Dianna Agron, looking very charming in a form-hugging black dress, gave photographers extra smiles as she walked out of the David Letterman show in New York. The "Glee" actress is currently promoting the "Glee Live Tour" she is performing in.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
DOES Stress reduce your chances of having a baby?
High stress levels can damage a woman’s chances of getting pregnant, researchers warn.
Those who are anxious are 12 per cent less likely to conceive during their fertile time than those who stay calm.
It is the first proof that stress makes it less likely a woman will fall pregnant, despite long-standing anecdotal evidence that being relaxed can improve the chances.
Although the fall in success rates appears small, experts claim it can make a big difference to older women trying to have a baby when their fertility is naturally declining because of age.
In a study at Oxford University and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, blood levels of a marker for a stress hormone called alphaamylase were consistently higher in women who had trouble conceiving.
Dr Cecilia Pyper, from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University, said: ‘This is the first study to find that a biological measure of stress is associated with a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant-that month.
‘We found that those women with high levels of a marker for stress were less likely to succeed in conceiving.
‘The findings support the idea that couples should aim to stay as relaxed as they can about trying for a baby.
‘In some people’s cases, it might be relevant to look at relaxation techniques, counselling and even approaches like yoga and meditation.
‘Many couples are very keen to know what they should do to improve their chances of conceiving and having a healthy baby, and this will help us provide the best advice.’
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Fertility and Sterility, carried out saliva tests on 274 women aged 18 and 40 who were all planning pregnancy but not tried for more than three months.
They analysed levels of the stress hormone cortisol and the enzyme alpha-amylase, which is a marker for adrenalin – the ‘fight or flight’ hormone. Researchers carried out the tests on day six of each woman’s menstrual cycle for a total of six cycles or until the woman fell pregnant.
They used fertility monitors to identify ovulation and confirmed the pregnancies with testing kits.
The study found no effect from cortisol on the chances of falling pregnant.
But women in the group with the highest levels of alpha-amylase had a 12 per cent lower chance of becoming pregnant for each day of their most fertile days than those with the lowest levels of alpha-amylase.
The researchers said: ‘Irrespective of the day or frequency of sexual intercourse during the fertile window, women with higher concentrations of alpha-amylse were less likely to conceive than women with lower concentrations.
‘Stress significantly reduced the probability of conception each day during the fertile window.’
Dr Pyper said it was unclear how the stress hormone affected fertility, although it might reduce blood flow in the fallopian tubes which could affect transportation of the egg or sperm.
She said previous research appears to have focused on the stress hormone cortisol, rather than alpha-amylase, which may explain why it has been difficult to prove a link with fertility chances until now.
‘The difference in your chances of getting pregnant could be important to older women in their late 30s trying for a first baby, or even a second or third child, at a time when their fertility is declining because of their age and it all takes longer,’ she added.
Dr Pyper said women were highly likely to benefit from relaxation techniques, particularly as such therapies had been shown to improve IVF pregnancy rates.
Leading fertility specialist Dr Allan Pacey described the findings as ‘intriguing’.
‘It’s important for women to relax when they are trying to have a baby, but it’s easier said than done,’ he said. ‘My advice to couples is to throw away the fertility charts and don’t make trying for a baby a chore – it will stress you both out.’
source: dailymail.co.uk
Rural folks have more chronic conditions and less access to health care, and Kentucky is one of the more rural states
Though rural Americans have more chronic health conditions than those who live in urban centers, they have poorer access to health care, a working paper released last month confirms. Health experts are pointing to technology, including telemedicine, to help bridge the gap.The paper was compiled by the UnitedHealth Center for Health & Reform Modernization, an arm of the nation's largest health insurer. It found "there are only 65 primary care physicians per 100,000 rural Americans — 40 or so less than the 105 per 100,000 urban and suburban Americans," Molly O'Toole of Reuters reports. "Already five million rural residents live in 'shortage areas' defined by the government as counties with less than 33 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents." The problem intensifies when it comes to specialists, with rural areas having fewer than half the number of surgeons and other specialists per capita.
Kentucky is one of the more rural states, with the latest U.S. Census numbers showing that about 42 percent of its population lives in rural areas.
The study incorporated results of a survey of about 3,000 patients and primary-care physicians. It found drug abuse and teen pregnancy are bigger concerns in rural areas than in cities. Rural people tend to think their local health care is lower in quality than in urban centers. In many instances, they're right. "UnitedHealth confirmed this 'equality deficit' is supported by data showing that in 70 percent of markets, rural quality of care was measurably worse than in urban areas," O'Toole reports.
To remedy the situation, the report advises expanding the role for nurse practitioners and incorporating more mobile health clinics, technology such as telemedicine and preventive care into health care. (Read more)
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Keep your Stomach Flat and Lean
Yahoo Health has assembled 10 expert tips to keep your stomach flat and lean.
Here are a few of them. To read the rest of the tips, you can click on the link below:
Eat at the magic hour: Have a snack that contains protein between 3 PM and 4 PM. It will boost your metabolism and balance your blood sugar.
Beef up on a belly-zapping hormone: Eat as close to zero grams of sugar as possible. This will keep your insulin levels low, and also keep your glucagon levels high. Glucagon, a hormone, helps keep your belly flat
Chew on this: Chewing prevents bloating. Chew food until it is like applesauce in your mouth. Digestion begins in the mouth, and better-digested food means less gas and bloating.
Size matters: Eating portion-controlled meals will reduce your abdominal flab.
Building muscle, losing fat, and improving overall health is dependent on one very important hormone -- insulin. The website Bodybuilding.com offers 6 tips to get your insulin sensitivity high and keep it there. Here are three of them:
Tighten the reins on refined carbs: One of the primary reasons people develop diabetes is their overconsumption of refined carbs and sugars, which causes their pancreas to continually pump out more and more insulin.
Have some healthy fats: Another way to increase your insulin sensitivity is by optimizing the rate at which your body processes carbohydrates by eating plenty of healthy fats.
Stay active all day: Most people hit the gym regularly, but they succumb to long periods of inactivity during the rest of their day. This is asking for trouble.
To read the rest of their tips, click on the link below.
Sources:
Yahoo Health July 15, 2011
Bodybuilding July 15, 2011
Here are a few of them. To read the rest of the tips, you can click on the link below:
Eat at the magic hour: Have a snack that contains protein between 3 PM and 4 PM. It will boost your metabolism and balance your blood sugar.
Beef up on a belly-zapping hormone: Eat as close to zero grams of sugar as possible. This will keep your insulin levels low, and also keep your glucagon levels high. Glucagon, a hormone, helps keep your belly flat
Chew on this: Chewing prevents bloating. Chew food until it is like applesauce in your mouth. Digestion begins in the mouth, and better-digested food means less gas and bloating.
Size matters: Eating portion-controlled meals will reduce your abdominal flab.
Building muscle, losing fat, and improving overall health is dependent on one very important hormone -- insulin. The website Bodybuilding.com offers 6 tips to get your insulin sensitivity high and keep it there. Here are three of them:
Tighten the reins on refined carbs: One of the primary reasons people develop diabetes is their overconsumption of refined carbs and sugars, which causes their pancreas to continually pump out more and more insulin.
Have some healthy fats: Another way to increase your insulin sensitivity is by optimizing the rate at which your body processes carbohydrates by eating plenty of healthy fats.
Stay active all day: Most people hit the gym regularly, but they succumb to long periods of inactivity during the rest of their day. This is asking for trouble.
To read the rest of their tips, click on the link below.
Sources:
Yahoo Health July 15, 2011
Bodybuilding July 15, 2011
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