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Mad Men: Is Birthing in the '60s as Bad as You'd Think?

TresSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Sunday's Mad Men told me more than I ever wanted to know about childbirth in the '60s. Betty Draper is hushed away from her husband upon arriving at the hospital, forced to fill out paperwork midcontractions, and bossed around by an unsympathetic nurse whose bedside manner approximates a warden's - you made your bed now have your baby in it.

What did I expect anyway - for Betty to have her baby in the master bath while Don burned lavender and massaged her shoulders. Of course not. But I also did not expect to see Betty give birth in a semiconscious state. I thought you were either awake or out. This in-between state, more formally known as twilight sleep, is made of a cocktail of drugs to relieve pain and induce amnesia. Because who wants to remember the birth of her child!

Today natural childbirth is applauded, so it's easy to be appalled by Betty's semiconscious experience. But was it oppressive or an initial, if flawed, step toward a better childbirth? Probably both! Read on

Self Breast Exams – No Longer Needed?

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0700

If you often forget to perform your monthly self breast exams, you can rest easier and maybe even take the item off your to do list. An analysis by Cochrane Collaboration of two large studies on self breast exams (SBE) found that monthly self exams did not reduce breast cancer deaths. Even worse, these self exams lead to increased numbers of biopsies of benign lumps.

Like many women, this news perplexes me. But then again many women are perplexed by SBE to begin with since many lumps and bumps are perfectly normal. Many women are not quite sure how to perform a self exam and what exactly they are feeling for. This might be the reason why SBE aren't helping save lives. While I have friends who have survived breast cancer and these women found the tumors during their monthly breast exams, I still routinely forget to do mine. Due to the experience of my friends, I will continue to periodically do my SBE. A growing number of public health officials believe that unless a woman is highly motivated to do the self exams, due to a genetic risk for breast cancer, that the SBE are not necessary, especially for women in their 20s and 30s.

What do you think of this news? Are you relieved or confused? Tell me in the comment section below.

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Best and Worst Cities for Women's Heart Health

FitSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:00:00 -0700

An estimated one-third of women suffer from heart problems, and according to the American Heart Association, where you live may actually make a difference.

The heart association's Go Red For Women campaign recently commissioned a study to rank the best places for women to live in the United States for a healthy heart. It included an analysis of 22 factors affecting women's heart health, including rates of cardiovascular mortality, high blood pressure, exercise, smoking, stress levels, and the numbers of people who commute by bicycle or on foot. Here are the results.

The most heart-friendly metro areas for women are:

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia
San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland, Calif.
Denver-Aurora, Colo.
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif.
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif.
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.

For the least-friendly metropolitan areas for women's hearts just read more.

Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, Tenn.
St. Louis, Mo.
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
Columbus, Ohio
Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio
Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev.
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio
Indianapolis, Ind.

I'm pretty psyched to see SF holding down the number three spot! Do you live in or near an area that is the most heart friendly or the least heart friendly?

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National Women's Health Week

FitSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 03:30:00 -0700

We are already mid week in National Women's Health Week and I am just now getting around to telling you about it. Better late than never, right? The week starts annually on Mother's Day as a reminder to mothers, who generally put themselves last on the list, to take care of themselves. Here some are health reminders for all women, not just mothers.

Get physical exercise most days a week. Need some motivation, check out all these reasons to exercise.
Make healthy food choices. Here are some healthy eating tips to help.
Visit a healthcare provider to receive regular check-ups and preventive screenings like pap tests and annual breast exams.
Avoiding risky behaviors, like smoking, unsafe sex, not wearing a seatbelt, or not wearing a helmet on Bike to Work Day.

Don't just limit taking care of yourself to seven days! Aim for all 365 day of the year.

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Six Health Mistakes Many Women Make

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Doing your best to keep on top of your health? Most of us are, but there are some things that we all unknowingly do that could be sabotaging our health efforts more than we think. Prevention spotted some of the most common health mistakes women make. Check out the highlights in this slideshow and see if you might be making the same mistakes too.

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Free Video Workouts From Women's Health

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:47:19 -0700

In these tight times, anything that's free is a major plus in my book. So if you're looking for workout routines you can download that won't cost a dime, Women's Health has got you covered.

They offer downloadable video workouts that you can put on your computer or portable media player, so you can exercise at home or at the gym. Right now they're offering two workouts:

The instructions are clear, and the video demonstrations are easy to follow. Many of the exercises were new to me, so these two workouts were fun and very effective.

To see a video clip of the 20-Minute Abs routine, read more.

Days of Wine and Sunlight

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 03:00:00 -0800

Today, I am happy to be the bearer of good news. Two of life's simple pleasures may be beneficial for women's health: wine and sunlight.

A recent Spanish study found that 6.8 ounces of wine a day, be it red or white, increased women's HDL cholesterol, which is considered that good kind of cholesterol. In addition, markers of chronic inflammation, an indicator for heart disease, were significantly lower after a month of drinking the recommended "dose" of wine, the equivalent of a glass and a half of wine. Similar studies have been done on male populations, but this was the first to study women and wine consumption. The study also proves the merits of white wine too. When it comes to overall health, I would like to remind you that one glass a day is considered healthy here in the US.

Vitamin D, which our bodies produce from exposure to sunlight, is considered highly beneficial in the aging process. High levels of vitamin D help to lengthen strands of DNA known as telomeres. Telomere length is an indicator of biological age and is considered more accurate than chronological age. Longer length of telomere was associated with greater amounts of vitamin D, and lower levels of those same inflammatory indicators that wine decreased. This vitamin is difficult to find in food sources unless they have been fortified with it, like milk. In the age of skin cancer and ozone holes, sunshine has been rightly demonized, but it might be time to reevaluate our relationship with the sun.

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Are Occasional Breaks From the Pill Necessary?

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:50:05 -0700

Almost every woman I know has been on the pill at some point in her life, and many of us started when we were under 20 years old. It has many health benefits, such as preventing unwanted pregnancies, decreasing the risk of ovarian cancer, and alleviating PMS symptoms. The one big negative about the pill is that statistics show being on it for longer than 10 years puts you at a higher risk for breast cancer. Women may also be worried that taking hormones for so long may affect their chances of having a baby in the future. So does it make sense to take regular vacations from the pill to give your body some hormone-free time?

To find out if this is a good idea, read more.

While it's common to think that taking occasional breaks from the pill is beneficial for your body, it's actually not necessary. It's a myth that may have started a while back, since the very first birth control pills contained high doses of hormones. Today's pills contain a much lower amount so they're completely safe to take for years at a time. Doctors actually think it's healthier for your body to remain on the pill. The fluctuations in hormones can have a negative effect on your body, both physically and emotionally. Plus, all the symptoms you experienced when you first started the pill such as moodiness, sore breasts, or yeast infections may show up again.

What about your fertility? You may be worried that staying on the pill continuously for many years will make it harder to get pregnant when you decide to start a family. There's no evidence that being on the pill has any effect on a woman's future ability to conceive - it merely prevents pregnancy while a woman is on it. In fact, regularly going on and off the pill may increase your chances of having an unplanned pregnancy since your protection isn't consistent.

Most importantly, if you've been on the pill forever, you'll be happy to know that as soon as you go off it your risk for developing breast cancer begins to go back to normal over time. If you're worried about your risk, or the whole idea of putting hormones in your body doesn't sit well with you, talk to your doctor about hormone-free alternatives such as the ParaGard IUC. A permanent vacation from the pill might be the better option, as opposed to a break.

Fact or Fiction: Women's Health

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Can you separate fact from fiction when it comes to the health of your body? Take this short quiz and see.

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Take the quiz

Physical Traits Give Clues About Your Health Risks

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:00:15 -0700

There are many things we can do to enhance our health and prevent illness. Exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, not smoking, limiting your alcohol intake, and reducing your stress can add years to your life. Who knew that your appearance and physical characteristics such as finger length and your sense of smell could let you know what health risks you might be prone to? Check out the list below from Prevention magazine.

Finger length: For women, if your index finger is shorter than your ring finger, then it means you have double the risk of osteoarthritis of the knee. If yours is longer or even with your ring finger, you're in the clear, but if it's not, do exercises to strengthen your knees, such as squats and lunges. Arthritis and finger length are both related to low levels of estrogen, so that's why the two are connected.
Arm length: Extend your arms in T-position out to the sides and measure the distance form fingertip to fingertip. If the distance is less than 60 inches, you're at a higher risk for Alzheimer's. So do activities that stimulate your brain and your body. Take a painting class, learn to play a musical instrument, play chess, or take dance lessons.

There's more, so keep reading