PREGNANCY AND EXERCISE
Used to be that women were supposed to be practically flat on their backs during pregnancy. Staying active is the norm now.
Knowing which type of exercise to do is also important. Low impact exercises such as walking, water aerobics and yoga are good.
Maintaining fitness while pregnant will help you to bounce back faster afterwards. It also can help reduce back and muscle aches. For tips on exercise routines and foods that can help keep you fit during pregnancy check out Fitness Designed for a Healthy Pregnancy
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEART BEFORE AND AFTER PROBLEMS
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- People need to take care of their heart both before and after heart trouble starts, two new studies suggest.
In the first study, researchers said that to avoid heart failure when you're 70 or 80, you must begin by keeping your blood pressure and weight under control when you're 50.
"We tested the hypothesis that higher levels of blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) in midlife would be powerful determinants of heart failure risk in later life, and that the risk posed by preceding measurements would remain even after accounting for these risk factors measured later in life," said lead researcher Dr. Ramachandran S. Vasan.
"This is exactly what we found," added Vasan, a senior investigator with the Framingham Heart Study and a professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.
An increase of about 20 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure at age 50 was associated with a 36 percent higher risk of heart failure up to 20 years later. Every 2.2 pound increase in BMI (a ratio of weight to height) at age 50 was associated with a 6 percent increase in the risk of heart failure, Vasan said.
"The study highlights the importance of maintaining an ideal BMI and blood pressure over the life course of individuals," Vasan said.
For the study, Vasan's team collected data on 3,362 people who were part of the Framingham Heart Study who had routine examinations between 1969 and 1994. During follow-up, 518 people developed heart failure.
"The prevention of heart failure should begin early in life and should include screening for elevated blood pressure and BMI," Vasan said. "Failure to identify or treat such modifiable risk factors in early and mid-adulthood may result in the loss of opportunities to reduce the incidence of heart failure in later life."
The findings are published in the November issue of the journal Hypertension.
Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said he agrees that keeping both your weight and blood pressure down will help you avoid the ravages of heart failure.
"The lifetime risk for developing heart failure in both men and women is one in five," said Fonarow. "However, heart failure can be prevented, and there are a number of modifiable risk factors for heart failure, including hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.
"Maintaining a healthy blood pressure and body weight is essential to reduce the risk of heart failure," he said.
The second study found that fewer than 20 percent of patients seek cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack or coronary bypass surgery.
"It has been shown by many trials that cardiac rehabilitation reduced the risk for new coronary events, re-hospitalization and mortality. The main advantage of cardiac rehabilitation is to reduce mortality," said study leader Dr. Jose A. Suaya, a lecturer and scientist at the Brandeis University Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School, in Waltham, Mass.
Cardiac rehabilitation also improves functional capacity, Suaya said. "Patients can walk more without pain and improve their quality of life," he said.
For the study, Suaya's group collected data on 267,427 men and women, 65 and older, who had survived a heart attack or bypass surgery. The data were drawn from 1997 Medicare claims records.
In the year after hospital discharge, only 18.7 percent of the patients had at least one session of cardiac rehabilitation. Patients who underwent bypass surgery were more likely to seek rehabilitation -- 31 percent -- compared with heart attack patients -- 13.9 percent.
More men had cardiac rehabilitation (22.1 percent) than women (14.3 percent). Age also played a role -- patients 75 to 85 were less likely to go for rehabilitation, the researchers found.
In addition, patients with other medical conditions, such as diabetes, a previous stroke, congestive heart failure or cancer, were significantly less likely to seek cardiac rehabilitation, Suaya's group found.
The study results are published in the Oct. 9 issue of the journal Circulation.
There are many reasons why patients don't seek rehabilitation, the researchers said.
"Many doctors may be reluctant to refer patients to cardiac rehabilitation," said study co-author Donald S. Shepard, a research professor at Brandeis' Heller School. "In addition, patients may not know or ask about it."
Shepard also noted that many medical institutions don't promote the service, which typically includes exercise and advice on diet. "It's not glamorous and, from the data we have, it is not very profitable," he said.
It may also be difficult for people to get to rehabilitation centers, Shepard said. "One of the findings in the study was that the closer you are, the more likely you are to use the service," he said. "Travel time and travel expense are things that reduce the use of the service."
Fonarow said "more needs to be done to ensure that eligible patients are effectively enrolled in supervised cardiac rehabilitation. The American Heart Association's 'Get With The Guidelines Program' is one example of a highly successful initiative to improve referral to cardiac rehabilitation after hospitalization for cardiovascular event or surgery."
For more information on preventing heart disease click here.
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- People need to take care of their heart both before and after heart trouble starts, two new studies suggest.
In the first study, researchers said that to avoid heart failure when you're 70 or 80, you must begin by keeping your blood pressure and weight under control when you're 50.
"We tested the hypothesis that higher levels of blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) in midlife would be powerful determinants of heart failure risk in later life, and that the risk posed by preceding measurements would remain even after accounting for these risk factors measured later in life," said lead researcher Dr. Ramachandran S. Vasan.
"This is exactly what we found," added Vasan, a senior investigator with the Framingham Heart Study and a professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.
An increase of about 20 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure at age 50 was associated with a 36 percent higher risk of heart failure up to 20 years later. Every 2.2 pound increase in BMI (a ratio of weight to height) at age 50 was associated with a 6 percent increase in the risk of heart failure, Vasan said.
"The study highlights the importance of maintaining an ideal BMI and blood pressure over the life course of individuals," Vasan said.
For the study, Vasan's team collected data on 3,362 people who were part of the Framingham Heart Study who had routine examinations between 1969 and 1994. During follow-up, 518 people developed heart failure.
"The prevention of heart failure should begin early in life and should include screening for elevated blood pressure and BMI," Vasan said. "Failure to identify or treat such modifiable risk factors in early and mid-adulthood may result in the loss of opportunities to reduce the incidence of heart failure in later life."
The findings are published in the November issue of the journal Hypertension.
Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said he agrees that keeping both your weight and blood pressure down will help you avoid the ravages of heart failure.
"The lifetime risk for developing heart failure in both men and women is one in five," said Fonarow. "However, heart failure can be prevented, and there are a number of modifiable risk factors for heart failure, including hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.
"Maintaining a healthy blood pressure and body weight is essential to reduce the risk of heart failure," he said.
The second study found that fewer than 20 percent of patients seek cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack or coronary bypass surgery.
"It has been shown by many trials that cardiac rehabilitation reduced the risk for new coronary events, re-hospitalization and mortality. The main advantage of cardiac rehabilitation is to reduce mortality," said study leader Dr. Jose A. Suaya, a lecturer and scientist at the Brandeis University Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School, in Waltham, Mass.
Cardiac rehabilitation also improves functional capacity, Suaya said. "Patients can walk more without pain and improve their quality of life," he said.
For the study, Suaya's group collected data on 267,427 men and women, 65 and older, who had survived a heart attack or bypass surgery. The data were drawn from 1997 Medicare claims records.
In the year after hospital discharge, only 18.7 percent of the patients had at least one session of cardiac rehabilitation. Patients who underwent bypass surgery were more likely to seek rehabilitation -- 31 percent -- compared with heart attack patients -- 13.9 percent.
More men had cardiac rehabilitation (22.1 percent) than women (14.3 percent). Age also played a role -- patients 75 to 85 were less likely to go for rehabilitation, the researchers found.
In addition, patients with other medical conditions, such as diabetes, a previous stroke, congestive heart failure or cancer, were significantly less likely to seek cardiac rehabilitation, Suaya's group found.
The study results are published in the Oct. 9 issue of the journal Circulation.
There are many reasons why patients don't seek rehabilitation, the researchers said.
"Many doctors may be reluctant to refer patients to cardiac rehabilitation," said study co-author Donald S. Shepard, a research professor at Brandeis' Heller School. "In addition, patients may not know or ask about it."
Shepard also noted that many medical institutions don't promote the service, which typically includes exercise and advice on diet. "It's not glamorous and, from the data we have, it is not very profitable," he said.
It may also be difficult for people to get to rehabilitation centers, Shepard said. "One of the findings in the study was that the closer you are, the more likely you are to use the service," he said. "Travel time and travel expense are things that reduce the use of the service."
Fonarow said "more needs to be done to ensure that eligible patients are effectively enrolled in supervised cardiac rehabilitation. The American Heart Association's 'Get With The Guidelines Program' is one example of a highly successful initiative to improve referral to cardiac rehabilitation after hospitalization for cardiovascular event or surgery."
For more information on preventing heart disease click here.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICAL FOUND IN CHILDREN'S BATH PRODUCTS Women’s Shampoos and Body Wash also Contaminated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| WASHINGTON — A hidden cancer-causing petrochemical has been found in dozens of children’s bath products and adults’ personal care products, in some cases at levels that are more than twice the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s lenient recommended maximum. Laboratory tests released today revealed the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in products such as Hello Kitty Bubble Bath, Huggies Baby Wash , Johnson’s Baby Wash , Scooby-Doo Bubble Bath and Sesame Street Bubble Bath. The tests also found the carcinogen in Clairol Herbal Essences shampoo, Olay Complete Body Wash and many other personal care products. 1,4-Dioxane is a petroleum-derived contaminant considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a clear-cut animal carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program. It is also on California ’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known or suspected by the state to cause cancer or birth defects. Because it is a contaminant produced during manufacturing, the FDA does not require it to be listed as an ingredient on product labels. The problem of 1,4-Dioxane contamination in personal care products is highlighted in a new book, “Safe Trip to Eden : Ten Steps to Save the Planet Earth from the Global Warming Meltdown,” by David Steinman. The laboratory results were released jointly today at the National Press Club by Steinman and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of U.S.-based health and environmental groups working to protect cosmetics consumers from toxic chemicals and hold companies accountable for the safety of their products. “Regrettably, 1,4-Dioxane contamination is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Jeanne Rizzo, R.N., executive director of the Breast Cancer Fund, a founding member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “Because the FDA does not require cosmetics products to be approved as safe before they are sold, companies can put unlimited amounts of toxic chemicals in cosmetics.” Steinman said parents should be outraged that companies are willing to spend a significant amount of money on entertainment licensing agreements that entice children but won’t spend pennies to remove contaminants such as 1,4-Dioxane. “Consumers who have young children, as I do, have the right to expect the highest purity in children’s products,” Steinman said. “I call on American consumers to say no to dangerous petrochemicals in their children’s cosmetic and personal care products.” Contrary to what many consumers may believe, the FDA does not review or regulate cosmetics products or ingredients for safety before they are sold to the public and has no legal authority to require safety assessments of cosmetics. Devra Lee Davis, professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, said that the usual regulatory approach of assessing risk one chemical at a time does not account for the combined effects of very low levels of hidden contaminants in personal care products and from other sources. “We must lower exposures to controllable agents that we know or suspect cause cancer,” she said. The FDA has been measuring 1,4-Dioxane levels since 1979, but because the agency has little authority or enforcement capacity over the cosmetics industry, it has worked with manufacturers to reduce levels on a voluntary basis only. In 2000, the FDA recommended that cosmetic products should not contain 1,4-Dioxane at concentrations greater than 10 ppm (parts per million); yet some 15 percent of products tested exceeded even these lenient guidelines. This limit, however, also does not take into account that babies exposed to 1,4-Dioxane from baby shampoo may be exposed at the same time to 1,4-Dioxane from bubble bath, body wash and many other products. More than two dozen products were tested at Steinman’s request by West Coast Analytical Service, an independent testing laboratory specializing in trace chemical analysis. Among the products tested:
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Friday, April 20, 2007
BREAST-FEEDING REDUCES CANCER RISK
A study of over 9,000 women sponsored by the National Institute of Health called Contraception and Reproductive Experiences or CARE found that not only is breast-feeding beneficial for the infant by providing important antibodies through the mother's milk, but also that breast-feeding cancels out the effect of delaying childbirth past the age of 25. Breast-feeding protects again breast cancer no matter when you give birth. Even a most unfavorable type that is not promoted by hormones.
The new findings are particularly relevant to women who give birth after age 25 and eventually have three or more children. These women have double the risk of the aggressive and hard-to-treat hormone-negative breast cancers. This two-fold increased risk went away when they looked only at women who breast-fed. The women were no long at increased risk of breast cancer.
For more on the reasons why and other findings of this study go to:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9656285
A study of over 9,000 women sponsored by the National Institute of Health called Contraception and Reproductive Experiences or CARE found that not only is breast-feeding beneficial for the infant by providing important antibodies through the mother's milk, but also that breast-feeding cancels out the effect of delaying childbirth past the age of 25. Breast-feeding protects again breast cancer no matter when you give birth. Even a most unfavorable type that is not promoted by hormones.
The new findings are particularly relevant to women who give birth after age 25 and eventually have three or more children. These women have double the risk of the aggressive and hard-to-treat hormone-negative breast cancers. This two-fold increased risk went away when they looked only at women who breast-fed. The women were no long at increased risk of breast cancer.
For more on the reasons why and other findings of this study go to:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9656285
Friday, April 06, 2007
WHAT IS PMDD?
The other night I saw an ad on TV for a new medication that treats PMDD. I wondered how that differed from PMS, so I did some searching. On WebMD I found that PMDD is a severe form of PMS. The article that I read said that symptoms of PMDD are similar to those of PMS but are severe enough to interfere with work, social activities, and relationships. Well, when I was menstruating I sure thought that my monthly symptoms were interfering with my work, social activities, and relationships!
So I read on, and I found out that PMDD occurs in up to 10% of menstruating women. Women who have a history of depression or postpartum depression are at greater risk. The exact cause is not known. The symptoms of PMDD can include any of the following:
- Mood Swings
- Depressed mood or feeling of hopelessness
- Marked anger and/or increased interpersonal conflicts
- Tension and anxiety
- Irritability
- Decreased interest in usual activities
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue
- Change in Appetite
- Feeling out of control or overwhelmed
- Sleep problems
- Physical problems, such as bloating
While these symptoms do not sound all that different from regular PMS, apparently the main difference is in the severity of the symptoms. If you have these symptoms, especially one the first four, you should contact your gynecologist for a thorough exam. A psychiatric evaluation may also be ordered. Before a diagnosis of PMDD is made, the doctor will rule out other emotional problems such as depression or panic disorder as the cause of the symptoms or other underlying medical conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids, menopause or hormonal problems that could also be the cause of these symptoms.
“PMDD is diagnosed when at least five of the above listed symptoms (including at least one of the first four) occur for most of the time during the 7 days before menstruation and go away within a few days of the start of the menstrual period. If these symptoms are present every day and do not improve with menstruation, they are unlikely do to PMDD” from WebMD.
Eat Properly - limit or avoid your intake of sodium, caffeine, refined sugars and alchol. You might also want to explore the ancient Chinese methods. I found taking Black Cohosh and Soy to be beneficial.
Exercise – Swimming and aerobics seem to be most helpful.
Medications - To treat PMDD, SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) can be taken orally every day, or only between the day you ovulate and your period (approx. 2 weeks). These would include Sarafern, Paxil CR, and Zoloft. Some over the counter analgesics may also help as might diuretics. Hormones may also be used.
Counseling - Therapy to help develop effective coping strategies as well as relaxation therapy, meditation, reflexology, and yoga.
If you are having severe problems during the time leading up to your menstrual cycle, and you are not of an age where you might be going into menopause, I would strongly recommend that you contact your doctor and discuss the possibility of PMDD.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
EAT THESE FOODS TO FIGHT FEMALE CANCERS
A recent study out of the University of North Carolina found a 45% lower breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women who had the highest intake of flavonols compared with those who had the lowest. The study was done on 2,900 women.
Rich-in-color vegetables, fruits wines and teas contain flavinol. Flavinol helps to neutralize oxidation which is caused by a chemical reaction that causes injury to cells thereby creating a natural form of damage control.
There is another flavonoid that appears to cut ovarian cancer risk. It is called kaempferol.
These are the foods that are high in flavinoids:
Black Tea
Green Tea
Broccoli
Leeks
Kale
Yellow Onions
Red Cabbage
Red Apples
Red Grapes
Red Wine
Cancer is preventable. Research has proven that if you eat certain types of foods you can boost your immune system thereby enabling your body to do what it was designed to do. If you would like to learn more about cancer fighting foods as well as ways to increase your energy, lengthen your life span, and even help you to lose weight I would recommend that you check out the following book: Click Here!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
BREAST MRIs
The American Cancer Society released new guidelines today for women who have an unusually high risk of developing breast cancer. The ACS as well as a new study done at the University of Washington Medical Center are now recommending that women who fall into this category should get annual MRIs in addition to mammograms, and especially in the opposite breast if they have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The MRI scan has the ability to detect cancers that are being missed by mammograms.
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