Archive for November, 2008
IVF and Birth Defects? Ugh!
“The CDC reports that certain birth defects — including heart wall problems and cleft lip/palate — may be two to four times more common among babies conceived with assisted reproductive technology (ART) than babies conceived naturally. Those findings — published in the advance online edition of Human Reproduction — focus on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).”
“The following types of birth defects were more common among babies conceived through ART:
*Septal heart defects: Twice as common among babies conceived by ART
*Cleft lip and/or cleft palate: 2.4 times as common among babies conceived by ART
*Esophageal atresia (birth defect [...]
Smoking and Hot Flashes
“Cigarette smoking is associated with hot flashes, higher androstenedione levels, a higher total androgen-to-total estrogen ratio, and lower progesterone levels in women who are not postmenopausal, according to the results of a cross-sectional study reported in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.”
This means that smoking increases your hot flashes, increases your DHEA and testosterone, screws with the hormonal balance and lowers your precious progesterone levels. Not good ladies! Please keep this in mind when deciding to quit in the new year.
Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance: Which are you?
A common question I ask my patients is, “Are there any foods that you avoid?” The answers range anywhere from “absolutely not” to a very long list. I ask this question because I find the things you put in your mouth may be affecting all of those symptoms you just described.
Fatigue? Gas and Bloating? Headaches? Constipation? Rashes? Acne? Joint pain? PMS?Yes – they can all be food related.
As the commercials on television will tell you (and it is true) 70%-80% of your immune system lives right around your intestines. It is a smart maneuver in human design because anything [...]
The HPV Vaccine – What do you need to Know?
By now most everyone has seen the commercials on television about the most common HPV vaccine called Gardasil. HPV stands for the Human Papillomavirus and is responsible for both genital warts and abnormal changes on your pap test including cervical cancer. Even though there are hundreds of different strains, HPV-16 and HPV-18 account for 70% of cervical cancer while HPV-6 and HPV-11 cause 90% of genital warts. Therefore, these four strains are the basis for Gardasil’s protection.
The vaccine is not a live-virus but a “virus-like” particle that will still stimulate a woman’s immunity against these four strains of HPV. The [...]
HPV: The Basic FAQs You Need to Know.
HPV stands for the Human Papillomavirus and is currently the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that nearly 20 million Americans between age 15 and 24 years old have HPV. This is the virus that causes genital warts as well as those abnormal changes on your pap test that can lead to cervical cancer.
There are many strains of HPV with some remaining dormant, not doing anything (that we know of), and others causing problems.
When you go for your pap test, you can have your healthcare practitioner include a ‘high-risk HPV test’ for greater accuracy [...]