Author: Staff (Page 130 of 157)

Blood Test for Expecting Mothers Reveals Baby’s Sex

August 11, 2011 / Staff

A new test can now determine a baby’s sex in utero as early as seven weeks into gestation.

Is determining a baby’s sex crucial?

Or does this simply leave opportunity for unnecessary consideration?

“What you have to consider is the ethics of this,” said Dr. Mary Rosser, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York.
“If parents are using it to determine gender and then terminate the pregnancy based on that, that could be a problem,” she told Reuters Health. “Remember, gender is not a disease.”

Research, Resources

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New Drug Shows Promise in Relieving Constipation

August 11, 2011 / Staff

Patients suffering with constipation may be able to find relief.

Although the experimental drug linaclotide can relieve only some cases of chronic constipation, for those who do find relief it can be a life changing event.

Up to one in five people suffers from chronic constipation, according to the authors of the study, which means they have fewer than three bowel movements per week, often with pain, excessive straining, a feeling of blockage, or very hard stools. Doctors usually recommend adding fluid, dietary fiber and exercise before turning to laxatives.
“Chronic constipation can dramatically negatively affect one’s quality of life,” said Dr. David Schwartz, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who was not involved in the study.
“If these results hold up in future longer-term trials, linaclotide potentially offers an effective and safe option for patients with chronic constipation, especially those individuals that do not respond to laxatives,” Schwartz told Reuters Health.

Research, Wellness

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Can God Help You to Lose Weight?

August 9, 2011 / Staff

Obesity is a huge problem in the U.S. especially in the South.

Church leaders recognize that their constituents often head the word of God over the word of their doctors.

This may be a great opportunity for the church community to step in and have an impact on the health of the population.

Weekly access to members offers churches an effective means of both dispensing information and discerning needs, said Elizabeth Williams, an assistant professor of public health at Tennessee State University and an associate pastor.
A growing awareness of those assets has prompted churches to use weekly bulletins to address a host of medical issues, develop health ministries and connect members with primary health care services.
Those who prepare the meals offered after services at Williams’ church in Nashville have eliminated fried foods, cut back on salt and opted for turkey-based products over pork

Nutrition, Resources, Wellness

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Plastic Surgery is the Answer for Many Seniors

August 9, 2011 / Staff

As the baby boomers age they find themselves in good health looking forward to decades of life after retirement.

Some don’t even retire but continue in jobs they love or start up new ventures to fill the time in the golden years.

What to do when all of this energy and vitality doesn’t match the face in the mirror?

Plastic surgery is the answer for many.

There are as many reasons for getting plastic surgery as there are older patients, experts say. Some people are living longer and remaining healthier, and they want their physiques to align with their psyches. Some are preening for potential mates and want their feathers to look their freshest. Some are still working or looking for jobs and want to be seen as more youthful contenders.

Research, Wellness

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Soy Offers No Relief for Symptoms of Menopause

August 8, 2011 / Staff

For middle-aged women searching for a safe alternative to hormone therapy to prevent bone loss and ease the symptoms of menopause, they are in for another letdown.

The latest in a series of disappointing studies finds that soy supplements, an increasingly popular substitute for hormone therapy, do not stave off hot flashes, night sweats, and other uncomfortable menopausal symptoms.

Nor did the supplements reduce the aging-related bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis, the study found.

“Isoflavones, the plant-derived estrogens found in soy, are very weak estrogens, so it is not surprising that they have not shown to be as effective…as hormone therapy,” says the lead author of the study, Silvina Levis, MD, the director of the osteoporosis center at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine.