her seventies said she still took hormones and had no intension of stopping. Fortunately I had a doctor who agreed with me. From the literature she read she felt there were some of the flaws in the findings of the WHI - especially the composition of the sample of women tested for its study. So here I am age seventy-eight, still taking hormones and feeling and looking more youthful than my age suggests. I had a checkup yesterday with my gynecologist who said all was perfect - especially my blood pressure - 112 over 61 (and I do not take any blood pressure medication and never have). She was happy to renew my hormone replacement therapy … [Read more...]