Can food affect the smell of women's discharge?

Q: Can food affect the smell of women's discharge?
A: There is anecdotal evidence that the scents of certain foods -- including garlic, onions, and asparagus -- crop up in your most private areas. "When foods are broken down, they're absorbed into the bloodstream, and some of their compounds can be secreted through glands all over your body, including your vagina,"  Some patients claim that eating sweet, acidic fruits such as pineapples and oranges improves their scent south of the border. However, as of yet there aren't any scientific studies to back up the idea that what you eat affects your aroma down below.


Q: My urine sometimes has a strong odor. What's causing it?

A: There are several culprits that cause pungent pee. You may be dehydrated, which makes urine more concentrated and odorous, Foods such as garlic and asparagus as well as certain vitamins and medications are other common but harmless causes. But if those have all been ruled out, a urinary-tract infection may be to blame, even if you lack typical symptoms like burning and frequent urination.

Q: Why do I get tired when I have my period?

A: Feeling lethargic during menstruation is a normal result of the plunge in the hormone estrogen that occurs during this point in your cycle. "Your energy level should return within a few days, when estrogen levels start increasing again," 

However, if the fatigue lasts longer than that or by tired you mean that you're totally wiped out all week, there's probably another cause. "You may be suffering from iron-deficiency anemia, especially if you have very heavy periods,".

Federal agency is pressured to re-post online database of doctors' malpractice and disciplinary cases

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley has joined journalists, academic researchers and consumer groups in calling on the Health Resources and Services Administration to put back online the National Practitioner Data Bank, a database of malpractice and disciplinary cases against doctors.

"In a strongly worded letter, the Iowa Republican, who has led investigations of fraud and waste in government health programs, said the now-removed file 'serves as the backbone in providing transparency for bad-acting health care professionals'," Duff Wilson of The New York Times reports. Grassley gave HRSA, part of the the Department of Health and Human Services, until Oct. 21 to hand over documents and answer a series of questions, ending with "What is your timeline for getting the database up and running again?"

For a PDF of Grassley's letter, click here. Under pressure, the agency has scheduled a conference call on the issue for Thursday, Oct. 13, from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

The database "was created in 1986 for hospitals, medical boards, insurers and others to share information so that bad doctors do not slip through cracks in reporting," Wilson writes. The law makes doctors' names confidential, but the database has a Public Use File for researchers and journalists, in which doctors are identified only by numbers.

Some journalists have been able to identify doctors using information from other sources, such as lawsuits. "After a complaint by one doctor identified by The Kansas City Star, the agency threatened the newspaper reporter with a fine, pulled the doctor’s file from its Web site on Sept. 1 and began a review of how to hide the identities better," Wilson reports. "Its actions provoked protests" from the Association of Health Care Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and other groups. In a letter, they told HRSA, "Nothing in the Public Use File can be used to identify individuals if reporters or researchers don’t already know for whom they are searching."

Grassley wrote, "It seems disturbing and bizarre that HRSA would attempt to chill a reporter’s First Amendment activity with threats of fines for merely 'republishing' public information from one source and connecting it with public information from another. A journalist’s shoe-leather reporting is no justification for such threats or for HRSA to shut down public access to information that Congress intended to be public."

The Public Use File can be downloaded from the website of Investigative Reporters and Editors, one of the groups, protesting its removal from the HRSA site, but "that file will be more and more out-of-date as the dispute goes on," Wilson notes. She also reports that Robert E. Oshel, associate director for research and disputes in the Division of Practitioner Data Banks, says the agency is misinterpreting the law. (Read more)

High-dose flu shot, which many doctors recommend for those over 65 due to risk of death, is becoming more available

It's time for flu shots, but the annual reminder has a new angle: Fluzone HighDose, a special vaccine designed for people 65 and older, who make up 90 percent of the 23,000 people who die of the flu and its complications.

"The high-dose vaccine for seniors, introduced last year by drug-maker Sanofi Pasteur, is becoming more widely available in the area, and health workers say it’s in high demand," Laura Ungar reports for The Courier-Journal of Louisville.The Jefferson County Health Department "charges $40 for the high-dose shot and $25 for the regular vaccine that is injected." (C-J photo by Bill Luster: Joe Blincoe of Louisville gets one of the new, high-dose shots)

The high-dose vaccine contains four times as much antibody-creating antigen as a regular shot, and it is recommended by Dr. Nancy Stiles, a geriatrician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "says problems such as pain and swelling at the injection site and headache or muscle aches were reported more frequently after people got the high-dose vaccine," Ungar writes. "At this point, the CDC is not recommending one type over the other," pending a study. "Whichever type of flu shot seniors get, local doctors are also urging them to make sure they have had a pneumonia shot," which is good for at least five years. (Read more)

HOW TO GET YOUR TEETH WHITE

Everyone would love to have white teeth; normally our teeth are white, just that some have the yellowish color…. not that much though…. I love white teeth so for that reason I am going to share this with you on how to GET YOUR TEETH WHITE   Things you’ll need: 1 ripe strawberry 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda Water Instructions First you have to crush the strawberry to a pulp. Then you mix the straw berry with the baking soda. Next you take a small toothbrush and spread it over your teeth. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Now you rinse your mouth out with a handful of water and brush your teeth with toothpaste. You can apply once a week. Then you should start to see results fast!

How To Eat Without Weight Gain?

Many people blame eating out for the extra weight Americans now carry. Here are a number of ways to enjoy eating out without gaining weight.

Step1

Schedule the eating out for a lunchtime meal rather than an evening meal. Most restaurants serve a smaller meal at noon.

Step2

Know what foods are high fat and high calories and avoid those. If unsure, avoid fried foods and look for grilled, baked or boiled foods.

Step3

Look for a section of the menu named light fare or senior meals. These are usually smaller portions. Some menus allow a half serving as a choice from the regular menu. Also look for icons that rate certain menu items as heart healthy or low calorie.

Step4

Make a meal out of an appetizer. Often these are sizable enough to serve as an entree.

Step5

When indulging in something loaded with cheese and served on an oversize platter, take half of it home. Restaurants provide take-home containers. Make a lunch from the excess food another day.

Step6

Ask for substitutions if a meal comes with high-calorie sauces and side dishes. Ask the waiter if you can have steamed broccoli instead of broccoli with a cheese sauce. Ask for salad dressing served on the side, so you can put only the amount you want on the salad.

Step7

Split an entree with someone. Find a menu item you both like and ask the waiter if you can have an extra plate to share it. This saves calories and dollars.

Step8

Opt for water instead of umpteen refills of soda. Realize that sodas essentially are liquid candy and add many calories to a meal.

Step9

Skip having an appetizer and a dessert. Most servings are so large that you just don't need anything before and after.

Step10

Use restraint filling up on the loaf of bread or basket of tortilla chips. Don't let the waiter bring more of these.

Step11

Take a look on-line at the menu to pre select several healthy choices before going to the restaurant. Often they have one showing the nutritional information on various meals. This works for national chains like Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, and Ruby Tuesdays, etc. Just search for the restaurant name + menu.

Step12

In a fast food restaurant, look over the "kids' meal" menu. These include smaller portions. Now many offer fruit as an option to replace French