Research (notes)

Even though I prefer counselling to research, my psychology degree provided me with the knowledge of how important research is.  There are many schools of thoughts when it comes to therapy.  I prefer to consider each person individually, keeping in mind all my experiences and studies within the various schools of thought.  I shall always be a student, because there is always new information from new or developed research.  How can I benefit my client if I don't appreciate the whole person and don't work hard enough to be the best that I can be for that person?  That includes understanding his or her own background, traumatic experiences, spiritual and religious background and concerns.   A client may may not even know what it is that is actually bothering her/him.

Research Designs include case studies and correlational studies.

Case Studies       Freud and Erickson used the case study approach extensively in recording the personal histories of patients and subject participants in their clinical work.  Case studies are detailed in depth history of a single individual.  One looks for individual differences as well as shared patterns among individuals.  Case studies provide a hypothesis or suggestions that may be examined in more detail in other types of research designs.

 Correlational Studies   A case study may suggest some relationship between early rearing and later personality.  An example is authoritarian parenting might show up in greater aggression at school.  Where as authority-based parenting correlates (relates) to more mature manners of coping with responsibility and daily stress and therefore less aggression at school.  Other relationships to be explored are between amount of tv violence viewed and tendency toward aggression or degree of identity crises resolution and later adjustment to career choice.  Correlations show how two variables are related, in what way positive or negative and demonstrate how strong the relationship is strong or weak.  Correlations do not specify cause and effect relationships, just that there may be a relationship.  Other variables, perhaps a third variable may influence the relationship between  the amount of schooling and likelihood of having dementia for people over 75 years of age.  The likelihood of dementia increase with amount of schooling decrease, a negative correlation.  However, little or no schooling may result from poor living standards which increase the likelihood of health problems.  Therefore, the correlation between schooling and dementia is influenced by other variables.

to be continued..... 

A reminder - Have some fun!

It is the weekend and what have you been doing?  Remember we need a balance in life.  Is your life chaotic? Are you bored stiff?  Confused about what fun is?  Take a moment.  Pause...... What may be fun for me, may be a nightmare for you and vice versa.  If you are doing physical work all week, perhaps catching a movie may be relaxing and soothing.  If you are sitting around all week, maybe you need to go dancing, walking or play.  Why not write down ten things you think are fun and ten things you hate to do?  If your idea of fun does not hurt anyone, why not take a break and go out and do it?  You may want to be with people or get away from them.  Try something new.  You may find you actually like something different.  Have a nice weekend.  What do you think?    

Dating of the Exodus (theology)

Dating of the Exodus

Question 4, Feb 17, 2011                       Assignment Two                            Silva Redigonda

     When examining and studying scripture, one major factor is to determine what period of time the writer is referring to.   How is this gleaned?  How does one know if the information is reliable and to what extent?  There are always differences in perspectives from studying the same material.  How does one know who to believe or trust?  This paper will provide arguments used to support the dating of the Exodus in the 15^th and the 13^th centuries from Ceresko’s[1] and Bright’s[2]  texts. 

     Bright indicates that there is no “extra-Biblical evidence” of the Exodus (Bright, p 122).  Ceresko reveals that the information he provides from scholars regarding the arguments to venture a date of the exodus is “ambiguous”.  He adds that even the definition of the Exodus can be questioned (Ceresko, p 80).  So what is the Exodus?  Let’s begin there.

     The Exodus is identified with the escape of the slaves and defeat of Pharaoh’s army through the sea.  Earlier tradition spoke of the Exodus in terms of going out from, or Yahweh bringing Israel out from Egypt, identifying the Exodus as the flight from Egypt following the death of the first born, before the rescue of the sea (Ceresko, p 81).  Since many of the places mentioned in the Exodus are difficult to identify, the exact location of the Exodus is uncertain as well (Bright, p 122).  The sources of what actually constituted the Exodus – the escape from Egypt or the rescue at sea differ among sources.  With regard to the rescue at the sea, none of the available sources provide a complete and coherent account of what occurred.  There is also a possibility of combined memories of more than one group, involving several successful escapes at various times (Ceresko, p 84).  None the less these arguments need to be examined if only to fulfill our curiosity for truth.

     The 13^th century B.C.E. was the last century of the Late Bronze Age which coincided in Egypt with the New Kingdom or Empire Period.  A new dynasty, the Nineteenth came into power in 1305 B.C.E.  The first pharaoh, Ramses I, reigned a few months prior to his son Seti I (1305-1290 B.C.E.) who transferred the capital from Thebes, in central Egypt, north to the city of Avaris.  Avaris was renamed, the House of Ramses by Seti I and his son Ramses II.  Both “conducted ambitious building programs there.”  These building projects support Exodus 1:11 which refer to the pharaoh who “built the store cities, Pithom and Ramses” using slave labor (Ceresko, p 80).  Ceresko adds that scholars who venture to assign a date to the escape of the Moses group from Egypt includes the building projects of Seti I and Ramses II employing slave labor in the late fourteenth and early thirteenth centuries B.C.E. and this mention of an Israel in Canaan by Merneptah in 1220 B.C.E. are key pieces of evidence (Ceresko, p 81).  If Hebrews labored at Avaris, then they must have been in Egypt at least in the reign of Sethos 1 (ca. 1305-1290) (Bright, p 123).

     Numerous texts from the 15^th century onward provide evidence of the presence of ‘Apiru in Egypt.  ‘Apiru were brought as captives as early as 1438-1412, if not prior to that period (Bright, p 121).   Sethos 1 collided with the ‘Apiru in the mountains near Beth-shan “almost on the eve of the Exodus”.  One can conclude that ‘Apiru (Hebrew) elements established there and became absorbed in the structure along with other groups.  Israel came into being by a complex process with a tribal structure filled with strains of diverse origin   (Bright, p 136,-137).

     Archaeological evidence depicts that a major upheaval engulfed Palestine as the Late Bronze Age ended.  Numerous towns, a number of them in the Bible which were said to have been taken by Israel, were actually destroyed at that time.  Many scholars have seen in this evidence that the Israelite conquest took place in the 13^th century.  However, it must also be noted that there is no trace of such a destruction surviving (Bright, p 130). 

     The Bible states (1 Kings 6:1) that it was four hundred and eighty years from the Exodus to the fourth year of Solomon (ca. 958).  According to this information we could accurately place the Exodus as occurring in the fifteenth century.  But this would deem that the conquest took place in the Amarna period, which has generally been abandoned because of the difficulty to harmonize this information with other evidence.  It could also be that the four hundred and eighty years is a round number for twelve generations (Brown, p 123). 

     Ultimately at this time we cannot reconstruct the details of Israel’s wanderings in the desert, because actual events were more complex than the Biblical narrative and because none of the places mentioned can be identified with certainty (Brown, p 124).  

     Arguments indeed have been provided to determine the actual date of the Exodus as occurring during the 13^th century.  However though, the general consensus is the 13^th century, there is enough doubt raised to extend this prior to the 13^th century and perhaps up to the 15^th century.  What must be kept in mind is the importance of the canonical text, accepted as scripture.    It is the ” revelation” contained in the story, which is the proclamation of God’s saving love and power on behalf of this people (Ceresko, p 84) that has remained steadfast throughout the centuries.  With new findings such as more manuscripts or more archeological revelations, we may be able to be more accurate in supplying a date for the Exodus.      

---

[1] Ceresko, Anthony.  An Introduction to the Old Testament, New York: Orbis, Maryknoll, 2001.

[2] Bright, John.  A History of Israel. 4^th Edition. Philadelphia: Westminister, 2001.

Grief

These last two weeks, my study lectures have been around the topic of grief.  I have been providing you with information about human development and I would like to continue with that sporadically, but I am pausing for grief.  I have been provided with  a long list of recommended books, that I will eventually read.  But for today, I will recommend one that I have used and found very helpful.  It was given to me at a senior home.  It is titled, Time Remembered, A Journal for Survivors by Earl A. Grollman, Beacon Press, Boston, Massachusetts; 1987. I have been told that the exercises within, have been found very useful.   This is a book, I like to loan out when someone is grieving.  Page 33, provides a list of body reactions to the death of someone you love.  It can cause sleep disturbances, difficulty in breathing, a tightness in the throat or chest, low energy, sudden weight loss or gain, headaches and backaches, susceptibility to breathing upsets, constant colds and sore throats.  It can also cause dizziness and blurred visions.  This is your body's response to the mental turmoil you feel.  People grieve differently and for different reasons.  It depends on the relationship you had with that person, on how the person died, etc...What is important is that how you will grieve or are grieving is particular to you.   You will need support.  You will need to talk about it.  Sometimes, you will need to seek out a therapist to help you with your feelings, especially if you feel overwhelmed and it does not seem to go away.  Your voice and feelings need to be heard and understood.  What is worse than hearing that you should be over it?  Sometimes, people mean well but do more harm.  Why not think of your loved one and the good time you shared.  Try to think of your loved one when he or she was healthy.  Why not write him or her a letter, if you can.  You may keep it or destroy it, but try it.  If the life you had together was abusive, this is where you can begin to heal.  Give yourself your own time to grieve in your own way.  It takes time.   What do you think?        

development continues..........(psychology notes)

Bandura's reciprocal determinism conceptualises the person, environment, and behaviour as revealing an ongoing reciprocal relationship.  Behaviour influences the environment which in turn influences the person and so on.

Buhler's healthy development depends upon fulfilling personal goals and aspirations within an ever changing context.

The Stigma of Psychotherapy

I often forget that people may be embarrassed about getting therapy.  It is when I see a comercial informing the public that it is ok to seek help, that I am reminded.  It is when someone tells me that therapy is so helpful and often people shy away from it because of the stigma surrounding it, that I am reminded.  In psychology and in Pastoral Counselling we are informed that we need our own therapy to be able to help others.  I remember one psychologist telling us in class that we need to be aware of our own issues so that we can benefit our own clients.  "You cannot breakdown from what your clients touch in yourself.  It is not about you. It is about helping them."  Though some of us found it quite amusing by the sounds of our chuckles, we realized he was right.   In providing therapy there is something called transference and counter transference that happens in a session.  I will be providing definitions about that and examples another time.  This time I want to focus more on the stigma.  However, it concerns what is triggered in ourselves in relation to our clients, and what is triggered in our clients in relation to ourselves. The point of this, is that therapy becomes so natural,  that I need to be reminded that for some, no matter how much they need help, they do not get it.  Why not take some time today to examine your life.  Are you happy?  What is making you happy?  If you are not happy, is it bothering you?  Have you taken steps to understand why you are sad?  Is it an unhappy marriage?  Is there too much stress in your life?  Do you feel you are just existing?  Are you in a dead beat job, finding no satisfaction?  Are you alone, even in a crowd?  Why not begin writing your feelings if you have not?  You might even see a pattern of dissatisfaction?  Has some one died in your life and you cannot seem able to cope?  Do you realize that your social drinking has increased?  Is your life being changed from something horrible that has happened to you?  Do you simply just exist?  There are times when we simply need someone to talk to and there are times when we need someone to help us understand, why?  I remember attending a lecture in my earlier career where a psychologist informed us that sometimes we cannot see what is consuming us because we are too close to what is bothering us.  That is all that I remember of his lecture but it has stayed with me.  It is true.  When your life is consuming you, you need to be able to step back and look at your life.  Sometimes, one needs a little help with that.  How do you get help if you are feeling stigmatised?  Perhaps, it is time to examine that?  Have you heard someone make derogatory remarks?  Have you heard someone making jokes?  We do live in a society where bravery is equivalent with strength.  Strength is equivalent to being of strong mind.  Getting therapy is a sign of strength.  It demonstrates strength to be able to do what is best for you.  It takes strength to say that you need  help.  There are people who will not see a physician because they want to be  seen as strong.  There are many other reasons but I wish to remain focused.  There are people who get the strength to walk into a therapist's office and realise they cannot deal with their problems, because it is just too much.  That is ok.  A step has been taken and perhaps, they are just not ready.  Our perceptions are ingrained and not always clear.  If you need help and you know it, ask yourself why you are not getting it.   What do you think?   

cont......Contextual Theory (development - notes) Psychology

Contextual Theory -  Neither the environment or the organism is static.  Development takes place in a dynamic context where organism and environment interact.  Every act changes the context and the actor, creating new conditions for development.  The changing person acts on and changes the environment and the environment acts back to change the person.  Development is continuous since previous outcomes, influence subsequent change.  Development is discontinuous as well.  Brofenbenner's ecological approach is both quantitative since people change how much they do, as well as qualitative in terms of how they go about doing.   There is no particular path or goal suitable for everyone.  Thus, individual difference is emphasised and individual success is understood on how appropriate behaviour is to the context.      

Organismic Theory cont......(human development)

Growing, maturing and adaptive development is part of this theory's perspective.  Development is seen as orderly, following a sequence or stage.  A stage is a pattern of behaviour that is qualitatively different from previous subsequent stages development.  Although there is continuity from one stage to the next, development is also discontinuous with new patterns emerging.  This unfolding of development from one stage to the next is universal.  Guided by intrinsic growth processes known as maturation.  Everyone goes through the same stages in the same sequence.  What varies is not the order of progression but the rate of progression.  For Erickson, development is an integrative process driven by conflict.  At each stage, resolution of a crises depends on achieving a balance between opposing traits such as intimacy versus isolation.  Crises resolved may repair, be solved in alternate fashion.  Healthy development does depend on adaptive resolution.

Theories and science continue........ (notes psychology)

Model:  is a concrete image of theoretical relationships that flow from a meta theory.  Thus, each meta theory offers a perspective on a given phenomenon and the phenomenon of developmental psychology is change.  Three perspectives on development, or models are:  Mechanistic, Organismic and Contextual.  Each model offers a point of view of developmental change.

Mechanistic theory  -  The basic metaphor of this model is that the human being is a machine, made up of parts that can be analysed into their smallest components and then re-esembled.  The machine can be no more or less than the parts of which it is composed.  A machine reacts automatically to internal and external forces.  The human machine is composed of biological parts that respond to internal and external stimuli.  If science can analyse the parts - understand how the human machine is put together - and understand the forces impinging on the human machine, it would be able to predict the behaviour of the human machine.
     Historically, Descartes in the 1600's viewed human and animal behaviour as operating according to mechanistic (machine) principles.  Descartes set the stage for the mechanistic interpretation of human and animal behaviour.  In modern psychology, Skinner in the 1900's supported this view by saying that behaviour could be understood as a function of the principle and processes of re-enforcement.  Control re-enforcement and behaviour is manipulable.
    For mechanistic theory, development is seen as quantitave in nature, is continuous and habits build upon habits.  It is possible to identify the conditions that influence the acquisition, maintenance and modification of habits across the life span.  As one grows old, this theory assumes that it is possible to learn new behaviour or components to replace less useful habits or from the standpoint of info-processing theory -- If mental processes can be broken down into their constituent parts in much the same way a computer operates -- registering, organising, storing and retrieving information; then, if one of these components fails, it may be possible to design techniques to boost older adults functioning. 
             to be continued...............

Theories and science

All science starts with observation and in many cases ends with a theory of the phenomenon observed.

What is a theory?  A set of concepts that attempts to offer a provisional explanation of the data.  Theoretical concepts such as re-enforcement in learning psychology, drive in motivational psychology, identity crises in psychological developmental psychology are concepts that help make sense of data.   It helps interpret data.  As Lewin said, "there is nothing so practical as a good theory."

Meta theories - a set of related theories broad in nature that explains how the world works or is supposed to work.  As Papalia et.al. says it is a lens through which we look at the universe-- a set of assumptions and values that filter perceptions and focus one's view.  As Einstein said, "it is the theory that decides what we can observe.  In sum, the meta theories in developmental psychology address issues of whether development is primarily quantitative - a change in amount or qualitative - a change in quality.  Is it continuous - an accumulation of skills and habits? Or, is it discontinuous - marked by qualitative change in modes of cognition and characterological traits?  
To be continued................

Menopause

                                                                                                                            Menopause 1


Menopause
Menopause – A Transition

Silva Redigonda
 Psychology AK/PSYC 3170.3.0A
Professor Goldberg
November 26, 2003












                                                                                                                           Menopause 2
Menopause – A Transition

For some women menopause is a phase with little if any interruptions from their

daily lives. For other women menopause conjures images of desperation. Symptoms associated with menopause may include headaches, joint pains, memory loss, and mood swings, leaving some women feeling confused, anxious and worried. Women are not always aware of what is happening to them, especially since many of the symptoms they feel may account for conditions other than menopause. Though menopause is a natural transition, the difficulty women may
face needs to be further investigated and solutions found by addressing the following questions:

1.      What is menopause and how effective is hormone replacement therapy?

2.       How do the experts at workshops/seminars explain menopause and what
 solutions are offered to ease this transition?

3.      What is the belief system that women share regarding their experiences with 

menopause?

This paper regarding the transition of menopause will focus on these three questions.

What is menopause and how effective is hormone replacement therapy?

A woman is considered menopausal when she has ceased menses for one year.

Menopause is associated with reduced functioning of the ovaries, resulting in lower levels of ovarian hormones, primarily estrogen.  Serious health problems may also arise when changing hormone levels and the physical effects of aging are coupled with the stresses of midlife (North American Menopause Society, 2003, p2).  Barbach (2000, pp 41,56,75 & 267) reports that there

 

                                                                                                                         Menopause 3

are direct reactions to decreased estrogen such as headaches, which 40 percent of American women experience, joint pain or breast tenderness. Fatigue also often comes on suddenly. Extreme emotional reactions can occur as estrogen levels decrease. 15% to 20 % of women

suffer from periods of serious emotional upheaval during menopause. Some become so anxious that they cannot leave their homes, so angry they cannot control their tempers, and so depressed that they cannot get out of bed.  Matlin (2004, p 468) indicates that hot flashes is the most known symptom associated with menopause.
            Though menopause deals with issues that may resemble illness by some, Taylor (2003, p40) argues that menopause is not a disorder of the reproductive system but rather the end of a woman's reproductive life. Cobb reports that menopause has never been a major part of medical studies but that there are more resources than five years previous (2001, pp 35 & 253). It is established that menopause is not a medical disorder but a natural process which women go through, some with great difficulty because of estrogen decrease.  Hormone Replacement Therapy substitutes what is lost through menopause.

How effective is Hormone Replacement Therapy?

            The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada report that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) which contains estrogen alone or can be an estrogen progestin combination replaces the hormones that decrease during menopause in order to relieve distressing menopausal associated symptoms (2000). Barback refers to HRT as estrogen and progesterone taken in combination and explains that it was designed for postmenopausal woman.

                                                                                                                                    Menopause 4

Originally estrogen was given alone, and the result was a devastatingly high increase in cases of cancer of the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. This happened because estrogen was continuously building up the uterine lining but without the progesterone, this lining was never sloughed off, as naturally occurs every month during reproductive years (2001, p 157). The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Hormone Replacement study was the longest largest clinical controlled trial on HRT, whose primarily goal was to determine if taking estrogen and progesterone over a long period of time reduced a woman's risk of coronary heart disease. The study that began in June 1995 was discontinued July 8, 2002, because of increased health risks to the women (Schumaker (2002). Though HRT appears to be effective in replacing decreased hormones in women there may be some risk to women. 

How do the experts at workshops/seminars explain menopause and what solutions
are offered to ease this transition?

Ms Addison who is a nurse at the Women's Health Center was interviewed by phone (Oct 2003). Ms Addison offers counseling sessions at the Center. She reported that women in the past discussed their problems associated with menopause in a group setting. She indicated that this pattern has changed and women now prefer counseling in private.  Ms Addison reports that the WHI study totally changed how women were treated for symptoms associated with menopause.  It was very clear that women's health was put at risk by using HRT. Lifestyle changes such as incorporating exercise in a person's life is more of a focus in easing women's transition through menopause.  Ms Addison described midlife as a watershed. Parents are older, there are changes in relationships and there is a re-thinking about a lot of issues based on a person's own medical

        

                                                                                                        Menopause 5

status. There is a huge change around midlife with physical changes. Depression, violence and anxiety come into play through midlife that covers a broad spectrum. When women are

 menopausal there are issues that are created, dealing with sexuality that may become painful and it moves towards the relationship.   

During 18 October 2003 a Menopause Seminar took place at Sunnybrook Campus. The cost was $40.00 to attend which included a buffet and distribution of booklets, a pen, and other paperwork having to do with nutrition, HRT and natural alternatives. The speakers were Dr Nickell, Ms Creighton, and Ms Manson. The 30 women in attendance were mostly nurses from the hospital and a few patients from the hospital who were advised about the seminar by their physicians at Sunnybrook. 

Ms Manson reported that women on average start menopause at 51 years of age and a few years earlier if they smoke.  10% of women display no symptoms other then ceasing mensus.

Ms Creighton described menopause as a bridge, a development stage.  She described intense emotional highs and lows some women experience, a roller coaster ride of emotions.  Ms Creighton reported that a symptom of being out of control is very common which can be very discouraging especially if a woman felt very much in control prior to menopause.  Other common emotional symptoms associated with menopause are anxiety, panic attacks, irritability, absolute rage, depression, memory lapses and moodiness.  Menopause becomes very visual and final and menses itself is missed by some as is the realization that she will not be able to have children.  Body image may be affected since our society worships youth and firm flesh.  Sexuality changes as arousal is slower and orgasm is less intense.  There is less lubrication and the vaginal walls become thinner, which may make intercourse painful. Self-esteem takes a

                                                                                                               Menopause 6

beating during this time.  Ms Creighton provided a lecture on coping strategies; she explained that women should nurture themselves and not skip meals.  She recommended Dr Barbach's book, The Pause and described how Dr Barbach, who has a PHD in Clinical Psychology and is presently faculty at the University of California and in private practice as well as an author, experienced her own hardships dealing with menopause.  Dr Barbach went from physician to physician trying to find the cause of her strange symptoms such as intense fatigue and waking up frequently at night to urinate.  She thought she had a mysterious illness.

Dr Nickell spoke about the WHI study in depth, simplifying the results.  She reported that over one year of 10,000 women taking hormone therapy versus placebo there would be 7 more cardiac events, 8 more strokes, 18 more blood clots, 8 more cases of breast cancers, 5 fewer hip fractures and 6 fewer colorectal cancers.  Dr Nickell encouraged her audience to consider the study lightly, as the health risks are small.  She said that she has not taken her patients off HRT and indicated that the results of the WHI study caused many doctors in Toronto to immediately have their patients stop taking HRT. She indicated that this abrupt stop of HRT would have the patient feel the effects of Menopause full force when normally the effects are gradual.  She suggested that women might want to consider taking HRT when they are suffering a lot and it is affecting their quality of life.  Handouts consisted of Canada's Food Guide, natural alternatives such as Black cohosh, soy, red clovers, and ginseng for symptoms related to menopause.  Vitamins were encouraged and exercise regimes suggested.  Information regarding alternative therapies such as acupuncture, and reflexology was also provided.

                                                                                                             Menopause 7

The Women's Health Center held a small group of only seven women.  It was free of charge and handouts were provided.  Again the WHI was discussed suggesting alternative ways for women to seek help for menopause related symptoms.   Ms Morrow reported that menopause

does not usually cause depression, though it can.  She explained that when one is not sleeping properly or tired then one can become depressed.  She stated that menopause is a reminder to

women that they are aging.  She added that women have a right to be irritable when everyone including mates, children, and parents are demanding something.  Menopause can be socially isolating.  People may not want to understand.  Ms Morrow also spoke about the importance of diet and exercise and pampering oneself.  She warned that natural alternatives are still chemically engineered and not regulated.  

What is the belief system that women share regarding their experiences with menopause?

 Many of the women at the seminars who had attended expressed relief that they were experiencing menopause because too many had associated their symptoms with a mental disorder or unknown disease.  Women had been to several doctors to determine what was happening to them without any concrete results.  Several women had consulted other female friends and came to the conclusion that they must be experiencing menopause because they had ruled out all other options.  Some women reported that their mothers told them, they themselves had never experienced menopause, though the daughters remember their mother's symptoms associated with menopause very distinctly.  Does this mean that women are in denial of menopause or that medical staff are not proficient in helping women understand that they

Menopause 8

may be experiencing menopause? A common belief that women shared is that they associate menopause with being old.  They became aware that youth no longer belongs to them.  Some feared and resented aging feeling they are no longer attractive to men.

            Menopause is a transition women experience and not a disease.  The decrease in estrogen and other hormones may cause different emotional and physical reactions among women.  Menopause associated symptoms may account for other health or age related illnesses.  This can explain why some women may enter into menopause without being sure of what is happening to them.  Some women hold a belief system that they are aging or old and are therefore no longer desirable.  This belief is not discouraged by a society that equates youth with desirability.  In general, women hold a belief system that if they eat well, sleep enough hours and exercise it will ease their transition and make them stronger.  The WHI study caused an immediate reaction.  Physicians urged their patients to stop taking HRT while other physicians downplayed the study and encourage the use of HRT.  It would be interesting to know what the ratio of doctors prescribing HRT and doctors opposed is.  Unfortunately that question could not be answered but it may very well be of particular interest for Health Psychologists to conduct further studies in this field.  More studies are also required in determining the safety of HRT for women for the purposes of easing symptoms associated with menopause and natural alternatives which is also being introduced and encouraged by physicians and experts in the field.  Till then women must continue to search for answers trusting their own bodies and making their own decisions

 with the limited research information available.                                                                                                                          

                                                Menopause 9

References

A.    Morrow, Adult Education Student, Regional Women's Health Center, 8th Floor,
     Toronto (Menopause Seminar/workshop, November 8, 2003).

Barbach, S. (2000). The Pause: Positive Approaches To Perimenopause and  Menopause New York: New York.
Cobb, J. (2001). Understanding Menopause Toronto:Ontario.
J. Manson, BScN, Certified Qualified Menopause Lecturer, Sunnybrook and

Women's College Health Sciences Centre, Sunnybrook Campus (Menopause Seminar/work Shop, October 18, 2003) Lecture on definition of Menopause, signs and
symptoms, non-hormonal management/ exercise and nutrition.

L. Chreighton, MSW, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Sunnybrook

and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, Sunnybrook Campus
(Menopause Seminar/workshop, October 18, 2003) lectures on Historical/
cultural perspective, mid-life transition and coping strategies).

L. Nickell, MSW, MD. CCFP. The Family Practice Unit, Department of Family and

Community Medicine (Menopause Seminar/workshop, October 18, 2003) Lecture
on Medical Therapies 1 and 2.

M. Addison, counselor, Program for Midlife @ Older Women/Menopause Education

Regional Women's Health Centre, Toronto (416-351-3703) (personal
communication, October 2, 2003) describes symptoms associated with menopause, therapy and research consequences.

Menopause 10

Matlin, M. (2004). The Psychology Of Women, Fifth Editon, Belmont: CA.

Schumaker, S. (2002). Department of Public Health Services. Effect of Estrogen

Plus Progesterin on Global Cognitive Function in Postmenopausal Women: The Women's Health Initiative Memory Study: A randomized Control Trial, 289, 2663-2672.

Taylor, S. (2003). Health Psychology, Fifth Edition, New York: New York.
The North American Menopause Society. May 2003. Menopause Basics. Cleveland:
            Author.
The Society of Obstertricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. December 2002
            Hormone Replacement Therapy And You. Ottawa: Author.

Tid bit Marriage/divorce

Did you know that in the U.S.A, there has been a 40% to 50% failure rate in marriage?  That is according to Terry Real at our last AAMFT Seminar.  What do you think?

Old Woman - Published 2012

Old Woman

The little grey woman stood
old and strong and brave,
as her fingers moved agelessly
and effortlessly, spinning her
years away like playing
a violin in the hot sun,
parched by the grayness
of the day
embedded in her skin
a cloud of red,
clashing strongly
against the grayness
of her skin.

Time went on as
The grey woman
Spinned away,
Creating nothing
That has not been
Seen before.  Creating
Herself in a cloud
Of greyness…..
Silent no more.  

Silva Redigonda

Happy New Year!

     I want to thank you all for dropping by and I wish you a Happy New Year!

     This is the opportunity to begin a new year, a new life; a new beginning.  This is the time to decide what it is you really want and preparing a way to get there.  It may be leaving people who abuse you and make you miserable.  It may be taking the time to meet new people.  It may be a great time to ask yourself if you are happy and examine why you are not.  Life is so short.  Why not begin to enjoy it.  Take a few minutes to wonder what would make you happier?  How can you get there?  Why not begin today.  You are special and if you do not know it, why is that?

What do you think?