Women’s Health

Easy exercises to do with your baby

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Instead of trying to squeeze in a workout while your newborn is napping— and potentially skipping over any other responsibilities you have piling up— some women are working out with their children.

“If we incorporate our children into our fitness routine we’re killing two birds with one stone,” Andrea Van Zile, mother of 3-year-old Kaia, told FoxNews.com. “We are playing with our kids we’re engaging them in a physical way while exercising.”

Plus, working out with your children will teach them the importance of being active and how to incorporate movement in their normal routines.

Van Zile, who is a Pilates instructor at Vida Fitness and studio manager of SweatBox in Washington, D.C., suggested getting your pre-pregnancy body back with a mother-child workout that allows the little ones to imitate your movements and, if they’re feeling playful and jumping on you, can give you an even tougher workout.

Plank: There are two versions of this, depending on how strong you feel.

The first is to do a modified plank on your hands and knees. Start on your knees and come on to your hands on all fours. Make sure that your shoulders are directly over your wrists and that weight is evenly distributed between all your fingers. Push back into child’s pose and then up to all fours. Shift your weight forward so your chest reaches beyond your wrists and your hips are forward of your knees. Your knees and lower legs remain on the floor. Hold it for 30 seconds, then 60 seconds and then 90 seconds progressing yourself as you build strength and resting in child’s pose in between.

From there you can lead into the full plank, tucking yours under to straighten your legs, like the top of a push-up. Energetically push away from the mat and raise your back to the ceiling. Your tailbone should be tucked under so that your pubic bone is up toward your belly button. Pull your heels and crown of your head away from each other.

Your child can imitate you or hop on your back for some added weight.

Squats: Van Zile likes to do squats in front of a couch or chair so that she knows how low to go. Stand with your feet just wider than your hips with a tiny turnout of your toes. Pitch your body forward and sit back toward the couch, keeping your knees directly over your ankles. Push through your heels and stand all the way up, tightening your core and strengthening your posterior chain. Your child can hop on your back like a piggyback ride for some extra strengthening.

Scissors: Lie down on your back and curl your chest up so you’re on the tips of your shoulder blades. Send your feet to the ceiling keeping your tailbone heavy. Lower your right leg 45 degrees and slowly scissor back and forth between each leg for ten repetitions. If your child hops on, you can take them for a ride on your legs which is fun for them and gives you an added workout.

Van Zile noted that, before you make any lifestyle changes, especially after giving birth, consult with your doctor.

Source: Foxnews

Planning for a C-section by choice? Know the risks!

More and more women are going for a caesarian birth nowadays. In some cases, C-sections are planned because of medical various reasons. However, there are cases where many women unnecessarily go under the knife to deliver their bundles of joy just to avoid the labour pain.

While C-sections are required to safe the life of a mother and baby, they carry more risks compared with a vaginal birth. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) says that they shouldn’t be performed unless they’re medically necessary.

The main risks of having a C-section include:

For the mother

Infection: Although you’ll be given antibiotic to reduce your risk, it is said that about 8% of women still go on to get an infection after a caesarean birth, such as infection in the wound, lining of the uterus and urinary tract infection (UTI).

Pain: Pain in the would and discomfort in the belly for at least a few weeks after the surgery.

Blood clot: While any surgery raises your chances of developing a blood clot, the risk is greater after a C-section than after a vaginal delivery. If a blood clot gets in to your lungs (pulmonary embolism), it can even be life-threatening.

Anaesthetic: After the operation, many women experience complications related to medication, latex, or anesthesia. Adverse reactions to these items can range from very mild like headache to severe like death from anaphylactic shock

Pregnancy: Some C-section complications like such as uterine rupture make it impossible for a woman to have another baby.

For the baby

Breathing problems: Babied born by C-section are more likely to have breathing problems at birth and even during childhood, such as asthma. They may also be at greater risk for stillbirth.

Surgical injury: Although rare, sometimes baby may get a little cut from the doctor’s scalpel.

 

Source: zee news

Meditation shown to reduce pain during breast cancer biopsy

Meditation is a practice of the mind and body that has long been used to generate calmness and physical relaxation. Now, a new study suggests that women who are having breast cancer biopsies should use meditation, as it reduces anxiety, fatigue and pain.

The researchers, from the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, NC, publish their findings in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Undergoing a breast biopsy is not pleasant, to say the least. It involves removing breast tissue to examine it for signs of breast cancers, and women undergoing this procedure often experience pain during and afterward.

“Patients who experience pain and anxiety may move during the procedure, which can reduce the effectiveness of biopsy, or they may not adhere to follow-up screening and testing,” says Dr. Mary Scott Soo, lead author from Duke.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), previous studies have shown that meditation can reduce blood pressure and even reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Medical News Today recently reported on a study that suggested mindfulness meditation can bring greater pain relief than a placebo.

And other research suggests meditation may physically change the brain and body, improving many health problems and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Meditation ‘a good alternative to drugs in these settings’
To conduct their study, Dr. Soo and colleagues randomized 121 women who needed breast biopsies into three groups: guided meditation, music and a standard-care control group.

During the biopsy, the women in the meditation group listened to an “audio-recorded, guided, loving-kindness meditation,” which focused on acquiring positive emotions and releasing negative ones.

Meanwhile, the women in the music group listened to relaxing music, which was a choice of instrumental jazz, classical piano, harp and flute, nature sounds or world music. The control group received supportive words from the biopsy team.

Both before and after the biopsy, the patients filled out questionnaires that measured their nervousness and anxiety, ranked their biopsy pain from zero to 10 and gauged their feelings of weakness and fatigue.

Results showed that the women in the meditation and music groups reported much greater post-biopsy reductions in anxiety and fatigue, compared with the control group, which reported increased fatigue.

Furthermore, the women in the meditation group experienced significantly lower pain during the biopsy, compared with the women in the music group.

“Image-guided needle biopsies for diagnosing breast cancer are very efficient and successful,” says Dr. Soo. “but the anxiety and potential pain can have a negative impact on patient care.”

Source: medical news today

Irregular heartbeat is riskier for women

An irregular heartbeat, also known as atrial fibrillation, appears to be a stronger risk factor for heart disease and death in women than in men, according to research published in The BMJ.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with a higher risk of stroke and death generally, with an estimated 33.5 million people affected globally in 2010, and an age-adjusted mortality rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people.

The prevalence is increasing in both developed and developing countries.

Evidence is now emerging that women and men experience risk factors, such as diabetes and smoking, differently for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

This could have significant implications for estimating the AF burden, targeting treatment to manage it and for future research into gender differences.

An international team of researchers set out to estimate the association between AF and CVD and death in women and men and to compare the genders.

In a meta-analysis of 30 studies published between January 1966 and March 2015, they analyzed data for over 4 million participants.

12% higher risk of mortality for women with AF
All the studies had a minimum of 50 participants with AF and 50 without, which reported sex-specific associations between AF and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, stroke, cardiac events – including cardiac death and non-fatal myocardial infarction – and heart failure.

They took into consideration the differences in study design and quality in order to minimize bias.

AF was linked to a 12% higher relative risk of all-cause mortality in women and a much stronger risk of stroke, cardiovascular mortality, cardiac events and heart failure. The reason for the gender differences is not known.

With respect to clinical care, the results support the development of a specific risk score for AF in women and more aggressive treatment of risk factors in women, as recently recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA).

In relation to public health policy, the researchers say estimation of the global and regional burden of AF should be independent of sex, while “allocation of public health resources for prevention and treatment of AF should also consider the differential effects of AF by sex.”

Finally, they say future research should aim to determine the underlying causes of the observed sex differences.

Source: BBC news

High fish consumption in pregnancy tied to brain benefits for kids

When mothers eat three sizeable servings of fish each week during pregnancy it may benefit children’s brains for years to come, according to a large study in Spain.

Researchers followed nearly 2,000 mother-child pairs from the first trimester of pregnancy through the child’s fifth birthday and found improved brain function in the kids whose mothers ate the most fish while pregnant, compared to children of mothers who ate the least.

Even when women averaged 600 grams, or 21 ounces, of fish weekly during pregnancy, there was no sign that mercury or other pollutants associated with fish were having a negative effect that offset the apparent benefits.

“Seafood is known to be an important source of essential nutrients for brain development, but at the same time accumulates mercury from the environment, which is known to be neurotoxic,” lead author Jordi Julvez, of the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona, said in an email.

In an attempt to balance the potential harms of such pollutants with the general health benefits of fish, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2014 guidelines encourage pregnant women to eat fish, but no more than 12 ounces per week.

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The European Food Safety Authority recently issued a scientific opinion endorsing 150 g to 600 g of fish weekly during pregnancy, Julvez and colleagues note in the American Journal of Epidemiology. But, the study team writes, the effects of maternal fish consumption during development are still not well understood and more research could help give pregnant women clearer guidance.

The researchers analyzed data from the Spanish Childhood and Environment Project, a large population study that recruited women in their first trimester of pregnancy, in four provinces of Spain, between 2004 and 2008.

Source: foxnews

Weight Gain Between Pregnancies May Affect Infant Survival

Weight gain after a first pregnancy might raise the risk of infant death and stillbirth in a second pregnancy, a new study suggests.

In mothers who were previously a healthy weight, even moderate weight gain between the two pregnancies was associated with increasing the odds for infant death, researchers reported Dec. 3 in The Lancet.

“The public health implications are profound,” study author Sven Cnattingius, a professor at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said in a journal news release.

“Around a fifth of women in our study gained enough weight between pregnancies to increase their risk of stillbirth by 30 to 50 percent, and their likelihood of giving birth to babies who die in infancy increased by 27 to 60 percent, if they had a healthy weight during their first pregnancy,” Cnattingius said.

But while the study detected an association between mother’s weight gain and infant death and stillbirth, it didn’t actually establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

The research team analyzed data from more than 450,000 Swedish women who gave birth to their first and second child between 1992 and 2012.

Overall, they found that women whose body mass index (BMI) rose more than four units (about 24 pounds for an average-height woman) between pregnancies had a 50 percent greater risk of their second baby dying within the first four weeks of life compared to women whose weight remained stable between pregnancies. BMI is a measurement of body fat based on height and weight.

Among mothers at a healthy weight during their first pregnancy, a BMI increase of two to four points (13 to 24 pounds in someone of average height) by their second pregnancy was linked to a 27 percent higher risk of infant death. Among those whose BMI rose four points or more, the risk was 60 percent higher, the study found.

The study authors suggested that BMI gains in healthy-weight women may reflect a greater increase of fat mass than in obese women, and therefore present a greater risk.

Causes of infant death in the study included birth defects, lack of oxygen during birth, infections and sudden infant death syndrome.

The researchers also found that the risk of infant death fell about 50 percent among overweight women who lost at least 13 pounds before their second pregnancy.

Still, “the prevalence of overweight and obesity in pregnant women has reached epidemic levels. More than half of women in the [United States] and one in three women in Sweden are either overweight or obese at the start of their pregnancy,” said study co-author Dr. Eduardo Villamor, professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

“Our findings highlight the importance of educating women about maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy and reducing excess weight before becoming pregnant as a way to improve infant survival,” he said in the news release.

A woman 5 feet, 4 inches tall is deemed overweight (BMI of 25 to 29) if she weighs between 145 and 169 pounds. If she weighs 175 pounds (BMI of 30) or more, she is considered obese, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Source: medlineplus

Yoga Provides Multiple Benefits for Cancer Survivors

Yoga has long been a form of relaxation, meditation and exercise, dating back to several thousand years B.C. Originating out of India, yoga teaches us to focus on the self: mind, body, spirit. Which is exactly what cancer survivors need to do to heal. So it makes sense that a new study found that yoga can aid survivors with sleep, energy and vitality.

Researchers studied 410 cancer survivors who had difficulty sleeping. Half of the subjects participated in two 75-minute yoga sessions per week, in addition to post-cancer care that the whole group received. The sessions consisted of 18 poses that incorporated breathing exercises and meditation. At the end of a month, sleeplessness improved in the yoga group by 100 percent.

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Before the study started, only 15 percent of participants in both groups were sleeping soundly. At the end of the study, 16 percent of the control group were able to sleep soundly—an increase of only 1 percent—whereas the yoga group doubled their stats to 31 percent. Given the fact that the yoga group had decreased their sleep medication by 20 percent, while the control group increased theirs by 5 percent, there is a strong link between the practice of Yoga and improved sleep ability.

The yoga group also reported an improvement in fatigue. “If you break down the program into its basics—breathing exercises, postures, mindfulness—it’s not entirely clear which component … is most important,” lead researcher Karen Mustian said. “It could be they all work together to improve sleep, fatigue and quality of life … or it could be that one of them is really the most important piece.”

Very little is required to begin practicing yoga:

Attire: loose-fitting pants or shorts that have some give so that you can move freely, along a tank top, t-shirt and/or a sports bra depending on coverage you are comfortable with. No special shoes are required. In fact, most classes are taught barefoot.

Accessories: the only real accessory you should have is a yoga mat, which can be purchased inexpensively at your local Target or fitness store. The mat provides a comfortable, stable surface for movement, and provides traction so you don’t slip during poses. It also protects feet and hands from the harsh, hard nature of the floor. If you find it difficult to stand for any length of time but still want to get a workout in, consider purchasing a yoga ball. Available in a variety of sizes, you can sit and stabilize your body as you go through poses. An added bonus is a core workout while on the ball, as you do need to balance as you sit.

Source: Health news

Women may feel more anxiety at work than men, but this can help

Women have a harder time than men when it comes to dealing with “risky” work situations (think raising a point in front of tons of coworkers or stepping up for a high-pressure task), says new research presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. The study author Susan Fisk evaluated men and women’s responses to situations that could have either a positive or negative outcome based on a mixture of their skill and pure chance.

Women may feel more anxiety at work than men, but this can help

Fisk gave study subjects four scenarios presented in a risky or nonrisky way. After they decided which they would choose and explained why, how they would follow through on their decisions and the emotions that would go along with it, they took an anxiety test.

Women were more anxious when the scenarios were posed in an intimidating way, but men weren’t affected by how the situations were framed.

Fisk goes on to list a number of reasons why these results are worrisome: women may avoid high-risk situations out of fear, continually reinforce a sense of self-doubt, and have worse task performance than men in risky situations even when they’re just as competent.

While that’s all true, there are ways to avoid living out the results of this study in day-to-day life. Building self-confidence in the workplace is a completely tangible goal. Check out tips on how to be more assertive on the job, techniques that will propel your career forward, and even a few key tactics for turning career failures into triumphs.

We may be conditioned to have a harder time at work than men, but that doesn’t mean we just have to accept it.

Source: fox news

Women at greater stroke risk from resistant hyper-tension

Resistant hypertension increases the risk of stroke by 35 per cent in women and 20 per cent in elderly patients, according to new research.

The findings presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Barcelona by Dr Kuo-Yang Wang from Taiwan suggest that gender and age should be added to the risk stratification of resistant hypertension to enable more appropriate treatment decisions.

“Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Patients with hypertension that do not respond to conventional drug treatments, called resistant hypertension, are at even higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,” Wang said.

“Little is known about the prognosis of resistant hypertension in the Asian population. Our study compared the risk of all-cause mortality, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke between patients with resistant hypertension and non-resistant hypertension.

“We aimed to discover the impact of resistant hypertension on Taiwanese patients, and to ascertain whether patient characteristics influence the association between resistant hypertension and adverse outcomes,” said Wang.

Patients with hypertension aged 45 years and older were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Medical records of 111,986 patients from 2000 to 2011 were reviewed for this study.

Women at greater stroke risk from resistant hyper-tension

Some 16,402 (14.6 per cent) patients had resistant hypertension. The risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE; a composite of all-cause mortality, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke) in patients with resistant hypertension and non-resistant hypertension was analysed.

The researchers found that 11,856 patients experienced MACE in the average 7.1 year follow up period. Patients with resistant hypertension had a 17 per cent increased risk of MACE compared to those with non-resistant hypertension.

When the researchers analysed the risk of different types of cardiovascular events separately they found that compared to patients with non-resistant hypertension, patients with resistant hypertension had a 17 per cent increased risk of stroke and a 34 per cent increased risk of ischaemic stroke but no increased risk of all-cause mortality or acute coronary syndrome.

“Our study shows that patients with resistant hypertension have higher risks for cardiovascular events than those with non-resistant hypertension. The elevated risks mainly contribute to increasing stroke events, especially ischaemic stroke,” Wang said.

Subgroup analysis showed that resistant hypertension increased the risks of stroke in females by 35 per cent and in elderly patients by 20 per cent. However, no significant influence was noted in young or male patients

Source: Business line

Home Remedies to treat Candida

Candida is a fungus that can cause serious health disorders in the body. It occurs frequently and can be difficult to eradicate. This medication, that can be prepared in domestic conditions, is very effective in fighting candidiasis.

Home Remedies to treat Candida

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 carrot
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:
Shred the carrots, garlic and ginger and add it to the yogurt. Add the cinnamon in the mixture and leave to stand for a bit.

It is recommended to be consumed once a day.

Source: secretly healthy