I'm not a lover (or a hater) of the Oprah Show, when she has something I'm interested in I watch, otherwise I don't. Since I write about health and wellness, I do tend to be more interested in her health related shows. Now there is a Newsweek article addressing her many controversial and sometimes misleading health related shows. No surprise, there are a lot of women blogging about whether or not Oprah's advice is good advice.

Are you getting enough vitamin D? Would you know if you weren't? Apparently, most of us are deficient in vitamin D, and that is putting us at greater risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, some types of cancer, diabetes, and possibly other chronic medical problems (like asthma, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis). You might be surprised to learn how important vitamin D is to your overall health, and how easy it is to make sure you're getting enough.

Have you heard about the controversy surrounding the impending motherhood of Elizabeth Adeney at age 66? Is she too old to be having a child for the first time? Is it fair to the child? Is it selfish of the mother? Is it fair for us to sit in judgment of her? At what age is a woman too old to be a first time mother? Would you have a baby at the age of 66?

You've heard of writer's block? I think I may have writer's flood. While reviewing potential writing topics for BlogHer this week, something I generally start considering within 24 hours of publishing my weekly BlogHer post, I had lots of ideas, but soon realized that I did not want to do the kind of research I feel a BlogHer post deserves, didn't feel like figuring out the back story so I could write the front story.

I wore out an old exercise videotape whose instructor, Victoria Johnson, used to say, “You’ve got to use it to lose it,” in a very commanding voice. I can hear her voice in my head but I’ve changed the words to “you’re got to use it or lose it”, meaning, you know, your stuff…the moisture of your “magicVee” (a phrase I’ve coined) also known as poonanny, pussoir, and vajayjay (as I always hear Oprah call it). I didn’t know you could lose your juicy fruit (or at least the juicy if not the fruit)!

Yippee! There’s a section in the grocery and drug store that I don’t have to peruse any more to stock up on my monthly supplies and see if my favorite, Always Overnights, are on sale. I have spent a small fortune on sanitary napkins, tampons, pads and sheets since beginning my period at the age of 10. I have had heavy periods most of my life. I bled during the first few months of my first pregnancy and had two false ends to my menstruating days before finally (I believe) I had my last period at the age of 54.

Do you keep up with your annual checkups? We all know we should, but it's easy to come up with reasons to avoid them. Instead of ignoring checkups, try understanding why they are so important. Even better, know the right questions you should ask your doctor, and how you should expect your doctor to be communicating with you.

I went on birth control pills when I was 14 years old to take the edge off body-wracking cramps that had me missing school at least one day a month.  I stayed on them (with the exception of that year I got pregnant) until I was 32, then decided I was tired of stuffing artificial hormones down my gullet on a daily basis.  The first month I was wary -- would the pelvic throbbing return? Would I become nauseous with pain again?  Would I have to hold my bloated abdomen to apply counter-pressure to my aching womb? Was it worth it?  Aunt Flo arrived the next month with her bevy of companions:  bloating, irritability, unexplained crying, salt cravings and cramps -- blood-soaked fairies of decades past, hyped up on natural hormones and ready to rock my body for days.

Have you heard about the latest thing to help you manage menopause, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy!?! Can you hear the tiny bit of fake enthusiasm in my tone there? I hope so because people have been talking about BHRT for a good long time. Oprah didn't discover this treatment, but it sure seems like it the way everyone has started talking about it.