Articles and cartoons by Minnie Pauz creator

Articles and cartoons by Minnie Pauz creator

Cartoons and Humor for babyboomers, menopause, hot flashes, greeting cards, tshirts and printed mugs.TM
The Goals of "Minnie Pauz"

1. To help relieve the feeling of "being alone" in what we're going through by easing the day to day stress with smiles, laughter and giggles. 
2. To try to coordinate and sort through the (confusing) information that is available to us, but not easily found, by gathering links and articles from a variety of reliable sources and passing them on. 
3. To educate health care professionals and companies on what we need from them ( including everything from a new bedside manner to treatments that are going to really help us) by giving a voice to the thousands of women who are needing to be heard. 
4. To find new and better ways to distribute reliable, up to date information by using polls, newsletters, seminars and women's events to make sure more women can access the info they need. 
5. To create a world where our daughters and granddaughters know what to expect as they reach this time in their own lives. Again we are blazing a trail for the next generations and they will be able to prepare and live life to the fullest, no matter what age they are!

"I am slowly but surely climbing up the wall what with hot flushes, swelling ankles, aches and pains and that is on a good day. I needed something to put a smile on my face and this site is it. Thanks so much from a desperate wife and mother in England".......Beth

 
 
Bio-identical hormones. Are they really?

We have Oprah, Suzanne Somers, Christiane Northrup and even Dr. Phil's wife, Robin McGraw on the bio-identical bandwagon, but we're still as confused as ever and I personally feel there is still pressure to sell us (middle-aged women) some very expensive drugs that are being hyped as the fountain of youth! Read this story

Boomers taking care of Parents 
Are you one of the 13 million babyboomers who are taking care of elderly and ailing parents? According to a 2005 survey from Campbell-Ewald Health, 25% of them are living in the same household as their parents. Many of you who get this newsletter help your parents in various ways so you might want to talk with others doing the same thing on Minnie's Facebook page.  Read this story.....
Recipe for a New Year 
Tips on how to make the new year more productive, more positive and happier based on the discoveries I've made in the past 63½ years,  
We've all had some good and bad events in the past year and the key is to focus on the good and learn from the bad so we can face the new year with courage, hope and a positive outlook! We have the power to make it happen, whatever IT is for each of us! All we have to do is open our minds and hearts to the possibilities, find sources of inspiration and information and believe in ourselves. I know, you're asking HOW DO I DO THAT? Read this story....
Why Oh Why? 
I know there are good doctors out there, but how do we know who to believe? How do we know our doctor is not just "following the crowd"..... Read this (short) piece
Ongoing Encouragement 
Well, Ladies.....as your emails have proven over the past 5 years, everyone has a different experience while dancing through yet another phase of hormonal changes. With the range of ages and symptoms, it's really tough to come up with a "group" solution, but...Read this story....
Memory & Menopause 
Remember the first time you got your kids’ names mixed up? Oh no!! It’s finally happening to me, just like it happened to my Mother!  It seems to be a small thing and we tend to laugh about it when it happens, the first few times....Read this story....
Empty Nest Conflict 
I’ve always heard about the “Empty Nest Syndrome”, (when your kids leave home) but personally was looking forward to the freedom and renewal that  would be mine once the kids were out on their own. Being divorced and having to support myself didn’t allow much time to think about being lonely.... Read this story....
Finding Our Balance 
For those of us in some stage of hormonal change, we are constantly searching for BALANCE in our lives. I want to offer you some of the ways I've managed to find my balance this past year and my goals for the new year. Read this story....
Menopause and Weight Loss 
Obesity expert Michael W. Schwartz, MD, of the University of Washington, says he is optimistic that new insights into how hormones influence our urge to eat will soon lead to better appetite control drugs.This is exactly the situation I'm trying to avoid in my life, using drugs to "fix" everything. 
Read this story....
Botox Cosmetics 
Wait a minute! Isn't that stuff a terrible toxin or something??? They sure had me fooled for a minute with the ads on TV for "Botox Cosmetics".  Soft, soothing music, smiling faces......kind of like an Ivory Snow commercial, isn't it? NO WRINKLES? What they aren't saying is PARALYZED MUSCLES IN YOUR FACE! 
Read this story....
Celebrity Menopause  
I have done a lot of research to find out who is doing what about menopause, including women's health groups, the government and the major pharmaceutical companies (and their advertising companies). What I find over and over is the consistent attempt to get our attention and sell us their products by using celebrities as spokespersons. Read this story...
 
The Woes of Hair!

Why does HAIR have to be such a big part of who we are? Even at birth, the first words (except in 
breach births!) are, "wow, look at all the hair!" And throughout infancy and childhood there are 
comments and activities involving our hair. Read this story...

The JOY of Soy? 
I kept reading how soy supplements were helping eliminate hot flashes, so after much research, I ordered some online. Two days later I  had my samples and after reading about all the other health benefits to be gained from soy, I was ready for it! Read this story...

"It was to bad I was working today for trying to laugh silently work to day but tell you what the article you wrote about trying all the soy products in one day is so funny.... It sounds about like what I would do.. This trying to type is not easy laughing so hard.  Sitting in this room with  all men at the moment and having the flash of you sitting at home in pure pain on that day .........Am sorry for not typing to well for the picture you gave  is great. Had to stop and dry my eyes. Haven't laughed so hard in a long time.  Unbelievable that was so funny".........Peigie 

Did You Have Your Hug Today? 
Hugs just don't get enough credit! I was thinking about this recently as Valentine's Day came and went with no hug (or kiss or card) from a sweetheart. When you've been single for a long time, you tend to forget how important a simple hug can be. I have listed all the different kinds of hugs I could think of below. Maybe you can think of more.  Read this story...
Me and My Thermostat 
We are having some lovely "spring" temperatures here in Michigan this week, even though it's only early March, and I've been reflecting on how the weather seems to be such a major factor in my life these days. I'm sure it has influenced everyone on the planet at one time or another, but for the menopausal woman (and those close to her), TEMPERATURE has a whole new meaning on a daily basis. Read this story...
Grandma? Is that you? 
Even at 50+ years, I'm still learning about new and strange things that are happening to my body as I age. It's not enough that my eyesight is getting worse, or that my hearing requires an obscene volume on the TV, now I have to deal with really tough TOENAILS! I can remember as a kid being grossed out at my grandparents' feet and toenails. In fact, now that I think of it, my Great-Grandpa Bailey used to trim his with his pocket knife! How was a 10 yr. old ever to imagine that it might become an option someday?  Read this story...
Managed Menopause 
With all the symptoms that might be related to menopause, 35 to date, is it any wonder that we have days, weeks and months of feeling miserable? If they would all happen at once and for a set period of time, it would be easier to "manage" this time in our lives. Most of the time it's 2 or 3 symptoms one day and then a couple more added in the next day, then a complete different combination a week later and on and on! Just when we think we've got a few symptoms under control, we're hit with something new. How in the world are we supposed to manage it, control it and live with it?  Read this story...
Do Things ever REALLY change? 
When I started having my first menopausal symptoms, I felt totally confused and concerned because it was all so new to me. I didn't have a computer then and the few news reports about HRT didn't really give me the answer to the question...."Which risk do I want to take?" So, I did nothing! As time went by, I saw that it was all a trade off.  Read this story...
The Monthly Visit 
Trying to find something enjoyable about seeing the doctor each month is almost impossible, unless you happen to have a VERY attractive doctor! Even then, it's a reminder that we used to GET a monthly "visitor" and now we ARE a monthly visitor!  Read this story...

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