PMS Factor

Recent findings that a mother’s use of antidepressants such as Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft can trigger withdrawal symptoms in newborn infants may gain added impetus now that another study has found that such infants could be at risk of a life-threatening hypertensive condition.

The new University of California, San Diego (UCSD) study found an increased risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) in the newborns of mothers who used antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI).

PPHN is a serious condition that involves severe respiratory failure in newborn infants and requires immediate treatment. The condition occurs in only a small percentage of babies but the researchers say that the risk is elevated if the mother was taking SSRI antidepressants late in the pregnancy. The study found that exposure to antidepressants other than SSRIs did not pose a risk for PPHN. In addition, women who discontinued use of SSRIs in the first half of pregnancy did not have an increased risk of delivering a child with the condition.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, based its findings on a review of more than 1,000 deliveries between 1998 and 2003. “Based on our findings, we estimate that six to twelve mothers per thousand who use an SSRI after 20 weeks’ gestation, are likely to deliver a child with PPHN,” said researcher Christina Chambers. She added that this was a relatively low risk, with PPHN affecting around one percent of exposed newborns.

Despite the risk, the researchers point out that mothers may need to continue SSRI treatment during pregnancy in order to care for themselves appropriately.

Source: University of California - San Diego

One of the greatest things you can do for yourself is get a good night’s sleep. It can help make the PMS symptoms and other ailments seem a little less… take the edge off. While this can be easier said than done, here are some tips to helping you get more quality (and quantity) sleep.

• Limit caffeine consumption. Along with coffee, tea and sodas, caffeine is found in chocolate and in medications used to treat headaches, colds and sinus congestion.
• Avoid nicotine, which impairs the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
• Don’t drink before bedtime. Having just one or two alcoholic drinks within a few hours of going to bed can disrupt sleep and lead to more frequent awakening in the latter half of the night.
• Get active. Lack of physical activity during the day is associated with increased sleep problems. But don’t exercise too close to bedtime because that can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
• Eating too much close to bedtime can make it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.
• Be careful with daytime naps, which can make it harder to fall asleep at night. If you do need a nap during the day, keep it under 30 minutes.
• If self-treatment strategies to improve sleep don’t help, talk to your doctor. Sleep difficulties can be related to a number of medical conditions.

These tips come from some research done by the Mayo Clinic in the January 2006 issue of January Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource.

Health care costs are continuing to hit American families. A statistic from about 3 years ago stated that 17 cents of every dollar spent in America went toward some form of health care cost. Here is some information from a more recent study:

“American families are having to dig deeper into their pockets to cover health-care costs.

“A new report finds that, as of 2002, 15 percent of U.S. families (18 million households) had high out-of-pocket health-care costs relative to their income. “High” was defined as 10 percent or more of household income for all families and 5 percent or more of income for low-income families.

“When premiums were included, the picture worsened, with 23 percent of U.S. families, or 27 million families, having to spend high levels of their total income on health care in 2002.

“The new report used national data to analyze trends in out-of-pocket health-care spending between 1996-97 and 2001-02. Among the other findings:

• Out-of-pocket health-care spending increased an average of 35 percent between 1996 and 2002, while the average family income grew only 20 percent.
• Elderly individuals had the highest out-of-pocket spending, but non-elderly families took a hit as well. Ten percent of families without elderly members (about 10 million families) had high out-of-pocket costs. When premiums were added in, that number rose to 17 percent.
• Low-income families also suffered disproportionately. “The first families that are feeling this in terms of a real squeeze are those that are on more restrictive incomes, those who can least afford it,” Schoen said.

“Overall, fewer and fewer people seem able to afford adequate health-care coverage, the report found.”

To read the full story, go to: http://health.ivillage.com/familycare/ins/0,,wbnews_8rjsfhpj,00.html?dst=rss|wb

Today’s pop culture is obsessed with weight. Television shows focus on radical body makeovers and weight loss challenges and tabloids are teeming with photographs that glamorize emaciated celebrities. At the same time, however, headlines pose the question, “Are They Too Skinny?”

What’s more baffling is that the advertisements within these same tabloid and beauty magazines include models with equally “skinny” physiques, which are scrutinized by the articles within.

So, what is an ideal body weight? How can we attain what seems to be an impossible balance?

Mixed messages regarding body image have created a dichotomy. Americans are obsessed with being “Hollywood” thin and beautiful, but intrigued by criticism of the models and celebrities they aim to resemble. The result—a country that is consumed with “looking good” and less concerned with overall health and wellbeing.

Warped perceptions of our physical appearance are created from the Barbie-type, airbrushed images that surround us everyday. With these unrealistic expectations, it is no wonder so many people are dissatisfied with their bodies, self-conscious and incapable of appreciating basic good health. This goes especially for women—4 out of 5 are unhappy with their bodies. The consequences: teenage girls plagued with self-scrutiny, pregnant women depriving themselves of essential nourishment in order to limit weight gain and the new prevalence of eating disorders among women in midlife.

Even pre-teen girls in America grow up with Barbie dolls, playing out scenes for what their adult lives could be. According to Marie Claire magazine, if Barbie were a real woman, she would be 7-foot-2 and possess these unlikely measurements: 40-inch bust, 22-inch waist and 36-inch hips.

On the flip side, obese individuals are viewed so negatively by the public that they are denied the peer encouragement that is necessary for them to make behavioral or lifestyle improvements. The common notion that obese individuals are both lazy and responsible for their situation has resulted in grave social repercussions—discrimination in the workplace, biased attitudes from health care professionals, barriers in interpersonal relationships, negative portrayals in the media and compromised quality of life.

The media has an essential role in ending the “thin-is-better” epidemic and cultivating a culture that is confident and health-conscious. It is highly unlikely, however, that the television, magazines and news outlets will shift their focus to highlight people with healthy and balanced lifestyles. The sad reality is that the current unrealistic and unhealthy images attract more attention and translate into financial gain.

Taken from Revival Soy - The #1 Doctor-Recommended Soy Protein Supplement Weighing In Blog