Yoga during pregnancy: Many things are safer than we thought

Yoga during pregnancy: Many things are safer than we thought - Prenatal Yoga is usually mild, with certain modified poses or avoided depending on the stage of pregnancy. 

But a new study recently published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, offers encouraging results of many yoga postures can be safe, even during the late stages of pregnancy.

Safety testing of various yoga poses 

For the study, researchers asked 25 women between 35 and 38 weeks of pregnancy to participate in a yoga session. Women with previous yoga experience is included as well as those new to the practice. All the women were generally healthy and free from problems related to pregnancy or other health problems like high blood pressure or gestational diabetes.

The yoga session consists of 26 stations, some of which (such as posture of happy baby corpse pose) that are often avoided during pregnancy. Various poses including balancing poses such as Half Moon, Warrior III, and the tree is modified using blocks, chairs, or wall.

During the session, the researchers were monitoring blood pressure of every woman, heart rate, temperature, oxygen levels, and uterine contractions and fetal heart rate - a measure of the welfare of a child . All the vital signs of the mother and baby were normal during the poses and after the session. There were no knockdowns, injuries or safety issues. 

The researchers also followed up with each participant by email 24 hours after the session. All women reported feeling safe during yoga postures. None had any problems later with contractions, vaginal bleeding, or reduces the movement of the baby.

All the women, except three that describe muscle pain, only expressed positive experiences with yoga session. The researchers concluded that 26 different yoga postures - including those that were previously avoided - were safe for the mother-to-be and their babies. 

Here is a list of the 26 positions of the study. The poses marked with an asterisk (*) was believed to be cons-indicated during pregnancy. 

This study suggests that yoga can be safe in late pregnancy and the scientific evidence increasingly that yoga is a useful and safe tool for reducing stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy adds.

More than half of all women experience anxiety at some point during pregnancy, and about 13% of pregnant women suffer from clinical depression. Yoga has been shown to relieve stress and anxiety during pregnancy and reduce the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.

Several studies yoga during pregnancy is also found effective in reducing depression, especially when started early in pregnancy and can be combined with standard treatment of depression. Yoga can also reduce pain and discomfort, as well as improve the quality of life in general during pregnancy. 

Prenatal Yoga is particularly effective as part of an integrated approach that includes breathing exercises, meditation and deep relaxation.

Getting the most out of yoga during pregnancy

Mothers-to-be should focus more on the stability and strength rather than endurance and flexibility. Use changes, carriers, or wall installation for each well supported. Pregnancy hormones loosen the muscles and ligaments, increasing the risk of injury if you push too far in terms of flexibility. 

This is true even in the first quarter. Another hormone called relaxin, which is at its highest level in the first quarter and relaxes the muscles, tendons and ligaments, also culminates in the first quarter. This laxity means you can accidentally over-stretch joints and muscles.

Finally, some forms of yoga done in extreme heat, such as Bikram yoga, where the room can be up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, are not recommended during pregnancy. 

Currently, there are no studies that can tell us whether the heated yoga is safe for pregnant women. But we know hot yoga tends to raise body temperature, which can pose significant risks to mother and baby. Heat relaxes ligaments and also increases the risk of overheating and dehydration.

Yoga offers many benefits during pregnancy. But if you are pregnant and want to try yoga, not talking to your doctor.
By: Marlynn Wei,MD, JD    

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Vacation Travel: Keeping children safe and healthy

Vacation Travel: Keeping children safe and healthy - Traveling with children can be a great way to explore new places, spending time together as a family, and visiting friends and relatives who live nearby. For the safest and healthiest possible, consider these travel tips.

 
Wear the important things in your medicine cabinet

      * Pack prescription medications your child. Make sure you have enough for the whole trip.

      * Bring commonly used over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), antibiotic ointment, medications against colds (as recommended by your doctor) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl).

      * Keep a thermometer and bandages on each trip; which can come in handy. Consider a pair of pliers, so if your child is often chips.

Children need car seats

* Make sure you have the proper place to the age and weight of the child, and is properly installed in the vehicle is moving. The website of the American Academy of Pediatrics offers tips on choosing and installing car seats. 

* If traveling by plane, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly wear safety seats for infants and toddlers and attachment to a seat tickets recommended. Remember that you have to buy a separate ticket for the child to use the seat.

Check with the airline to see if there are discounts available. The seat must be less than 16 inches wide to fit; Be sure to measure before you go! Booster seats are not allowed on planes.

Be aware of common health problem Travel

       * If your child gets dizzy easily, make sure it is high enough in the car to see out the window, as this can help. Keep a broken window open for a breeze, and have snacks like pretzels available; both can help eliminate nausea. If your child is particularly bad car sickness (eg, she vomits each way), talk to your doctor about medications that might take.

        * Ear pain can be a problem when people steal. Having a baby nurse or take a bottle during takeoff and landing is a good idea because it helps to fight against the evils swallow ears. For older children, they try to have a drink, chew gum (sugarless, of course!), Or play a game yawn to prevent their ears hang.

        * Since schedules and what you eat when traveling to different frequency than when you are at home, constipation (not having a bowel movement often as usual) may occur. Give your child plenty to drink, and make sure it is not the fiber (fruits, vegetables, whole grains) in your diet. 

        * Germs can be anywhere when traveling. Carry hand sanitizer with you at all times to help you carry within them with you!

Do not forget to child sealing

        * Bring a test kit for the child with outlet covers, cabinet locks, and everything you use at home.

        * If you are staying in someone's home, you can not be held throughout the childproof. Ask if there is a room can be completely childproof, so you can relax more while your child is there. 

Think of the greatest dangers, such as medication, cleaning products, knives and potential choking hazards. Ask if these and other particularly dangerous things can be moved and / or blocked out of reach during your stay.

        * For babies and toddlers, a portable crib can serve as a bed and a safe place to play.

        * Consider safety gates to block stairs you or to help keep your child safe. Your host can appreciate that scaling, if the guy that open, contrary to what needs to be done is used.

Do your homeworks

        * Note medical information of your child, especially drug allergies (if you forget the name of the antibiotic that gave the eruption Know before you go!), Health problems and prescription drugs. Keep it with you at all times. If your child needs to see a doctor while you're away, she needs to know these things.

        * Bring your child the names and phone numbers of everyone you see doctors, including specialists, if you see a doctor or need to communicate with them.

        * Ask your doctor about the best hospitals in the region where you travel, if you know where to go if necessary.

        * Make sure to bring your health insurance card, and check with your insurance company about coverage in your area. Most urgent care business is covered if your child needs, but you may need to call for approval or go to a particular hospital.

If you are traveling outside the country ,,,

* For travel to some countries, your child may need special vaccinations. For the latest recommendations, visit the section of the health community on the website Centers for Prevention (CDC) and disease control. 

Do this for at least six to eight weeks before your trip, as most vaccines must be given at least one month before the trip and you can have an appointment at a clinic Special trip for some vaccines. 

* Ask about specific health risks, such as malaria and dengue fever in the country where you are traveling and you can talk to your doctor before going on how to prevent them. 

The CDC website can help with this. It also has a large number of practical and useful information on topics such as food safety and water and traveler's diarrhea. 

That sounds like a lot, but mostly it is just a matter of planning. And it can make a big difference when it comes to make your trip memorable for all the right reasons.

By: Claire McCarthy, MD 

 

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Complementary therapies for neck pain

Complementary therapies for neck pain - May have escaped, but the neck is an amazing thing. At the top, which has a cage-hard rock - the cervical vertebrae, which contains and protects the top of the spinal cord, which connects the brain to the rest of your body.  

Nevertheless, the neck is completely mobile, allowing you to turn the corner and nods. Then there are the blood vessels, the esophagus, trachea, thyroid, and (among other structures). And, of course, day after day, neck worn around the equivalent of a bowling ball - 11 pounds skull and its contents. It is no wonder, then, that sometimes the neck becomes painful.

Business Neck Pain  

For many people with neck pain, it is much more than a "pain in the neck." It is the leading cause of doctor visits and disability. The improvement may be slow. In many cases, there is no single treatment uniformly successful. (Long term) Chronic neck pain is a painful condition for millions of people worldwide.

Many causes pain

Neck pain is not a disease. It is a symptom, and a number of conditions that can cause. Some of the most common causes are:

       *  muscle strain or spasms
       *  discopatía
       *  arthritis
       *  a wound

In many cases, however, the precise reason for neck pain can not be identified. Add to this the fact that the treatments do not always work well, and work fast, and can be a very frustrating problem.

That is why the results of a new study are so encouraging - and potentially important.

Complementary therapies for neck pain 
Research published in the latest issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine compared two alternative approaches to the treatment of chronic neck pain with the results of standard care. The researchers randomly divided the patients with neck pain into three treatment groups:

    *  "The usual treatment." This includes treatments commonly recommended by doctors in primary care, such as medication and referral to a physiotherapist.

    *  Acupuncture. These patients received usual care, more than 12 acupuncture sessions over five months.

    *  Alexander Technique. The usual care group received 20 training sessions over one by one toward the Alexander technique, a self-care approach that emphasizes "self-observation and subtle behavior change" of to monitor response to pain and improve how daily activities are performed life.

Of course, there are warnings 
Before declaring victory over neck pain, it is worth mentioning some important limitations of this research. They understand:

     *  More than half of patients with neck pain originally considered for the study were excluded. The most common reasons for exclusion were the presence of only a slight pain, neck pain causes "serious" (such as rheumatoid arthritis), or previous surgery

     *  Differences in the degree of improvement between the three groups was rather modest. For example, with respect to symptoms initially, there was a 32% improvement in pain score with acupuncture, 31% with the Alexander technique, and 23% for usual care.

     *  These study subjects were highly motivated to enroll in a clinical trial that requires a good amount of time and commitment.

     *  These treatments require not only a large time commitment, but outside of clinical trials can be expensive.

     *  We do not know whether the benefits go beyond a year.

What the results for people suffering from neck pain mean? 
Even with the encouraging results of this study, we need better treatments for neck pain and why they work. For example, observed improvements in acupuncture and Alexander Technique groups could be due to the placebo effect. Many chronic pain significantly improve with lots of personal contact between patients and professionals and an expectation of improvement, which are both key acupuncture and Alexander technique throughout. 

If only these two features - unlike the actual interventions - could explain the findings of this study, which means that we must find ways to exploit this effect so that more people can benefit. Finally, future research may yet prove better results with a combination of acupuncture, Alexander Technique lessons, and other non-pharmacological approaches.

Given the amount of stress we put on our necks is neck pain may never be completely eliminated. Therefore, we must be open to any new approach is safer and better than what we already have.
By: Robert Shmerling, M.D. 
 

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Tai Chi can improve the lives of people with chronic diseases

Last summer, I practiced tai chi with my mother of 83 years at senior center near his home. The one-hour class helped me understand why this flow, the practice of meditation is ideal for older people with health problems exercising. My mother is doing well, but she had osteoporosis and heart valve replacement a few years ago.

Practiced for centuries in China, tai chi has become popular in the United States in recent years, thanks in part to growing evidence of its many health benefits. Not only tai chi to improve balance and flexibility, can prevent falls, relieve pain and even help your heart.

Such as walking, which can be slow or aggressive, tai chi is easily adaptable. You can make smooth movements sitting on a chair or standing. You can repeat movement sequences to gradually strengthen muscles. Such as yoga, tai chi stretch the joints and connective tissue. But you do not get on the floor - a blessing for people with disabilities. And like yoga and meditation, tai chi also promotes deep, slow breathing.

As I wrote in the Harvard Heart Letter September, hundreds of studies dating back to the 1950s suggest that tai chi provides modest benefits for treatment of hypertension and other heart conditions. The latest research, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine last week, suggests that doing tai chi can help older people with common health problems, long-term movement easier and improve their quality of life .

The researchers analyzed data from 33 studies involving nearly 1,600 adults. Most were in their 60s or 70s and they all had one or more chronic diseases: arthritis, breast cancer, heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious lung disease which includes bronchitis chronic emphysema.

They all randomized controlled trials: people who did tai chi compared with those who did so is other exercise or were waiting to join a Tai Chi class. In general, people who did tai chi showed greater improvement in the six-minute test of muscle strength walk (measured by bending and stretching the knee), and quality of life. People with osteoarthritis are not harvested both in terms of resistance and those with other conditions, but the rigidity of pain and improvement. And people with COPD who did tai chi observed less dyspnea.

The quality of life improvements can come from meditative aspects, mind calming Tai Chi, says Peter Wayne, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and author of the Guide to Harvard Medical School in Tai Chi. "Tai chi incorporates physical activity, breathing, and a variety of cognitive skills, including images and visualization," Wayne said.

In fact, this is what I find most useful on tai chi, which is often called "meditation in motion". During a class, the teacher guides you through a series of postures in slow motion with suggestive descriptions like "grasp sparrow's tail" and "shake hands like clouds." Instead of scrolling my mental list of tasks (such as I am prone to regular meditation classes), I could stay focused and relaxed. I also noticed a sense of camaraderie between the people in the class of my mother. That's another reason I'm doing tai chi classes tends to improve the quality of life of people, Wayne said.

The best way to deal tai chi is to take a class at a senior center or community, health club, or people of the hospital. Of the 58 academic health centers in the United States that have comprehensive health programs, many classes of tai chi offers. Tai chi is also incorporated in many cardiac rehabilitation programs, including several members of Harvard teaching hospitals. And many assisted living facilities offer free Tai Chi classes for its residents.

The courses usually cost around $ 15 to wear loose clothing and supportive, comfortable shoes, such as sneakers. Or you can go barefoot if you prefer. If you can not find a class that is convenient for you, you can buy a DVD, or search online video.
By: Julie Corliss

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Bicycle injuries are increasing, especially in adults

For the past month, the Boston medical community was mourning the death of Dr Anita Kurmann, who died in a traffic accident while cycling to work Friday morning.  

Dr. Kurmann, an endocrine surgeon, completed a three-year scholarship to Boston University and Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.  

She had made great progress persuaded to grow stem cells in the tissue of the thyroid. Your bike was painted white and chained to a pole in the place where he died, one of many "ghost" bikes commemorating other lives lost in a similar way.

It is ironic that the doctor Kurmann lost his life doing one of the things that kept her fit and healthy. But a study published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association points out, the bike becomes a company increasingly risky. For the study, a team from the University of California in San Francisco researchers reviewed data on hospital admissions for cycling injuries between 1998 and 2013. 

They found that the rate of people seeking treatment for injuries Cycling increased 28% 96-123 per 100,000 - and the rate of injuries that sent people to the hospital had increased by 120% from 5.1 to 11.2 per 100,000. Head injuries accounted for 16% of all injuries; torso injuries accounted for 17%. And the proportion of accidents in the streets of the city increased from 40% to 65% of all bicycle accidents. In addition, there was over 45 people - no children or teenagers - who had the largest increase in injuries related to bicycling.

Tips for Cyclists in the city  
Nicole Freedman is a former Olympic cyclist who served as commissioner of the bike Boston and is currently Head of Transportation and associations active in Seattle. She says that cycling remains a relatively safe way to get around in the city as drivers are alert to potential dangers. Based on the types of accidents that saw it has three tips:

   1. Stay away from trucks. "The last place you want to be to the right of a truck," she said. "If you find yourself in this situation, it dawns on the sidewalk." The greatest danger comes when a truck, especially an 18-wheeler or a flat bed, makes a right turn. A cyclist on the driver of the truck can not do right in your blind spot, and it is often impossible for a cyclist to see the flashing flashing truck that position. Dr. Kurmann died in one of these accidents "hook of the law."

  2. I am hyper-aware of his surroundings. You want to try to predict what will then make trucks, cars and pedestrians. "Cycling through the streets of the city is very different from a pleasure trip on a designated bike lane," says Freedman.

  3. Give a wide berth parked cars. "Dooring" in which cyclists are struck by the open car doors or injured drivers trying to avoid a car door, is one of the most common causes of injury in urban areas.

Safety tips every day 
Even if you are cycling on a secluded country road, it is a good idea to follow these suggestions from the League of American Cyclists sense:

    1. Protect you. Wear a properly fitting helmet with reflective material clothing at night and on cloudy days.

    2. Keep your bike. Make sure your bike fits you and is suitable for the road conditions. Get a good bike light at night.

    3. Learn to respect the rules of the road. Most states require riders to follow the same rules as drivers of other vehicles. You can find the rules of the road for most of the States here.

    4. Communicate with those who share the road with you. Make eye contact and use of hand signals to indicate what is about to do so. The most simple gestures, such as the expansion of the right and left arms to signal a turn or can avoid a collision.For more information about bicycle safety and all things cycling, check the website of the Company.

If you prefer to let someone else drive ...
There is a way to further minimize the risks of cycling - cycle inside a moving vehicle. Entrepreneurs have developed a way for you to get your miles by bicycle, tours, Pass, and from the road concerns with another person. Buses equipped with stationary bikes have emerged on both coasts and can come to a place near you soon. 
By: Beverly Merz

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