“Here’s Which Fish Pregnant Women Should Avoid: Gov” plus 4 more Health

“Here’s Which Fish Pregnant Women Should Avoid: Gov” plus 4 more Health – TIME

Here’s Which Fish Pregnant Women Should Avoid: Gov
How Your Smartphone Ruins Your Workout
How to Cure Chapped Lips
Why I Donated My Kidney to a Total Stranger
Why U.S. Abortion Rates Are Now at Their Lowest Level

Here’s Which Fish Pregnant Women Should Avoid: Gov

Posted: 18 Jan 2017 09:23 AM PST

For years, health professionals have advised pregnant women and parents of young children to eat fish but avoid types that are high in mercury. That advice remained confusing for some, since federal officials didn’t clarify which fish are low in mercury and which ones are high.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final guidance on fish consumption, geared to pregnant and breast-feeding women, and parents of young children. The agencies continue to recommend that people eat two to three servings of lower-mercury fish per week.

This time around, the agencies also provided information on which fish are high in mercury and which are low. The mercury levels were calculated using data from the FDA and other sources. The new advice says women who are pregnant and breast-feeding and parents of young children should avoid seven fish that are high in mercury: tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, shark, swordfish, orange roughy, bigeye tuna, marlin, and king mackerel.

Fish that are low in mercury include some of the most commonly consumed varieties like salmon, cod, shrimp and tilapia. You can see a chart of how fish rank here.

Grocers and retailers that sell fish are encouraged to post the advice as well as the fish reference chart to help people make informed and healthy decisions about what fish to purchase.

The FDA says that 50% of pregnant women in an agency survey reported eating fewer than the recommended amount of fish to eat. Fish are generally a good choice due to their high amounts of protein and healthy fat.

How Your Smartphone Ruins Your Workout

Posted: 18 Jan 2017 09:15 AM PST

Smartphones can be a valuable tool for getting fit. They can count steps, play fitness videos, help us track our progress and connect us with workout buddies and coaches, both real-life and virtual. But when it comes to phone use during a workout, recent research suggests a few reasons to leave your device alone: Texting or talking on the phone while exercising can worsen your balance and workout intensity, according to recent research.

One new study, published in the journal Performance Enhancement & Health, found that texting during exercise impacted balance and stability by 45%, compared to not using a phone. Talking on the phone made balance 19% worse—less than texting, but still significant enough to contribute to injuries, say the authors.

“It could lead to you possibly falling off the treadmill, or if you’re walking outside, falling off a curb and rolling your ankle or tearing your ACL,” says Michael Rebold, lead author on both studies and assistant professor of integrative exercise science at Hiram College.

Another study, published in Computers in Human Behavior last year, found that people who texted during a 20-minute workout spent almost 10 of those minutes in a low-intensity zone, and only seven minutes in high intensity. Those who worked out without a phone spent only 3 minutes in low intensity, and almost 13 minutes in high intensity.

This might seem like common sense; it’s not news that cell phones distract us. But Rebold says he was a bit surprised by the extent to which cell-phone use messed with people’s performance. “The studies were done on college students, and you’d think that, being born in this digital age, they’d be able to multi-task somewhat better than that,” he says. “If we’re seeing these severe impacts even on younger generations, I can only imagine how older adults might be affected.”

Both studies looked at very specific measures: One tested 45 people on balance platform, while the other tested 32 people on a treadmill. The researchers can only speculate as to how their findings may translate to other activities, but they say their studies call attention to the potential drawbacks of mixing exercise time with mobile screen time.

The good news is that listening to music on a cell phone had no notable impact on balance, so exercisers should feel free to use their tunes, says Rebold. In fact, his earlier research has shown that listening to music during exercise can boost workout intensity and enjoyability.

Just try to have your playlist planned out in advance, so you can avoid too much screen interaction while you’re actually moving. “Anything that distracts you from the task at hand, whether it’s texting or switching songs or entering info into an app, is going to take away from your performance and could potentially put you at risk for injury,” says Rebold.

In other words, save your calls, texts, and any unnecessary fiddling until after your sweat session. And if the buzzing in your pocket is too tempting to ignore mid-workout, try leaving your phone behind.

How to Cure Chapped Lips

Posted: 18 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST

The Internet is rife with conspiracy theories about lip balm. Some claim it’s addictive, while others argue popular products are loaded with ingredients that actually promote chapped lips—therefore ensuring you buy more balm.

Experts say many of those rumors—many, but not all—are either exaggerated or silly. But to understand lip balm’s pros and cons, it helps to recognize your lips’ unique characteristics.

As far as skin goes, your lips are oddballs. Unlike your arms, legs and torso, your lips are covered in “transitional skin” that lacks a stratum corneum: a tough outer layer, explains Dr. Zoe Draelos, a North Carolina-based dermatologist and researcher. “This is why your lips look red compared to the rest of your face,” she says.

Draelos says lip skin is similar to the inner lining of your mouth and nose. But unlike those places, your lips don’t hang out in a warm, moist, protected environment. So when the weather turns cold and dry, your lips has a hard time coping.

Making matters worse, your saliva contains enzymes designed to break down fats and proteins—basically, the stuff your lips are made of, says Dr. Adam Friedman, associate professor of dermatology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. So if you lick dry lips to moisten them, that coating of saliva can exacerbate the weather-related damage. Likewise, licking your lips before applying balm can lock in saliva, leading to skin breakdown, he says.

Another reason balm gets a bad rap is that most people misunderstand how these products work. While some have mild moisturizing properties, lip balms aren’t meant to absorb into your skin like a body lotion. Rather, they’re designed to sit on top of your lips, forming an impermanent shield that prevents dry air from drawing out moisture, Draelos explains. Once eating or talking or lip-smacking rubs away your balm, your lips are going to dry out again quickly unless the humidity in your environment has changed, she says.

Could you argue this makes lip balms addictive? “Not in the sense that the more you use, the more you have to use,” Draelos says. While the comfort lip balm provides might encourage you to keep using it, that’s kind of like saying the warmth a winter jacket provides is addictive because you want to keep wearing it whenever you go outside. (At the same time, some experts still insist that constantly applying some types of lip balms can make skin “lazy” and less likely to be able to stay in balance without interference.)

That said, not all balms are benign. “Some contain menthol, which can be soothing and cooling, but can also be irritating,” Draelos says. “I wouldn’t recommend using these products continuously.”

Other lip products contain “exfoliants” or ingredients that can inflame your lips, says Lauren Ploch, MD, a Georgia-based dermatologist. Phenol and carmol are two ingredients to watch out for, she says, as are “plumping” ingredients. “These are mild irritants that can increase blood flow and cause a slight swelling—almost like a mild fat lip,” Friedman explains. That irritated aesthetic can be a draw for consumers. “People like the tingle, and they like that it makes their lips look fuller,” he says.

According to the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database of cosmetic chemicals, some lip balms also contain parabens, phthalates and other potentially harmful ingredients.

Finally, it’s possible that one of the ingredients in your balm could cause an allergic reaction, says Dr. Roopal Kundu, an associate professor of dermatology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. But this is true of pretty much anything you put on or in your body. “Everyone’s allergic to something,” Friedman says. “Considering how many people use lip balm, it’s not surprising that some people would experience a reaction.”

So what’s your best solution for chapped lips? Exfoliate your lips gently in the shower with a wash cloth, and skip all the fancy or flavored balms in favor of one containing wax, some oil—and little else. “The fewer ingredients, the better,” Kundu says.

Why I Donated My Kidney to a Total Stranger

Posted: 18 Jan 2017 04:00 AM PST

When I decided to donate my kidney, it wasn’t much of a decision-making process, but more like a tap on the shoulder.

I read a newspaper article about how kidney donations help desperate families, and I thought about my late husband. He died from ALS in 2014, and it would have meant the world to me to have more time together when he was healthy. The thought of prolonging another family’s time with their loved one really stuck with me. I thought, “I can do that,” and I called a transplant center the next day.

Even though I’m a doctor, I initially found the process of donating confusing and disorganized. After a series of twists and turns, I finally wound up working with Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, about 580 miles from my home in rural Unaka, North Carolina.

I went back and forth between Tulane and Unaka for testing over nine months, and on August 23, my surgery was finally scheduled. I decided to undergo a non-directed kidney donation, which meant I did not know the person who would receive my kidney.

For the most part, my friends and family were supportive of my decision, but nervous. One coworker told me she never thought I would pass all the tests. Everyone was concerned for my wellbeing, but I was determined. At the time, I was just a few weeks shy of my 65^th birthday, and I was happy that someone my age could still donate.

The day before the surgery the nurses at Tulane took over 20 vials of my blood. It made me queasy, but I felt only a twinge of nervousness. The next day I was ready for the surgery, and I had a few friends with me for support (we called ourselves the “kidney posse”).

When I woke up from the three-hour procedure, my first thought was, “oh shit.” My friend says I demanded morphine. The surgery was harder on my body than I expected, and I was in a lot of pain. It took me about two months to fully recuperate, but it was worth it.

About a week after the operation, something special happened. I had the opportunity to meet Rhonda, the woman who received my kidney, and her husband Paul. About 30 years prior, Rhonda was diagnosed with a bacterial kidney infection that left irreversible damage. In 2015, her kidney began to rapidly decline, and she was put on hemodialysis for over seven months.

On the day of our meeting, I walked into a conference room where Rhonda was standing with her husband and hospital residents. She immediately hugged me and wouldn’t let go, and I started to cry. The realization of what happened between us suddenly felt so real.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she said as she handed me flowers. “It’s hard to say ‘thank you’ for what you’ve given me. To me, it’s not enough.”

I assured her “thank you” was enough for me, but she continued. “You’ve given me something I’ve wanted for the last 30 years,” she said. “My last year was a living hell—until you saved me.”

The emotional intensity of our meeting took my breath away. Based on my experience, I recommend kidney donation to everyone. I think people want to donate, they just aren’t aware it’s a possibility. Rhonda’s husband Paul—who wasn’t a match for his wife—is going through the process to donate his kidney to a stranger to continue the chain.

Many people tell me I am a hero or a saint, but I don’t think that’s true. I tend to downplay the donation and say, “Aw, gee shucks, it was nothing.” But that’s not true either. It was not heroic, it was not saintly, but it sure was damn awesome.

Why U.S. Abortion Rates Are Now at Their Lowest Level

Posted: 17 Jan 2017 01:53 PM PST

A new report reveals that the U.S. abortion rate hit its lowest level since 1973 when the procedure was legalized in Roe v. Wade.

Released Tuesday by the Guttmacher Institute, a policy and research organization that advocates for reproductive rights, the analysis found that there were 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women in 2014. That’s down from the peak of 29.3 abortions per every 1,000 women in 1980 and 1981. The total number of abortions performed in 2014 was 926,000, a drop from the 958,700 abortions performed in 2013, which was the first time the procedure dipped below one million since 1975 in the U.S.

Guttmacher researcher Rachel Jones, the report’s lead author, told NPR that the decline was likely caused by the increased availability of affordable contraception and increased use of long-term birth control like IUDs. But the report also attributes the decline to the influx of abortion restrictions in a number of states. The number of clinics providing abortions fell by 6% from 2011 and 2014, and the lowest abortion rates were in South Dakota, Mississippi and Wyoming, all of which only had one operating abortion clinic in 2014.

“If there are women in these highly restrictive states who want abortions but can’t get them because there aren’t any clinics that they can get to, and that’s why abortion’s going down, that’s not a good thing,” Jones told NPR. “But we think the story that’s going on in a lot of situations, in a lot of states, is that fewer women are having unintended pregnancies and in turn fewer abortions, and that is actually a good story.”

It’s unclear how Donald Trump’s presidency will impact the abortion rates in the country. Trump has vowed to appoint justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, and several states have attempted to pass additional roadblocks to the procedure. The Republican Party, which controls Congress, has promised to defund Planned Parenthood and repeal the Affordable Care Act, which currently requires insurers to provide birth control at no cost. Those latter two actions could negatively affect low-income women, which made up 75% of women who got abortions, according to the report. Two-thirds of abortion patients also already have children at home.

“It can be very difficult for them to arrange for time off from work, transportation and child care,” Jones told the Associated Press. “Some of the abortion rate decline is likely attributable to women who were prevented from accessing needed services.”

Lexo edhe:

Rapitful Shqip

Search This Blog