We have lost two great women in the past month. Dolly Parton: Who didn’t love her? As we all know, Dolly came from a huge family in Tennessee and grew up poor as can be. She went on to perform at the Grand Ole Opry at just 13 years old, introduced by Johnny Cash. From there, she built an incredible career writing and singing songs, starring on television with Porter Wagoner until she left to pursue her own career, and eventually building a business empire of her own. She was called a “dumb blonde,” to which she famously replied, “Honey, I ain’t dumb and I sure as hell ain’t blonde!” And, of course, there was her legendary line: “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.” She was fiercely feminine and made no apologies for it. Tirelessly generous, kind, funny, and smart, she also made a point of retaining ownership of her creative work. We could go on and on. What a loss. Gloria Steinem: For more than six decades, Gloria Steinem has been a leading voice in the women’s movement, an organizer, journalist, and activist who brought women’s issues out of the shadows and into the national conversation. Born in the 1930s, she worked undercover as a Playboy Bunny and wrote about the exploitation she experienced, while also facing dismissal because of her beauty. Fearless and outspoken, she co-founded Ms. magazine in 1972 and spent decades advocating for reproductive rights, gender equality, and workplace fairness. She also campaigned tirelessly for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Introduced in 1972, the amendment fell short of the 38 states needed for ratification by the 1982 deadline. Virginia became the 38th state to ratify it in 2020, although the ERA's legal status remains contested. Steinem's work helped bring attention to the many ways women faced legal and economic barriers, including restrictions that historically affected women’s ability to obtain credit and mortgages. As she once said, “I want to be known by my achievements, not by my biology.” Phil and Penny Knight just donated $1.1 billion for a women’s hospital, including OB/GYN, menopause, and other specialty care, plus an expansion of the NICU. Wow. About time… A recent article in Katie Couric highlighted how LDL rises during menopause. Nothing else had changed: total cholesterol went up about 22 points, LDL about 17 points, and triglycerides by 24, while HDL stayed about the same. The SWAN study found that ApoB, total cholesterol, and LDL all rose sharply within one year on either side of the final menstrual period. Not everything rises so suddenly, though. Blood pressure, triglycerides, insulin, fibrinogen, and CRP follow more of a linear aging model. There is a belief that some of this may be linked to rising FSH and its receptors, which are found not only in the ovaries but also in the liver. Correlation or coincidence? TBD with more study. Can hormone therapy bring these levels down? Part of the conversation, but not all of them. Hormone therapy is not a substitute for statins if they’re needed. Inflammation: The source of all… Connect w/ Kyle & Candace: Candace Burch: YourHormoneBalance.com info@yourhormonebalance.com Kyle McAvoy: kylebmcavoy@gmail.com
