1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Wellness sun masks. I'm doctor Nicole Saffire and 2 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:08,399 Speaker 1: this is your weekly rundown and let me tell you, 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: it's been a busy week, so I'm going to try 4 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:12,960 Speaker 1: and jam pack some stuff into a couple of minutes. 5 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: The biggest thing to come out of the news cycle 6 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,320 Speaker 1: this week, in my opinion, is the fact that the 7 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:21,440 Speaker 1: FDA is removing the black box warning from hormone replacement 8 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:26,080 Speaker 1: therapy for women. For decades now, because of old, antiquated studies, 9 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: old formulations of medications, women and physicians have been afraid 10 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: of offering these medications to women as they are going 11 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,559 Speaker 1: through perimenopause and menopause. Now, just because you remove the 12 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:39,599 Speaker 1: black box warning, that does not mean that they are 13 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: not still risk associated. Of course, there's risk with every medication, 14 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: and not everyone is eligible for hormone replacement therapy. But 15 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: what the overwhelming data show right now is women who 16 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: begin hormone replacement therapy before they go through menopause, maybe 17 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: even ten years before menopause, it actually can lower the 18 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, cognitive decline, maybe even lower 19 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: their risk of breast cancer as well as other things. 20 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 1: So women you don't have to suffer through menopause perimenopause symptoms. 21 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: Talk to your doctors. We're talking about esrogen, progesterone, and 22 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,960 Speaker 1: even testosterone. That's right, testosterone is for women too. They 23 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 1: have oral medications, but the more commonly used ones these 24 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: days are patches, significantly fewer side effects. There's also creams, 25 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: vaginal creams. You may have heard of pellets. I'm not 26 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: a huge fan of pellets. Maybe we can do a 27 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,040 Speaker 1: longer episode later on and I can tell you why. Ultimately, 28 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,039 Speaker 1: everything works differently for other people. So if you're considering 29 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: hormone replacement therapy, talk to your doctor. There's lots of 30 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: options and you don't need to be scared away. Removing 31 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: the black box warning is well overdue. It should have 32 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: been done a long time ago. Another big thing that 33 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: happened this week. Just yesterday, Senator Fetterman took to X 34 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: and he said that he was out for a walk 35 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: and he fell, got some scrapes and bruises to his 36 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: face and was taken to the hospital. The spokesperson said 37 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: it's because he was having a quote unquote flare up 38 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: of ventricular fibrillation. I am really hoping they're meaning atrial fibrillation, 39 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,919 Speaker 1: because when someone goes into ventricular fibrillation in the hospital, 40 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: oftentimes we're calling a code blue. So what that means 41 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: is it's an arrhythmia of the heart and it can 42 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:23,399 Speaker 1: lead to stroke. It can lead to someone passing out, 43 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: it can lead to a heart attack, it could lead 44 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: to someone dying. Now we know Senator Fetterman has a 45 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: history of heart disease. A couple of years ago, he 46 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: had atrial fibrillation, or the top chamber of his heart 47 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 1: was in an arrhythmia, and that caused clots to form. 48 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: Those clots got sent off to the brain and that 49 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: is what caused his stroke. And he had at that 50 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: time a pacemaker implanted to help pace his heart, and 51 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: it was also a defibrillator to shock him should his 52 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: heart go into arrhythmia. Again. Now he's saying that he 53 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: had a quote unquote flare up, but again he said 54 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 1: ventricular fibrillation, which is the lower chamber of heart, and 55 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: that's more of a medical emergency. So all I can 56 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: say is I wish the senator well. I love that 57 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,639 Speaker 1: he still kept his sense of humor as his posting 58 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: on X but it's scary. It's incredibly scary. He has 59 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: a very complicated cardiac history, and he is one of 60 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: the only moderate common sense Democrats who I am just 61 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,519 Speaker 1: truly grateful, has a name and has a voice, and 62 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: I just hope nothing but the best for him. So 63 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: best of luck, Senator. I hope you are well. I'm 64 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: sure you have a wonderful team of doctors. Rest up 65 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: and look forward to being what you do next. That's 66 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: it for me. This is Wellness on Mass. This has 67 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 1: been your weekly rundown. Make sure to listen to Wellness 68 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: on Mass on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get 69 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 1: your podcasts, and we will catch you next time.