We are beavering away on our up-coming webinars and the 2-day event in September. Things are getting better and better. We know that Louise Kershaw, the noted Naturopath from South Australia will be there to do some food testing for each attendee, and Heather Yelland, the famous women’s personal development speaker will be coming too! There’s going to be a huge network of women doing the ‘hormone thing’ and sharing all our knowledge and experience over time. You watch! The Baby Boomers have hit their 50s and they’re “mad as hell and not going to take it (BS) any more!”

I have even managed to convince one of the younger male doctors in my own clinic that this area is well worth his time to understand, and he is plugged in for some profound coaching on the McGill System of hormone control in Mid Life!! It’s gonna be big!

Just some news from the medical magazines for your interest and information!

1. Weird things happen in the field of medicine sometimes. Now we find that researchers in Norway have given probiotics in milk to pregnant women from 36 weeks onwards and the results show that their offspring have 49% lower rate of eczema than other children! Amazing. In Norway it seems the milk has probiotics added (or plain) but here is Australia we would have to take the probiotics separately. Good news as the rate of eczema in children is frighteningly high, so anything that will reduce it is welcome indeed. (British J of Dermatology)

2. It seems that air pollution does not just create problems with the heart and lungs, but can be linked to an increase in the rate of diabetes and suicide in the polluted area! Like I say to patients all the time, “Everything in the body is connected to everything else”. (NSW Pub Health Bulletin 2010 21; 115-21)

3. Which is why I never do a Pap smear if the woman has a cold or other infection. All the cells reflect the inflammation of the cold or flu. If it comes back with a query on the cells, then there is a whole drama of getting to a gynaecologist and getting more tests done, when you could just wait a week or so and do the smear then when the cold is clear. (McGill’s policy on Pap smears)

4. Better go easy on the fly spray this Summer. We now see that rates of ADHD (used to be called Attention Deficit Disorder) are up where the child has been exposed to pesticides, especially in early life. This is apparently true even if the exposure has been mild. I have always felt that if the sprays are deadly to flies, they can’t be good for us either, but the advice now is to peel or at least wash carefully (with vinegar in the water) all fruit and vegetables to remove as much as possible of the pesticides from the grower. I’m not sure if all “organic” fruit and vegetables are really clear of pesticides but it is at least going to be a bit better risk. (JAMA 2010; 304:27-28)