Research shows HRT may shrink your brain Sometimes I wonder about how the healthcare community can continue to support certain medical practices or treatments in spite of an avalanche of evidence that they are downright dangerous. That's especially the case with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Researchers are doing their best to put a positive spin on two of the latest HRT studies, but in the end, I'm more convinced than ever that HRT is one of the most dangerous scams being foisted upon our nation's women by both Big Pharma and a willing health care community. Over the course of six years, the first study examined the brain scans of 1,400 women who were part of a Women's Health Initiative (WHI) memory study. This research found no link between brain lesions or any evidence of increased dementia. But don't get too excited just yet. The second study analyzed MRI scans of the same women and concluded that HRT led to a "small but significant" shrinkage of the brain's frontal lobe and hippocampus regions - areas known to be crucial to the brain's ability to handle memory and cognition. So the risks of HRT include cancer, stroke, gallbladder disease, blood clots … and now brain shrinkage? I've yet to hear any legitimately positive things about this treatment. It's unbelievable to me that women subject themselves to all these dangers - aided and abetted by their physicians - just to alleviate postmenopausal symptoms. As the downside of HRT pile up higher and higher, doctors - and researchers, too, it seems - continue to be in willful denial of the obvious dangers of this treatment. The bottom line is that HRT is a cash cow for many doctors and in the back of their minds, many of them are asking themselves: "What will we do without the hormone pills?" My advice? Forget HRT. If you're bothered by hot flashes, load up on Vitamins E and C and call it a day. As you know, I don't believe that you have to nearly kill yourself lifting the weight of a car over your head in order to be healthy. So I was happy to hear that a new study pointed out a big benefit that comes from a little exercise: walking. Turns out a regular daily regimen of walking is beneficial for people suffering from painful blood vessel blockages in the leg - a condition known as Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). And it doesn't take much. In fact, this study showed regular walks of as little as six minutes on a treadmill showed a significant boost in a patient's quality of life. Researchers recommend walking at least 40 minutes, three days a week to keep the effects of PAD at bay. Why 40 minutes when the study showed that as little as six minutes had great benefit? You don't need to bother with the treadmill. Just park a little farther away at the grocery store, walk to the mailbox, or take a walk in the park. | 
