Archive for the ‘Hormone Physician’ Category

Operating final month, I felt a well-known twinge. Seconds later, a ache ripped by my proper calf and I stumbled to a halt, annoyed.

For many years I might dash 200 metres or run six miles a number of occasions per week with barely an aching muscle to indicate for it. However since turning 40 final June, scarcely a month has handed with out me sustaining an harm.

Ive pulled each calf muscle mass a number of occasions; the Achilles tendon in my heel, which precipitated ache for months; and Ive pulled muscle mass in my higher again whereas doing weights.

Antonia Hoyle is a working mom of two young children and has skilled damaged sleep and again ache amongst different niggles since turning 40

However as Ive learnt, torn muscle mass arent the one unwelcome physiological change after 40. My higher again hurts, my sleep is more and more damaged and hangovers really feel brutal. Im typically exhausted, my toes harm and my temper switches from sunny to murderous in seconds.

After many years of taking my well being as a right, I all of the sudden really feel extra fragile.

Im not alone on this realisation, nevertheless. Analysis final month by vitamin firm Healthspan revealed that at round 40, most of us realise our physique now not capabilities in addition to it used to.

Respondents to its ballot of two,000 adults reported their knees begin to harm after 40, their backs began to go at 44, whereas by their late-40s three-quarters of individuals stated they suffered joint ache each day.

Solely 55 per cent noticed a physician and nor have I, accepting on some stage, maybe, that such modifications are inevitable at 41.

Additionally, as a working mom of two young children, I dont have a lot spare time and dont suppose these well being niggles warrant a go to to the GP.

Specialists arent stunned by this development in well being decline from 40.

From experience, Ive realised that the physique doesnt bounce again as rapidly over 40, says Valentina Roffi, a physiotherapist at Dash Physiotherapy in Kensington, West London.

Niggles set people back and health and fitness levels can decline to get the results we had in our 20s after the age of 40, we need to put in more effort.

So what causes these post-40 well being niggles, and the way greatest can we counter them? I requested the consultants . . .

The issue: I really like working however since turning 40 Ive pulled each calf muscle mass endlessly and my proper Achilles heel, which took three months to fix.

In my experience, as soon as you turn 40 these injuries become more frequent, says Tim Allardyce, a physiotherapist and osteopath at Surrey Physio.

The timing is partly as a result of such accidents are cumulative (after working greater than 700 miles a yr for 25 years, my calves had been maybe destined to protest) and degenerative muscle mass shrink as we age. After 30, except we train, we lose as much as 5 per cent of our muscle per decade, making remaining muscle mass weaker and extra prone to pressure.

Many individuals expertise sore knees by the age of 40, brought on by the carrying down of cartilage

Declining ranges of testosterone which stimulates muscle progress in women and men can exacerbate muscle loss, as can oestrogen depletion in girls. Oestrogen works to strengthen the muscles, which support bones and joints, says Dr Roger Wolman, a marketing consultant in rheumatology and sport & train at Spire Bushey Hospital in Hertfordshire.

Tim Allardyce provides: The nervous system doesnt perform as effectively after 40, with response pace lowering, making us extra susceptible to harm, and our our bodies take longer to heal.

Many individuals expertise sore knees by the age of 40, brought on by the carrying down of cartilage.

The way to repair it: With regards to avoiding accidents, varying workouts [incorporating swimming, cycling and cross-training, for example, into routines] is beneficial to your nervous system because it challenges different muscle groups, as is incorporating balance training with a wobble board or Swiss ball, says Tim.

As I havent been in a position to run for 3 weeks because of my injured calf muscle, Ive been biking on an train bike and lifting weights 3 times per week, which has helped preserve my health and a greater temper. Doing stretches to heat up earlier than a full exercise makes the connective tissue round muscle extra pliable and might cut back harm, provides Tim.

For sore knees, reducing weight can ease pressure on the joints, whereas train will strengthen muscle mass and bones. Keep away from low chairs to minimise knee pressure.

Therapies embody injections of hyaluronic acid into the knee each six months to lubricate it. An alternative choice is platelet-rich plasma remedy, the place your individual blood is re-injected into the knee to stiumulate therapeutic.

The issue: Though a lifelong insomniac, Im sleeping worse than ever. Its typically 2am earlier than I nod off, and I frequently wake, worrying about my ever-expanding to-do record. Natural teas and over-the-counter cures havent helped. Ive been prescribed sleeping drugs earlier than in my 30s however I do know theyre not a long-term resolution.

Sleep professional Dr Neil Stanley says the deep restorative part of our sleep cycle when blood strain drops and blood provide to muscle mass will increase reduces from a number of hours once we are youngsters to as little an hour an evening in our 40s (its unclear why).

This means we can feel exhausted even if were getting the identical quantity of sleep, and were extra simply woken, he provides.

Center-age weight achieve can improve loud night breathing and interrupt sleep, whereas weaker bladders (widespread in over-40s) imply we wake extra to go to the toilet

Within the decade earlier than the menopause (the common age of which is 51), theres a drop within the hormone progesterone which usually will increase the manufacturing of sleep-aiding mind chemical GABA and different hormonal modifications that have an effect on the physiques temperature management. To have a good nights sleep we have to lose one diploma of our physique temperature. If thats elevated (which might occur within the years previous the menopause), youll discover it harder, says Dr Stanley.

Center-age weight achieve can improve loud night breathing and interrupt sleep, whereas weaker bladders (widespread in over-40s) imply we wake extra to go to the toilet.

The way to repair it: If attainable, sleep alone in a cool, quiet room, says Dr Stanley, I have found 36 per cent of sleep disturbance is caused by your partner.

Typically, at 2am, I transfer to our spare room the change of scene and house from my husband who, annoyingly, falls asleep immediately, appears to assist.

Reduce out your afternoon espresso, as our our bodies metabolise caffeine extra slowly with age, and do some train: research present a reasonable cardio exercise might help us sleep higher as a result of it reduces stress, a standard explanation for sleep issues.

Dont use your smartphone within the bed room. It emits blue gentle that suppresses the manufacturing of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Use a separate alarm clock as a substitute.

The issue: Most days, caught at my pc, I really feel an ache in my higher again.

Ache on this space is related to poor posture, muscle fatigue and stress, says Tim Allardyce and its significantly extra widespread for the over-40s.

Theres proof that the ache could also be associated to hormones launched once were confused. For instance, adrenaline causes muscle across the backbone to tense and spasm.

Posture deteriorates with age. This impact is each degenerative and cumulative, says Tim Allardyce.

Ache on this space is related to poor posture, muscle fatigue and stress says Tim Allardyce

Whereas age can put on down the discs in your backbone, which might trigger again ache, sitting hunched over a pc all day causes muscle weak point.

The way to repair it: Tim Allardyces favorite train for higher again ache is the dart.

He says: Lie on your front with your arms by your side. Lift your head, arch your back and lift your arms up behind you. Build up to holding for a minute, once a day. This strengthens muscles along the spine and between the shoulder blades.

Cardiovascular train similar to working or swimming improves circulation, which can assist flush out inflammatory by-products, provides Valentina Roffi: Strength exercises [such as lifting weights] build up the muscles, including those that act as scaffolding to the spine. Stretching exercises will improve the flexibility of the soft tissue surrounding the joints and the skeleton. Massage can also relieve symptoms.

Excessive heels was once a staple a part of my outfits, says Antonia Hoyle

The issue: Excessive heels was once a staple a part of my outfits however now theyre uncomfortable and my toes have developed calluses. If I do courageous heels on an evening out, Ive usually turned into my emergency flat sandals inside an hour.

Podiatrist Matt Fitzpatrick believes adopting a extra lively life-style in our 40s to halt middle-age unfold contributes to growing foot issues. This, mixed with carrying tight sneakers for work all day, and ageing, imply a deterioration of the gentle tissue, bones and joints in our toes, he provides.

Onerous pores and skin within the type of corns and calluses builds as much as shield them. You may as well get bunions.

The way to repair it: Keep away from heels for prolonged intervals of time, advises Matt Fitzpatrick and free flats, similar to ballet pumps: You have to curl your toes to keep them on, which can cause rubbing.

Take tight sneakers off all through the day to alleviate the strain, says George Hill, a podiatrist at Fleet Avenue Clinic in London, who additionally advises choosing trainers with cushioning and shock absorbance.

Ask your pharmacist for a foot cream with urea or lactic acid, which break down arduous pores and skin.

The issue: My moods are more and more erratic. One minute my husband and I are chatting amicably, the following he places the satsumas within the fruit bowl with out taking them out of their internet bag and I snap. Dr Louise Newson, a GP and menopause specialist, says it could possibly be a symptom of hormonal modifications that lead as much as menopause.

As well as a fall in oestrogen levels, progesterone levels fall, which can cause anxiety and a short temper, she says.

My moods are more and more erratic. One minute my husband and I are chatting amicably, the following he places the satsumas within the fruit bowl with out taking them out of their internet bag and I snap, says Antonia Hoyle

The way to repair it: An apparent resolution is hormone substitute remedy (HRT) that incorporates oestrogen and progesterone, although some girls and some consultants have blended emotions about it.

In addition to HRT, different consultants suggest testosterone lotions [levels of this hormone, usually linked with males, can fall in menopause, too] however these usually are not licensed for girls within the UK.

There is good evidence testosterone can be very beneficial for women, says Dr Newson. Theres additionally some proof weight loss plan low in sugar and processed meals might help enhance menopausal signs. Train, too, might help regulate temper.

Definitely, I discover my moods way more steady on days after Ive cycled, and I dont really feel prepared for HRT.

Alcohol is damaged down by enzymes within the physique and absorbed by way of the liver

The issue: A decade in the past Id share a bottle of wine (or two) with mates and really feel wonderful at work the next morning. Now, three glasses give me a crippling hangover.

Dr Mo Shariff, a liver specialist at Spire Bushey Hospital, says: Alcohol is damaged down by enzymes within the physique and absorbed by way of the liver. The extra you drink, the extra enzymes are produced to interrupt down this alcohol.

If youre youthful youre prone to be consuming frequently, so are extra tolerant to alcohol. After 40, alcohol consumption is much less frequent, so there may be much less of the enzyme to interrupt it down. Additionally, as we age and lose mind cells, it takes much less alcohol to saturate the cells and trigger hangover results.

The way to repair it: Select properly. Vodka is least prone to trigger hangovers because it has nearly no congeners substances produced throughout fermentation linked with hangovers (wine and whisky are excessive in congeners).

A latest lab research discovered consuming a mix of 65 per cent pear juice, 25 per cent candy lime and 10 per cent coconut water might cut back hangover results, the journal Present Analysis in Meals Science reported.

The issue: Im smug about my good eyesight however I havent seen an optician for years.

However Dr Susan Blakeney, of the School of Optometrists, says almost everyone wants glasses of their 40s: As we age, the lens inside the eye becomes stiffer, so doesnt focus as simply, and the gap as much as which youll see clearly will get additional away.

Dr Susan Blakeney, of the School of Optometrists, says almost everyone wants glasses of their 40s

Many people dont discover due to using electrical units. On these devices the contrast is good, which makes it easier to read, and you can make the font size bigger, says Dr Blakeney.

The way to repair it: Get your eyes examined a minimum of each two years over the age of 40. Not carrying glasses when wanted can pressure your eyes and result in complications and double imaginative and prescient. Ive added this to my to-do record.

To ease eye pressure, cease gazing your pc each 20 minutes and take a look at one thing 20ft away for 20 seconds. This rule was developed by Jeffrey Anshel, a U.S. optometrist, to encourage folks to blink extra typically (15 occasions a minute in comparison with half that once were gazing screens), so avoiding drained, irritated, dry eyes.

View post:
ANTONIA HOYLE reveals everything DOES go wrong at 40 but heres how you can fight back - Herald Publicist

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Julia Blanter, MD MSIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiFirst author of the study

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: The Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay was developed to genetically profile patients with early stage, hormone positive breast cancer and predict their 10-year risk of distant recurrence. A high-risk recurrence score is associated with a benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy whereas a low risk recurrence score is associated with little to no benefit.

BRCA mutated tumors have been associated with higher risk recurrence scores as compared to BRCA negative breast cancer patients. However, there have been minimal studies relating discordance to BRCA mutations. Discordance refers to a poorly differentiated or high-grade tumor with a low risk recurrence score. Prior studies demonstrated 7-19% discordance, or difference between recurrence score and tumor grade in breast cancer patients regardless of BRCA mutation status.

It has been concluded that patients who exhibit discordance may benefit from additional therapy in conjunction with endocrine therapy.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: We developed a large Oncotype database of 723 patients treated at Mount Sinai Hospital from 2006-2018 to determine if BRCA status is associated with higher rates of discordance when compared to the mutation negative breast cancer population.

We found an association between higher recurrence score and BRCA positivity within our database. We also found that the association between discordance and breast cancer patients was similar between BRCA mutated and non-mutated patients.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Given our findings, we were able to conclude that discordance, tumor grade and tumor size should be considered in treatment plans of breast cancer patients regardless of BRCA mutation status.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: Both BRCA mutated and non-mutated patients exhibit some discordance. These patients may benefit from receiving chemotherapy even with a low risk Recurrence Score. Future studies may involve looking at BRCA mutated patients with and without chemotherapy to assess rates of recurrence. Many studies have looked at decreasing risk for BRCA mutated patients with adjuvant chemotherapy following surgical treatment. Therefore, a future research project may involve looking at BRCA mutated patients with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and/or bilateral mastectomy and how that affects this risk.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: We hope to continue using our database to look for further associations that may guide treatment. Within our database, we have look at many different factors some of which include: mutation status, demographics, cholesterol levels, BMI, recurrence rates.

Subjects have given their written informed consent and the study protocol was approved by the institutes committee on human research.

Disclosure Statement

Amy Tiersten, final author of the study has had the following financial relationships in consulting: AstraZeneca, F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. Novartis.

Industry-Sponsored Lectures: MSSM faculty occasionally give lectures at events sponsored by industry, but only if the events are free of any marketing purpose.

Amy Tiersten has served on the following Scientific Advisory Boards: Eisai Inc., Immunomedics, Novartis

Citation:

BRCA mutations and association with discordance in a large oncotype database

Julia Blanter, Brittney Zimmerman, Serena Tharakan, Krystal Cascetta, Meng Ru and Amy Tiersten. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/7946/presentation/959

We respect your privacy and will never share your details.

Last Modified: Dec 15, 2019 @ 8:08 pm

The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.

Post Views: 390

Read more:
Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay: BRCA Mutations and Association with Discordance in a Large Oncotype Database - MedicalResearch.com

Diabetes Mellitus is a disease that involves impaired glucose metabolism. Sudden adverse changes in blood glucose (high or low) can lead to altered mental status, to seizures, and even death. Long-term complications include damage to end organs, such as eyes, kidneys, heart, and the neurological system.

Further, this is a condition that would renderan existing medical certificate invalid from the moment the pilot knew of the diagnosis, regardless of any theoretical period of validity that might appear to remain for that certificate.

Are all pilots with diabetes grounded indefinitely? Is there any hope for a pilot with diabetes to fly again? What about commercially?

The answers are reassuring. Private pilots with well-controlled diabeteshave been flying for many years. And a recently implemented program with the support of the Federal Air Surgeon will now enable even more diabetics to return to commercial flying.

Without going into an elaborate explanation of itsphysiology, lets break diabetes down into two categories: non-insulin-dependent and insulin-dependent.

Insulin is a hormone that is released by the pancreas in response to blood glucose levels. All body tissues use glucose for energy. When blood glucose rises, the pancreas secretes insulin, permitting the bodily tissues to store and use glucose for various metabolic functions.

In certain cases of diabetes, the production of insulin is significantly decreased or completely absent. Common names include juvenile, type 1, or insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM). Dont let the term juvenile confuse the situation, as there are times when insulin dependence might not occur until well into adulthood.

The relevant premise here is that the body has stopped producing sufficient insulin to regulate blood glucose, regardless of the persons age. You might also see the term insulin-treated diabetes (ITDM) in various publications, and for the purposes of FAA medical certification, IDDM and ITDM can be used synonymously.

In other cases, the bodily tissues have become resistant to the insulin that the pancreas is dutifully producing (obesity is a common cause of insulin resistance). Terms familiar to most people include adult-onset, type 2, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Google mellitus for the amusing reference of how that word became part of the lore of diabetes centuries ago. I will provide more pathophysiologic information when I discuss the individual types of diabetes and the respective FAA certification programs more specifically in future submissions.

Therefore, I wont go into the formalities and minutia of how to diagnose, treat, and monitor diabetes in this discussion. Suffice it to say that poorly-controlled diabetes poses a significant threat to aviation safety, not to mention long-term health.

Diabetes that can be controlled with diet, exercise, and weight loss is the proverbial no-brainer in FAA medical certification. Anything a pilot can do without medical intervention is always preferable for long-term health maintenance.

All classes of medical certificates can be easily obtained in this setting and usually a special issuance is not required (at times this is followed through a slightly amended protocol for pre-diabetes that Ill discuss at a future date).

The necessity for oral and some of the injectable non-insulin medications that lower blood glucose to control diabetes also does not preclude FAA medical certification. In this case, while the pilot will be followed under a special issuance authorization, all classes of medical certificates are again included in this protocol. I have had many pilots flying commercially on first- and second-class medical certificates for many years who are taking oral diabetic medications.

If a pilot requires insulin, however, things change. Before 1996, any insulin-dependent pilot was unable to fly (all classes of medical certificates were excluded). Beginning in 1996, pilots could obtain a third-class FAA medical certificate if they are taking insulin and their diabetes is well controlled.

Fortunately, the program for third-class IDDM pilots has been a great success. The very rare adverse in-flight incidents over the years with diabetic pilots usually have occurred in pilots with poorly controlled diabetes who likely would not havebeen granted a special issuance authorization in the first place.

A pilot who requires insulin for treatment has been excluded for classes of FAA medical certificates higher than third-class until just recently. I have been a vocal advocate to the FAA and its various Federal Air Surgeons over the years that well-controlled IDDM pilots should be considered for first- and second-class certification.

With the current precise continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) electronics and advancements available, an insulin-dependent diabetic is now able to maintain tightly-controlled blood glucose levels.

In 2002, Canada began permitting IDDM pilots to fly commercially in a multi-pilot crew environment. The UK began doing so in 2012, and now the U.S. joined that group last month (on November 7).

Notably, there is no restriction in the FAA protocol that an IDDM pilot must be in a crew environment. Thus, an FAA-licensed pilot with a special issuance for IDDM can fly single-pilot so long as all provisions are met. The FARs dont permit the FAA to put restrictions such as must be part of a multi-pilot crew on first-class medical certificates.

There are also several other countries that permit private flying in pilots with various forms of diabetes.

As you can imagine, the FAA was very cautious and reviewed the advances in diabetic management technologies methodically over many years before authorizing this new program. No different than any other special issuance program, the FAA did not want aviation accidents resulting from a poorly conceived program.

This would, of course, be a tragedy for anyone involved in the accident and could jeopardize the entire program itself. Out of respect for caution, the FAA spent many years working on this program. And now, its finally here!

However, the requirements are probably the most extensive of any special issuance program that we have. There will be ongoing evaluations of numerous organ systems. In addition to using the latest technology to monitor and treat a pilot's diabetes, evaluations will be ongoing for eyes, heart, kidneys, and neurological systems.

The data presentation to the FAA is also extensive and thorough. As with some of the other special issuance conditions, the FAA has developed comprehensive checklistsfor pilots, their AMEs, and the treating physiciansand flow sheets to assist in the detailed data presentation to the FAA. Ongoing CGM data will also be required.

As exhaustive as this program is, it has finally opened the world of commercial flying to IDDM pilots who require a first- or second-class FAA medical certificate. I am hopeful that the program will be as successful as the earlier program for third-class pilots has been.

Those with IDDM are often some of the most motivated pilots there are, and the new gadgetry involved has demonstrated to the FAA that precise control of diabetes can indeed be achieved and, therefore, such pilots do not pose a threat to aviation safety. Thus, it is predicted that IDDM pilots will be able to fly safely in commercial operationson first- and second-class special issuance authorizationsin the U.S.

For a pilot to obtain a special issuance authorization under this new IDDM protocol, they will need an organized and motivated team of support. The pilot, first and foremost, must adequately control their diabetes using modern electronics, including CGM devices, as that also will improve the likelihood of maintaining long-term health.

Next, the treating physician must be willing to complete thorough FAA flow sheets and, at select times, consulting physicians will have to provide evaluation data of the other organ systems mentioned above. Finally, the AME must be willing to choreograph all of the data into a packet that will be acceptable to the FAA.

See the article here:
AINsight: Diabetes and Flying | Business Aviation - Aviation International News

When Brooke Brumfield wasnt battling morning sickness, she craved nachos. Like many first-time expectant mothers, she was nervous and excited about her pregnancy. She had just bought a house with her husband, a wildland firefighter who had enrolled in paramedic school to transition to firefighting closer to home. Everything was going according to plan until 20 weeks into Brumfields pregnancy, when she lost her job at a financial technology startup and, with it, her salary and three months paid maternity leave. After building a new business to support her family, she had clients, but childcare was limited, and her husbands schedule was always shifting. By the time her baby arrived, everything was beyond overwhelming, Brumfield says. I pretty much felt like a truck hit me.

Brumfield had heard stories from friends and family about a way to minimize the stress and emotional fallout of the postpartum period: consuming her placenta, the vascular organ that nourishes and protects the fetus during pregnancy and is expelled from the body after birth. The women swore by the results. They said their milk supply improved and their energy spiked. The lows caused by plummeting hormone levels didnt feel as crushing, they explained.

Brumfield enlisted her doula who, for a fee, would steam, dehydrate, and pulverize her placenta, pouring the fine powder into small capsules. She swallowed her placenta pills for about six weeks after delivering her daughter. She said they helped her feel more even, less angry and emotional. When her milk supply dipped, she says, I re-upped my intake and [the problem] was solved.

Social scientists and medical researchers call the practice of consuming ones own placenta placentophagy. Once confined to obscure corners of alternative medicine and the countercultures crunchier communities, it has been picked up by celebrities (Kourtney and Kim Kardashian, January Jones, Mayim Bialik, Alicia Silverstone, Chrissy Teigen) and adopted by the wider public.

Although there are no official estimates of how many women ingest their placenta after delivery, the internet is increasingly crowded with placenta service providers preparers of pills, smoothies, and salves to support new mothers in the slog to recovery. But the purported benefits are disputed. Depending on whom you ask, placenta-eating is either medicine or a potentially dangerous practice based on myth. How did this practice go mainstream, despite a lack of reported scientific or clinical benefits? The answer may say much more about the world new mothers live in than it does about the placenta.

In any doctors office or primary care setting, a provider treating a patient will often mention new research that supports a recommended treatment. A pregnant woman diagnosed with preeclampsia, for example, might learn from her health care provider that low-dose aspirin has been shown in recent studies to reduce serious maternal or fetal complications. But the basis for placentophagy, a practice that lies beyond the boundaries of biomedicine, is a 16th-century text.

Li Shizhens Compendium of Materia Medica, or Bencao gangmu, first published in 1596, is a Chinese pharmacopoeia and the most celebrated book in the Chinese tradition of pharmacognosy, or the study of medicinal plants. It appears on the websites of placenta service providers and in the pages of the standard references for practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a millennia-old medical system with a growing global reach.

The basis for placentophagy, a practice that lies beyond the boundaries of biomedicine, is a 16th-century text.

A physician and herbalist, Li drew on his empirical experiences treating patients but also on anecdotes, poetry, and oral histories. His encyclopedia of the natural world is a textual cabinet of natural curiosities, according to historian Carla Nappis The Monkey and the Inkpot, a study of Lis life and work. Containing nearly 1,900 substances, from ginseng and peppercorn to dragons bone and turtle sperm, Lis book describes dried human placenta as a drug that invigorated people, and was used to treat impotence and infertility, among other conditions. For advocates of placentophagy, this book serves as ethnomedical proof of the long-standing history of the practice and by extension, its efficacy and safety.

But like many claims to age-old provenance, the origins of placentophagy as a postpartum treatment are disputed. Sabine Wilms, an author and translator of more than a dozen books on Chinese medicine, scrutinized classical Chinese texts on gynecology and childbirth and told me theres no written evidence at all of a woman consuming her own placenta after birth as a mainstream traditional practice in China, even if formulas containing dried human placenta were prescribed for other conditions, as described in Lis book.

Beyond Lis 400-year-old encyclopedia, evidence of postpartum placenta-eating is nearly impossible to find in the historical record. Womens voices are notoriously difficult to unearth from the archives, and even in the 19th century, the details of childbirth and what happened to the placenta went largely unreported. But when two University of Nevada, Las Vegas anthropologists pored over ethnographic data from 179 societies, they discovered a conspicuous absence of cultural traditions associated with maternal placentophagy.

The earliest modern recorded evidence of placentophagy appears in a June 1972 issue of Rolling Stone. I pushed the placenta into a pot, wrote an anonymous author, responding to the magazines call asking readers to share stories from their personal lives. It was magnificent purple and red and turquoise. Describing her steamed placenta as wonderfully replenishing and delicious, she recounted eating and sharing it with friends after delivering her son.

Evidence of postpartum placenta-eating is nearly impossible to find in the historical record.

Raven Lang, who is credited with reviving the oldest known and most commonly used recipe for postpartum placenta preparation, witnessed placentophagy while helping women as a homebirth midwife and TCM practitioner in California in the early 1970s. These women lived off the land, she explained, and might have drawn inspiration from livestock and other animals in their midst.

It wasnt long before placentophagy made its way beyond Californias hippie enclaves. In 1984, Mary Field, a certified midwife and registered nurse in the U.K., recounted eating her placenta, an unmentionable experience, to ward off postpartum depression after the birth of her second child. I remain secretive, Field wrote, for the practice verges on that other taboo cannibalism as it is human flesh and a part of your own body. She recalled choking down her own placenta. I could not bear to chew or taste it.

The rise of encapsulation technology, developed for the food industry and picked up by placenta service providers in the early aughts, put an end to visceral experiences like Fields. No longer must women process their own placenta or subject themselves to its purported offal-like flavor. Tidy, pre-portioned placenta pills resembling vitamins can be prepared by anyone with access to a dehydrator, basic supplies, and online training videos.

The boom in placentophagy highlights a longstanding puzzle for researchers. Almost every non-human mammal consumes its placenta after delivery, for reasons that remain unclear to scientists. Why did humans become the exception to this nearly universal mammalian rule? For Daniel Benyshek, an anthropologist and co-author of the UNLV study that found no evidence of placentophagy being practiced anywhere in the world, the human exception raises a red flag: It suggests the reasons that humans have eschewed placentophagy arent just cultural or symbolic, but adaptive that theres something dangerous about it, or at least there has been in our evolutionary history.

Scientific data on the potential benefits and risks of placentophagy is scarce, but a few small studies suggest that any nutrients contained in cooked or encapsulated placental tissue are unlikely to be absorbed into the bloodstream at concentrations large enough to produce significant health effects. Whether and in what quantity reproductive hormones such as estrogen survive placental processing has been little studied, but ingesting them after birth could have negative effects on milk production and may also increase the risk of blood clots.

Almost every non-human mammal consumes its placenta after delivery, for reasons that remain unclear to scientists.

Yet placental encapsulation services which remain unregulated in the U.S. have found a receptive audience of American consumers. (The food safety agency of the European Union declared the placenta a novel food in 2015, effectively shuttering the encapsulation business on the continent.) Mostly small and women-owned, placenta service businesses position themselves as an alternative to a highly medicalized, bureaucratized birthing process that has often neglected the needs of women. Postpartum checkups focus narrowly on pelvic examinations and contraceptive education. One survey of U.S. mothers found that one in three respondents who received a postpartum checkup felt that their health concerns were not addressed. In contrast, placenta service providers speak the language of empowerment.

That language can resonate with new mothers like Brumfield, who face overwhelming pressures to care for a newborn, nurse on demand, manage a household, and return to work amid anxieties about postpartum depression, dwindling energy, and inadequate milk supply.

In some ways, placenta consumption is motivated by a desire to perform good mothering, wrote scholars from Denmark and the United States in a paper on the emergence of the placenta economy. It reflects the idea of maternity as a neoliberal project, in which new mothers are responsible for their own individual well-being as well as that of their babies, they added.

Meanwhile, rates of postpartum depression keep climbing, maternity leave policies are stingy, and child care costs are often prohibitive. Its easy to see why many women would be eager to seek help, real or perceived, wherever they can find it.

Daniela Blei is a historian, writer, and book editor based in San Francisco.

Continued here:
Medicine or Myth? The Dubious Benefits of Placenta-Eating - Undark Magazine

I lay on my side, cradling my iPhone, looking up bleeding after sex and dabbing a piece of toilet paper between my legs. I thought about whether or not I should wake my new boyfriend up.

The Healthy Woman website stated, Its common for women of all ages to have bleeding after sex at one time or another.In fact, up to 9 percent of all women experience post coital bleeding (outside of first sex) at some point in their lives.Most of the time its nothing major and goes away on its own.But bleeding after sex can also be a sign of something more serious. SIGN OF SOMETHING SERIOUS?

Great. I had already had acute myeloid leukemiamultiple times, and now, when things were looking up, WebMD saidthis new symptom could mean I have pelvic organ prolapse (when pelvic organs, like the bladder or uterus, jut beyond the vaginal walls).

I found a site where someone asked, Could my uterus fall out? No, it couldnt. At least I had that.

The most important thing to pay attention to is the rate and volume of bleeding, the article read. Most bleeding after sex is fairly light. Heavy bleeding where youre soaking through a pad every hour or passing clots larger than the size of a quarter warrants a visit to the emergency room.

I didnt have a quarter, but I did have a clock that showed it had been two hours. The doctor on call for my internists office, around 2 or 3 a.m., sounded annoyed.

You should have called your gynecologist, he said. But he called ahead to the ER. I shook my boyfriend awake, and off we went into the spring night that had held so much promise. Intellectually I knew it wasnt my fault, but I was more embarrassed than if I had been wearing white shorts and gotten my period in gym class.

On the TLC series, Sex Sent Me to the ER, worse things happen, such as objects stuck where they shouldnt be. My issue was more mundane, but I found out also very common: lack of information after my cancer treatment.

Nobody told me that chemotherapy, which Id undergone after my diagnosis in 2003 and again after relapses in 2007 and 2008, could cause a sudden loss of estrogen production in my ovaries, and that this could lead to symptoms of menopause such as a thinning vagina and vaginal dryness. (Actually, the first round put me into early menopause at 48.) Nobody told me that vaginal dryness can cause pain and bleeding during intercourse.

Yet data shows that the incidence of sexual dysfunction among female cancer survivors is somewhat common.Common sexual side effects are difficulty reaching climax, less energy for sexual activity, loss of desire, reduced size of the vagina, and pain during penetration.

For my part, it had been a 10-year dry spell. You shouldnt need a reason for not having sex, but I had good ones: treatment in 2009 for relapsed leukemia, life-threatening infections after a rare fourth stem cell transplant, a coma, a four-month hospitalization and a year just to get back on my feet.

My 13-year marriage, long over, had consisted of 10 good years and three downhill all the way along a road full of land mines. Afterward, a four-year relationship with an English professor ended in fitting dramatic form when he rediscovered his childhood sweetheart while I was mourning the death of my father. Pulling his hands through his long gray hair, he declared, Were like Heathcliff and Cathy. I love her more than I love you! I had to brush up on my Wuthering Heights to get it. Heathcliff and Catherine were soulmates.

My soulmate was nowhere to be found. He was not the guy who walked into a restaurant looking pale and pasty and nothing like the photo of the fit guy on his online profile, making me think of climbing out the bathroom window. He was not the guy I met at a Matzo Ball, where Jewish singles go on Christmas Eve to comport themselves like eighth graders at a school dance; we lasted for about six months until he complained that he was lower on the totem pole than my three children. I thought he might be the tennis player who strung my rackets and said he was falling in love with me, but he disappeared, in a feat I later learned had a name: hanging you out to dry.

I decided to follow the advice of friends who were tired of hearing me talk about heartbreak and disappointment: Live your best single life. I stopped paying for dating websites but left a profile on a free one.

Stop trying to find something, and then if youre lucky, you will find it, or it will find you. A nice guy wrote that he liked my profile (ugh, I hated writing those things). He thought we had a lot in common (running, kids, reading, similar politics) and would love to have a conversation. Is it corny to say that as we walked toward each other in front of the restaurant where we were to meet, we were being pulled together? Maybe it was just relief that he seemed normal and resembled his profile photo.

We sat at a high table in the bar. Our fingertips brushed together when we held up our phones to show each other photos; his, of places he had traveled, and mine, of kids and dogs. The next day, we went for a walk, and he passed a big test: meeting my chocolate Labrador retriever. She got a crush on him. I think its the soft voice. It works on me, too.

I had been using a vaginal estrogen cream, Estrace (generic name estradiol), twice a week, to reduce symptoms of menopause such as vaginal dryness, burning, and itching. Though I was concerned about side effects, my doctor said the small amount was not absorbed outside the vagina, unlike hormone replacement therapy, which goes into the bloodstream. She said it was also OK to use Estrace once a week and Replens, a nonhormonal moisturizer, the rest of the time if I wanted to.

I remembered hearing that I would need to up the dosage if I wanted to have sex again. I made an appointment with my gynecologist to see if I should do anything else to prepare for physical intimacy.

The physicians assistant who saw me said, Go to the toy store. I was confused. My children were grown. Why did I need a toy store? I learned that she meant the sex toy store tucked behind a doorway next to a pizza place.

I got a set of six pink dilators. They started pinky-sized and increased by gradations up to a dauntingly large one. They didnt come with instructions regarding how long to leave them in. The small one went in OK. I kept it in for a few minutes and then put in the next larger one, increasing in size until I had had enough. Theres not much you can do when youre lying around with a fake pink penis in your vagina.

When it finally came time for real sex, I liked it. It hurt after a while, so we stopped, but I thought that was normal. Next I felt something sticky on my legs. It was blood. Blood on the sheets, blood on our legs. We got in the shower, changed the sheets, and got back into bed. It couldnt have been less romantic.

The emergency room was even worse grungy and poorly lit. He sat with me, holding my hand and looking as upset as I was, until a nurse called me in and he went to sleep in the car.

Please tell me youve seen worse than this, I said to the nurse as I lay on the exam table feeling raw, emotionally and physically. She said she had. The doctor did an internal examination and said the blood had likely come from chafing. It was dawn when we finally got out of there. We went out to breakfast. Ordering my traditional blueberry pancake with an egg over hard brought a sense of normalcy to the misadventure.

The next week, I returned to the doctors office and this time saw the gynecologist herself.

Lets start from scratch, she said. I was to leave a dilator in for between 15 and 30 minutes, while doing diaphragmatic breathing. She sent me to pelvic floor therapy to learn relaxation exercises. I used the Estrace for two weeks straight. By the time we had sex again, it didnt hurt, but I nervously checked the sheets for a long time afterward. I figured if we could get through a post-coital visit to the ER, we could get through most anything.

I may not have known much about sex after cancer, but its a topic thats starting to be talked about more. I learned that after years of dismissing womens sexual function as just one of those things that cancer takes away, many see womens sexual health as a survivorship issue. Anexpert who I interviewed for a story onsex after cancereven called the dearth of information for female cancer survivors a health equity issue.

Many cancer centers are beginning to open sexual health programs. My own cancer center was among them. You missed us by about a year, the director told me.

Luckily, Im no worse for the wear and am still with the nice guy. I use Estrace (and sometimes Replens) twice a week and a lubricant when having sex. Doctors say that one of the best ways to treat vaginal dryness is to have more sex, because increased blood flow stimulates lubrication.

Now that memory of the ER visit is almost three years in the past, that seems like a fine idea to me.

Do you have a personal story youd like to see published on HuffPost?Find out what were looking forhereandsend us a pitch!

MORE FROM HUFFPOST PERSONAL

Calling all HuffPost superfans!

Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter

The rest is here:
I Didnt Have Sex For 10 Years. When I Finally Did, It Sent Me To The ER. - HuffPost

For the first time, we are starting to see research that targets aging as a health condition in and of itself. Finding ways to regulate those "longevity gene" pathways referenced by Lipman above (specifically the mTOR, AMPK, and sirtuins) is central to scientists' work in identifying lifestyle habits, nutritional compounds, and future drugs that could slow and even treat (yes, treat) aging.*

As Sinclair views it, aging is most definitely a disease, and the FDA classifying it as such will help the field move forward even faster, allowing for more research and development of drugs to target processes thatlead to age-related disease. "The definition of a disease is that over time you lose function, you become decrepit, disabled, and eventually, if it's a bad disease, you die from it," says Sinclair. "That sounds a lot like aging, right? If you go to the medical dictionary, the only difference between aging and a disease is that a disease affects less than half the populationand that 50% cutoff is completely arbitrary."

How likely is that to happen? In 2018, the World Health Organization classified aging as a disease and added it to the International Classifications of Diseases system. And right now, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine are examining the anti-aging effects of metformin in the Targeting Aging With Metformin (TAME) study. If researchers can show significant benefits of metformin in delaying problems such as cancer, dementia, stroke, and heart attacks, the FDA may consider classifying aging as a treatable condition.

But why study metformin? This widely prescribed diabetes drug, derived from compounds in the French lilac plant, has been noted for its benefits beyond diabetesand Sinclair predicts it will be the first drug prescribed specifically to treat aging. Turns out, "metformin had a protective effect against cancer, heart disease, and frailty in patients taking the drug for long-term diabetes treatment," says Sinclair. "Which sounds a lot like a molecule that can slow aging." Animal studies have also confirmed that metformin can improve life span, and, more importantly, health span in mice. And, in a first-of-its-kind study in humans published in September 2019, researchers were actually able to take 2.5 years off participants' biological clock using a combination of metformin, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and growth hormone.

Experts believe metformin may activate similar pathways as caloric restriction to stimulate autophagyor cellular cleaning. This cellular upkeep is believed to be a key factor in extending health span. "It's a relatively safe AMPK pathway activator, and that's thought to mimic the effects of fasting and exercising," says Sinclair, who takes metformin daily as part of his healthy aging regimen.

Read the original post:
Why We Aren't Anti-Aging, We Are Pro-Healthy Aging - mindbodygreen.com

GLEN MILLS, Pa., Dec. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --SmartSolutions RX, Inc. announces the launch of a new scientifically based, drug-free hair support system LOCKrx, which includes both ingestible and topical Healthy Hair Programs that create the ideal environment to maintain hair follicle cycle and growth.

Hair thinning and hair loss are a pervasive problem, affecting an estimated 80 million men and women in the U.S. Smoking, diet, stress, environment and genetics all contribute to hair loss, as well as the hormone DHT which shrinks the hair follicle and is the primary cause of loss in male and female pattern baldness. The current treatments often come with unwanted side effects and take months to generate results.

LOCKrx is a drug-free hair treatment system that addresses scalp health, both internally and externally, that directly impacts hair growth and quality.

"When formulating LOCKrx, we meticulously designed and tested both ingestible and topical ingredients that are scientifically proven to reduce the inflammation associated with damaged hair follicles and thereby improve quality of the hair," said Cynthia Rager, President and COO of Vision Medical, Inc. "Our topical LOCKrx solutions include specific growth factors clinically shown to play a key role in the hair follicle growth pathway as well as to enhance wound repair and skin regeneration, all of which improve scalp skin health, while also playing a vital role in the proliferation of skin and hair cells."

LOCKrx is available as both internal and external treatment plans, designed to work synergistically to promote healthy scalp skin and hair growth.

"Growthfactors possess the ability to stimulate hair growth through variousmechanistic pathways," said Richard Jin, M.D., Ph.D., Hair Regeneration Specialist, RJClinical Institute. "We have experienced very positive results when combiningthese with platelet rich plasma therapy to promote new and existing hairgrowthas well as using it as an alternative to PRP. This has helped us treat the mostcommon form of hair loss known as androgenetic alopecia, as well as increasethickness and density of hair in post-transplant patients."

LOCKrx Inside Healthy Hair Programis a 3-step, 6-week ingestible plan that uses unique marine and botanical ingredients, amino acids, and vitamins to address total body inflammation.

1. DEFENSE Gut Health - Prebiotic supplement that includes mineral-rich blue green algae and proven anti-inflammatory botanicals curcumin, aloe, licorice and beta-glucan to address gut health in powdered form.

2. BLOCK Hair Loss- Follicle-enrichment supplement formulated with the LOCKrx proprietary blend of botanicals, adaptogens, marine collagen, and saw palmetto to help support hair growth and block conversion of testosterone to DHT, one of the major causes of hair loss in male and female pattern baldness.

3. GUARD Healthy Hair Tabs- Premier blend of complexed Vitamin B plus biotin in the most bio-available form.

LOCKrx Outside Healthy Hair Programis a combination of clinical and at-home applications of growth factor solutions that support and balance the scalp microbiome, while enhancing the environment for healthy hair growth:

VisionMedical, Inc. has exclusive physician distribution rights for LOCKrx.

Smart Solutions RX, Inc.

Smart Solutions RX, Inc. formulates, develops, manufactures and distributes products for medical aesthetic applications to hair and skin. A blend of scientific research and innovative formulation and delivery systems are the hallmark, as evidenced in the LOCKrx brand for healthy hair support. Medical aesthetic protocols and workshops are integrated into the superior customer support program. http://www.smartsolutionsrx.com

Vision Medical, Inc.

Founded in 2013, VisionMedical, Inc. develops, manufactures, and marketsmedical and aesthetic technology for the medical and aesthetic marketsfor worldwide distribution.Vision Medical's first commercial product, theSmartGraft Hair Restoration System, incorporates an award-winning Automated Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) system for men and women.Featuring theindustry's first closed harvesting system, SmartGraft allows physicians to harvestgrafts more efficiently while keeping grafts moist prior to implantation. http://www.SmartGraft.com.

CONNECT WITH US

Instagram: @SmartSolutionsRXTwitter: @SSolutionsXFacebook: @SmartSolutionsRXinc

Original post:
SmartSolutions RX Launches LOCKrx, A Drug-Free Support System Fighting To Keep Hair Thick and Healthy - Daily American Online

The human immune system is highly complex and multi-faceted. Seemingly an infinite number of things can affect our internal landscape and alter how our immune system defenses respond to and fight foreign invaders to keep us healthy. The misconception a lot of people have is thinking that we want a super active immune system that is like Rambo, an ultimate killing machine! Really what we want is a balanced immune system, that neither swings into hyperactivity nor falls into decreased function. If our immune system functions too high, we end up with autoimmune disorders this is when the immune system attacks our bodys cells, not just foreign invaders, if it is not functioning as it should, when exposed to germs we get sick and have to fight off an illness.

Did you know that just the time of year can affect our immune system function? Just the fact that the daylight does not last as long can cause our immune system to be less responsive. Shorter days and colder weather cause people to stay inside more, reducing the amount of natural vitamin D they make, which is a key immune system booster. An alternative for the individual not wanting to go outside is supplementing Vitamin D into their diet.

See more here:
Seasonally Decreased Immune Function Around the Holidays - Matthews Beacon

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Cancer Diagnostics Market Analysis: Emerging Opportunities in the USA, Europe, Japan-Supplier Shares and Strategies, Latest Tumor Markers, Volume and Sales Segment Forecasts, Technology and Instrumentation" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The new report is a study of the major business opportunities emerging in the global cancer diagnostics market during the next five years. The report examines trends in the U.S., Europe and Japan; reviews current and emerging assays; analyzes potential applications of new diagnostic technologies; forecasts sales of major tumor markers by country and market segment; profiles leading players and potential market entrants; and identifies specific business opportunities for suppliers.

Rationale

The cancer diagnostics market is on the verge of explosion, as the researchers approach major technological breakthroughs in tumor diagnosis and therapy, discover new specific antigens, and unlock the mystery of the genetic basis of the disease. During the next five years, the worldwide cancer diagnostics market is promising to be an exciting, dynamic and rapidly expanding field.

Anticipated technological breakthroughs will create numerous opportunities for determining genetic predisposition, detecting specific tumors, and monitoring biological response to cancer therapy. The rise in geriatric population will further compound the growing demand for malignancy assays and the rapid market expansion worldwide.

Worldwide Market Overview

Business Opportunities and Strategic Recommendations

Over 200 Current and Emerging Cancer Diagnostic Test

Supplier Shares, Sales and Volume Forecasts

Five-year test volume and sales forecasts for major tumor markers by country and market segment, including:

Instrumentation Review

Technology Assessment

Competitive Strategies

The companies analyzed in the report include:

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vxuvz9

Read the original:
Global Cancer Diagnostics Market Report 2019: Emerging Opportunities, Supplier Shares, Strategies, Latest Tumor Markers, Volume and Sales Segment...

Disrupted sleep, irritability, sweats, rapid heart rate 67-year-old Nora Barler has battled extreme hot flashes for three decades, ever since having a total hysterectomy in her late 30s to remove her uterus and ovaries.

When her hot flashes began, she was working in human resources as a labor and employee relations manager and felt self-conscious when one would strike during meetings. I was in meetings with high-level executives, at times the only woman, and I would start sweating up a storm. Beads of sweat would be dripping into my contact lenses, burning my eyes and [running] down my face. My makeup would be smearing. I could feel my heart going boom, boom, boom, she recalls.

The hot flashes also regularly struck at night, despite Barler enlisting central air conditioning, a window unit in the bedroom and two fans. When they were really bad at night, I used cold packs I kept in the freezer. It sounds over the top, but thats how it often was. My husband was freezing, and I kept him awake. And because I didnt sleep, I was exhausted when I went to work. I was irritable and antsy.

Hot flashes during menopause are a fact of life for most women. They come on rapidly and then spontaneously resolve after a few minutes, explains Barbara Soltes, MD, a gynecologic endocrinologist at Rush University Medical Center.

[Women] feel a sensation of heat or a flush over the upper part of their bodies, which subsides in minutes and is followed by perspiration down their face, she says. It is associated with an increase in heart rate and skin temperature, which also subsides in minutes.

Hot flashes during the day can interrupt work or other activities. At night, they can disrupt sleep, which can kick off a cascade of complications: lower energy levels, lower cognition levels, fatigue and irritability. Hot flash symptoms can persist for seven to 11 years or more, according to the long-term Study of Womens Health Across the Nation (SWAN).

Treatment options include:

Estrogen replacement is very effective at easing hot flashes, but women should discuss hormone replacement therapy with their physician because of the risks. Research has found that women who used hormone treatments had a higher risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clots.

Estrogen can be valuable as a short-term treatment for women experiencing hot flashes and night sweats, according to the National Institute on Aging. Estrogen replacement therapy, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), comes as a pill, patch, gel, topical spray or vaginal ring. The pellet form is not FDA-approved.

Provided there are no significant risk factors, such as active heart disease, estrogen-dependent cancer or a history of blood clots, we will start at a low dose of bio-identical hormone replacement, Soltes says. After six to eight weeks, the dose may be adjusted.

Certain antidepressants in particular, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) prescribed in a low dose can help reduce hot flashes. They act by altering the brain neurotransmitters involved in temperature regulation. Low-dose paroxetine (Brisdelle) is the only FDA-approved SSRI for treatment of hot flashes.

Clonidine, a blood pressure medication, and gabapentin, prescribed for seizures and pain, are also used to relieve hot flashes, although they are used off-label.

If hot flashes are not severe, some women take the herb black cohosh or bee pollen, though research studies have been small and have had mixed results. There has been quite a bit of research on herbal therapies, most of which do not provide more symptomatic relief than a placebo, Soltes says. Black cohosh has been the only herb that seems to have estrogen-like qualities, which may be effective in providing relief for at least six months.

Weekly acupuncture treatments may also be effective, she says. Acupuncture has been shown to reduce the frequency of hot flashes, although it does not work for all women, according to a 2016 study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center published in the journal Menopause.

Lifestyle measures include avoiding caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods, adopting stress-reduction techniques and dressing in layers of cotton clothing, Soltes says.

David Walega, MD, associate professor of anesthesiology and pain management at Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine, has been researching new treatment options.

His 2013 study of a numbing medicine, injected in the neck, showed promising results on a small sample of women. Half of the women received an injection of bupivacaine hydrochloride a local anesthetic that blocks nerves and can alleviate pain into the stellate ganglion, a nerve bundle in the neck. The other half received a placebo injection.

Women who received the real injection had a 52% decrease in their moderate to severe hot flashes at the six-month follow-up a statistically strong effect, Walega says. Secondarily, we saw trends of improved depression and anxiety scores and also observed improved verbal learning on cognition testing in the treatment group but no improvement in the placebo group, he says. The study showed that benefits of the injection lasted at least six months. In some cases, Walega has seen benefits last as long as 18 months.

Walega and his team are working on a similar study of the numbing injection with a larger group of women. He hopes that the results, expected in about three years, will give women a safe option to effectively treat their debilitating hot flashes.

Barler participated in Walegas study. She had tried hormone pills and hormone patches. The pills didnt work for her, and the patches were expensive, not covered by her insurance and had some cancer risks.

When nothing seemed to help, Walegas numbing injection did. It was a life-changer, Barler says. Although the pilot study has ended, she continues to get the injections and has gone as long as two years between injections.

Barler has changed from constantly being hot to being comfortable. I used to wear shorts and tank tops at home, even in winter, she says. Now I wear long-sleeve sweatshirts, yoga pants and warm socks around the house.

While hot flashes can still be debilitating to many women, the hope is that new research will take the heat off of menopause.

Nancy Maes, who studied and worked in France for 10 years, writes about health, cultural events, food and the healing power of the arts.

Excerpt from:
Hot Flashes Can Be Fast and Furious - Chicago Health

Sunday evening, Ryan T. Anderson and Robert P. George authored: Physical Interventions on the Bodies of Children to Affirm their Gender Identity Violate Sound Medical Ethics and Should be Prohibited. The outlet for this nonsense is Witherspoon Institute's pretentious blog.

I say nonsense because neither author is concerned for the welfare of gender incongruent children. Nor do they voice legitimate concern for medical ethics because ethics are predicated on medical science. Treatment of children should be in accordance with the best available evidence.

Doing so is ethical per se. Neither Anderson nor George care about the medical science. As you will see, it is what they propose that is unethical because it deviates from accepted medical practice.

This entire exercise is a pseudo-scientific effort to support the teachings of the Catholic Church. The term gender identity is within defense quotes because the Church teaches that gender identity doesn't exist. The Vatican has explicitly stated that Church teachings about gender are based on conforming with Genesis 1:27.

The next time that Anderson or George are ill I doubt that they will ask a physician to substitute information from ancient texts of dubious provenance for evidence-based science.

We begin with the verbose subtitle:

Gender identity is formed by the age of two or three. Parents and others treat toddlers with the assumption that their gender and natal sex are consistent. If children are subject to any influence it is cisgender affirmation. We teach children that they are what their genitalia depicts. Gender identity is independent of parental influence. They continue:

In other words, daddy turned his kid into an ATM.

The greater dishonesty is that this case has little to do with the child's medical care. At seven years of age, she will not be a possible candidate for medical interventions for several years. Puberty blockers might be appropriate at age 12 to 13. Whether or not she receives medications will be based upon the persistence of the condition. Persistence is a function of severity.

By the way, the judge who upended a jury verdict in favor of the kid's mother has been recused. Throughout this saga, mom was indifferent to the media knowing that less attention to this case favored the child. Dad, on the other hand, turned this case into a means of support. He was in continuous contact with conservative Christian media. Dad's behavior has been consistent with his history of dishonesty. But I digress.

Getting back to Andergeorge:

I agree with Andergeorge that ethics are an important consideration. Medical ethics are generally defined by the best available information derived from peer-reviewed research published to respected academic journals. That research is based on evidence.

Based upon the evidence-based science, the ethics of treating gender dysphoria in children are expressed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP's policy statement defines best practices as the gender-affirmative care model.

Deviating from that policy constitutes a breach of ethics. That is particularly true when the deviation is based upon faith over science. The only way that Anderson and George can support Church teachings is to turn a medical condition into an ideology. When either of them can cite peer-reviewed research to support their contention they might have a legitimate argument.

In other words, the following paragraph is, well baloney:

In children, gender dysphoria diagnosis involves at least six of the following and an associated significant distress or impairment in function, lasting at least six months.

Neither Ryan T. Anderson nor Robert P. George have the erudition to assess the science. They do cite some research dishonestly in order to quote:

With approximately one-third of TGD [transgender and gender diverse] adults and 40 percent of TGD youth identifying as nonbinary, care guidelines that reinforce binary systems of gender identity may limit access to clinical services and restrict the ability of nonbinary people to navigate medical systems. Framing gender as solely binary defines therapeutic options and outcomes only in reference to two gender experiences, which impacts access.

They mention the informed consent model. This was developed at the Fenway Institute in Boston, at least in part with the guidance of Dr. Sari Reisner at Harvard Medical School. Fenway Institute has published a brochure regarding the treatment of children. At its core is legal (parental or guardian) consent and this:

Demonstrated long-lasting, non-traditionalgender identity that results in significantdistress or gender dysphoria.

Persistent, documented gender dysphoria(this is part of what you will discuss with yourprovider)

Have another helping of baloney with green mold:

The philosophical problems highlight why this treatment protocol is misguidedindeed, why it violates sound norms of medical ethics. The purpose of medicine is to bring about human health and wholeness, human flourishing in the physical and psychological domains. Here health is understood not as the satisfaction of desires but as the well-functioning of the mind and body, where our various bodily systems achieve their endsthe circulatory system to circulate blood, the digestive system to digest nutrients, the respiratory system to absorb oxygen, etc.and where our thoughts and feelings achieve their ends of bringing us into contact with reality. Thus, any medical intervention intended to affirm someones false beliefs is inherently misguided. Affirming a falsehood via medical technology gets it wrong, right from the start.

Anderson was a music major turned philosopher. George is a lawyer. The care of children (which is at least what their title refers to) should be based on the best available science. Neither of these gentlemen have the training or experience to attack the science. They assert that gender-affirming care represents the satisfaction of desires as if it is gratuitous.

I have news for both of these people. A child in distress does not require a medical intervention to affirm their gender. They are inexorably drawn to do so without the assistance of anyone else.

Anderson's and George's polemic is full of preposterous hyperbole. The do just the opposite with gender dysphoria. They attempt to understate a child's understanding of their gender as some sort of false desire. Tell that to a kid in considerable distress or their parents.

The parents' response to this religious drivel will be one word: Bullshit. Shame on Ryan T. Anderson and Robert P. George for attempting to conform medical science to the teachings of the Catholic Church. They are not only manipulating the best science regarding treatment but they are falsely portraying what medical science knows about people (particularly children) with gender dysphoria.

Anderson and George go on to provide Five Points to Remember. I am going to give each a drivelectomy because Andergeorge are painfully verbose:

First, these procedures are entirely experimental. There is not a single long-term prospective study of the long-term consequences of blocking an otherwise physically healthy child from undergoing normal pubertal development. Indeed, the drugs being used to indefinitely delay normally timed puberty are not FDA-approved for this purpose and are being used off-label.

are these prepubescent children able to provide consent for the treatment? Giordano says that they can, so long as the clinician discusses all potential risks and benefits, as he or she must do with any experimental drug. Because this is the only therapy available for children with GID, it might be considered unethical to deny this treatment option.

It would be unethical to allow a patient to suffer through the distress of pubertal development when we have a way of preventing the distress it causes. Children and adolescents who suffer from gender identity disorder face significant physical, psychological, and social challenges, and receiving an inconsistent standard of medical care adds to those challenges.

[Dr.] Simona Giordano is Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at the School of Law, University of Manchester, UK. She is Programme Director of medical ethics teaching in undergraduate medical education in the School of Medicine, and also teaches for the Master and Postgraduate Diploma in Healthcare Ethics and Law. Simona is a member of the UK Register of Exercise Professionals, and qualified as an exercise instructor in 1999.

Second, parents are told that these procedures are fully reversible, but that is not true. Going off of puberty-blocking drugs, with the hope that development resumes, does nothing to reverse the delayed biologically appropriate development. You cant go back in time and reverse that delay.

Use of GnRH analogues doesn't cause permanent changes in an adolescent's body. Instead, it pauses puberty, providing time to determine if a child's gender identity is long lasting. It also gives children and their families time to think about or plan for the psychological, medical, developmental, social and legal issues ahead. If an adolescent child stops taking GnRH analogues, puberty will resume.

Third, many experts fear that these treatment protocols are self-fulfilling. Telling a little boy that he is a girl (or something else) or a girl that she is a boy (or something else), blocking his or her natural biological development into a man or a woman, and then flooding him or her with opposite-sex hormones will simply reinforce false beliefs.

Fourth, while the diagnosis that someone is of the opposite sex is medically and scientifically baseless, it is particularly outrageous when applied to children.

Fifth, and finally, not only is sex reassignment physically and metaphysically impossible, it doesnt even produce good psychosomatic results. So even if you disagreed with us about the philosophy of the body and the medical ethics of transitioning, you would still need to be concerned that an entirely experimental, self-fulfilling treatment protocol that is based on nonsensical diagnostic criteria doesnt even produce the desired outcomes of happiness and wholeness. Forty-one percent of all adults who identify as transgender attempt suicide at some point in their lives, and adults who have had sex reassignment surgery are nineteen times more likely than the general population to die by suicide.

I believe that the suicide statistics they quote is from a study assessing transgender surgery recipients going back 40 years. Surgery did not reduce minority stress. Anti-trans diatribes from religious lunatics increases minority stress. Nice job boys.

Included in point 5 is this bit of bullshit which I am paying attention to only to demonstrate how thoroughly dishonest these two are:

One more time, the title of this idiocy is: Physical Interventions on the Bodies of Children to Affirm their Gender Identity Violate Sound Medical Ethics and Should be Prohibited. What does any of that have to do with children? WPATH recommends that only adults are candidates for surgery.

I have not addressed two-thirds of this tirade. You can read it in full if you have some brain cells to spare. While they do not cite science to support their views Anderson and George provide numerous links to purchase Anderson's idiotic book on this subject which is nothing but an extension of the catechism.

I expect this kind of gibberish from Ryan T. Anderson. He is an over-educated religious zealot with the critical thinking skills of toilet tissue. I am disappointed in Robert P. George. In 2015 George had a meltdown over the ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. He went so far as to promote nullification. Since then he mellowed on LGBTQ issues. George even came to the defense of Father James Martin who has questioned Church teachings regarding gay people.

Dr. George has considerable skill. I cannot imagine why he would lend his name and gravitas to something that is so profoundly dishonest.

The audience for this trash are like minded religious conservatives. What happens when one of them has a gender incongruent child? Are they going to risk a child's life to conform to the expectations of George and Anderson who torture medical science to conform to the teachings of the Catholic Church? Hopefully, they will consult with a secular psychiatrist for a proper evaluation.

Related content:

Read the rest here:
Ryan T. Anderson and Robert P. George Have Reached Conclusions About Trans Youth - The Slowly Boiled Frog

By Lisa Rapaport

(Reuters Health) Babies who are born too early may be more likely to develop diabetes as children and young adults than full-term infants, a new study suggests.

In a study of children up to age 18, those born before 37 weeks gestation were 21% more likely that those born at full term to develop type 1 diabetes, the less common form of the disease that typically appears in childhood or young adulthood. Kids born prematurely were also 26% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes in childhood.

And preemies were 24% more likely to develop type 1 diabetes and 49% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes by the time they were 43 years old.

Preterm birth interrupts normal development of multiple organ systems, including the pancreas where insulin-producing cells are formed, which may potentially contribute to later development of diabetes, said lead study author Dr. Casey Crump of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Pregnancy normally lasts about 40 weeks, and babies born after 37 weeks of gestation are considered full-term. Babies born prematurely earlier than 37 weeks often have difficulty breathing and digesting food in the weeks after birth. Preemies can also encounter longer-term challenges such as impaired vision, hearing and cognitive skills, as well as social and behavioral problems.

Some previous research suggests that preemies have an increased risk of developing so-called insulin resistance, a failure to respond normally to the hormone insulin.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas cant produce insulin. In the type 2 form of the disease, which is often linked to obesity and aging, the body cant properly use or make enough insulin to convert blood sugar into energy.

For the current study, researchers examined data on almost 4.2 million babies born in Sweden from 1973 to 2014. Most were followed until they were at least 22 years old.

Overall, 0.7% of the babies in the study population went on to develop type 1 diabetes and just 0.1% developed type 2 diabetes, the researchers report in Diabetologia.

Parents should know that most children who were born preterm will have good health in childhood and adulthood, Crump said by email. However, they also have modestly increased risks of diabetes that persist into adulthood.

Overall, the risk tended to be higher for preemie girls. Boys who arrived early were about 20% more likely to develop type 1 diabetes during the study, while girls had about a 30% greater likelihood.

With type 2 diabetes, female preemies were 60% more likely to develop this disease during childhood than full-term babies, while preemie males didnt have an increased risk. For young adults in the study, women who were preemies had a 75% increased risk of type 2 diabetes and men who were preterm had a 28% increased risk.

Many people in the study had siblings included in the analysis. Shared genetics and family circumstances appeared to explain some, but not all, of the increased risk of diabetes for preemies.

The study wasnt designed to prove whether preterm birth influences susceptibility to diabetes.

Even so, the results underscore that preemies need to take steps to prevent diabetes later in life, said Ciaran Phibbs of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University School of Medicine in California.

The home environment is an important factor, especially for type 2 diabetes, Phibbs, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. This includes things like diet and exercise habits, which can impact the risk of obesity, which is higher for preemies than for full-term babies and is a risk factor for diabetes, he said.

Individuals who were born preterm can help prevent diabetes by following a healthy lifestyle across the life course, including a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and maintaining a normal weight, Crump advised.

SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2LCQrpq Diabetologia, online December 3, 2019.

Read more:
Preemies face higher risk of diabetes as children and young adults - Physician's Weekly

GLEN MILLS, Pa., Dec. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --SmartSolutions RX, Inc. announces the launch of a new scientifically based, drug-free hair support system LOCKrx, which includes both ingestible and topical Healthy Hair Programs that create the ideal environment to maintain hair follicle cycle and growth.

Hair thinning and hair loss are a pervasive problem, affecting an estimated 80 million men and women in the U.S. Smoking, diet, stress, environment and genetics all contribute to hair loss, as well as the hormone DHT which shrinks the hair follicle and is the primary cause of loss in male and female pattern baldness. The current treatments often come with unwanted side effects and take months to generate results.

LOCKrx is a drug-free hair treatment system that addresses scalp health, both internally and externally, that directly impacts hair growth and quality.

"When formulating LOCKrx, we meticulously designed and tested both ingestible and topical ingredients that are scientifically proven to reduce the inflammation associated with damaged hair follicles and thereby improve quality of the hair," said Cynthia Rager, President and COO of Vision Medical, Inc. "Our topical LOCKrx solutions include specific growth factors clinically shown to play a key role in the hair follicle growth pathway as well as to enhance wound repair and skin regeneration, all of which improve scalp skin health, while also playing a vital role in the proliferation of skin and hair cells."

LOCKrx is available as both internal and external treatment plans, designed to work synergistically to promote healthy scalp skin and hair growth.

"Growthfactors possess the ability to stimulate hair growth through variousmechanistic pathways," said Richard Jin, M.D., Ph.D., Hair Regeneration Specialist, RJClinical Institute. "We have experienced very positive results when combiningthese with platelet rich plasma therapy to promote new and existing hairgrowthas well as using it as an alternative to PRP. This has helped us treat the mostcommon form of hair loss known as androgenetic alopecia, as well as increasethickness and density of hair in post-transplant patients."

LOCKrx Inside Healthy Hair Programis a 3-step, 6-week ingestible plan that uses unique marine and botanical ingredients, amino acids, and vitamins to address total body inflammation.

1. DEFENSE Gut Health - Prebiotic supplement that includes mineral-rich blue green algae and proven anti-inflammatory botanicals curcumin, aloe, licorice and beta-glucan to address gut health in powdered form.

2. BLOCK Hair Loss- Follicle-enrichment supplement formulated with the LOCKrx proprietary blend of botanicals, adaptogens, marine collagen, and saw palmetto to help support hair growth and block conversion of testosterone to DHT, one of the major causes of hair loss in male and female pattern baldness.

3. GUARD Healthy Hair Tabs- Premier blend of complexed Vitamin B plus biotin in the most bio-available form.

LOCKrx Outside Healthy Hair Programis a combination of clinical and at-home applications of growth factor solutions that support and balance the scalp microbiome, while enhancing the environment for healthy hair growth:

VisionMedical, Inc. has exclusive physician distribution rights for LOCKrx.

Smart Solutions RX, Inc.

Smart Solutions RX, Inc. formulates, develops, manufactures and distributes products for medical aesthetic applications to hair and skin. A blend of scientific research and innovative formulation and delivery systems are the hallmark, as evidenced in the LOCKrx brand for healthy hair support. Medical aesthetic protocols and workshops are integrated into the superior customer support program. http://www.smartsolutionsrx.com

Vision Medical, Inc.

Founded in 2013, VisionMedical, Inc. develops, manufactures, and marketsmedical and aesthetic technology for the medical and aesthetic marketsfor worldwide distribution.Vision Medical's first commercial product, theSmartGraft Hair Restoration System, incorporates an award-winning Automated Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) system for men and women.Featuring theindustry's first closed harvesting system, SmartGraft allows physicians to harvestgrafts more efficiently while keeping grafts moist prior to implantation. http://www.SmartGraft.com.

CONNECT WITH US

Instagram: @SmartSolutionsRXTwitter: @SSolutionsX Facebook: @SmartSolutionsRXinc

SOURCE SmartSolutions RX, Inc.

http://www.smartsolutionsrx.com

Go here to read the rest:
SmartSolutions RX Launches LOCKrx, A Drug-Free Support System Fighting To Keep Hair Thick and Healthy - PRNewswire

Separation of church and state has long shaped the relationships of public institutions.

And despite its recent collaborations, the University of California is not exempt.

Currently, the UC is contracted with Dignity Health, a Catholic health care nonprofit corporation, to provide university care for more patients and medical student training. Unsurprisingly, this has sparked concerns statewide from physicians and students over how religiously affiliated hospitals undermine health care for LGBTQ+ groups and women.

Dignity Health operates under the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, which uses religious ideology as a basis to determine the conduct of on-site operations. These directives directly limit physicians ability to conduct procedures permitted outside of these limitations, such as lifesaving womens health services. And because of this partnership, those restrictions apply to on-site UC physicians.

Earlier this year, protests amongst physicians, students and activist groups broke out at UCSF and UCLA in response to the contracts potentially expanding UC-wide. The protests found success in San Francisco, and UCSF ended affiliation discussions with Dignity Health in May. At UCLA, the contracts still stand.

If state health care institutions are secular, treatment is mandated to be equal no matter patients beliefs, gender or orientation.

But currently, the UC subjects itself to the hospitals religious doctrine and enables religious influences in health care, even if it means restricting access for women and LGBTQ+ people. Whether or not these doctrines impact the performance of UC physicians one time or every time, an overarching religious presence potentially influencing medical decisions is unacceptable.

Because when religiosity facilitates discrimination in health care, it must be contested by the UC system.

Earlier this year, it was reported that 24 out of 39 Dignity hospitals reject the use of gender-affirming practices such as hormone therapy and surgeries. But access to LGBTQ+-supportive health care goes beyond what occurs under the knife.

Nina Sheridan, a fourth-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student and UCLA Sexperts co-director, said refusing such procedures can invalidate the identity of transgender individuals.

Not offering any sort of gender-affirming type of health care leads to the erasure of these communities, because youre negating the importance of treating their bodies the way that they want their bodies to be treated, Sheridan said.

And with every UC contract that doesnt address these barriers, the UC is complacent in this erasure.

Evan Minton, a transgender patient, was denied his scheduled hysterectomy the day before the procedure. In a California appellate court case, Minton claimed he was denied care because of his gender identity, while Dignity Health claimed the procedure violated its ethical and religious directives, which include sterilization.

Although the directives do not explicitly discriminate against services that affirm gender identity, flexible interpretations of these standards allow Catholic hospitals to justify their refusal of treatment.

And the LGBTQ+ community isnt the only one hurt by Dignitys religious doctrines. Education and resources for womens sexual health range from limited to nonexistent for example, institutions are prohibited from condoning or promoting contraceptives.

If theyre not being completely transparent about birth control options and are not talking about it in the best interest of the patient, that completely eradicates an educational aspect of health care that should be available to every single woman, Sheridan said.

This includes education about how birth control can be used to regulate menstrual symptoms, treat polycystic ovary syndrome and prevent ovarian or uterine cancer. Outright denial of birth control isnt just affecting womens sexual health it restricts their access to health care education and their ability to treat outstanding medical conditions.

And while abortion might be a more divisive topic, these restrictions have unintended consequences especially when abortive measures serve to ensure the safety of a womans life.

This means a miscarrying patient with a fetal heartbeat can be denied a lifesaving procedure, such as uterine evacuation, by a closed-door ethics committee. Their physician can make a few choices: wait for the heartbeat to stop and risk bleeding out or septic infection, transport the patient to the closest hospital despite having the necessary lifesaving equipment or violate protocol altogether. And according to a UCSF study, these are choices many physicians had to make under the constraints of the ethical and religious directives.

Its a choice that can mean life or death for the patient.

Our relationships with other entities that facilitate health services and clinical training at non-UC facilities support our mission of meeting patients unmet needs and training the health care workforce California needs, said a spokesperson for the UC.

The necessary symbiotic relationship between public institutions and nonprofits is obvious, and while the UC insists its physicians will make the right medical calls despite the directives, there are dangerous implications of having religious limitations in the medical field.

Some of the language in the agreements may not sufficiently reflect our values and expectations, and we are working to address legitimate concerns that have been raised, said a spokesperson for UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Every hospital, no matter its religious beliefs, should have access to experts and professionals like those from the UCs. A statement from Dignity Health said dissolving these partnerships would be detrimental to certain communities and theyre not wrong. Dignity Health has every right to conduct its operations within the framework of its religious doctrine something that draws certain people to these hospitals.

But it shouldnt come at the cost of restricting potentially lifesaving operations or making patients afraid of disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The UC claims to support womens health and the LGBTQ+ community but has yet to negotiate a contract that can ensure health care without the inhibiting influence of religious doctrine.

Increasing contracts is integral to providing health care for all.

But when it comes at the cost of equal access for women and LGBTQ+ members, its time to go back to the drawing board.

Originally posted here:
UC's affiliation with Dignity Health unfairly places restrictions on health care - Daily Bruin

To reverse a medical abortion, some doctors have prescribed progesterone. A new study raises fresh doubts about the approach. Photo Researchers, Inc./Science Source hide caption

To reverse a medical abortion, some doctors have prescribed progesterone. A new study raises fresh doubts about the approach.

A study designed to test the effectiveness of a controversial practice known as "abortion pill reversal" has been stopped early because of safety concerns.

Researchers from the University of California, Davis, were investigating claims that the hormone progesterone can stop a medication-based abortion after a patient has completed the first part of the two-step process.

For the study, the researchers aimed to enroll 40 women who were scheduled to have surgical abortions. Before their surgical procedures, the women received mifepristone, the first pill in the two-medication regimen that's used for medical abortions. The women were then randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or progesterone, which advocates claim can block the effects of mifepristone.

But researchers stopped the study in July, after only 12 women had enrolled. Three of the women required ambulance transport to a hospital for treatment of severe vaginal bleeding.

The researchers decided the risk to women of participation was too great to continue with the study. The study was unable to show what, if any, effectiveness progesterone has in reversing a medical abortion.

The results raise concerns about the safety of using mifepristone without taking misoprostol, the second step in the medication-based abortion regimen.

Advocates for abortion pill reversal have succeeded in having it written into law as an option to be discussed in mandatory pre-abortion counseling in several states, including Kentucky, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Opponents have said there wasn't sufficient evidence to support the approach. Now, there's evidence that it could cause harm.

"Encouraging women to not complete the regimen should be considered experimental," says Dr. Mitchell Creinin, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UC Davis and the lead researcher on the study. "We have some evidence that it could cause very significant bleeding."

The results of the trial were published online Thursday in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Medication-based abortions use a combination of two medicines mifepristone and misoprostol that patients usually take 24 hours apart. Mifepristone is a progesterone blocker. Misoprostol makes the uterus contract. Studies suggest that 95% to 98% of women who take both drugs in the prescribed regimen will end their pregnancy safely.

Proponents of the abortion-reversal treatment offer the hormone progesterone to patients after they have taken mifepristone but have then decided they don't want to complete the abortion. A group of researchers published a small case series about the protocol, claiming it prevents the abortion from taking place.

The research has been criticized for having serious methodological flaws. Most OB-GYNs including the professional group the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists oppose the practice, saying it's "not supported by science."

At least seven states, however, legally require abortion providers to tell patients about progesterone treatment for stopping a medication-based abortion midway through.

This advice, Creinin says, may put patients at risk for life-threatening bleeding.

"It's not that medical abortion is dangerous," he says. "It's not completing the regimen, and encouraging women, leading them to believe that not finishing the regimen is safe. That's really dangerous."

Although Creinin acknowledges that his study was limited by its premature termination and small sample size, he hypothesizes that taking mifepristone without misoprostol may be especially risky later in the first trimester of pregnancy. All three patients with severe bleeding were at least 56 days into their pregnancies.

The women who experienced hemorrhage included one who received progesterone and two who received a placebo. Of the remaining participants, two left the study because of side effects and completed their planned surgical abortions.

Women in both the progesterone and placebo groups had some evidence that their pregnancies continued. Four patients who took mifepristone and then received progesterone had pregnancies with cardiac activity on ultrasound. Two patients who got the placebo also had gestational cardiac activity.

Creinin says that because the study was cut short, it wasn't big enough to answer the question it set out to. There simply aren't enough data, he says, to know if the progesterone treatment is effective at preventing a medication-based abortion from taking place.

"Does progesterone work? We don't know," he says. "We have no evidence that it works."

Mara Gordon is a family physician in Camden, N.J., and a contributor to NPR. You can follow her on Twitter: @MaraGordonMD.

Go here to read the rest:
Study Of Progesterone To Reverse Medication Abortion : Shots - Health News - NPR

MEDIA CONTACT

Available for logged-in reporters only

San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, December 11, 2019

Newswise WASHINGTON (December 9, 2019) Women who receive palbociclib (Ibrance ) to treat their advanced breast cancer and have a gene alteration that can lead to a condition known as benign ethnic neutropenia (BEN), can safely receive the drug without major concerns of developing infections associated with neutropenia, or low white blood cell counts, say Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers. African American women have a higher incidence of BEN than other races and have been underrepresented in trials testing this medicine so palbociclibs safety in this population wasnt fully known.

This clinical trial result will be presented in a poster session at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on December 11, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas.

Many clinical trials require patients to have normal white blood cell counts at enrollment. Specifically, clinical trials of palbociclib have shown that women can develop neutropenia (low neutrophil counts) while taking the drug and therefore be at increased risk of infection. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell and they are usually one of the first types of white blood cells to reach a site of infection. The lack of infection-fighting white blood cells is often an emergency situation. A BEN diagnosis carries a very low risk of infection, yet women may be given reduced dosages of palbociclib due to lower neutrophil counts even though their infection risk is low.

The phase II PALINA trial, conducted at Georgetown Lombardi and four other centers, used advanced DNA testing at the start of the trial to determine if women had the gene alteration that leads to BEN. The women took palbociclib pills and an estrogen-lowering pill (letrozole) for a maximum of one year. They were then followed to determine if their BEN status affected their safety when taking palbociclib.

Problematically, African American women and women of African descent have higher rates of death due to breast cancer than white women and their representation in clinical trials has been historically lacking, said Filipa Lynce, MD, a physician researcher at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center who treats patients at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. It was important for us to demonstrate that African American and other women with BEN can, and should, receive the same treatment regimen, in this case palbociclib, for their breast cancer as other women.

The trial enrolled 35 women from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia. This current analysis showed that of the 33 women who were tested, 58% had the gene alteration that is associated with lower neutrophil counts. None of the patients in this trial progressed to neutropenia that led to a fever, nor did any of the women discontinue their treatment due to infections. Nearly half of the women did develop a high, but not life-threatening level of neutropenia, resulting in delays in taking their medications.

We are now more confident that palbociclib can be taken safely by African American and other women with BEN, as long as their white blood cell counts are regularly monitored, said Lynce. Our results also point out the need to design trials that enroll women with different ancestries and reflect our patient population so that study outcomes can be applicable to as many women as possible.

###

In addition to Lynce, authors from Georgetown University and its clinical partner MedStar Health, include R. Zhuo, M. Blackburn, C. Gallagher, T. Wu, P. Pohlmann, A. Dilawari, S. Tiwari, A. Chitalia, R. Warren, M. Tan, A. Shajahan-Haq, and C. Isaacs. Additional authors include O. Hahn, University of Chicago, M. Abu-Khalaf, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, and M. Mohebtash, MedStar Franklin Square Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD.

The authors report the following disclosures relevant to this study: F. Lynce: C; A; AstraZeneca, Jounce, Celgene, BMS, Inivata (unpaid). C; A; BMS, Pfizer, Genentech/Roche, Immunomedics, Calithera, Chugai, Regeneron, Tesaro (Research to the Institution). R. Zhuo: None. M. Blackburn: None. C. Gallagher: None. O. Hahn: None. M. Abu-Khalaf: C; A; Novartis. M. Mohebtash: None. T. Wu: None. P. Pohlmann: C; A; Personalized Cancer Therapy, Sirtex, CARIS Life Sciences. F; A; Dava Oncology, Genentech/Roche, ASCO. C; A; Genentech/Roche, Pfizer, Cascadian Therapeutics. O; A; Immunonet BioSciences. O; A; Intellectual property: Immunological compositions as cancer biomarkers and/or therapeutics. A. Dilawari: None. S. Tiwari: None. A. Chitalia: None. R. Warren: None. M. Tan: None. A. Shajahan-Haq: None. C. Isaacs: C; A; AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Novartis, Genentech and PUMA. F; A; Genentech.

This research was supported by grant from Pfizer, Inc.

Poster P1-19-20: Safety of palbociclib in African American Women with Hormone Receptor Positive HER2 Negative Advanced Breast Cancer and Benign Ethnic Neutropenia: PALINA study

About Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center is designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a comprehensive cancer center. A part of Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown Lombardi is the only comprehensive cancer center in the Washington D.C. area. It serves as the research engine for MedStar Health, Georgetown Universitys clinical partner. Georgetown Lombardi is also an NCI recognized consortium with John Theurer Cancer Center/Hackensack Meridian Health in Bergen County, New Jersey. The consortium reflects an integrated cancer research enterprise with scientists and physician-researchers from both locations. Georgetown Lombardi seeks to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer through innovative basic, translational and clinical research, patient care, community education and outreach to service communities throughout the Washington region, while its consortium member John Theurer Cancer Center/Hackensack Meridian Health serves communities in northern New Jersey. Georgetown Lombardi is a member of the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (UG1CA239758). Georgetown Lombardi is supported in part by a National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant (P30CA051008). Connect with Georgetown Lombardi onFacebook(Facebook.com/GeorgetownLombardi) andTwitter(@LombardiCancer).

About Georgetown University Medical CenterGeorgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) is an internationally recognized academic health and science center with a four-part mission of research, teaching, service and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMCs mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or care of the whole person. The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization, which accounts for the majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health.Connect with GUMC on Facebook (Facebook.com/GUMCUpdate), Twitter (@gumedcenter).

Go here to see the original:
Palbociclib is Safe for Women with Advanced Breast Cancer Who Have Unique Gene Alteration - Newswise

It is obvious that a mother taking medication for her illness is concerned about the possible side effect of these drugs upon her child through breast milk. She seeks information from doctors and health workers. The main issue is whether the medication she is taking could harm her baby with toxic components transmitted through breast milk. The national breastfeeding guideline of Bangladesh states to continue or encourage breastfeeding rather than withdrawing it in almost every condition.

There are certain medications which can be transmitted through breast milk. Again, some organisms responsible for disease causation could transmit disease through breast milk. Drugs which can be excreted via breast milk are mainly anti-cancer drugs, anti-thyroid drugs, some psychiatric drugs, some antibiotics and some hormone replacement therapies etc.

Breastfeeding is contraindicated if a mother is taking anti-cancer drugs, anti-thyroid drugs and any medications containing radioactive components. Even in these conditions, emphasis should be given in collecting another mothers milk rather than starting formula or cows milk. If a mother is taking anti-psychotic or even anti-convulsant drugs she must continue her breastfeeding. Some health workers and even doctors fail to deliver the information that very negligible amount of drug product is transmitted to breast milk, and withdrawing breastfeeding could also be more harmful.

The same is applicable for some antibiotics like sulphonamides, cotrimoxazole, fansidar (anti-malarial drug) and dapsone (used in leprosy and lupus). Possible side effect in a baby is jaundice which should be observed. The mother must consult with her physician for taking alternative drugs (as there might be the scope of another safer drug) if she is taking antibiotics like chloramphenicol, tetracycline, metronidazole, quinolones etc. Oestrogen containing contraceptive and thiazide diuretics (used in hypertension) decrease breast milk supply. Alternative drugs should be prescribed in these conditions.

Counselling and support might help in motivating a diseased mother to continue breastfeeding even while under medication. Nothing is a substitute or better than breast milk. Bangladeshs national agenda is to promote breastfeeding and improve exclusive breastfeeding rate so that we can decrease morbidity and mortality in infants and children stepping toward a healthier and better future.

The writer is a Registrar at the Institute of Child and Mother Health (ICMH), Dhaka. Email: ahadnann@gmail.com

Read the rest here:
Mothers medication and breastfeeding - The Daily Star

Susan Desmond-Hellmann, the longtime researcher and executive who helped lead Genentech to develop the first gene-targeted cancer therapies, is stepping down after 5 years as CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Stepping down as CEO of@GatesFoundationis, without a doubt, the toughest decision of my career, she wrote in the first of a series of tweets announcing and reflecting on her departure. But one of my mantras is take your own pulse first. Over the last few months, Ive done just that and concluded that I need to slow down.

Mark Suzman, the foundations president of Global Policy & Advocacy and chief strategy officer, will now take over as the new CEO. Suzman joined the foundation 12 years ago and takes the new role officially on February 1, 2020.

Desmond-Hellmann was named CEO of the massive charity in 2013, after years at the top of Genentech and a stint as the first woman chancellor of the University of California San Francisco. She was the first physician to lead the foundation and during her tenure launched what was billed as the first nonprofit biotech, the Gates Medical Research Institute, a move she recalled as one of her top achievements.

Recently, the longtime researcher cut down on work outside the foundation and said today she was leaving to focus on herself and her family.

Desmond-Hellmann got her start in medicine as a kid, hanging around and sometimes bookkeeping at the drugstore her parents owned in Reno, Nevada. In later years, she talked about how watching her father interact kindly with the people who came in made her want to become a doctor. After she graduated from the University of Nevada, she took an intern job at UCSF in 1982, her formative years as a physician spent at the beginning and center of the AIDS/HIV crisis. After several years working on the virus and Kaposis sarcoma, she and her husband Nicholas Hellmann, also a young UCSF doctor moved to Uganda to do similar work.

We were approached by the Rockefeller Foundation to study heterosexual HIV transmission in Africa, so my husband Nick and I sold our Honda Civics, sublet our apartment, and hopped on a plane, she recalled toReuters in July. We were extremely isolated. When we came back from Uganda, we never complained about anything ever again.

She fell into drug development two years after they returned to Nicholas home state of Kentucky, when they both took positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Connecticut in 1993. She worked on Taxol, a chemotherapy drug originally derived from Pacific yew bark and first FDA-approved shortly before her arrival.

It was like I had been training my whole life for that job, Desmond-Hellmanntold the New York Timesin 2011.

At the time, Genentech hadnt developed any cancer drugs. The legacy biotech brought Desmond-Hellmann back to San Francisco in 1995 to help build that pipeline and promoted her to chief medical officer the following year.

Arthur Levinson, the CEO of Genentech during her tenure, described her to the New York Times as a shrewd executive, who was able to use her oncology and statistical background to choose the best drugs and was also able to tell researchers when their projects werent being chosen.

Shes a very nice person, so this did not come naturally to her, Levinson said. But she got it quickly. She became a tough leader, tough in a positive sense. She was willing to make tough calls without much difficulty.

Over 14 years at Genentech, she oversaw the development of Avastin and Herceptin, the first gene-targeted cancer therapies.

She left the company when it was bought out by Roche in 2009, leaving as head of product development, and soon went on to become chancellor of UCSF (where there was a brief controversy over her tobacco investments, which she immediately sold off.). She joined the Gates Foundation in 2014.

As CEO she oversaw a bevy of public health programs and, in 2018, the launch of the Gates Medical Research Institute in Cambridge, MA, luring executives from Novartis and Merck and other top biotech firms to fill out the leadership team.

The institute launched with a budget of $100 million and targets the Gates Foundation had long pursued: malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrheal diseases. The idea was to help directly develop drugs that the market wasnt incentivizing, including a malarial vaccine. Their first big project is testing if a booster shot of Bacillus Calmette-Gurin, the tuberculosis vaccine already given to infants, could help improve immunity for adolescents.

What keeps me awake is we have all this capital, we have all this opportunity and we better get something done, Desmond-Hellmann told Forbes last year. We better do some good in the world, or I will not feel good about leading in the Gates Foundation.

More here:
UPDATED: Sue Desmond-Hellmann says it's time for her to leave the Gates Foundation. Strategy chief Mark Suzman will now take the helm - Endpoints News

Bioidentical Hormone Doctors: How to Choose

There are many bioidentical hormone doctors to choose from, and after the initial questions about how long they have been practicing and their specialties, there still may be a lot of decisions to be made. So how to you choose among all of these bioidentical hormone replacement therapy doctors for the one that is the right fit for you? We want to provide that advice but also to start with the fact that often the best advice about potential bioidentical hormone doctors comes from word of mouth and reputation. Aside from that there are other steps you can take to choose, and we want to help. Please understand that we are a fully independent website and in order to stay completely unbiased we will not recommend any specific doctor or practice.

Lets start with where you want to end up as far as the bioidentical hormone replacement practitioner that is best for you. First, you want someone who has experience, and specifically experience with the type of treatment you need. You also want someone with experience with people your age and gender. So the first question you should ask when you are interviewing potential bioidentical hormone doctors is about their specific experience with people with your presentation. Know how many people theyve treated, and then it may take a few phone calls to be able to compare and contrast.

Once youve narrowed the field to bioidentical hormone doctors who seem to have experience with people like you, you then want to know their success rate. Now of course this is quite tricky since most bioidentical hormone replacement doctors will report a high success rate, so you may want to ask if theyve ever done a customer satisfaction survey. You might also want to see if their practice is covered by any independent review websites on-line. If you can ask a specific question you may be able to get a more concrete answer, such as whether they asked any specific symptom related questions before and after the treatment, and how often the answers were affirmative.

Of course choosing a practitioner can also be a gut level choice, and we do not want to underestimate that factor. The process of BHRT can be long, since even if the practitioner gets things right pretty quickly there is still a chance that you might need additional treatment at some point even if just a booster. Choosing a practitioner who is smart and experienced is important, but you also need to work with someone you feel is approachable, truly hears you, and takes time to understand your symptoms. These qualities may be a little harder to measure, but they are equally important.

With all the advances in social media and communication technology such as websites where you can providefeedback, there is still one method of gathering information and advice about potential medicalpractitioners, bioidenticalor otherwise, and that is word of mouth. It is impossible to know whether ratings sites have been edited or modified or even contributed to by the practitioners themselves, and relying on the comments of people you dont know is suspect anyway. Reputation remains king.

So what if you are the first among you friends and relatives to consider bioidenticalhormone replacement therapy. You can first turn to your PCP or other medical specialists youve seen, as well as friends of your family who are in the medical field to see if they have names of bioidenticalpractitioners. If you come up empty it may be time to interview a few practitioners, and here is what you want to do:

These are just a few steps you can take to check out your prospective bioidenticalhormone replacement doctor, but again, its best if you hear good things from unbiased and randomly chosen people who have seen him or her like your own friends, colleagues and family.

Here are some websites that might help:

Of course the first thing you should ask are questions about your potential doctors background with BHRT. Bioidentical hormone doctors range from having been in the field of BHRT for many years, and being relatively new to the field. The way you digest the answer to this question may not be as simple as it seems. Experience is of course good, but make sure that any bioidentical hormones therapy doctors you choose who have been doing this for a while have also kept up with the very latest techniques and improvements in the field.

You should also ask how much of your practitioners practice is dedicated to BHRT. There are some who do BHRT full-time, while other make it only a fraction of their practice. While you may not necessarily need a practitioner who does it full-time, you do want someone who makes it a large part of their practice. Also, while it may be okay to have some of the procedures performed by a nurse or other trained practitioner, you should make sure that there is a doctor actively involved in following your case and that you will get to meet with her or him regularly. If the physician will not be regularly involved with administration, ask how easy it will be to contact him or her should you have a question or concern, and again how involved she or he will be in reviewing your progress.

Please feel free to use our comments section to relate your own experience in choosing among bioidentical hormone doctors.

Read more:
Finding the Best Bioidentical Hormone Doctors in 2020

If youre considering hormone replacement therapy (HRT), youll want a highly qualified doctor to help you make the decision. What types of doctors prescribe HRT and how do you find the best one for you? Here are important factors to keep in mind.

The following doctors prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopause:

Any of these types of doctors can help you through menopause. Your job is to find the one who best meets your needs. Here are five steps to finding the best doctor to help you manage your menopause symptoms.

Find a doctor who:

Start by creating a list of potential doctors. Ask your family, friends, and other healthcare providers for recommendations. If youre starting without any referrals, or youre looking for more options, search for doctors on Healthgrades.com.

Healthgrades.com shows patient satisfaction ratings, which give you insight into how your own experience might be with the doctor. Patients rate the doctor and the doctors medical practice, and say if they would recommend the doctor to family and friends.

Take time to research the doctors credentials and experience. Look for a doctor who is board certified and cares for women in menopause on a regular basis. The more experience a doctor has treating your condition, the better prepared he or she is to advise you on the best type of hormone replacement based on your individual circumstances.

Also, confirm that the doctor is in good standing with state and federal agencies and that he or she has no history of malpractice claims or disciplinary actions.

Youll find all this information on Healthgrades.com.

As you narrow down your list of doctors, call each office and ask for a consult appointment to meet and interview the doctor.

Here are some questions to ask the doctor:

Your insurance coverage is a practical matter. To receive the most insurance benefits and pay the least out-of-pocket for your care, you need to choose a doctor that participates in your plan.

But keep in mind, just because a doctor participates in your insurance plan doesnt mean he or she is a high-quality doctor. You still need to consider the doctors experience and expertise.

Continue reading here:
Types of Doctors Who Prescribe Hormone Replacement Therapy ...

Ilyse Hogue, president of the abortion rights organization NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that independent clinics absolutely needed to be better funded, but that ultimately protecting the clinics depended on bigger changes.

I dont think they will be able to continue to operate at all if you dont shift the culture and politics, she said. The trajectory we are on will outlaw service.

Still, some worry that Planned Parenthood and other national groups have overly prioritized politics and power instead of patients and providers. Though Planned Parenthood is perhaps best known as the nations largest abortion provider, it provides a range of health services across more than 600 centers across the country, including contraception; testing for sexually transmitted infections; and hormone therapy for transgender patients.

The tension between Planned Parenthoods political goals and its mission as a health provider was one of the main reasons Dr. Wen, with a background as a physician, had such a stormy tenure as president.

Pamela Merritt, who co-founded a reproductive rights group called Reproaction in 2015, compared Planned Parenthoods legal priorities to a lobbyist for a commercial enterprise like McDonalds, focused on protecting its own business needs. Activists refer to the organization and its outsize influence, she said, as the big pink elephant in the room.

The movement needs independent providers that provide most abortions to be loud and out front, said Ms. Merritt, who described herself as an unapologetic lefty.

For many of those independent providers, the problem extends well beyond politics.

In Alabama, Ms. Grays biggest challenges are practical. Drug prices for medical abortions are high, she cant find a physician to replace her aging medical director, and an electrician recently refused services because he opposed abortion, she said.

Read more:
How a Divided Left Is Losing the Battle on Abortion - The New York Times

This press release was orginally distributed by ReleaseWire

Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/01/2019 -- While Intermittent fasting may sound like another dieting craze, the practice of routinely not eating and drinking for short periods of time has shown again to lead to potentially better health outcomes.

In a new study by researchers at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, researchers have found that cardiac catheterization patients who practiced regular intermittent fasting lived longer than patients who don't. In addition, the study found that patients who practice intermittent fasting are less likely to be diagnosed with heart failure.

"It's another example of how we're finding that regularly fasting can lead to better health outcomes and longer lives," said Benjamin Horne, PhD, principal investigator of the study and director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute.

Findings from the study will be presented at the 2019 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia on Saturday, November 16, 2019.

In the study, researchers asked 2,001 Intermountain patients undergoing cardiac catheterization from 2013 to 2015 a series of lifestyle questions, including whether or not they practiced routine intermittent fasting. Researchers then followed up with those patients 4.5 years later and found that routine fasters had greater survival rate than those who did not.

Because people who fast routinely also are known to engage in other healthy behaviors, the study also evaluated other parameters including demographics, socioeconomic factors, cardiac risk factors, comorbid diagnoses, medications and treatments, and other lifestyle behaviors like smoking and alcohol consumption.

Correcting statistically for these factors, long-term routine fasting remained a strong predictor of better survival and lower risk of heart failure, according to researchers.

The Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute has the opportunity to closely study intermittent fasting because a large portion of its patients do it regularly: a significant segment of Utah's population belongs the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members typically fast the first Sunday of the month by going without food or drink for two consecutive meals, and thus not eating for the period of about a day.

While the study does not show that fasting is the causal effect for better survival, these real-world outcomes in a large population do suggest that fasting may be having an effect and urge continued study of the behavior.

"While many rapid weight loss fasting diets exist today, the different purposes of fasting in those diets and in this study should not be confused with the act of fasting," said Dr. Horne. "All proposed biological mechanisms of health benefits from fasting arise from effects that occur during the fasting period or are consequences of fasting."

Dr. Horne has previously conducted studies about risk of diabetes and coronary artery disease in patients and found that rates are lower in patients who practice routine intermittent fasting. Those studies were published in 2008 and 2012 and suggested that the decades-long development of those chronic diseases may be ameliorated by long-term routine fasting.

Why long-term intermittent fasting leads to better health outcomes is still largely unknown, though Dr. Horne said it could be a host of factors. Fasting affects a person's levels of hemoglobin, red blood cell count, human growth hormone, and lowers sodium and bicarbonate levels, while also activating ketosis and autophagy all factors that lead to better heart health and specifically reduce risk of heart failure and coronary heart disease.

"With the lower heart failure risk that we found, which is consistent with prior mechanistic studies, this study suggests that routine fasting at a low frequency over two thirds of the lifespan is activating the same biological mechanisms that fasting diets are proposed to rapidly activate," Dr. Horne noted.

Researchers speculate that fasting routinely over a period of years and even decades conditions the body to activate the beneficial mechanisms of fasting after a shorter length of time than usual.

Typically, it takes about 12 hours of fasting for the effects to be activated, but long-term routine fasting may cause that time to be shortened so that each routine faster's daily evening/overnight fasting period between dinner and breakfast produces a small amount of daily benefit, they noted.

Further studies are on-going that will answer this question and other questions related to possible mechanisms of effects on development of chronic disease and survival. Additional research will also examine potential psychological effects of fasting and potential effects on appetite and perception of hunger.

Fasting is not for everyone. Researchers caution that pregnant and lactating women should not fast, as well as young children and frail older adults. People who have received an organ transplant, who have a suppressed immune system, who are experiencing acute or severe chronic infections, and those with eating disorders should also not fast.

Also, people diagnosed with chronic diseases especially those who take medications for diabetes, blood pressure, or heart disease should not fast unless under the close care and supervision of a physician because of the severe adverse effects that medications in combination with fasting can cause, including as hypoglycemia.

Other members of the Intermountain research team include: Ciera Bartholomew (BYU), Jeffrey L. Anderson, Heidi T. May, Kirk U. Knowlton, Tami L. Bair, Viet T. Le, Bruce W. Bailey (BYU), and Joseph B. Muhlestein.

This research study was funded by the Intermountain Research and Medical Foundation.

About Intermountain HealthcareIntermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,500 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. For more information, please see intermountainhealthcare.org.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/intermountain-healthcare-study-shows-intermittent-fasting-increases-longevity-in-cardiac-catheterization-patients-1266497.htm

View post:
Intermountain Healthcare Study Shows Intermittent Fasting Increases Longevity in Cardiac Catheterization Patients - Press Release - Digital Journal

Pregnant women with eating disorders have an increased risk of complications, both for the mother and the baby, according to new research.

Eating disorders affect millions of people around the world, most often women in childbearing age. However, to date only a few smaller, limited studies have examined potential complications for children born to mothers with eating disorders.

That led researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden to take a comprehensive view by studying all the 1.2 million mothers who gave birth in Sweden between 2003 and 2014. Of those mothers, nearly 2,800 had anorexia, 1,400 had bulimia, and 3,400 had an unspecified eating disorder. They also compared whether the risk varied between these different types of eating disorders and whether the mother had an active or previous eating disorder.

The study showed that all types of eating disorders increased the risk of premature birth, microcephaly (small head circumference for gestational age), and hyperemesis during pregnancy, a severe form of nausea and vomiting affecting the mother.

The risk of anemia was twice as high for women with active anorexia or unspecified eating disorder as for mothers without eating disorders. Active anorexia was also associated with an increased risk of antepartum hemorrhage.

The increases in risk were more pronounced if the disease was active, but women who hadnt been treated for an eating disorder in more than a year before conception were also at higher risk of complications compared to mothers who had never been diagnosed with an eating disorder, according to the studys findings.

Women with an eating disorder should be recognized as a high-risk group among pregnant women. From a clinical point of view, this means that care providers need to develop better routines to identify women with active or previous eating disorders and consider extended pregnancy screenings to meet their needs, said ngla Mantel, a researcher at the Department of Medicine in Solna at the Karolinska Institutet and resident physician in obstetrics and gynecology at Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset and corresponding author of the study.

According to the researchers, there are several possible explanations for the associations. An inadequate diet with subsequent nutritional deficiencies may limit fetal growth. The stress hormone cortisol tends to be high in women with anorexia and bulimia and has previously been associated with microcephaly. Both stress and some nutritional deficiencies in the mother have previously been connected to premature birth. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies have also been associated with placental abruption, which could explain the increased risk of bleeding during pregnancy.

When it comes to hyperemesis, the researchers noticed that part of the association to eating disorders disappeared when they adjusted for psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression. Other outcomes remained largely the same after adjusting for variables such as age, smoking, and birth year.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Source: Karolinska Institutet

Related Articles

Go here to see the original:
Pregnant Women With Eating Disorders Face Higher Risk of Complications for Both Baby and Mother - PsychCentral.com

Issued on: 29/11/2019 - 15:14Modified: 29/11/2019 - 15:14

French women are having children later in life, making conception more difficultas fertility diminishes with age. Egg freezing,a procedure to counter the problem,is illegal in France but a new bioethics law looks set to legalise it. In the meantime, women go to Spain, or find French doctors willing to bend the rules.

Michael Grynberg, head of reproductive medicine at the Antoine Bclre hospital in Clamart,receives a 31-year-old woman in his office.

She has endometriosis, a condition where the uterus swells painfully. Shes been taking hormone treatments for the pain, which interrupted her fertility.

Three months ago she stopped the treatment to see what would happen.

Your ovaries appear to be working normally again, Grynberg tells her, looking through her file. He wants to take advantage of the situation to extract her eggs nowbefore she goes back on the treatment.

They will then be frozen so she can use them in the future if she wants to have a baby. The woman sees this as a kind of insurance.

Im single, and I am not planning on having a child right now. For me its an ideal solution, she explains.

Grynberg reminds her that most women with endometriosis end up conceiving a child naturally.

Doctors in France are increasingly willing to freeze the eggs of patients suffering from endometriosis. But what about those who have no obvious medical problem, women who are worried they are getting too old to conceive naturally?

Grynberg calls this social freezing, which is not currently legal in France. So he tries to find a medical reason for these women, to stay within the law.We are always trying to help these patients, to try to find something, if it exists," he explains.

He never makes anything up. But if we find something, we can push it, to consider it a medical problem.

The average age for a first pregnancy in France is 28.5 years old, up from 24 years old in the 1970s. And many first pregnancies happen when a woman is in her 30s.

Women today postpone pregnancy, says Grynberg. This can be for career reasons, or because they have not found the right partner. Also, families are changing: More and more people divorce and want to have another kid with a new partner later in life.

He can offer these women IVF, in-vitro fertilisation, a medically-assisted way of conceiving available to women in France in heterosexual couples. They can do this until the age of 43, but using their own eggs at the time they come in for the procedure.

This is problematic because a womans egg quality decreases dramatically after the age of 35.

Limits of technology

We do not have any technique to improve the egg quality, says Grynberg. The only medical tool available is to freeze a womans eggs when she is younger, to fix time by freezing eggs, as he puts it.

A woman over 36 years old has a 5 to 10 percent of conceiving a child through IVF. If she uses eggs that she froze before she was 35, her chances of conceiving a child go up to 60 percent

Grynberg is frustrated that he cannot offer the option to his patients. If older women are allowed to go through IVF, why not give them access to something that increases the chances of success?

The bioethics law currently making its way through the French legislature would legalise egg freezing for women, regardless of their medical condition.

Since 2011, the option has been available for those who have serious medical problems affecting fertility, like radiation treatments for cancer.

So Grynberg bends diagnoses, like endometriosis. The law gives him a lot of discretion.

The law has been written in a way to enable the physician to consider what could be medical and non-medical. I consider this law as very permissive, he says.

Pressure on women

The provision allowing egg freezing made it into the bioethics legislation with 39 votes, out of only 44 MPs who turned up. The legislation is now waiting to be read by the Senate in the spring, before it will become law.

Lawmakers arguing against allowing egg freezing raised concerns that companies would pressure women to put off having children and focus on their careers instead. They pointed to US tech companies covering the cost of egg freezing for their female employees.

As a result, the French legislation will have a specific provision prohibiting anyone an individual or company - from paying for the procedure for anyone else.

For Grynberg, whose focus is on the medicine, the major issue with any fertility treatment is a lack of information in France.

Many of his patients come to him completely unaware of how much fertility is dependent on age.

It's crazy the number of patients coming to my office saying, I thought that IVF or other medical techniques could help me, even if I'm 38, 39 or 40, he says. We need to improve the knowledge of this for all young women. Because they need to build their careers and lives with this knowledge.

This story was produced for the Spotlight on France podcast.

Read more:
French fertility doctors bend the law to allow women to freeze eggs - RFI

November 26, 2019 Cover

More than 58 years ago, in 1961, Mike Love and his cousins Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson, along with family friend Al Jardine, formed a different kind of garage band. They took all things associated with summer the laid back lifestyle, the girls and fun, wrapped in their Southern California penchant for the beach, sun and surfing and came up with their own songs and sound unlike anything anyone had ever heard. Their upbeat, yet intricately arranged songs came about thanks to the weirdly wired Brian Wilson and creative juices of Mike Love.

Take the hassle out of Thanksgiving dinner and let the Laughlin resorts serve you a traditional spread this holiday.

In a sea thick with Rat Pack tributes, there is but one that asks the question, What if?What if Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. were still here? How would they react to todays world? How would they cope? Would they still resonate with crowds when audience members are pulled in so many different musical directions? What would they joke about in a world that has become either too P.C. or off the charts in the disgusting department? How would they make the world cool again?Those are the questions Rick Michel asked himself as he designed a show based around Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis,Jr.

Nothing is more exciting than hearing B5 called out and checking off the final square on your ticket so you can proudly yell out bingo! Tons of players choose this gambling game because of the excitement and anticipation, challenging patterns, fun promotions and value for their money.Tropicana Bingo Manager Marie Myers is responsible for making the game enticing and enjoyable at her property, which has been voted the best bingo hall in Laughlin four years running in the Mohave Valley Daily News Best Of readers poll.

See more here:
Cheapest viagra super active pills - Sildenafil viagra super active 100mg - What is the difference between viagra professional and viagra super active...