Friday, October 05, 2007
PMS/PMDD
Men, read and you may understand your partner better! Following are some explanations taken from different sources.
The term, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) covers a group of symptoms that can affect a woman, emotionally and physically. The most common PMS are headache, bloating, back pain, mood swings, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, food cravings, acne and sore breasts.
While not all women have PMS, it’s estimated that 70% to 90% of women who menstruate experience PMS. And another 3% to 8% have emotional symptoms severe enough to disrupt their lives, a condition known as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Women with PMDD suffer from many of the physical symptoms of PMS, but more severely. In addition, they experience debilitating emotional symptoms such as feelings of hopelessness, isolation and extreme mood swings.
The PMDD symptoms are sometimes serious enough to interfere with relationships, hamper a person's ability to function at work/school, or even keep you from performing daily tasks. Diagnostic Criteria for PMDD - 5 or more of the following symptoms must be present:
The term, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) covers a group of symptoms that can affect a woman, emotionally and physically. The most common PMS are headache, bloating, back pain, mood swings, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, food cravings, acne and sore breasts.
While not all women have PMS, it’s estimated that 70% to 90% of women who menstruate experience PMS. And another 3% to 8% have emotional symptoms severe enough to disrupt their lives, a condition known as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Women with PMDD suffer from many of the physical symptoms of PMS, but more severely. In addition, they experience debilitating emotional symptoms such as feelings of hopelessness, isolation and extreme mood swings.
The PMDD symptoms are sometimes serious enough to interfere with relationships, hamper a person's ability to function at work/school, or even keep you from performing daily tasks. Diagnostic Criteria for PMDD - 5 or more of the following symptoms must be present:
- Feeling of sadness or hopelessness, possible suicidal thoughts
- Feeling of tension or anxiety (Panic attacks etc)
- Mood swings marked by periods of teariness
- Persistent irritability or anger that affects other people
- Disinterest in daily activities and relationships
- Trouble concentrating
- Fatigue or low energy
- Food cravings or bingeing
- Sleep disturbances
- Feeling out of control
- Physical symptoms, such as bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, joint/muscle pain
Many things have been tried to ease the symptoms of PMS. No treatment works for every woman, so we may need to try different ones to see what works. Below are some lifestyle changes that may help ease symptoms.
- Take a multivitamin every day that includes 400 mg of folic acid. A calcium supplement with vitamin D can help keep bones strong and may help ease some PMS symptoms
- Do a moderate exercise of 30 mins for 3-5 times a week. Steady exercising causes a release of feel-good endorphins which helps alter the mood
- Eat healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
- Avoid salt, sugary foods, caffeine, and alcohol, especially when you are having PMS
- Get enough sleep. Try to get 8 hours of sleep each night
- Find healthy ways to cope with stress. Talk to your friends, exercise, or write in a journal.
If the lifestyle changes does not help, seek medical advice!
Labels: Health
Penseur 4:02 pm
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Thursday, September 20, 2007
Insomnia
For many women, it's tough to get a good night's sleep. Studies show that women may be 20 percent to 50 percent more likely to have insomnia than men. And there are reasons for this.One culprit behind women's sleep difficulties can be fluctuating hormone levels. With optimal levels of estrogen and progesterone in your system, the time it takes to fall asleep and the number of awakenings during the night decrease. But hormone fluctuations occur for many reasons, including monthly menstrual cycles, use of birth control pills, pregnancy, and perimenopause -- the five to 10 years before and up to one year after menstrual periods end.
If you find yourself tossing and turning at night, simple changes in your daily and nightly habits may result in better sleep. The Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource offers these suggestions:
* Caffeine: Limit it. In addition to the usual sources -- coffee, tea and soda -- be aware of caffeine in chocolate and in medications used to treat headaches, colds and sinus congestion.
* Nicotine: Nicotine impairs the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
* Alcohol: Even though drinking alcohol may make it easier to fall asleep, as few as one or two drinks within two hours of bedtime tend to disrupt your sleep and lead to more frequent awakening in the latter half of the night.
* Inactivity: Lack of physical activity during the day is associated with increased sleep problems. But strenuous exercise too close to bedtime may make it more difficult to fall asleep.
* Large meals: Eating too much close to bedtime may make falling asleep and staying asleep more difficult.
* Naps: Naps can make it harder to fall asleep at night. If you can't get by without one, limit it to less than 30 minutes.
If self-treatment strategies don't help, ask your doctor for help. Sleep difficulties can be related to a number of medical conditions.
By Health Bites 93.8Live.sg
Labels: Health
Penseur 11:22 am
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Thursday, July 19, 2007
First Aid
Attended the Adult First Aid course at St John's Ambulance HQ on Beach Road in the last three days. I have learnt various life saving skills, and hope I remember and could apply them.
The class was taught to handle casualties with the following conditions: Shock, Asphyxia, Wounds & Bleeds, Burns & Scalds, Bone, Joint & Muscle Injuries, Heat Exhaustion & Heatstroke, Respiratory problem, Heart Attack, Stroke, Drowning, Epilepsy, Hyperventilation etc. We also
learnt some practical skills: Recovery position, bandages/arm slings (for Fractures and Wounds), Abdominal Thrust and Chest Thrust (for choke victims), and most important of all, CPR.
CPR is a temporary intervention before the victim is attended to by medical professionals. Following are important steps to follow:
D - Danger. Ensure that the scene is safe for victim and self
R - Response. Establish responsiveness of victim. If no response, get someone to call 995
A - Airway. Open victim's Airway by Head-Tilt Chin-lift. Check Airway and remove foreign body
B - Breathing. Check for breathing by Look, Listen and Feel (up to 10 secs). If NO breathing, give 2 breaths (1 sec/breath).
C - Circulation. Check for signs of life/circulation. Check carotid pulse (up to 10 secs). If NO pulse, start CPR
CRP
- Do chest compression two fingers above sternum
- Compress vertically 4-5 cm downwards with 30 compressions: 2 ventilations ratio.
- Give 5 cycles of 30 chest compressions followed by 2 breaths
- If pulse is absent, continue with CPR cycle
Rescue Breathing
- If pulse is present, but breathing is absent, perform rescue breathing
- Give 12 rescue breathing in 5 secs interval for 1 min
- If breathing is absent, continue with Rescue Breathing
Recovery Position
- If breathing and pulse returns, stop CPR
- Place victim in recovery position if still unconscious
- Ensure there is no neck or other trauma (secondary survey)
Learning first aid knowledge reminds me of my late Godma Liley, who passed away 6 yrs ago. She was a nurse, and a very caring and altruistic one. I may never become like her, but I am a little closer to her mission, which is to save lives, physically and spiritually. After today's theory and practical exam, I am now a certified First Aider. Yeah! :)
The class was taught to handle casualties with the following conditions: Shock, Asphyxia, Wounds & Bleeds, Burns & Scalds, Bone, Joint & Muscle Injuries, Heat Exhaustion & Heatstroke, Respiratory problem, Heart Attack, Stroke, Drowning, Epilepsy, Hyperventilation etc. We also
learnt some practical skills: Recovery position, bandages/arm slings (for Fractures and Wounds), Abdominal Thrust and Chest Thrust (for choke victims), and most important of all, CPR.
CPR is a temporary intervention before the victim is attended to by medical professionals. Following are important steps to follow:
D - Danger. Ensure that the scene is safe for victim and self
R - Response. Establish responsiveness of victim. If no response, get someone to call 995
A - Airway. Open victim's Airway by Head-Tilt Chin-lift. Check Airway and remove foreign body
B - Breathing. Check for breathing by Look, Listen and Feel (up to 10 secs). If NO breathing, give 2 breaths (1 sec/breath).
C - Circulation. Check for signs of life/circulation. Check carotid pulse (up to 10 secs). If NO pulse, start CPR
CRP
- Do chest compression two fingers above sternum
- Compress vertically 4-5 cm downwards with 30 compressions: 2 ventilations ratio.
- Give 5 cycles of 30 chest compressions followed by 2 breaths
- If pulse is absent, continue with CPR cycle
Rescue Breathing
- If pulse is present, but breathing is absent, perform rescue breathing
- Give 12 rescue breathing in 5 secs interval for 1 min
- If breathing is absent, continue with Rescue Breathing
Recovery Position
- If breathing and pulse returns, stop CPR
- Place victim in recovery position if still unconscious
- Ensure there is no neck or other trauma (secondary survey)
Learning first aid knowledge reminds me of my late Godma Liley, who passed away 6 yrs ago. She was a nurse, and a very caring and altruistic one. I may never become like her, but I am a little closer to her mission, which is to save lives, physically and spiritually. After today's theory and practical exam, I am now a certified First Aider. Yeah! :)
Labels: Health
Penseur 11:24 pm
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Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Correct Way of Eating Fruits
This has been going around, but a very good reminder:
We all think eating fruits means simply buying fruit, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. You will benefit much more if you know how and when to eat.
Fruits should be taken in an empty stomach…not as dessert after the meal as is often done.
If you eat fruit like that, it will also serve a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.
Fruit is the Most Important Food
Let’s say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. As fruit digests faster than bread, the slice of fruit digests quickly and is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but its passage is blocked by the bread which takes longer to digest…
In the meantime the whole meal ferments and turns to acid. Consequently, when the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.
So it is better to eat your fruits in an empty stomach or before your meals!
You have heard people complaining – every time I eat water-melon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat banana I feel like running to the toilet etc – actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit in an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!
Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, dark circles under the eyes all these will not happen if you take fruits in an empty stomach.
It is incorrectly presumed that some fruits like orange and lemon are acidic and will enhance acidity in the stomach. Research however shows that all fruits become alkaline in our body.
When you need to drink fruit juice- drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans.
Don’t drink juice that has been heated up. Don’t eat cooked fruits because you don’t get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. So stop making ‘durian porridge’ if you want nutrients. Cooking fruit destroys all the vitamins.
Eating the pulp or whole fruit is far better than drinking the juice as the fibre is good for you.
If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.
A 3-day ‘Fruit Fast’ is a very simple and effective way to cleanse and de-toxify your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!
During the ‘Fruit Fast’ you can eat different fruits at different times, although occasionally mixed fruit salad would also be permissible and more interesting.
If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.
We all think eating fruits means simply buying fruit, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. You will benefit much more if you know how and when to eat.
Fruits should be taken in an empty stomach…not as dessert after the meal as is often done.
If you eat fruit like that, it will also serve a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.
Fruit is the Most Important Food
Let’s say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. As fruit digests faster than bread, the slice of fruit digests quickly and is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but its passage is blocked by the bread which takes longer to digest…
In the meantime the whole meal ferments and turns to acid. Consequently, when the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.
So it is better to eat your fruits in an empty stomach or before your meals!
You have heard people complaining – every time I eat water-melon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat banana I feel like running to the toilet etc – actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit in an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!
Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, dark circles under the eyes all these will not happen if you take fruits in an empty stomach.
It is incorrectly presumed that some fruits like orange and lemon are acidic and will enhance acidity in the stomach. Research however shows that all fruits become alkaline in our body.
When you need to drink fruit juice- drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans.
Don’t drink juice that has been heated up. Don’t eat cooked fruits because you don’t get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. So stop making ‘durian porridge’ if you want nutrients. Cooking fruit destroys all the vitamins.
Eating the pulp or whole fruit is far better than drinking the juice as the fibre is good for you.
If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.
A 3-day ‘Fruit Fast’ is a very simple and effective way to cleanse and de-toxify your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!
During the ‘Fruit Fast’ you can eat different fruits at different times, although occasionally mixed fruit salad would also be permissible and more interesting.
If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.
Penseur 11:09 pm
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Friday, March 16, 2007
10 Foods For Longevity
Tomatoes .. A major source of the antioxidant lycopene that reduces the risk of cancer by 40% -- notably prostate, lung and stomach cancers -- and increases cancer survival. Tomato eaters function better mentally in old age and suffer half as much heart disease. Concentrated tomato sauces have 5 times more lycopene than fresh tomatoes, and canned tomatoes have three times more than fresh
Olive Oil .. Shown to help reduce death from heart disease and cancer. Recent research shows that heart-attack survivors on a Mediterranean diet had half the death rates of those on an ordinary low-fat diet. Olive oil is also high in antioxidant activity.
Red Grapes , including red grape juice. Red grapes have moderate antioxidant power, while purple grape juice has four times more antioxidant activity than orange or tomato juice. Red wine (not white) has about the same antioxidant capacity as purple grape juice or tea. French research shows that drinking red wine in moderation increases longevity, but excessive drinking has the opposite effect, so limit to two glasses per day. Drink grape juice.
Garlic .. German researchers have found that garlic is packed with antioxidants known to help fend off cancer, heart disease, all-over aging, and prolong cancer survival time. Let crushed garlic "rest" for about 10 minutes before cooking to preserve disease-fighting agents.
Spinach .. Second among vegetables only to garlic in antioxidant capacity and is also rich in folic acid, which helps fight cancer, heart disease and mental disorders. New University of Kentucky research shows folic acid may help prevent Alzheimer's disease. Eat both raw and steamed for best benefit.
Whole grains .. A University of Minnesota study suggests the more whole grains you eat, the lower your odds of death by 15%. Whole grains contain anticancer agents and help stabilize blood sugar and insulin, which may promote longevity. Whole-grain "dark" breads, cereals such as All Bran, and "old fashioned" oatmeal are an excellent source.
Salmon and other fatty fish. Contains high amounts of omega-3 fat that performs miracles throughout the body, fighting virtually every chronic disease known. Without it, your brain can't think, your heart can't beat, your arteries clog, and joints become inflamed. You need one ounce a day, or two servings of salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring or tuna per week.
Nuts .. A Harvard University study found that eating more than 5 ounces a week can cut heart-attack deaths in women by 40% and help prevent deadly irregular heart beats in men. Almonds and walnuts lower blood cholesterol. Most of the fat in nuts is the good-type monounsaturated and/or omega-3. Unsalted nuts are best.
Blueberries .. High in antioxidants, Tufts University researchers say a half-cup of blueberries a day can retard aging and can block brain changes leading to decline and even reverse failing memory.
Tea .. Green or black tea has equal antioxidant benefit. Harvard researchers found that one cup a day can cut heart disease risk in half, whilst Tufts University shows that made from loose tea or tea bags, instant or bottled tea has little effect.
Olive Oil .. Shown to help reduce death from heart disease and cancer. Recent research shows that heart-attack survivors on a Mediterranean diet had half the death rates of those on an ordinary low-fat diet. Olive oil is also high in antioxidant activity.
Red Grapes , including red grape juice. Red grapes have moderate antioxidant power, while purple grape juice has four times more antioxidant activity than orange or tomato juice. Red wine (not white) has about the same antioxidant capacity as purple grape juice or tea. French research shows that drinking red wine in moderation increases longevity, but excessive drinking has the opposite effect, so limit to two glasses per day. Drink grape juice.
Garlic .. German researchers have found that garlic is packed with antioxidants known to help fend off cancer, heart disease, all-over aging, and prolong cancer survival time. Let crushed garlic "rest" for about 10 minutes before cooking to preserve disease-fighting agents.
Spinach .. Second among vegetables only to garlic in antioxidant capacity and is also rich in folic acid, which helps fight cancer, heart disease and mental disorders. New University of Kentucky research shows folic acid may help prevent Alzheimer's disease. Eat both raw and steamed for best benefit.
Whole grains .. A University of Minnesota study suggests the more whole grains you eat, the lower your odds of death by 15%. Whole grains contain anticancer agents and help stabilize blood sugar and insulin, which may promote longevity. Whole-grain "dark" breads, cereals such as All Bran, and "old fashioned" oatmeal are an excellent source.
Salmon and other fatty fish. Contains high amounts of omega-3 fat that performs miracles throughout the body, fighting virtually every chronic disease known. Without it, your brain can't think, your heart can't beat, your arteries clog, and joints become inflamed. You need one ounce a day, or two servings of salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring or tuna per week.
Nuts .. A Harvard University study found that eating more than 5 ounces a week can cut heart-attack deaths in women by 40% and help prevent deadly irregular heart beats in men. Almonds and walnuts lower blood cholesterol. Most of the fat in nuts is the good-type monounsaturated and/or omega-3. Unsalted nuts are best.
Blueberries .. High in antioxidants, Tufts University researchers say a half-cup of blueberries a day can retard aging and can block brain changes leading to decline and even reverse failing memory.
Tea .. Green or black tea has equal antioxidant benefit. Harvard researchers found that one cup a day can cut heart disease risk in half, whilst Tufts University shows that made from loose tea or tea bags, instant or bottled tea has little effect.
Penseur 12:04 am
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Monday, February 26, 2007
Identifying Stroke - STR
One of those forwarded stories but good reminder:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away). She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK . to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
{NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue... if the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke}
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away). She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK . to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
{NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue... if the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke}
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
Labels: Health
Penseur 9:42 am
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