Menopause Comes with "Ima Hottie and the Seven Dwarves"

There are two important keys to dealing with menopause: a menopause kit and never sharing an office with "one of those skinny, young women who get cold all the time."

That's the advice of Willa Addison, a public health nurse with the Jackson County Health Department. Dr. Susan Kaarsberg's advice was a little more direct. "Talk to your doctor about estrogen therapy." Many menopause symptoms can most easily be aided through the therapy, the doctor said, if your personal circumstances are right.

The two ladies presented a lecture entitled "Ima Hottie and the Seven Dwarves of Menopause" last month at the Women's Health Conference at John A. Logan College. It's a speech Willa has been refining for years, along with her personal menopause kit, a duffel bag full of tools for combating the symptoms of menopause.

The dwarves of menopause are not the friendly happy dwarves that rescued Snow White. Instead, of Dopey and Doc, the menopause dwarves are: Itchy, Bitchy, Leaky, Sleepy, Weepy, Forgetful and Sexy. Yes, Sexy.

Willa said that she wears the uniform of menopausal women, a sleeveless shell and loose over shirt that can be shed when necessary. "Thankfully, we live in a time when we can talk about menopause, not whisper with other women about 'The Change'."

The most common symptom of menopause is hot flashes. Some women, almost half of the women who have hot flashes, report them as being mild, a bit of discomfort with no sweating. "I don't know any of those women," Willa said. But the other half reports their symptoms as either moderate or severe. For those with severe hot flashes, the sudden sweats and rising body temperature are so bad that women must temporarily stop what they are doing.

So, from the kit, comes the fan. "Always have a fan and don't room with little skinny young people," Willa recommended. And, a cool rag to wash the face and pressure points can help. And, reducing smoking, caffeine and spicy foods can help prevent hot flashes.