Female Care

Scientists have found new gene variants linked with the age at which females experience their first menstrual period and the onset of menopause, which can even help in preventing breast and endometrial cancer and osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.

In the collaborative study led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), the researchers have identified 10 genetic variants in two chromosomal regions associated with age at menarche (the first menstrual period), and 13 genetic variants in four chromosomal regions associated with age at natural menopause.

Menarche and natural menopause are two important physiological events in a woman’s life.

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One of the most impressive natural agents that has been shown to combat aging, reduce risk of degenerative disease and help optimize health and well-being is the daily ingestion of ground flaxseed.

Flaxseeds are the richest source of a wondrous bioactive substance known as SLD (secoisolariciresinol diglycoside) that provides the body with a multitude of benefits. In fact, flaxseeds contain 800 times more SLD and related compounds (mammalian lignan precursors) than any other food on earth. Ingesting the equivalent of two heaping tablespoons of ground flaxseed (flaxseed powder) or approximately 40-50 gm of flaxseed is of great value in protecting female reproductive organs, and the male prostate gland from disease processes, keeping cholesterol within a safe range, supporting liver and gallbladder function, improving large bowel health, reversing fibrocystic breast disease, possibly supporting bone density and improving the texture and smoothness of the skin (an effect that almost everyone notices within the first few weeks of use). Here’s how and why flaxseed should be part of your daily wellness plan whether you are a woman or man.

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OTC topicals are available in pharmacies, drugstores, supermarkets or directly from the manufacturer without a doctor’s prescription. They come in many different forms. Two active ingredients, salicylic acid and tar, are approved by the FDA as treatments for psoriasis.

Salicylic acid is classified as a keratolytic, or peeling agent, and works by causing the outer layer of skin to shed. It is a common and effective treatment for a wide variety of skin problems. As a psoriasis treatment, it acts as a scale lifter, helping to soften and remove psoriasis scales.

Strong salicylic acid preparations can cause irritation if left in contact with the skin too long. The body may absorb too much salicylic acid if used over large areas of the skin. Salicylic acid may also weaken hair shafts and make them more likely to break, leading to temporary hair loss.

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What does your diet do for your skin’s health? If you are eating a well balanced diet, you may be impressed with the quality of your skin. The two interact with each other, just like every other organ in your body performs only as well as the nutrients it is provided. When it comes to eating healthy, there are several things to keep in mind in terms of what you should eat to help improve your skin quality. In fact, your skin is a direct reflection of the quality of foods you do consume.

Hydration Is Number One
Before looking any further, remember this. In order for your body to have healthy skin, each of the skin cells needs to provided with enough water. There is no easier way to do this than to just drink enough water each day. What you may not realize, too, is that water plays an extra role in the process of keeping skin looking young. It aid in flushing away all of the cells that have died. This helps to keep your outside layer of skin as healthy as it can possibly be.

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You may have heard that your skin is an outward reflection of what is going on inside the body.  It’s true.  The skin is your body’s largest organ, and what you put into your body can determine how your skin reacts.  Changing your diet can improve the appearance of your skin.  However, it will not cure ALL of your skin care problems.  That’s why it is still important to have a healthy diet AND a good skin care routine that matches your skin type.  Together, you will get the best results.  Here are a few small changes you can make to your diet to get YOUR best results.

Look for “ACE”.  Vitamins A, C, and E are the most important for your skin.  Vitamin A helps prevent the signs of aging, Vitamin C helps promote clear skin and repairs it, and Vitamin E helps protect your skin from the environment.  Did you know that Mary Kay was the FIRST brand to add Vitamins A, C, and E to its mineral makeup line?  Talk about ahead of the trend!

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Sweating

You might think that you are only supposed to sweat when you are hot, but once you hit puberty, you also will sweat when you are nervous. Your sweat glands (which make sweat) become more active during the teen years, causing both more sweat and also some smell. You actually have 2 million to 4 million sweat glands all over the body. Most are on the soles of the feet, the palms, forehead, cheeks, and in the armpits. Don’t panic, though. Sweat and smell are normal parts of becoming an adult. Sweating also does an important job – it helps to cool your body down when you are hot.

How to help keep sweat from smelling badly:

• Shower or take a bath every day.

• Use a deodorant (covers smell) or an antiperspirant (decreases sweating), or a product that has both.

• Talk to your doctor if these things do not work or you are worried.

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How do pelvic muscles get weak?

Pelvic muscles help stop the flow of urine. For women, pregnancy, childbirth and being overweight can weaken the pelvic muscles. For men, prostate surgery can weaken pelvic muscles. Weak pelvic muscles can cause you to leak urine. Fortunately, pelvic muscles are just like other muscles–exercises can make them stronger. People who leak urine may have better control of these muscles by doing pelvic muscle exercises called Kegel exercises.

This handout focuses on Kegel exercises for women because it is much more common for women to leak urine than for men. If you are a man who leaks urine, talk to your doctor about whether Kegel exercises can help you.

Which muscles control my bladder?

At the bottom of the pelvis, several layers of muscle stretch between your legs. The muscles attach to the front, back and sides of the pelvic bones. Two pelvic muscles do most of the work. The biggest one stretches like a hammock. The other is shaped like a triangle.

These are the same muscles that you would use to try to stop the flow of urine. They are the muscles you will exercise and strengthen.

How do I exercise my pelvic muscles?

You can exercise almost anywhere and any time–while driving in a car, at your desk or watching TV. To exercise these muscles, just pull in or “squeeze” your pelvic muscles (as if you are trying to stop urine flow). Hold this squeeze for about 10 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Do sets of 10 to 20 contractions per day.

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What is cystitis?

Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder (the sac that stores urine) and is the most common type of urinary tract infection.  It usually occurs when bacteria that normally live in the bowel travel up the short tube (urethra) that connects the bladder to the outside. Once inside the bladder, these bacteria quickly grow.

Cystitis is common in women of all ages. Around 30-50 per cent of women will have cystitis at some time in their lives. A woman is most likely to get cystitis when sexually active, while pregnant and after menopause. The infection cannot be passed to others during sex. Women get cystitis more often than men because women have a shorter urethra. The urethral, vaginal and anal openings are also very close, making it easy for bacteria to be spread from one to the other.

What are the symptoms?

• Stinging or burning when you pass urine.
• Passing only small amounts of urine.
• An urge to pass urine more often.
• Feeling that the bladder is still full after passing urine.
• Smelly, cloudy, dark or bloody urine.
• Pain low down in the abdomen.
• Feeling unwell with nausea and fever.

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Skin cancer is the most common of all cancer types. More than 1 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States. That’s more than cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, colon, uterus, ovaries, and pancreas combined. The number of skin cancer cases has been on the rise for the past few decades.

The good news is that there is a lot you can do to protect yourself and your family from skin cancer, or to catch it early enough so that it can be treated effectively. Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Much of this exposure comes from the sun, but some may come from manmade sources, such as tanning beds.

This document discusses how skin cancer develops and some simple steps you can take to help protect yourself from getting it. It also describes how to look for signs of skin cancer on your body. Finding possible skin cancers doesn’t require any x-rays or blood tests – just your eyes and a mirror. If skin cancer does develop, finding it early is the best way to ensure it can be treated effectively.

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Philip Coleridge Smith DM FRCS Reader in Surgery, UCL Medical School, The Middlesex Hospital, Mortimer Street, London, W1N 8AA, UK.

The concept of foam sclerotherapy was originally introduced by Orbach in 1944 who described the use of a froth made by shaking a syringe of sclerosant with air. He found that this was 10% more effective than the sclerosant used alone.

Little was heard of this technique until Cabrera published an article in 1997 describing his experience in 261 limbs with long saphenous varices and 8 patients with vascular malformations. Some of the varicose veins reached 20 mm in diameter. He considered that foam greatly extended the range of vein sizes which could be managed by ultrasound guided sclerotherapy. He felt that the increased efficacy of foam was attributable to it displacing blood from the treated vein and increasing the contact time between the sclerosant and the vein. He used a ‘microfoam’, that is a foam made of very small bubbles. His method of preparing this foam was not published.

Subsequently a series of authors has described methods of preparing ‘home-made’ foam which may be used for ultrasound guided sclerotherapy. Monfreux described a method necessitating a glass syringe which produced small quantities of polidocanol foam which he used in a series of patients with truncal varicose veins. Sadoun described a method of preparing foam using a plastic syringe avoiding the need for reusable glass syringes.

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