Actual Globe

Continuing our list of the lies we tell ourselves, here are some more:

1. A gym is too expensive: So don’t go to one. There are number of shows on TV which will help you lose weight. Using a jump rope and doing squats and pushups at home is as effective as going to the gym. Besides many gyms cost $25 a month or less.
2. I will start tomorrow: That fast starting tomorrow won’t help; won’t undo a lifetime of bad habits. Only significant lifestyle changes will make a difference.
3. I am really healthy so why should I lose weight? You may be healthy now, but obesity increases your risk of developing a number of diseases now or later.
4. I don’t have the time and money to cook healthy: Your health is something that you need to make time and money for. For, if you don’t have time for your health what do you have time for!
5. It Hurts: Yes exercise will hurt to begin with if you’ve never done it. But the benefits so outweigh that temporary discomfort that this is really immaterial. Later you will thank yourself for making the effort.

Hysterectomy is also sometimes referred to as surgical menopause and women who are advised and are considering a hysterectomy often hesitate to take the decision as regards this very major surgery made hesitant by the thought of the side effects after a hysterectomy.

The way that any particular woman responds to a hysterectomy is of course vastly diverse and may differ immensely from woman to woman depending on factors such as the kind of hysterectomy performed, age of the woman, and whether the surgery was performed before or after natural menopause.

However, there are certain commonly noted side effects after a hysterectomy which follows here:

Physical side effects after a Hysterectomy: While many women experience these side effects, many may not and some may in fact the opposite experience:

• Hot flashes are a common side effect after a hysterectomy and so are correlated side effects such as night sweats etc
• Fatigue and listlessness may often occur
• Hair loss or a coarsening of body hair may also occur
• Headaches
• Weight gain
• Memory loss or forgetfulness
• Depression and feelings of anxiety
• Women also tend to become prone to heart disease and osteoporosis
• There may be a reduced interest in sexual intimacy
• Sex may be painful and the woman may experience vaginal dryness

As important, or in some cases more important than the physical aspects of a hysterectomy are the emotional side effects after a menopause that many women experience. Since there is a very sudden and drastic change in the levels of hormones in the body, there are obvious physical effects but these hormonal changes can bring about very dramatic changes emotionally as well.

Many women, after undergoing a hysterectomy find their self esteem affected and experience feelings of low self esteem. Menopause is in any case emotionally difficult to deal with for many women, and when it is surgically induced menopause, not only are the physical side effects stronger, so may be the emotional side effects.

So, at this stage, a woman who is facing the side effects after a hysterectomy may need a great deal of support, understanding and some extra TLC as well.

One needs a lot of sensitivity to put oneself in the shoes of a woman who has just lost an important body part, having undergone a hysterectomy and the consequent emotional trauma.

Today being the hundredth International Women’s Day, we wonder why a day such as this is still important. Women of the first world are empowered and enabled in ways we could not have dreamed for when it was first instituted for reasons for better pay, working conditions and voting rights. Those same issues exist unchanged for women to a large extent in countries from where a lot of products that that we consume are produced.

In this connection the HER (Health Enables Returns)) Project assumes great significance, which is a way for health care to reach working women who are not often the first priority for the health care systems of their countries. This project is aimed at 50,000 women in countries such as china, Egypt and India.

It is not just social empowerment that better health care for women can bring about; this also makes economic sense. According to statistics, among those companies who have invested in programs covering women’s health, many have noted significantly improved profit margins.

Targeting women’s health is a way for societies to bring about social and economic change, and even grow leaders. On this significant day, let us pause and give thought to health and other concerns of women less fortunate than us; and support initiatives such as HER and others.

Source: Huffington Post

It’s true, women live longer than men! Up to 10 years longer than men, according to some estimates! 85% of those that live up to and beyond 100 years are women as well.

Researchers have found several reasons why women live, on an average 5 years longer than their male counterparts:

• Women’s hearts are said to be the main reason for this. While men’s hearts lose 25% of their pumping power by the time they reach the age of 70 while women’s hearts remain as strong.
• The world’s major killers are said to be heart disease and stroke, which women develop in their 70’s and 80’s whereas men get these problems while still in their 50’s and 60’s.
• There is also a possible chromosomal reason for this disparity in longevity between men and women. In women, it is thought that cells can perhaps be protected by a slightly better variation of a gene on the second X chromosome. Men don’t have this luxury and don’t get this choice and perhaps suffer for it.
• Also men exhibit dangerous behavior in youth when they go through what is called a testosterone storm and this is another reason that they may die earlier.
• Also men, when they attempt suicide are more likely to succeed than women.

The endometrium is the inner membrane or lining of the uterus and endometriosis occurs when cells similar to endometrial cells appear and grow in areas outside the uterus.

And as female hormones affect the endometrial membrane, so they also affect these cells growing outside of the uterus with a result that the symptoms of endometriosis tend to worsen in accordance with the menstrual cycle when the endometrial lining is shed.

While the endometrial lining inside the uterus is periodically shed during the monthly period, the cells that grow outside have to outlet leading to irritation.

One of the chief symptoms of endometriosis is pain in the pelvic region and this is a condition often noted in women who have problems getting pregnant.

Some women experience the growth of web like scar tissue, the extent of which may differ greatly among different women. Many women with endometriosis experience severe menstrual cramps and painful sexual intercourse, while many women remain asymptomatic in spite of the presence of the condition. Though there is no real cure for the condition, here are some endometriosis treatment options:

Symptomatic relief of pain: Pain is the most common symptom for this condition and often endometriosis treatment may be limited to pain relief in the form of simple or compound analgesics.

If pain is very severe, the treatment may require mild narcotics or narcotic analgesics and ibuprofen (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

Hormonal therapy: Sometimes in acute cases it may be necessary to adopt hormone therapy for endometriosis treatment. Sometimes the birth control pill is prescribed to give relief from the symptoms, or certain types of intra uterine contraceptives such as Mirena may be prescribed as endometriosis treatment.

These methods suppress the growth of the endometrium and consequently the misplaced growth also is suppressed. The hormone derivative Danazol is frequently prescribed which may produce effects that mimic natural menopause. Lupron and Synarel, analogues of the gonadotropin releasing hormone may also be prescribed.

Surgery: Sometimes endometriosis treatment may require surgery, particularly if there is the presence of lesions, adhesions, endometriomas or nodules noted.

In such cases laparoscopy is used for endometriosis treatment to free adhesions and drain fluid. Through laparoscopy, electric currents of lasers can be used to clear up the existing problems.

Most surgical procedures that form part of the treatment for endometriosis are done using a laparoscope, however sometimes abdominal incisions could be required. In some cases, a complete hysterectomy is advised though this is not proof against the reemergence of the disease.

Alternative therapies: Though these endometriosis treatments do not have a proven track record, they seem to work wonders for many women: homeopathy, herbs, osteopathy, traditional medicines etc do sometimes give great results.

Certain nutritional therapies which balance nutrients in one’s diet also prove to be effective endometriosis treatment for some women.

Certain exercises such as those involving the pelvic floor may also be useful in treating the symptoms. Yoga, meditation and relaxation techniques and Pilates could all prove to be useful by themselves or as an adjunct to conventional therapy.

Female genital warts are a very common sexually transmitted infection caused by the Human Papilloma (HP) virus.

Not only are female genital warts unsightly, in fact fairly disgusting to look at, they have the potential to cause several problems and complications such as certain cancers such as those of the vulva or vagina or the anus as well as penis among men.

Female genital warts are a manifestation or symptom of infection from the HP virus, however in many cases these may be absent; that is to say that there may be an infection but no warts present.

It is therefore possible to be infected but have no knowledge of the infection, thereby spreading the infection to a sexual partner unknowingly.

Female genital warts manifest themselves as pink, red or gray swellings or out – pouchings from the skin that may take on the aspect of a cauliflower. This site exhibits photos of female genital warts as well as male genital warts if one wants to get an idea of what they look like. These may occur in the area of the vulva, the anus and also in areas such as inside the vagina and inside the anus, which may not be able to be seen except by a medical examination.

Also some female genital warts may be present but not visible because of small size or the fact that they are not sufficiently raised to be noticeable. In this case, a medical practitioner using a certain solution may detect them.

Also, sometimes the reason why the warts may not be visible is due to the fact that in spite of the presence of the infection by the HP virus, the warts may not manifest themselves until what may even be years after the actual infection.

The infection of HPV spreads through sexual contact so the best way to steer clear of it is to avoid indiscriminate sex and be very careful of the partner that you choose.

The best way is to be in a safe monogamous relationship and if one is active, it is best to use a condom every time. This however is no guarantee against the spread of the infection unless all warts are covered since it can spread from skin contact.

Female genital warts are not able to be transmitted by shared toilets or through the water of a swimming pool or by sharing towels etc.

Here is a useful list of commonly held beliefs about women’s health which are not only untrue, but which may actually be harmful to women:

• Only overweight women need worry about cholesterol. Not true.  Overweight women may be more at risk but it does not follow that women with normal weight don’t have to worry about cholesterol; it can strike anyone.
• Sexually transmitted diseases happen only to younger women. Also not true. Even post menopausal women are at risk from STDs; in fact a recent study showed that the numbers of those diagnosed with STDs over the age of 45 has doubled in the past ten years.
• Colon cancer is a man’s disease. Again not true. Colon cancer is the third commonest form of cancer among women. Screening is therefore as important for women as it is for men.
• Heart attacks bring on chest pain. Not true for women. In fact women have very different symptoms of a heart attack than do men.
• If there is vaginal itching, over the counter medication will take care of it. Not necessarily. This could be the sign of an infection, or a sexually transmitted disease even and is required to be properly treated.

Source: coloradoan

I was a young woman in the revolutionary 70s. Everywhere, there were changes, new concepts coming in and old concepts ringing out.

There were so many concepts going out of fashion that we wondered whether in the end we would end up deciding that the sky needed a different color and the earth was not as hard as we would like it to be. With such revolutions in our every day, another aspect that we quickly found out was feminism.

Now, I do not hold feminism in bad light in anyway, but some ultra feminists back then decided not to marry, or at least not to get into the yoke of motherhood so soon in their lives. I being very much married and already having a child underway was in no mood to be part of their idea.

Most of them kept to their promises and had quite satisfying, entertaining lives till the age of thirty or thirty five. As they grew old, they felt the pangs of loneliness and felt the need to have children.

Most of them experienced motherhood after thirty. Since I was their coffee mate during those dreary days when James is off on some quaint business meeting and Martha and Roy have some ‘stuff’ as they put it, to take care of at the far end of town, I had an interesting insight into the lives of these forty something recent mothers.

Taking apart the reason why they became moms so late in life and adding the fertility drugs, the troubles of trying to get pregnant on the long run, the pregnancy depression that gets tougher with age, the fact that the hormones react differently and turn the maternal experience in a challenge, the reason why women decide to be older mothers seems a bit unclear.

Also the psychological impact of heaving to deal with a generation of children so far from the patterns they had as a child is quite big. And seriously, if I had not kept up with the times, which I had a lot of time to do because my children had already grown up as the times were changing, even I would not know that the ten year old child was chatting with her boyfriend in school about eloping!

Now a few decades ago, this conversation would have all of us in peals of laughter. With the changing of times, the peals of laughter have been changed into shivers of fright.

I also found my friends straining for almost everything. Motherhood takes its toll on all women, be it a single child or two, or even three. The toll is there for all to see. But motherhood after thirty did have some devastating effects on my friends.

Women tend to do it all, want to have it all, tend to obsess in being perfect moms, perfect employees, and perfect chairman of the board.

All these and so many more added became a huge amount of stress and that stress tends to overwhelm the joy of motherhood.

We all think it is better to work hard before we become parents so we can offer everything to out kids. But is this really a good idea?

Basically, it seemed like the case of taking painkillers to relieve the pain, but never looking at what actually causes the pain, and then the pain goes up one fine day just when it’s your big day in life. I would definitely suggest taking another close look at life for anyone who is looking at motherhood after thirty as an option.

For some it may be good, for some it may be just a challenge but oh…that challenge can be sometimes much more than was bargained for.

It is well established that men benefit from taking aspirin daily as it cuts their heart attack risk.

However, now we know from reports that it is very useful for women as well:

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends taking an aspirin a day:

• To prevent a stroke for the first time
• To prevent a first heart attack if a woman is over age 65
• To prevent heart attack in women of all ages who have had a previous heart attack
• Women of all ages can benefit and reduce their heart disease risk by taking a daily aspirin

Apart from this, aspirin has also been seen to help breast cancer patients. According to researchers, those women who have survived breast cancer were less likely to have their cancer return with the help of aspirin. In a study conducted on 4000 nurses, it was found that those that took aspirin lowered their risk of dying from breast cancer and also lowered their risk of the cancer spreading by as much as 50%.

Women, who have blood clotting issues, however are not advised to take an aspirin every day. In any case regular aspirin use should be cleared with your doctor first.

There are many reasons to have a healthy low fat diet and a fat behind may well be the least of it!

Now it would seem that there is yet another reason for women to eat fewer fats because a high fat diet is seen to increase the risk of suffering a stroke.

The old villain, trans fat, or hydrogenated fat that is ever present in items like cookies, cakes, stick margarine, fried foods, crackers and pastries.

It is these trans fats that clog the arteries and ups stroke risk according to the new study. These fats are bad for the waistline as well as for the heart. These harmful fats that clog up the arteries reduce blood supply to the brain and thereby cause the commonest variety of stroke.

Women who ate fat rich diets were 44% more likely to have experience a stoke when compared to others. The idea is, that what is bad for the heart is also bad for the brain.  Traditionally premenopausal women had lower stroke risk than men of the same age, however with rising obesity, this trend is changing.

So here is one more reason to pay close attention to the labeling on the food that we buy and to stick to the healthier fats that come from nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils.

Source: thewashingtonpost

Trichomoniasis is a common sexually transmitted disease occurring in men as well as women, however the incidence of it is commoner among women. This is a disease that is spread through a parasitic infection of the urethra and vagina.

The symptoms of Trichomoniasis can be difficult to spot since there may often be no visible or discernable ones. In fact, up to 50% of women infected do not show any symptoms of trichomoniasis.

It is important to remember that the symptoms of trichomoniasis may show themselves as early as 4 days after infection or sexual contact with an infected individual.

On the other hand, it is also possible that the symptoms may not show themselves until years after the infection. Though the infection is often asymptomatic in many women, common symptoms of trichomoniasis include:

• A frothy, malodorous discharge of greenish or yellowish color is commonly noted.
• The discharge may also have some traces of blood
• A redness or swelling of the labia may also be noticed
• There is also a feeling of itchiness in the area of the vulva or the folds of skin there
• There could be pain experienced while urinating or even a burning sensation when passing urine
• Painful sexual intercourse is another one of the symptoms of trichomoniasis. This pain could be localized in the vaginal area or it could be experienced in the lower abdomen area
• The symptoms of trichomoniasis are often seen to intensify and may be felt more sharply during menstruation
• A medical examination also reveals small red ulcerations on the vaginal wall or cervix in some cases

There are certain other facts about trichomoniasis that it is important to know:

• Men generally display no symptoms of the disease
• If untreated, this disease could linger for years
• This infection is a sexually transmitted disease; however it cannot be transmitted though oral or anal sex.
• With this infection, there is an increased risk of HIV transmission
• The infection may also cause some women to deliver prematurely or to deliver lower birth weight infants
• Among males there is the likelihood of the risk for prostate cancer and penis infection as well as inflammation
• As in the case of many sexually transmitted diseases, trichomoniasis is largely preventable through the use of condoms.

The post here discusses about the difference between first time pregnant women and those who were doing it the second or third time. The writer makes some interesting points:

• The second time around you know that there is really very little about your pregnancy that you can control. The baby will come when it has to; there is little anyone can do to delay it or hurry it along. Its timetable is its own and all the best laid birth plans may come to naught in the end. Between the doctor and the baby’s, the mother’s opinion counts for little. If there is something wrong, there is little that could have been done to prevent it.
• Also the first time moms tend to be all about anticipation little realizing that the actual work will begin when the baby arrives. A baby inside the womb is a lot easier to deal with than after he or she has made their grand appearance, is something that many experienced mothers will tell you.
• First time mothers may be all too eager to get into those cute maternity clothes. Advice: take it easy; by month nine you are likely to get sick of the very sight of them!

Source: deseretnews

Women who are diagnosed with bladder polyps may not automatically assume that there is anything serious matter with them or any cause for worry, though in cases it is possible that bladder polyps are of a cancerous nature and require removal by way of surgery.

Bladder polyps are out-pouching or growths in the lining of the bladder and very often women who have them display no symptoms.

However, the most common symptoms of bladder polyps are frequent urination or painful urination.

There may also be blood detected in urine which could be a symptom and which is what leads to the discovery of the condition. The blood may be visible or traces of it could be found upon conducting of a test.

Bladder polyps may be detected most often by virtue of a cystoscopy, which involves the insertion of an instrument into the bladder so that the lining can be examined.

Using this method it may also be possible for the doctor to remove the polyp or a biopsy sample. This would help conclude whether the polyp is of a cancerous nature or not.

There can be various types of bladder polyps:

• hamartomatous polyps are those which are benign, non cancerous and quite harmless
• adenomatous polyps which are gland like
• villous or dysplastic polyps are the ones that display pre-malignant changes which are the kind that are cause for immediate action.

When should Bladder polyps be removed?

Though bladder polyps are often benign and non cancerous, if they are seen to be of a considerable size or seen to be increasing in size, they may require to be removed. Sometimes, it is necessary to remove them only to confirm that they are non cancerous or to prevent the disconcerting but not strictly dangerous symptoms associated with these polyps, i.e. painful or bloody urine.

When cancerous bladder polyps are detected and treated early there is a very good chance of there being no long lasting negative impact on health of the woman affected.

The causes for occurrence of bladder polyps are not clearly understood although their risk is said to increase with certain lifestyles or occupations. Smoking is said to increase risk, as is occupation in certain industries.

Certain demographics are also more prone to bladder polyps; for instance men are more likely to have them than women and their incidence is very low in individuals below 55 years of age. Certain parasitic infections are also likely to increase risk of developing bladder polyps.

The importance of a positive body image is almost self evident; it is something that offers feelings of higher self esteem, can help us have more fulfilling interpersonal relationships and can help us to lead happier lives in general. And now research is showing us that a positive self image is good even in helping with weight loss itself!

A positive self image is important not only in helping you lose weight but it also helps those that want to give up smoking.

A lot of college-age women report smoking to keep their weight down and for body image reasons, and it is thought that by providing them with the tools to make them feel better about themselves, some of those stressors are alleviated, feel researchers.

Dialogue and support that help bolster self confidence as well as help instill a better sense of self worth, can help in creating a positive body image.

These will in consequence be more effective and useful in instilling a better self control and therefore can help in keeping off the weight[weight loss plan] and help in getting smoke free.

One of the most important goals that one needs to have in life is central to happiness and well being: good health and a positive self image!

A Pap Smear also known as a the Papanicolaou test, Pap test, cervical smear, or smear test, can detect cancerous and precancerous or malignant processes in the ectocervix.

An abnormal pap smear can indicate if there is anything wrong or a malignancy present which could help detect and prevent cervical cancer.

In this gynecological procedure, cells from the mouth of the uterus, the cervix are collected by scraping with a tool in order to see whether it is a normal or abnormal pap smear that would require attention and treatment.

The reason that taking a pap smear is recommended is that having the rest as suggested can considerably reduce one’s risk of developing cervical cancer.

What is a normal Pap smear?

Generally speaking, a pap smear seeks to check for any signs that cells found in the cervical area are changing from normal to abnormal.

When the test results from a pap smear show no pathologic change, this is considered to be normal. If the cells of the cervix are normal and healthy, this means that the pap smear is normal.

Does an abnormal pap smear mean I have cancer?

Cancer is not an overnight occurrence; it is a slow and gradual process whereby changes start to occur long before one actually develops cancer.

However, not all abnormal pap smears mean that one has cancer or that one will develop it at a later stage. An abnormal pap smear can indicate a number of different conditions such as:

• Inflammation – if an abnormal pap smear shows inflammation of the cells this may indicate the presence of an infection
• Presence of squamous cells which could be present either due to a premalignant or precancerous change or they may be present due to the inflammation.
• Cervical dysplasia- this is when the pap smears results are abnormal; the abnormality could be precancerous (that is to say they may develop into malignancy or non cancerous.
• In the worst case scenario, an abnormal pap smear will indicate presence of cancer and that the cancerous cells have spread into the cervix or even other nearby organs.

If I have an abnormal pap smear what should I do?

If there are signs of cervical dysplasia or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, the condition is graded from mild to severe.

Mild cases usually do not require treatment and subside on their own. However, a moderate to severe condition will require further evaluation and thereafter, treatment.

What is the best way to avoid getting cervical cancer?

Getting the pap smear test done regularly as recommended and steering clear of the Human Papilloma virus (HPV) is the best way to avoid getting cervical cancer.

It is generally recommended that every woman over the age of 21 and under the age of 65 should get a pap test done every 2 years. Women who are immune compromised or those that have certain other conditions may be required to have pap smears done more often.