NAPS Chairman reaches the top
In an exciting new venture, NAPS Chairman, Nicholas Panay has been appointed Director of the West London Menopause and PMS Centre.
The appointment follows the retirement of Professor John Studd from his NHS Menopause and PMS Clinic at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, making Mr Panay one of the leading international menstrual health specialists. Professor Studd continues his private clinic work and remains very active at scientific meetings.
Nick Panay has a specific interest in problems related to menstrual health and is already head of the Menopause and PMS Centre at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in London. The centre provides comprehensive clinical services as well as training and research in menopause and PMS related fields. The West London Menopause and PMS Centre will be an amalgamation of the two clinics running twice a week, one at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital and the other at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Commenting on his new position, Nick Panay said: "I am hoping that this amalgamation will make this one of the leading centres in Europe and allow me to fulfil my ambition of leading one of the country's premier menstrual health centres which will provide the highest standards of clinical care. In addition I would hope the centre will perform cutting edge research and train health professionals from all around the world at all levels."
Nick Panay initially trained as a general obstetrician and gynaecologist. He performed his research into the treatment of progestogen intolerance in women using HRT for treatment of the menopause and PMS with John Studd at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. He then qualified as a sub-specialist in reproductive medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital and is currently a consultant gynaecologist at The Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust.
He joined NAPS over four years ago as a trustee and was elected chairman two years ago. He believes that the way to provide better care for the PMS sufferer is through improved training of health professionals.
PMS drink special offer
Don't forget to be one of the first 100 new and renewing members to receive one month's supply of Escape, a drink combining simple and complex carbohydrates.
Specially formulated to provide quick and lasting relief from a wide range of PMS symptoms, a month's supply normally costs £14.95. The offer ends this month.
Date for your Diary NAPS AGM
You are warmly invited to attend NAPS Annual General Meeting which will take place on 17 September 2005 at St Bartholomew's Church Hall, Otford Village, Kent, commencing at 1.30pm.
NAPS Chairman, Mr Nicholas Panay will give a talk on the way forward in treatments and developments in PMS. We look forward to meeting you there.
New research endorses NAPS diet
NAPS welcomes further endorsement of its dietary guidelines following publication of new research results which suggest that a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D may lower the risk of developing PMS.
The study revealed a "significantly lower risk of developing PMS in women with high intakes of vitamin D and calcium from food sources - equivalent to about four servings per day of skimmed or low-fat milk, fortified orange juice or low-fat dairy foods such as yoghurt." (Archives of Internal Medicine 13 June (165,pp1246-1252).
Earlier studies have indicated that when calcium supplements and vitamin D, which helps regulates the absorption of calcium, are taken together, they may help reduce the occurrence and severity of premenstrual symptoms. However, it was not clear whether they could prevent the condition from developing in the first place.
Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the new trial, which was conducted by Elizabeth R.Bertone-Johnson of the University of Massachusetts, compared the diets and supplement use of 1,057 women aged between 27-44 who had developed PMS over a 10 year period and 1,968 women who reported no or minimal PMS symptoms, in the same period. All women reported no PMS in 1991, when the study started. Intake of calcium and Vitamin D from diet or supplements was measured in 1991, 1995 and 1999, calculated from food frequency and standard NHS questionnaires.
Women consuming the most calcium (on average 1283mg per day) showed a 30 per cent lower risk of developing PMS that those with a low intake of 529mg daily. Although the researchers said that the results are very encouraging, further clinical trials are recommended before calcium and vitamin D combination can be recommended for help with PMS.
NAPS dietary advisor, Gaynor Bussell has written a full report. CLICK HERE TO VIEW
PMS and Sex
Help us to compile important statistics in preparation for our PMS Awareness Week in September by taking part in the new poll question posted on our website -'Does PMS affect your sex life adversely?' We look forward to compiling the results.
PMS lecture a success
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists public lecture on PMS held last month was a great success.
Organised by the college's Consumer's Forum, the lecture was given by Professor Shaughn O'Brien, Vice-President of the College. Avid Forum user and new NAPS volunteer Jane McCormick Smith attended the conference and gives us her report. CLICK HERE FOR FULL REPORT
Summer Special 
Keep a look out for a special summer offer coming up from Escape.
Cedar Health will be sending out two free samples of the PMS busting carbohydrate drink and a money off coupon for the full sized product, redeemable at Holland and Barrett Stores. This offer will be open to every reader of the NAPS E-bulletin.
Tell your story
Members of our increasingly popular Forum ( go to our website and click Forum), have encouraged us to focus on PMS and its impact on relationships during our PMS Awareness Week in September.
With more than 600 people regularly logging on and 5000 posts since it was launched last year, the Forum has become the centre for on-line sharing of individual PMS problems and issues. Statistics also show that this new e-bulletin has been well received with over 4,500 readers each month.
The Forum has been an enlightening and revealing source of the kinds of problems that are concerning our sufferers daily. As a result, this year's PMS Awareness Week, running from September 12, will put the spotlight on relationship issues, in particular personal relationship problems, difficulties faced for those with learning disabilities and how we can help women and their families from different cultures cope with menstrual problems. If you are willing to tell your story (including the impact of PMS on your sexual relationships) then please get in touch with us at contact@pms.org.uk. Naturally, anonymity is guaranteed if this is your wish.
Tell your story and help us to improve awareness of the impact of postnatal illness, PMS and menopause problems.
Volunteers play key role in delivering NAPS message
NAPS is delighted to welcome three new volunteers onto its team. All will be playing vital roles in helping to ensure that our information and services provided to our members continues to improve and expand.
NAPS's longest serving office volunteer Samantha Lunam, is passing on her groundwork for our on-line PMS cook book to new volunteer Alison Robertson from Cumbria in Carlisle, who will be helping us to gather PMS recipes for our latest initiative. She is happy to receive recipes from readers direct, so if you have a great recipe that is based on our dietary guidelines that you'd like to share with other members, Alison will be delighted to receive it, plus a photo, if you can. Just contact her on ALISONLOU10@aol.com.
Tracey Gladman from East Grinstead in Sussex, will be helping us with our Sussex Project. Under the guidance and support of the NAPS team, she will be tracking down traditional and alternative PMS and menopause clinicians and specialists to produce a local directory of excellence in PMS and menstrual health in West and East Sussex. "I have suffered from PMS for three years since the birth of my son. I have gained a great deal of knowledge from NAPS and now feel it's time to give something back. I want to be able to help others like myself and give the help and support that they really need."
Jane McCormick Smith, a trained journalist and IT specialist, has also volunteered her services. She has already written a report on the PMS lecture held at The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London taken by Professor Shaughn O'Brien, Vice-President of the College, last month.
Keep up with back issues
Back editions of Once a Month are now available on-line. So if you need to catch up with what's been happening this year log onto www.pms.org.uk/onceamonth/
