Do Women's Voices Really Allow Men To Detect Ovulation?

The voice can reveal a lot about a person - their sex, their age, how they are feeling - and recent studies have even suggested that women's voices might also contain cues that men can read about how close they are to ovulation. A new study, however, published in the journal PLoS ONE, challenges the view that women broadcast reproductive information in their voice.
Previous studies in this area have typically relied on the comparison of voices recorded in just two phases in the cycle: high conception risk vs. low conception risk. This new work, on the other hand, looked at variation in the voice throughout the entire menstrual cycle - a crucial step to evaluate the potential information contained in any observed voice changes.
Their results showed that the overall variation in women's vocal quality throughout the whole cycle precludes unequivocal identification of the period with the highest conception risk. Specifically, while they found that the women studied spoke with the highest tone (suggested by previous studies to be associated with attractiveness) just prior to ovulation, the tone rose again to levels indistinguishable from pre-ovulation shortly after ovulation, making it a very poor mating clue. Furthermore, they found that the men studied showed only a very slight preference for pre-ovulation voices relative to voices recorded during ovulation.
The authors conclude that women's voices do not provide reliable information about the timing of ovulation, confirming the view that information about reproductive state is 'leaked' rather than broadcast. In an interesting further finding, the study found that women's voice were harsher and more irregular during menstruation, providing scientific data to explain why female opera singers may be granted 'grace days' during menstruation.
Funding: The authors have no support or funding to report.

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Vegetarian Diet and Digestive Disease

New evidence from Britain suggests that vegetarians are one-third less likely to develop diverticular disease than are meat eaters. This disorder, affects the colon and has been associated with diets that are low in fiber. Symptoms include painful abdominal cramps, bloating, flatulence, constipation and diarrhea. A research team from the University of Oxford looked at more than 47,000 British adults participating in a European study of cancer and nutrition; more than 15,000 of them reported that they were vegetarians. After more than 11 years of follow up and adjusting for such factors as alcohol consumption, smoking and body mass index (BMI), the investigators found that the rate of diverticular disease among the vegetarians was one-third lower than that of other study participants. They also found that those whose consumption of dietary fiber was about 25 grams a day were at lower risk of being hospitalized or dying from diverticular disease than study participants who consumed less than 14 grams of fiber daily. Diverticular disease may also worsen into a condition known as diverticulitis. The findings were published online on July 19th on the British Medical Journal's website.

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Half of Alzheimer's Cases Preventable?

More than half of the cases of Alzheimer's disease worldwide could be prevented if enough people made relatively simple lifestyle changes. Evidence presented at the Alzheimer Association's International Conference in Paris in July illustrated that seven factors are associated with up to half of all Alzheimer's cases:

1. Low education (possibly because less education means less opportunity to develop neural connections to carry into old age)
2. Smoking
3. Untreated or inadequately treated depression
4. Mid-life high blood pressure
5. Diabetes
6. Mid-life obesity

The risk factors were gleaned from research performed by Deborah Barnes, Ph.D., a mental health researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, who analyzed studies from around the world that included data from hundreds of thousands of participants. Researchers estimated that cutting these risk factors by 25 percent could reduce Alzheimer's incidence worldwide by three million cases and by half a million fewer cases in the U.S.
My take? Considering that Alzheimer's cases are expected to triple by 2050 to about 106 million worldwide, it isn't too soon to adopt preventive strategies. Also, consider that most of the lifestyle risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease, including smoking, inactivity, high blood pressure, diabetes and mid-life obesity, also raise the risk of cardiovascular disease. Making these changes would be good for your body as well as your brain. As far as low education is concerned, it isn't too late to add to your brain power by challenging your mind. I've long recommended strategies such as reading newspapers and books, learning dance steps, doing crossword puzzles, playing musical instruments, participating in ongoing education and learning a new language.

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Increased Responsibility Could Lead To Decreased Sexual Activity Among Women

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In Sub-Saharan Africa, women who are empowered to make household decisions tend to have sex less often. This is according to a study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They examined the relationships between married women's autonomy and the time since most recent sexual intercourse and found that women's position in their household may influence sexual activity. The full article will be published in the October issue of the Journal of Sex Research and is currently featured online as an "editor's choice."
"A very consistent pattern was observed across all six countries we surveyed as the number of decisions in which a women had the final say increased, the mean and median time since most recent sex also increased by three- to 100-fold," said Michelle Hindin, PhD, MHS, lead author of the study and an associate professor at the Bloomberg School's Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health. "The more decisions a woman reported making on her own, as compared to joint decision making, the less likely she was to have sex and the longer it was since she last had sexual intercourse."
Researchers analyzed nationally representative data from the Demographic and Health Surveys in Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe that asked survey participants to indicate the day, week, month and year they last had sexual intercourse. Survey participants were also asked to indicate the person in the household who typically had the final say on the following decisions: respondent's health care, large household purchases, household purchases for daily needs and the respondent visiting family and friends. Researchers also examined socio-demographic and relationship factors such as age, wealth, parity, husband's residence, and marital duration and found that most standard socio-demographic variables were not consistently associated with the timing of most recent sexual intercourse.
The majority of women participating in the survey reported sexual intercourse within the last month. Patterns of decision-making power varied by country, with husbands having the final say on more decisions in Malawi and Mali more than in other countries. Ghanaian and Rwandan women reported having the final say in more decisions than women in the other countries, whereas Zimbabwean women reported the most joint decision making. For men, making autonomous decisions was not related to the timing of most recent sex.
"Understanding how women's position in the household influences their sexual activity may be an essential piece in protecting the sexual rights of women and helping them to achieve a sexual life that is both safe and pleasurable," said Carie Muntifering, co-author of the study and student at the Bloomberg School. "The findings from this analysis contribute to our understanding of the frequency of sexual activity in sub-Saharan Africa and its relationship to household decision making. Additional studies are needed to further explore the strong association between women's decision-making power and recent sexual activity that was found in our analyses."

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Early-Stage Endometriosis Diagnosis Possible With New Test

A new test has been developed by surgeons and scientists based at Southampton's teaching hospitals, that could transform they way early-stage endometriosis is diagnosed.

In an investigation funded by the Infertility Research Trust, Miss Ying Cheong, a consultant gynecologist and co-funder of the Complete Fertility Center in Southampton, together with Dr. Tracey Newman, an academic at the University of Southampton's faculty of medicine, used small particles marked with fluorescent markers to bring to light areas of affected tissue.

Endometriosis, a female health disorder that occurs when small pieces of the uterus grow on to different organs such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes, that can cause heavy bleeding, stomach and back pain as well as infertility, can take up to seven to surface. In the UK, approximately 2 million women are affected by this condition, several of whom are diagnosed between 25 and 40 years of age.

Even though drugs can be used to relieve pain, the most likely treatment is to have the affected areas surgically removed, however, because there are no visual signs of early endometriosis, tissue can only be removed in large sections based on the judgement of the surgeon.

A clear division between normal and diseased cells to give complete accuracy was demonstrated in the initial results from samples that were tested by the investigation team.

Miss Cheong, who is also a senior lecturer in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southampton, explained:

"Although we have only completed the pilot stage of our work, early results show this method enables us to uncover early endometriosis which the naked eye cannot even see during surgery and would only normally be treated by a surgeon removing whole sections of tissue based on judgement rather than specifics.

In early stages of our ongoing research we aim to advance the visualization of the disease during surgery based on our results, but we hope to go on to develop treatment strategies to complement surgical treatment by directly delivering medication attached to nanoparticles."

Today, Miss Cheong presents her discoveries in London at the beginning of the three-day European Society of Gynecological Endoscopy conference, which also, via satellite on Friday, will show live surgery from Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust's Princess Anne Hospital. Two advanced hysterectomy procedures - laparoscopic subtotal and single port - will be performed by Miss Cheong, fellow consultant gynecologists Mr Adam Moors and Dr Sameer Umranikar and three other visiting surgeons to hundreds of international colleagues attending the event at the ExCeL.

Mr Moors, a specialist in gynecological endoscopic surgery explains:

"It is a reflection on the quality of service here in Southampton that we have been invited to showcase some of the advanced minimally invasive surgery we perform here on a daily basis to an audience of leading experts from across the world."

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Pistachios for Weight Control

Pistachios in the shell may not be as popular as traditional choices like carrots for a healthy (practically no-cal) snack, but as one of the lowest calorie nuts, they have another advantage: shelling them slows down snacking - and a growing pile of shells shows may remind you of how much you've eaten. A study from Eastern Illinois University found that students given unshelled pistachios ate 41 percent fewer nuts (an average of 125 calories per sitting) than those were given shelled nuts (they averaged 211 calories per sitting). The researchers also learned that when given a bowl of pistachios and a bowl for the shells for the day, the students ate 22 percent less when the shells accumulated all day than when the bowls were emptied every two hours. This study supports results from earlier investigations suggesting that pistachios can be a healthy "diet" food: UCLA researchers found that snacking on pistachios was better weight-wise than snacking on pretzels. And a U.S. Department of Agriculture study found the body may not completely absorb the fat in pistachios, which would make the nuts even lower in calories than we think.

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Diet and Alzheimer's Disease

A small study published in the June 2011 issue of the Archives of Neurology suggests that a diet low in saturated fat that also emphasizes foods low on the glycemic index may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The investigators compared the effects of a diet high in saturated fat and simple carbohydrates with those of a diet low in saturated fats and simple carbohydrates in 20 older adults who were healthy and 29 seniors who had specific memory problems considered precursors to Alzheimer's disease. After four weeks, they found in the healthy group that the diet high in saturated fat and simple carbs elevated substances measured in blood that indicate presymptomatic Alzheimer's, while the diet low in saturated fats decreased cholesterol levels and other biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. However, the low saturated fat diet had no such beneficial effects on participants who already had memory problems. The researchers said that the different results of the healthier diet among participants with some memory problems may have been due to the diet's short duration.

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Reducing Macular Degeneration Risk

Macular degeneration is a debilitating eye disorder generally considered to be irreversible, and it remains the leading cause of blindness in individuals over the age of 55. Risks for the disorder commonly run in families, but a new study suggests that the risk can be reduced by not smoking and by a diet high in vitamin D plus the nutrients betaine (found in fish, grains and spinach) and methionine (found in poultry, fish and dairy foods). Researchers from Tufts Medical Center identified cases of elderly, male identical twins, where one brother had late stage macular degeneration and his sibling's disorder was at an early stage. The researchers found that the more severe cases were found among the twin who was the heavier smoker and that disease progression was slowest among those who had higher intakes of vitamin D from dietary sources such as fish or milk and betaine and methionine. (GN) The study was published in the July 1, 2011 issue of Ophthalmology.

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Folate May Cut Colon Cancer Risk

A higher dietary intake of folate from produce and folic acid from fortified foods and supplements may lower the risk of colon cancer. This news comes from a study involving more than 99,000 participants in a cancer prevention study who were followed for eight years. Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is found naturally in spinach, green vegetables, beans, asparagus, bananas, melons, lemons, legumes, yeast, and mushrooms. Foods fortified with folic acid (a synthetic form of folate) include orange juice, baked goods, and cereals. This isn't the first study to show that high folate intake reduces the incidence of colorectal cancer, but it is the first to show that the risk is lower regardless of whether the vitamin comes from natural folates in unprocessed foods or as folic acid in supplements or fortified foods. In addition, the study found no evidence that fortification of foods with folic acid increases the risk of cancer as has been suggested. The researchers reported that no increased risk of colorectal cancer was found even at high levels of folate intake. The study was published in the July, 2011 issue of Gastroenterology.

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Massage for Your Aching Back

Medication, physical therapy and back exercises are the usual care for low back pain, but traditional bodywork proved to be more beneficial among 401 patients who participated in a study that evaluated the short-term and long-term effects of massage. A study team at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle divided the patients into three groups: one group received relaxation massage that focused on muscles, a second group underwent structural massage designed to ease tension in specific tissues and joints and a third group continued with their usual care for back pain. The patients in the two massage groups received a weekly hour-long massage for 10 weeks. The study reported that afterward these patients had less pain and were better able to go about their daily activities than the participants who continued with usual care. Either kind of massage appeared to have the same positive result. What's more, the effects of massage lasted for six months after the 10-week treatment course, although the benefits seemed to dissipate after a year. The study was published in the July 5, 2011 Annals of Internal Medicine.
My take? This is more good news about the health benefits of massage for back pain. Earlier studies have shown that massage can also lessen the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, ease post-operative pain, reduce headache frequency, relieve arthritis pain, reduce blood pressure and improve immune function. Part of the reason massage may work as well as it does is simply that many people expect it to yield a benefit. That's fine with me - the positive effects are objective and measurable, and the intervention has very low risk. Learn more about treating low back pain.

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Women Aged Over 85 Have Higher Prevalence Of Arthritis And Joint Pain

An investigation conducted by Newcastle University has discovered that the lifetime prevalence of arthritis is 65.4% in individuals aged 85, occurring more commonly in women. The discoveries of this investigation indicate that compared to prior research of 85 year olds, the prevalence of arthritis is greater.

Although arthritis is strongly connected with age, very few investigations have studied how the oldest individuals (those aged 85+ years) are affected by the disease, even though by 2033 these individuals will make up for 3.3 million of the population in the UK.
The investigation from an observational cohort study, looked at 1040 individuals aged 85 years old, born in 1921, from GPs in Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside Primary Care Trusts. The results revealed that for 'any arthritis' the lifetime prevalence was high, with 673 (65.4%) of the participants having arthritis, they also discovered that the disease was more common in women than men (69.1% vs 58.8%, p=0.001).
In 534 (51.9%) of the participants, osteoarthritis was common, more in women than men (57.1% vs 42.5%). Osteoarthritis was most prevalent in the knee joint followed by the hip and hand. Several of those participating in the study identified the knee as the most painful joint, even though the foot, ankle and lower back received the highest pain score. With the exception of the shoulder and foot, for all joints women reported a higher average pain score.
In the UK, last month, approximately two-thirds of the population reported pain in their joints, with 71.7% reporting pain on most days of the month. This is slightly higher that prior population investigations including individuals aged 85 and over: United Kingdom 56.9% (women 64.5%, men 44.2%) and 53.6% (women 58.3%, men 39.6%), Netherlands 57% (women 62%, male 47%), Sweden (women 48.7%, men 12.9%)
The authors stated that:

"Establishing the impact of arthritis on disability, health and wellbeing and healthcare use, is fundamental before we can determine treatment approaches and measure their success; particularly in the presence of multimorbidity in this age group. The economic burden of musculoskeletal disease in the oldest old is potentially huge and its management presents a major challenge."

Prof. Louise Robinson, GP and RCGP Champion for Older People's Health and Wellbeing, explains that: "This new research, from a large cohort study of the oldest old, reveals that osteoarthritis is more common in the over 85 year olds and perhaps GPs realize. Much of the care we provide on the management of long term chronic conditions is evidence - based and as a consequence, we have quality outcome markers to adhere to; however this is not so for osteoarthritis. It would be interesting to explore how well GPs manage a condition as common as in the oldest old."
Key Points:

• Arthritis and join pain are highly common in individuals aged 85+
• The most common diagnoses were knee osteoarthritis and cervical spondylosis
• In the 11 areas investigated, pain occurred more frequently in women in all areas
• Compared to men, women reported a higher total of painful joints
• 13.5% of those who participated had undergone either a hip or knee replacement

Written by Grace Rattue

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Cancer Centers Recognizing Yoga as Therapeutic Care for Cancer Patients

Yoga is gaining popularity as a method of dealing with side effects of cancer and chemotherapy. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, however, yoga may actually be able to help in the prevention of cancer. In fact, yoga done at a brisk pace actually counts toward the recommended daily dose of cardiovascular exercise.
Now yoga instructors at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center say that all kinds of yoga are beneficial because they encourage healthy breathing techniques and keep the body moving. They list the following as being improved by a consistent yoga practice: balance, sleep, mood, flexibility, and circulation. Not only does exercise support the immune system, but it also leads to healthier life styles and eating habits – showing great potential in slowing down and managing cancer.
Although there are many styles of yoga, all have the same goals: balancing the mind, body, and spirit. Different kinds of practices appeal to different people, and the choice may also be influenced by health issues and physical ability. Many medical centers are now beginning to provide yoga classes for their patients, and yoga classes may serve as support groups as well as opportunities for exercise.
As its benefits become more well-known, yoga classes will become even more available and suitably geared to those with special needs. Already, special groups are being formed specifically for breast cancer patients and people with rare cancers like mesothelioma that is triggered from asbestos exposure, and results are thought to improve mesothelioma prognosis. Yogi B. K. S. Iyengar, developer of the Iyengar method of yoga, said these words about the importance of the ancient art in the healing process: "Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured."
In the past, misconceptions about the practice of yoga limited its use for both healthy people and those suffering from chronic conditions. Today that is changing, and the following facts are now accepted by most of the population:
• Yoga is not only for young and flexible bodies. Exercises can easily be adapted by trained instructors to suit people with various forms of disabilities. Even chair yoga is an option.
• Yoga is not affiliated with any religious belief system. Although it does include eight limbs that embrace breathing techniques, meditation, spirituality, morals, and life style, the emphasis in many classes is on exercise. Healthy living is also encouraged.
• There are many styles of yoga, ranging from gentle and restorative to strenuous and fast-paced. The key is finding a style that suits individual needs.
Cancers centers are paving the way for a new holistic treatment that has the potential to improve quality of living, manage and prevent illnesses, and create a more peaceful society.

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Better Blueberries

Blueberries are a healthy addition to any diet. Among other benefits, they contain anthocyanins - the pigments that make them blue - which act as potent antioxidants. And now researchers have identified two species of wild blueberries with two to four times the antioxidant activity of those on the market. These wild blueberries grow in the high-elevation Andes' forests, which happen to be one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Researchers from Lehman College in New York and the New York Botanical Garden discovered that these Andes' species pack a powerful antioxidant punch after examining five species of neo-tropical blueberries. The ones that scored highest were Cavendishia grandifolia and Anthopterus wardii. These berries aren't commercially available at this time, but the researchers suggested that once their nutritional profile is better elucidated, they may be brought to market. The study was published in the April 13, 2011 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

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Acquired trendy nails in daily life

Our fingers are such an integral part your daily lives, and continually, we risk their wellness and strength, usually without even noticing, because of the hustle and bustle of our day-to-day activities to manage for our health and beauty tips of concerns, Take a couple of moments each and every day, or at the very least several times a week, to monitor the healthiness of your nails?

To save even much more time, apply a clear coat to your nails every day to shield the polish from chipping. Experiment with decals and nail transfers in case you are not up for designing your own artistic themes. Be creative, don't get discouraged and remember, the a lot more practice you get, the less difficult it will turn out to be each and every time you try a new style! Make a significantly greater effort to take good care of your nails, and you may be thrilled with the way they complement your wardrobe and your personal style. Contemplate the following suggestions as a method to improve the well being and high quality of your nails.
Once the nails are smudge-proof, take a glass coat of clear gloss or a sparkle coat that matches the chosen color and add your personal special touches. Dark blue and black look extremely nice with silver glitter, red with gold glitter, though the combination possibilities are endless. These glittery styles may possibly complement wedding apparel, semi-formalwear and even casual attire.

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Care your skin with natural skin care products

Many people think that women wear makeup to cover up our blemishes and put on a fake, plastic-like face. The truth of the matter is that makeup, same like everyone says that organic is best for you for beauty tips point of view, but why is that? Is there really a difference in organic when compared to other skin care products? To give a quick response, yes, there is a difference. Organic skin care products go the extra mile to provide better results in a safer way.
There are a number of elements that help make organic skin care better than traditional beauty products. There are a number of skincare products out there, the organic skin care is much better for you than other products. When it comes to treating your skin, you don't want to take the risk. Buy organic skin products and treat your body the way it deserves to be for your health tips point of view,. You are only hurting yourself if you don't, and it's clear that you want to treat it with the best products available. Without the harsh chemicals, your skin will be able to retain its youth for longer and in a much more natural manner.
There is no question that organic skin care products are simply better for you than other products. You don't run the risk of putting something into your body that might harm you and you can read and be aware of all of the ingredients that were used when making the product. Your body deserves to be treated with the best, and organic products offer that. The next time you are looking at buying skin care for yourself, make sure you buy organic.

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Control your Cholesterol level naturally

In our modern scientific and digital age, every person approximately assumed that a "heart healthy" diet is and that it can significantly lead to lowering your cholesterol. Global nutritional guidelines are now universal and incorporate: For years the prevailing wisdom was that women were at minimal risk for high cholesterol and the cardiovascular disease which was sure to follow High cholesterol levels, more specifically high LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels are a main contributor to heart disease. Foods that lower cholesterol can easily be combined in your diet and will help you not just to reduce but also to manage your cholesterol levels in the long run which make strong and better through adopting some basic health tips. Cholesterol is extremely soluble within body fat however just somewhat soluble in drinking water, and able to type cholesterol esters with fatty acids.
We also know that cholesterol and other blood fats such as triglycerides are the primary forces operating behind the scenes that work to produce arterial blockage and increase the chances of heart attack or stroke. Triglycerides are early stage blood fats produced when a person consumes more calories than are required. When this occurs the liver transforms those excess calories into triglycerides, which end up as fat in body tissue. A whopping 95 percent of fatty body tissue is made up of triglycerides. If you have been tested for cholesterol you probably already know that your basic cholesterol profile measures three types of cholesterol and blood fats; HDL, LDL, and triglycerides.
Soluble fiber provided by fruit and vegetables helps eliminate cholesterol from the intestine. Avoid as much as possible or cut out altogether refined carbohydrates: white bread, rice, pasta. Refined carbohydrates have been stripped of most nutrients. Replace by: complex carbohydrates such as whole grain bread, brown rice, whole meal pasta, and oats. Complex carbohydrates contain fiber and other nutrients the body needs.

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Mother With Two Wombs Has Twins, Defying One In Five Million Chance

A mother has given birth to two babies, delivered from two separate uteruses, at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Florida in the US. Fraternal twins, Nathan and Natalie Barbosa, born on 15 September, are doing well, and delighting their parents Andreea Barbosa, 24, of Clearwater, and husband, Miguel Barbosa, who also have a two-year-old daughter.
Andreea Barbosa has uterus didelphys, or double uterus, a rare condition where the double uterus has two separate cervices, and often a double vagina as well.
It is thought to affect about 1 in 2,000 women worldwide, and there have only been 100 known cases of women with the condition being pregnant in both uteruses at the same time. The most recent known case before the Barbosa's was of a woman in India who gave birth in July.

The condition can cause infertility, miscarriage and premature birth. But Barbosa's twins were delivered by cesarean section at 36 weeks: Nathan was delivered first, weighing in at 5 lbs 8 oz (2.50 kg), then his sister Natalie, at 5 lbs 10 oz (2.55 kg), was born two minutes later.

Their mother told the press she was "shocked" when she found out she was pregnant in each uterus.

"But my husband and I are just so happy that they are here and healthy," she said.
Barbosa's doctor said her patient was aware of the risks of such a pregnancy. Patricia St. John, MD, OB/GYN at Morton Plant Hospital, said they were "thrilled" to be guiding the family through this "unique" pregnancy and delivery.

"Because we were aware of her condition, we were able to take special precautions to ensure that both mother and babies would be healthy," she added.
Uterus didelphys will have developed in Barbosa when she herself was a fetus in her mother's womb. There are two tubes that normally fuse together to form the uterus in the female fetus, but when this joining fails, they develop into two separate cavities.
The symptoms usually manifest as unusual pain before or during a period, and abnormal bleeding during a period. The condition is sometimes never diagnosed, and women can go through pregnancy and childbirth without knowing they have two wombs.

In 2006, an even rarer event occured in the UK when a mother with a double uterus had triplets: two babies from one uterus and another from the second uterus. Hannah Kersey, 23, from Northam in Devon, gave birth to identical twins Ruby and Tilly, and their fraternal twin sister, Grace. The odds of that happening are thought to be about 25 million to one.
Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

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Pregnant Women Reminded to Get Flu Vaccine

 Pregnant women should get a flu shot to protect themselves and even their newborn from the flu, experts say.

Pregnancy increases the risk of serious complications of flu, such as bacterial pneumonia and dehydration, according to the March of Dimes.
Not only does getting vaccinated offer protection from the flu for moms-to-be, the vaccine can also confer protection to the baby once it's born, said Dr. Alan Fleischman, March of Dimes medical director.
"The flu vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective. As an added bonus, during pregnancy, mothers pass on their immunity, protecting babies in those early months of life," said Fleischman in a March of Dimes news release. "We urge all pregnant women, and women who expect to become pregnant, to get their influenza immunization because the flu poses a serious risk of illness and even death during pregnancy."
During pregnancy, normal changes to women's immune system, heart and lungs make them more vulnerable to the dangerous complications of the flu. One out of every 20 deaths in 2009 from H1N1 was a pregnant woman.
Despite this increased risk, only half of all expectant mothers received the vaccination during last year's flu season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pregnant women can take additional steps to protect themselves from the flu by:

• Staying home when ill and avoiding contact with other people who are sick
• Coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your arm, not your hands
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Washing your hands with soap and water often.
• Using hand sanitizers at work or in public places.
• Thoroughly washing dishes and utensils.
• Avoiding sharing dishes, utensils, drinking glasses or toothbrushes.

The March of Dimes noted that anyone who lives with a pregnant woman or has regular close contact with one should also be immunized. The group also advised that any expectant mothers who experience flu-like symptoms seek medical attention right away.
-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas

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Health Experts Say HPV Vaccine Is Safe

 U.S. health experts say the controversy triggered by Monday's Republican presidential debate over the human papillomavirus vaccine for pre-teen girls is generating misinformation about the shots' value.

During the debate, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota criticized Texas Gov. Rick Perry for mandating that sixth-grade girls in his state get the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer later in life. On television the next day, Bachmann, who had argued that the order violated individual rights, also said she had heard from a mother she met that the vaccine had caused mental retardation in the woman's 12-year-old daughter.
That's unlikely, experts said.
"This is a very safe vaccine," said infectious disease expert Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at New York University. "The benefit of this vaccine so outweighs any rare risk that it's not worth considering side effects.
"What is going on right now," added Siegel, "is a political backlash against the whole idea of vaccines. You are seeing vicious rumors circulating because of the debate."
The American Academy of Pediatrics also tried to squelch concerns over the vaccine's safety.
"There is absolutely no scientific validity to this statement. Since the vaccine has been introduced, more than 35 million doses have been administered, and it has an excellent safety record," Dr. O. Marion Burton, academy president, said in a news release.
Dr. Judy Schaechter, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said, "We have not seen any cases of mental retardation caused by this vaccine and there is no reason to suspect that that would happen.
"For mental retardation to start in any 12-year-old is an odd occurrence," she said. "I don't have an explanation for that -- I've never seen it as an adolescent medicine doctor. There is nothing in science or experience that would back that up."
Perry signed an executive order in 2007 requiring that all sixth-grade girls be vaccinated to protect them from the sexually transmitted virus, but the state legislature subsequently rescinded the order.
The HPV vaccine, approved in 2006, targets two types of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancers and most HPV-induced genital and head and neck cancers. It also protects against most genital warts.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that girls at age 11 or 12 get three doses (shots) of the HPV vaccine, also often called the Gardasil vaccine, and that girls and young women 13 to 26 years old get all three doses if they have not already.
"The best way to be sure that a person gets the most benefit from HPV vaccination is to complete all three doses before sexual activity begins," the CDC said.
Each year in the United States, about 6.2 million new cases of human papillomavirus are diagnosed, and about 4,000 women die from cervical cancer, according to the CDC.
Side effects of the vaccine tend to be minor, the CDC said. They include pain at the injection site, headache, nausea, and fever. Fainting has been reported on rare occasions.
Some cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare disorder that causes muscle weakness, have been reported after vaccination, but "there is no evidence that Gardasil has increased the rate of GBS above that expected in the population," the CDC said.
Blood clots in the heart, lungs and legs also have been reported, but "most of these people had a risk of getting blood clots, such as taking oral contraceptives," according to the CDC.
After reviewing 56 deaths that followed vaccination, the CDC said it could not find a pattern suggesting the vaccine was responsible. Autopsy and death records pointed to other factors, including illicit drug use, diabetes, viral illness and heart failure, the agency said.
Others, however, remain unconvinced of the vaccine's safety.
Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, an anti-vaccine group, said that the HPV vaccine "can cause brain and immune system dysfunction that takes various forms, including memory loss and inflammation of the brain."
But Fisher said that assessment was based on anecdotal evidence. "I don't know how common it is," she said.
Her website reports six cases of adverse reactions to the vaccine, none of which include mental retardation. But, "to suggest that it does not happen is inaccurate," she said.
Siegel does not disagree that brain inflammation can occur, but he said it is rare. "Encephalitis (swelling of the brain) is a remote and rare side effect of many vaccines, including the flu vaccine," he said. "It is more common in live virus vaccines, which HPV is not."
A recent Institute of Medicine report, sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services, also said severe reactions were rare.
In the United States, two HPV vaccines are available, Cervarix, made by GlaxoSmithKline, and Gardasil, made by Merck & Co.

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Parents Who Smoke at Home May Risk Kids' Academic Success

Parents who smoke at home could jeopardize their children's academic success and harm their family's finances in ways that go beyond that of spending lots of money on cigarettes, according to a new study.

The research, done at Massachusetts General Hospital, found that children living with smokers have higher rates of respiratory illness and missed one to two more days of school per year than their classmates, possibly causing academic troubles.
Moreover, the study found that the family's finances were undermined when caregivers had to miss work and stay home to care for their children when they got sick.
Nationally, family members who stayed home to care for children with smoking-related illnesses lost at least $227 million annually in forfeited wages and productivity, the study reported. The true figure probably was higher because missed workdays during school vacations were not included, the researchers added.

Noting that the damage of second-hand smoke on youngsters' health has been known for some time, one of the study's authors said the new research found even more harm resulting from smoking at home.
"The main point is that the harm of cigarette use is more than just health harm. It affects kids' access to education and households' bottom lines," said lead study author Douglas Levy, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Over time, parental smoking at home may result in lower achievement at school for their children, the study suggested, pointing to other research that connected missed schooldays and lower academic performance.
In addition, because smokers "have lower incomes, on average . . . the economic impact can be potentially serious" for the families affected, said Levy, who is also an assistant in Health Care Policy at the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Mass General. Some may risk job loss entirely, the study found.
The research findings were released online this week in advance of publication in the October print issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Overall in the United States, roughly one-third of children live in a home with a smoker, according to an earlier study by Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a co-author of the new research.
More than half of all children in the United States aged 3 to 11 have detectable levels of cotinine in their blood, a chemical caused by second-hand smoke, according to the authors.
The study looked at records, culled from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey, of more than 3,000 children aged 6 to 11 years. About 14% of the children in the study lived with someone who smoked at home.
The average annual income of families in the study was $20,087. Single parents headed 22% of the households with smokers.

The data was adjusted to account for factors that could affect school attendance, including socioeconomic class, family structure, race and gender. But it still showed that children of smokers missed more school time than their peers, and that about one-quarter to one-third of all class time they missed was due to illness connected to second-hand smoke.
The researchers also found that in homes where two parents or caregivers smoked, the children missed even more school time than in homes where only one parent smoked.
Children of smokers were more likely to have had either a chest cold in the two weeks before they were surveyed or more than three ear infections in the prior year, although the investigators found no link to a higher rate of vomiting or diarrhea.

The study found no link between parents' smoking at home and asthma. But only a small portion of children in the study had asthma, making it statistically unlikely that a connection would be found, said Levy. He noted that other research has already established that link.
The study authors said that absenteeism among children aged 6 to 11 could be reduced by 24 to 34% by eliminating smoking in the home.
Calling the database used in the research "the gold standard survey, huge and detailed," an expert in California said the study was "quite well done."
"They applied standard statistical methods to answer the questions they were asking," said Dr. Stanley Glantz, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco and director of the school's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education.
Exposure to second-hand smoke has decreased over the last 20 years due to family rules about smoking in homes, and laws banning it in public places, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Glantz said parents are beginning to be more aware of the effect of second-hand smoke on children. "There has been a lot of movement on this issue in the last few years," he said.

Related articles

• Parents Who Smoke at Home May Risk Kids' Academic Success (beinhealthwomen.blogspot.com)
• Living With A Smoker Increases Absenteeism In School Children (medicalnewstoday.com)

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Severe Pulmonary Hypertension May Be Reversed By Estrogen Treatment

UCLA researchers have found that the hormone estrogen may help reverse advanced pulmonary hypertension, a rare and serious condition that affects 2 to 3 million individuals in the U.S., mostly women, and can lead to heart failure.

The condition causes a progressive increase in blood pressure in the main pulmonary artery, which originates in the heart's right ventricle and delivers blood to the lungs. The rise in pressure impairs heart function by enlarging the right ventricle, potentially leading to heart failure.

Published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the preclinical study shows that in rats, estrogen treatment can reverse the progression of pulmonary hypertension to heart failure and can restore lung and ventricle structure and function.

The disease progresses slowly, so most patients don't seek treatment until major symptoms occur, such as shortness of breath, dizziness and fainting. According to researchers, current medication for pulmonary hypertension only temporarily reduces the disease's severity. For advanced pulmonary hypertension, there are fewer options, and the condition often necessitates a lung transplant.

"Unfortunately, up until now, there hasn't been an ideal pharmacological therapy to treat advanced pulmonary hypertension," said senior study author Mansoureh Eghbali, Ph.D., an assistant professor of anesthesiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA who has a strong background in studying the role of gender and estrogen in cardiovascular diseases. "We hope that this early study may offer insight into new therapies."

The UCLA team found that by treating rats with severe pulmonary hypertension with low doses of estrogen, they were able to prevent the disease from progressing to right-ventricular heart failure; this did not happen in untreated rats.

Systolic blood pressure and ejection fraction - the volume of blood being pumped out of the heart's right chamber with each heart beat - also improved. Tests showed that lung weight, which can increase with the disease and resulting heart-ventricle enlargement, was also corrected. After 10 days of estrogen treatment, function returned to an almost normal state.

The researchers stopped the estrogen therapy after 10 days but continued to observe some of the treated rats. They tracked the continued improvement and found almost full restoration of systolic blood pressure and ejection fraction to normal levels after an additional 12 days.

"We were surprised to find this continued benefit, even after we stopped the estrogen treatment," said the study's first author, Dr. Soban Umar, a UCLA Department of Anesthesiology researcher who has studied pulmonary hypertension and right-ventricular heart failure and is a key member of Eghbali's laboratory team. "These findings suggest that even short-term estrogen therapy may suffice to reverse the disease."

All rats with severe pulmonary hypertension that were treated with estrogen survived by the study's end. Only 25 percent of the untreated rats survived.

The team also explored how estrogen could work in reversing the disease by studying several cellular and molecular mechanisms.

They found that the number of inflammatory cells in rats with pulmonary hypertension increased five-fold, compared with normal rats. In the animals treated with estrogen, this was reversed to normal. The team found that estrogen reduced regulation of a pro-inflammatory gene that also plays a key role in disease development caused by pulmonary hypertension. They also found that estrogen had an inhibitory effect on lung fibrosis.

In addition, the team observed that estrogen therapy restored blood vessels in the lungs and right ventricle whose loss is associated with the disease.

Further study identified that estrogen exerts its biological effects on pulmonary hypertension through a receptor called estrogen receptor beta, a protein that regulates estrogen's activity in the body.

"Estrogen appears to work through an interplay of several factors, including suppression of lung inflammation and fibrosis, as well as reversal of ventricle enlargement," Eghbali said. "We may be able to utilize estrogen receptor beta in the development of future therapies to stimulate estrogen activity to treat pulmonary hypertension."

Researchers had also tested estrogen receptor alpha, the other receptor that controls estrogen activity, but found that it wasn't as effective in treating pulmonary hypertension.

Eghbali added that estrogen receptor beta may prove to be a favorable therapeutic target, since this receptor may require only a short treatment duration and low dosage and has less pro-estrogenic effects on the breasts and uterus than estrogen receptor alpha.

Pulmonary hypertension affects mostly younger women, despite the fact that females in this age group should be under the protective benefits of natural estrogen produced by the body, Eghbali said.

"These patients may have a genetic mutation that is interfering in how estrogen receptor beta directs estrogen activity that is leading to pulmonary hypertension," she said.

Her team's next step is to explore these genetic questions. Currently, Umar and Eghbali are collaborating with UCLA pulmonary hypertension physicians to investigate gender-related issues and to define the role of estrogen in patients with this deadly disease.

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Molecular Evidence Of Brain Changes In Depressed Females

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered molecular-level changes in the brains of women with major depressive disorder that link two hypotheses of the biological mechanisms that lead to the illness. Their results, published online in Molecular Psychiatry, also allowed them to recreate the changes in a mouse model that could enhance future research on depression.

Although women are twice as likely as men to develop depression and have more severe and frequent symptoms, very little research has focused on them or been conducted in other female animals, noted senior author Etienne Sibille, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry, Pitt School of Medicine.

"It seemed to us that if there were molecular changes in the depressed brain, we might be able to better identify them in samples that come from females," he said. "Indeed, our findings give us a better understanding of the biology of this common and often debilitating psychiatric illness."

The researchers examined post-mortem brain tissue samples of 21 women with depression and 21 similar women without a history of depression. Compared to their counterparts, the depressed women had a pattern of reduced expression of certain genes, including the one for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and of genes that are typically present in particular subtypes of brain cells, or neurons, that express the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA.) These findings were observed in the amygdala, which is a brain region that is involved in sensing and expressing emotion.

In the next part of the project, the researchers tested mice engineered to carry different mutations in the BDNF gene to see its impact on the GABA cells. They found two mutations that led to the same deficit in the GABA subtype and that also mirrored other changes seen in the human depressed brain.

Dr. Sibille noted that researchers have long suspected that low levels of BDNF play a role in the development of depression, and that there also is a hypothesis that reduced GABA function is a key factor.

"Our work ties these two concepts together because we first show that BDNF is indeed low in depression and second that low BDNF can influence specific GABA cells in a way that reproduces the biological profile we have observed in the depressed brain," he said.

The team is continuing to explore the molecular pathway between BDNF and GABA and others that could be important in depression.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

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6 essential Nutrients Everyone Needs to Stay Healthy

When it comes right down to it there are certain things that everyone needs in order to be healthy. Most of the time people are lacking in at least one of the essential nutrients because they don't eat right, or are trying to lose weight so they aren't eating enough, or because they just plain don't like fruits and vegetables or other foods that provide these nutrients. Whether you get them in a vitamin or a supplement or get them from food these are the six nutrients that your body needs in order to function properly:

1. Vitamins
Vitamins are the fuel that your body uses to create new tissue, new cells, and to keep all the systems in the body running properly. Without vitamins you can't survive. Vitamins are essential for life and good
health.

2. Minerals
Minerals often need to be taken as supplements because modern diets don't give people the traceminerals that their bodies need in order to function properly anymore. Minerals are what helps your body digest food and keep your metabolism running properly. Without the right minerals you won't be able to process food effectively in order to get the vitamins that the body needs.

3. Amino Acids
Amino acids are essential because the body uses them to produce hormones, neurotransmitters and other chemicals that help maintain the body's delicate chemical balance. Lack of amino acids can lead to severe imbalances that can cause a lot of unpleasant conditions.

4. Fat
Even though fat is vilified as the source of obesity human beings need fat in their diets. Fat is stored in the body for energy. Fat also keeps the brain functioning well and helps protect the body from damage and temperature changes. There is evidence that eating 'healthy fats' can help manage chronic conditions like Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. You shouldn't go overboard when eating fat but you do need some fat to survive.

5. Protein
Protein is one of the key building blocks of the body. Protein is the main source of energy for the body. Protein also helps build muscle and it is essential to help the body repair damage and keep all the systems of the
body running efficiently.

6. Carbohydrates
Even though some weight loss plans promote the idea that you don't need carbohydrates
your body does in fact need carbohydrates. Carbs give you energy, and without them you will soon find yourself unable to do even simple tasks. In order to have the energy that you need to get yourself out of bed each day and function in the world you need to eat at least a minimal amount of carbs everyday.

Related articles

• Have You Fed Your Brain Today? (psychologytoday.com)
• 6 essential Nutrients Everyone Needs to Stay Healthy (beinhealthwomen.blogspot.com)

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