• Hot flushes, flashes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling
• Irregular heart beat
• Irritability
• Mood swings, sudden tears
• Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
• Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles
• Loss of libido
• Dry vagina
• Crashing fatigue
• Anxiety, feeling ill at ease
• Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom
• Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion
• Disturbing memory lapses
• Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing
• Itchy, crawly skin
• Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons
• Increased tension in muscles
• Breast tenderness
• Headache change: increase or decrease
• Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea
• Sudden bouts of bloat
• Depression
• Exacerbation of existing conditions
• Increase in allergies
• Weight gain
• Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair
• Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance
• Changes in body odour
• Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head
• Tingling in the extremities
• Gum problems, increased bleeding
• Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, change in breath odour
• Osteoporosis (after several years)
• Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier
• Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, ‘whooshing,’ buzzing etc

When I stopped reeling after finding that list, I had to take a note of the few signs and symptoms I didn’t have and count my blessings.

This list of signs of peri-menopause and menopause was developed by women on the Internet ‘Menopaus’ mailing list, hosted by St. John’s University. The list 35 symptoms is based on the real life experiences of these women. All symptoms appearing on the list were experienced by numerous women and were either cyclical in nature, or responded to treatments (both traditional and alternative) known to address hormonal imbalances.

The women who directly contributed text and/or ideas to this list of signs are: Judy Bayliss, founder & owner of the Menopaus mailing lis, Lucy L. Brown, PH.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Krista Glickman, Susan Jessen, Roberta J. Leon, Susan Klee, Betty Clark, Jennifer Hesketh Aviles, Christine Cody, Keri Webb, Bonnie Dreps Voigtlander, Jean Bauer, Joan Starker, Miriam Biddleman, Graciela Spivak, Susan Ariew

* July, 2008 : The original website has vanished now, but I have left the original link as a mark of respect for those women

The average woman walks more than 118,600 kilometres in a lifetime. Every walking step you take exerts pressure up to three times your body weight on your feet. Running exerts up to ten times your body weight.

We cram our feet into tight fitting, stiff shoes, subject them to the unnatural angles of high heels, pound them on pavement and asphalt, smother them in airless socks and shoes, or simply stand on them for hours on end.

Sometimes the skin, 26 bones, and intricate webbing of muscles and ligaments in each of our feet can’t stand up to the pressure.

Is it any wonder that your feet hurt?

Many common foot ailments are related to choice of shoes. Footwear that is too tight, too loose, excessively airtight, or shaped in unnatural ways can cause or aggravate problems.

Buying Shoes

High heels and pointy-toed fashion shoes are natural adversaries to your feet. Although the angle of high heels may make your legs look long and graceful, it also increases pressure on the toes and upsets your balance. Keep your use of high heels to a minimum, and opt for flats instead.

Sport-specific shoes

One good pair of cross trainers will suffice for every sport you participate in. Sports shoes can be worn every day for cushy comfort. However, they lose their cushioning effect over time and should be replaced if the lining no longer bounces back when you press on it. Remember to check shoes for air flow—do they have porous fabric or air holes so that your feet won’t swelter inside?

Do your shoes fit?

When did you last have your feet measured? Your feet may well have increased in size, as commonly happens as women grow older. Be sure to shop for shoes at the end of the day, when your feet are 5%-8% larger than in the morning. Measure both feet, since they are often different sizes, and always fit to the larger size.

Allow 1/2″ of room between your longest toe and the end of the shoe. Feel along the sides of the shoe while it’s on your foot to check that the widest part of your foot corresponds with the widest part of the shoe.

Take a test stroll across the store to verify that the shoe flexes when you walk, and that your heel doesn’t slip in and out. Wear the hosiery or socks you expect to wear with the shoes.

The most important test of all is completely subjective. Are they comfortable? A particular pair of shoes may look great, but if they’re going to leave you sore or limping, leave them in the store.

Be kind to your feet—they’ve got to carry you a long way.

Got a headache? Here are the four most common.

I haven’t listed migraine headaches – if you get migraines you know exactly what they are.

Tension Headache
Feels like: A general tightness all over the scalp or a tight band around the head.
What causes it? These are caused by tension in the back and neck, brought on by stress or injury, causing muscles to spasm.
Get rid of it: The best thing is gentle neck and shoulder exercise, or a hot wheat bag.

Eye Strain Headache
Feels like: A frontal headache, usually behind the eyes. It can be difficult to differentiate from a tension headache.

1. What causes it? Straining your eyes by trying to focus.

2. Get rid of it: Get your eyes checked at the optician. If you’re lucky, the cause of an eye strain headache will be obvious because you’ll only get it when you’re doing close-up work, but if you’re getting a regular headache and you’re not sure of the cause, it’s always worth getting your eyes checked to rule out this possibility.

Sinus Headache
Feels like: Pressure across the cheekbones and under the eyes, which gets worse when you lean forward. Sufferers also describe feeling like their front teeth are loose.

1. What causes it? Blocked sinuses brought on by allergies or a cold.

2. Get rid of it: By inhaling steam or taking an over-the-counter decongestant

And here’s one you may not know about ..

Painkiller Headache
Feels like: A moderate to severe headache all over your head when you stop taking painkillers, after taking them for a few days.

1. What causes it? It’s a withdrawal headache as soon as the levels of painkillers start dropping in your body. (If you’ve been having to take painkillers continuously for more than a couple of days, go to the doctor and get checked out). Ironically, the headache you get from painkiller withdrawal is often much worse than the one you had originally.