Friday, January 9, 2009

Tips For A Healthy Pregnancy

It is always important to take whatever steps you can to be healthy, but while you are pregnant it is even more important: not only do you need to take good care of yourself, you are also profoundly affecting the life of another person - your baby.

If you smoke, one of the most important things you can do is to stop smoking: babies born to mothers who smoke have a lower average birth weight, are more likely to be born prematurely, and are at greater risk of death from sudden infant death syndrome
than babies of non-smokers.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Caffeine and Pregnancy: How much is too much

One of the first things most of us women prepare to say goodbye to once we see those two pink lines on our pregnancy tests is caffeine. Many women will stop their caffeine habit cold turkey out of the sheer fear of doing some sort of damage to the new life growing inside of them. These women will swear off anything that has caffeine in it from coffee, and soda to even chocolate. Then there are some of us who will still drink caffeine but cut back. Instead of drinking five cups of coffee a day, we might cut back to at least one cup of coffee to get us through the day.


Our mothers and grandmothers will probably tell us that they drank the same amount of caffeine pregnant as they did when they were not pregnant and their children turned out fine. However a lot more research has been done since their time and studies are showing that too much caffeine can cause some complications such as preterm labor and/or low birth weight.

So how much caffeine is too much caffeine? Doctors are telling their patients that a moderate amount of caffeine will not harm their babies. Even though caffeine does cross the placenta, anything less than 300 milligrams a day (an 8 ounce cup of strong coffee) will not do any harm. Anything over 300 milligrams puts your baby at risk and studies have also shown that women who drink more than 300 milligrams of caffeine a day during their first trimester have a slightly higher risk of a miscarriage.

Studies have also shown that women who had over 500 milligrams of caffeine a day had babies who had faster heart rates and faster breathing rates. These babies also spent more time awake in their first few days of life rather than peacefully sleeping after their long journey.

There are a number of other reasons why we women might want to cut back on the amount of caffeine we drink during pregnancy. For starters, it has no nutritional value. If there is ever a time for us to be aware of our nutritional needs it is when we are pregnant. Second, caffeine is a stimulant which will increase your heart rate and can cause insomnia and headaches which can put some stress on your growing little one. Third, caffeine can cause heartburn. If you have been pregnant before you know that heartburn can be a burden to begin with, and caffeine just makes it worse. Lastly it is a diuretic which means it can cause you to lose fluids which can put you at a risk of becoming dehydrated.

While it is not necessary for you to give up all caffeine through out the duration of your pregnancy, you should learn how to drink it in moderation or don't drink it at all. If you can not handle having only one cup of coffee a day, then you might be better off drinking no coffee at all. Stick with caffeine free sodas and even decaf coffee. Remember though that decaf coffee still contains small traces of caffeine so make sure you take that into consideration.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Basic Principles of Ultrasound

Doppler ultrasound capabilities have increased enormously in the past few years. Technology is ever changing and the ultrasound is no different and it continues to grow in versatility as more demands are placed on the technology. Today the Doppler ultrasound is an important piece of equipment in dealing with heart disease. It's time you had understood the basic principles of ultrasound.

The Doppler ultrasound reflects sound waves which evaluate the blood as it flows through the vessels. This helps your doctor evaluate the blood flow through your major arteries and veins in the neck, legs, and arms. It can show reduce blood flow caused by narrowing in the arteries as well as blockages.

These narrowing in the arteries of the neck can lead to stroke while blood clots in the legs called deep vein thrombosis can break loose and block the flow of blood in the lungs.

A handheld transducer is passed lightly over the skin and blood vessels. Sound waves are sent which are then bounced off the solids which include the blood cells. The movement of the blood cells changes the pitch of the sound waves. This is called the Doppler Effect. When there is no blood flow there is not change in the sound pitch produced.

There are four types of Doppler ultrasounds used:

1. Power Doppler - uses the newest technology and its 5 times more sensitive at detecting blood flow than the color Doppler is and it is able to obtain images other Doppler equipment can't produce. It is generally used to evaluate the flow of blood through the vessels in organs.2. Bedside Doppler - uses the change in the pitch of the sound waves to produce the information on the flow of the blood through the vessels. The doctor listens to these sounds to evaluate whether there is a narrowed or blocked blood flow. This method is used in the hospital right at the patient's bed to quickly determine blood flow.3. Color Doppler - produces a picture of the blood vessel using the traditional ultrasound methods. The Doppler sounds are converted into color which is then overlain on the blood vessel image showing the speed and flow of the blood in the vessels.4. Duplex Doppler - also uses traditional ultrasound methods to produce pictures of both the organs and the blood vessels. The computer converts these Doppler sounds into graph form that shows the speed and direction of the flow of the blood in the vessels.

The Doppler is used to:1. Detect blood clots, narrowed blood vessels, and blocked vessels throughout the entire body but especially in the legs, arms, and neck. When arteries become narrowed or blocked they can cause dizziness, paralysis, vision loss, numbness, weakness, and other symptoms of stroke.2. Look for blood clots in the deep veins of the legs that can cause swelling and pain and if left untreated lead to pulmonary embolism.3. After a stroke or similar condition evaluate the flow of blood.4. Map veins that may be candidates for blood vessel grafts.5. Determine the amount of blood reaching a kidney transplant.6. Monitor blood flow following blood vessel surgery.7. Locate arterial plaque specifically in the carotid artery which can reduce blood flow to the brain and increase the risk of stroke.

Now that you understand the basic principles of ultrasound you can see why the Doppler ultrasound is such a powerful and important tool in the treatment and diagnosis of heart disease.

Yong has been working for a leading ultrasound manufacturer for last 8 years. At At www.ultrasoundlive.com he has provide information about different types of utlrassound equipments. Visit the website to get more information about ultrasound equipment and accessories.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Herbs and Breast Feeding - How to increase your breast milk supply

Ayurvedic Herbs can increase breast milk production. Besides medicinal plants, there are lifestyle suggestions that were known in the ancient system of holistic medicine. Herbs have been a staple part of life for us as human beings. Unfortunately the more modern our world becomes the more distant we become to what’s been naturally provided to us on this earth in order to successfully sustain life. Opposing drugs is not the focus of this article, but rather an approach to increasing breast milk production naturally through the use of herbs. Using herbs to increase breast milk can have positive effects for you and your nursing baby.

There are two popular herbs that are being used regularly to help nursing mothers overcome how to increase breastmilk production. Those two herbs are Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle.

Fenugreek:

* Fenugreek is a common galactogogue. A galactogogue is a substance that increases secretion of milk. Fenugreek usage dates back to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. The primary use of this herb was to combat problems that women were often faced with, one being breast milk production in mothers who found it hard to produce adequate breast milk for their baby.
* Fenugreek seed sold today is usually ground into a powder and placed into capsules. This form of Fenugreek can be purchased for a reasonable price at local herb stores.
* The normal dosage for Fenugreek is 3 capsules taken 3 times per day.
* Fenugreek primarily helps mothers to produce more milk by stimulating the glands that produce sweat. Being that your mammary glands are essentially sweat glands, it’s no mystery how this herb is able to assist towards increasing breast milk production.
* Fenugreek works best when breast milk has been emptied completely from each breast, which can be accomplished by breast feeding or using a breast pump.
* Results vary from person to person, and may take some trial and error to see if the herb works to increase your breast milk supply.

Blessed Thistle:

* Blessed Thistle works by stimulating the mammary gland, and is considered to be one of the best herbs to increase breast milk production.
* It’s recommended that you take Blessed Thistle along with Fenugreek to achieve maximum results.
* The recommended dosage is 3 capsules 3 times per day. Blessed Thistle is also sold in the form of a tincture which can be taken 3 times a day, 20 drops each dose. Some tincture preparations have labels that state nursing mothers should avoid consuming the product mainly because it contains alcohol. There is no need to worry as the alcohol is in such minute amounts that it will only show up in small amounts in you breast milk.

Other herbs that may help to increase breast milk supply are:

* Fennel Seed – helps promote menstruation and increase mothers milk production
* Chamomile – has relaxing properties and helps stimulate the production of breast milk.
* Alfalfa – this herb is rich in amino acids that are essential to the body which some mothers may be deficient in because of their diet.
* Most of the above mentioned herbs can be purchased in capsule form or as a tea.
* Goat's Rue- The leaves stimulate development of mammary glands, and increase breast milk production and flow.
* Shatavari - is traditionally used by women for overall health and vitality and it promotes lactation.

Aniseed : Aids digestion and promotes mother's milk production for nursing mothers.

Caraway : This herb has galacagogue properties. Used to aid mother's milk production and aid digestion disorders.

Below are herbs to avoid if you are having milk problems or if you want to increase breast milk production.

* Aloe spp.
* Black cohosh
* Buckthorn
* Cascara sagrada
* Cocoa



Read out Pregnancy calculator. Also check out for home remedies for sore throat

Article Source: http://www.articleclick.com


Friday, October 24, 2008

Pregnancy and Arthritis - How Pregnancy Affects Arthritis

A look at how pregnancy affects arthritis, and how arthritis can affect pregnancy. Whether or not to have a baby is a major decision, even more so if you have arthritis. Arthritis does have the potential to complicate pregnancy at every stage, but with extra precautions and proper medical care most women with rheumatic disease can still have a successful pregnancy.

As everyone may well know, rheumatoid arthritis is systemic and also chronic and an autoimmune inflammatory disease affecting the joints that can affect women irrespective of their age. And, in the case of rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy, women will undergo an alteration in their immune state that can change into an autoimmune disease, and there have also been ameliorating effects of being pregnant on a woman with rheumatoid arthritis, which has been confirmed by some recent studies on the subject. Nevertheless, there are as many as seventy to eighty percent of such patients that will experience remission while they are pregnant, though one quarter of these patients will suffer from rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy and in some cases, the disease may worsen thereby needing to be treated even when the patient is pregnant.

Temporary Improvements

Whatever improvements are felt in rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy are generally of a temporary nature with patients soon relapsing during postpartum period, and why there is improvement in rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy has yet to be fully discovered. However, theories have been put forward such as it could occur due to changes in hormones during pregnancy, effects of pregnancy on immunity that is mediated by cells and alteration to neutrophil function during a pregnancy.

If you look at the figures related to rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy, you will find that though rheumatoid arthritis does affect only one to two percent women, rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy is not as rare a condition as one might expect it to be and women who are at an age of reproduction are most likely to be affected. There have also been studies on the effects of rheumatoid arthritis on pregnancy, and it has been found that majority of women in the US having rheumatoid arthritis may be relatively unaffected by their pregnant condition and the maternal morbidity rates among women with rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy are about the same as for those who have rheumatoid arthritis and are not pregnant.

Furthermore, there is no evidence to suggest that rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy have any effect on fetal outcome, though there are some reported instances of premature birth and even reduction in growth due to rheumatoid arthritis, while other reports do not suggest any change in fetal outcomes at all.

Thus, it would be safe to assume that there are no real long term effects on a woman’s health condition as far as rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy is concerned, and studies also point out there is no appreciable changes in the outcome of pregnancy in women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

In some cases, the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are relieved during pregnancy. This can occur at any time during the pregnancy. In most women, the improvement occurs by the end of the fourth month. Although joint swelling may decrease, joint pain and stiffness can still persist due to existing joint damage. Unfortunately, the improved symptoms do not continue after the pregnancy is over. A flare in the disease can occur approximately two to eight weeks after the baby is born.



Read out Pregnancy calculator. Also check out for home remedies for sore throat

Article Source: http://www.articleclick.com


Saturday, September 6, 2008

Pregnancy - Nausea During Pregnancy

Unfortunately pregnancy nausea is to be expected when you learn that you are carrying a baby. This article will discuss the truth about nausea during pregnancy.

Pregnancy nausea is most common during the first trimester or the first four months of pregnancy, however, the condition and the symptoms do vary from one woman to another. One woman may experience severe vomiting in the morning, while another may experience vomiting at night. Other women may not vomit but feel nausea 24 hours a day every day of their pregnancy.

It is most common for this condition to end quite abruptly after the first few months, however, on some occasions it occurs for a while longer, or even the whole pregnancy.

As common as this condition is its true cause is not widely known. Most doctors put it down to the hormonal changes in a woman's body or a blood sugar imbalance.

Generally speaking, pregnancy nausea causes absolutely no damage to the woman or the unborn baby. However, in severe cases excessive vomiting can lead to dehydration in the mother and that will mean she will lose vital vitamins and minerals and in extreme cases hyperemesis gravidarum may result which requires immediate hospitalization in most cases.

How To Avoid Pregnancy Nausea

There are some things that you can do to try and avoid this occurring or to minimize its impact. I would recommend that you start by getting out of bed slowly every morning. If you usually feel nauseated in the morning then it is best to only have a very light breakfast as soon as you wake, even if it's some dry biscuits, before you even get out of bed.

It is also a good idea to avoid your stomach becoming empty and for that reason you should eat something very small, even dry biscuits or toast, every two hours or so.

Herbal teas, fruit juices and water are also highly recommended. It is best to avoid alcoholic drinks of caffeinated drinks. Sometimes spicy or fatty foods may also not agree with you and should be limited it not avoid altogether.

Ginger tea or ginger in tea form is said to reduce morning sickness.

It is also important that you get as much rest as possible, in a comfortable position with your legs elevated by a pillow and also your head. Also don't rush to get up after you have just eaten.

Some form of fresh air during pregnancy is also beneficial and if you are able to have a window open slightly while you are sleeping you will also benefit from this.

If you vomit up to four times a day, if you are experiencing dehydration or if you find blood in your vomit you must consult your doctor immediately. He may also prescribe tablets to help cure your nausea during pregnancy.



Read out pregnancy diary . Also check out for acne during pregnancy

Article Source: http://www.articleclick.com


Reduce Stress During Pregnancy

Many mothers during pregnancy face extremely stressful circumstances. Pregnancy is a nine month journey for both you and your baby. Pregnancy typically lasts 40 weeks (about 9 months). Stress-related changes in a pregnant woman's heart rate and blood pressure, along with chronic anxiety, can affect the heart rate of her developing fetus, a new study concludes.

Maternal stress during pregnancy is also found to cause of asymmetry in coordination of ears, fingers, feet, elbows, etc. Maternal stress is also linked with imperfections in the developing nervous system which can lead to problems of perception, thinking, and memory. These mothers experience constant stress, shame, loneliness and, sometimes, clinical depression during pregnancy or after giving birth. Their partners or families may not encourage them to seek help because the problem it is not seen as a medical one. There are many negative side effects of stress during pregnancy. Very high levels of stress may contribute to an increased risk of premature delivery or low birth weight babies. Still other studies suggest that overly high stress levels can increase your heart rate, blood pressure and produce chronic anxiety.

Maternal stress during pregnancy is also found to cause of asymmetry in coordination of ears, fingers, feet, elbows, etc. Stress doesn't have to be bad especially when you take care to manage the stress you experience during your pregnancy. Eat a healthy, well balanced diet. Eating well will provide you the energy you need to get through the day, especially when you feel tired or overworked. Exercise has huge stress reducing qualities. Walking is another activity you can do in order to keep fit and reduce stress. Shortness of breath is pretty common among pregnant women, so if you feel like you've pushed yourself too far, take a rest then move at a slower pace. Water is highly important for more reasons than keeping your body hydrated. A common reason for headaches is a lack of water in the system. Try not to drink beverages in excessive amounts right before bed. Try some natural stress reduction techniques including biofeedback, yoga or meditation. Reduce your workload. If you find you are doing too much in a day find ways to delegate certain tasks to others.

Reduce Stress During Pregnancy Tips

1. Eat a healthy, well balanced diet.

2. Drinking lots of water.

3. Regular exercise makes you feel great and is a wonderful way to limit anxiety in your life.

4. Relaxing by meditating, listening to music or writing in a journal.

5. Resisting any urges to drink alcohol, smoke or take herbal products or drugs.

6. Staying away from stressful people and stressful situations, when possible.

7. Try some natural stress reduction techniques including biofeedback, yoga or meditation.

8. Reduce your workload.



Juliet Cohen writes articles on diseases and conditions and women health care.

Article Source: http://www.articleclick.com