Women's Corner Archives - InnoHEALTH magazine

Arunachalam Muruganantham: A Tale of Menstrual Hygiene Movement

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Tue, 15 May 2018 10:12:06 +0000

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Alisha Thapa works as a community manager in MixORG, New Delhi. Also generates content and strategy for brands. She runs campaigns for brands’ engagement and presence on online media channels.

Now that the entire nation knows the unsung hero, let’s learn about how his uncomfortable journey actually began. Silence on Menstruation in our country remained extreme until ad commercials on sanitary pads started erupting one after the other along with a revolution of the Television industry in the 1990s. That’s how women in urban India developed an interest to replace the cloth with a sanitary pad during menstruation days. The availability of the product became prominent in nearby stores.

Sadly, the situation wasn’t the same in rural India. For a very long era, women in villages and small towns relied on dirty rags and leaves and horrifyingly even used ashes and sand. Certain customs made their lives more difficult such as hiding menstrual cloth in dark areas which did not allow sterilisation of cloth from sunlight, living in a separate room during menstrual days and restriction from doing many activities. Girls dropped out of the school once the period would start or remained absent for those five days due to the lack of toilets in school. The multinational companies had entered India but failed to pitch the rural market due to lack of three As–Awareness, Affordability and Accessibility.

The biggest hurdle that was deeply rooted in all other disadvantages in India was menstrual taboos that differed with every different region. Irrespective of rural or urban society, during menstrual days, certain customs still prevail in large amount. Such as not entering the temple, skipping religious ceremonies at home, not allowed to enter the kitchen and many more. Three decades have already passed by in public awareness and selling of sanitary pads in our country. However, various surveys report that only 12% of women population use sanitary pads and the remaining 88% rely on other unhygienic alternatives.

As an answer to overcome all the aforementioned complexities, a common man from the southern part of India struggled for many years. Finally in the year 2006, he succeeded in innovating a machine that changed the game of menstrual hygiene in our country.

The man behind a thoughtful initiative in women’s menstrual hygiene in India did not initially begin his remarkable journey with an intent to lead a full-fledged movement. He once had a simple and decent lifestyle in the beginning years of his life. Born in 1962, Arunachalam as a young boy grew in poverty in a small village of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. His father’s early death and his mother’s single-handed hardships eventually left him with no option but to drop out of school. From the age of fourteen, he was in various jobs such as tool operator, farm labourer, welder and many more to support his family. Today, he is a social entrepreneur who has designed a low-cost sanitary pad making the machine. An awardee of Padma Shri, he is credited for innovating grassroots mechanisms for generating awareness about traditional unhygienic practices around menstruation in rural India.

So, what made Arunachalam think deeply about menstrual hygiene? How did he come across the idea of designing sanitary napkins for women? Well, his marriage with Shanti and the aftermath gave birth to a genius that developed within him. In the late 90s shortly after his marriage, one day Arunachalam noticed that his wife was hiding something on her back. She showed him the dirty cloth with blood. His wife used dirty cloth during menstruation days. He himself felt that he would never consider using that dirty cloth to even clean his scooter. On wife’s part, it was the other household budget that made her discard the use of sanitary pads.

As a gesture to impress his wife and take care of her personal hygiene. Arunachalam travelled to the town and bought a pack of sanitary pads for his wife. As he touched the pad for the first time, he knew that the cotton was the primary material needed for a pad. He could also make out the serious amount of price being charged for a 10-gram cotton-made pad.

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With a hope to design affordable pads for his wife as well as the women around his village area, he started off his honest and small attempt which we know today as a worldwide phenomenon. In his first attempt, he made a pad completely made out of cotton. After he faced series of unwillingness to wear and test the pad for feedback from his wife, sisters and the medical college girls. He decided to wear and test the product on himself. That is how he officially became ‘the man who wore a sanitary pad’. Interestingly, he created an artificial uterus from a football bladder and filled goat’s blood in it. He then attached a pipe to the bladder and directed it towards the pad he wore. He walked, cycled and ran as he pumped the blood from the bladder and every time sensed a foul smell of the blood.

Day by day, his involvement in the research deepened. And his activities were wrongly judged by the village people and he was even addressed as a madman. Some avoided him and some declared him to be suffering from the sexual disease as he washed his blood-stained clothes in a public well. Bigger problems awaited him. Within the eighteen months of his research, his wife left him with a divorce notice being slapped on his face as well as his mother left the house. With the ever-growing superstitious beliefs of the villagers. It eventually became tough for him to live and his village exclude him. He was all alone in the world, but nothing could stop him for his determination.

However, the cotton pad he had managed to design couldn’t produce an output like any other branded sanitary pad. Lack of knowledge and resources and inability to speak or understand English were some of the first hurdles in his method of research. He would send those branded pads for laboratory analysis and everytime cotton would be detected as the main material. Whereas his own cotton creation was failing. With the help of a college professor, he started writing and asking the big manufacturing companies. In reply, he was asked about the kind of plant he owned. And to which he had no clue of what the companies were asking.

Subsequently, he started saying that he was a textile mill owner in Coimbatore and he was interested in setting up a business in sanitary pads. Therefore, he required few samples to start with. That statement did work in his favour. It took him more than two years to discover the material used in a sanitary pad. The bark of a tree extracts the cellulose. Very soon he realised the requirement of a machine to break down the material. Buying a machine meant the expenditure of thousands of dollars. Therefore, Arunachalam came up with an idea to design a machine. It took four years for him to prepare the machine.

He showed his innovation to the IIT in Madras where scientists were doubtful. They did not see any potential in the machine to compete with other innovations. Nonetheless, IIT entered his machine in a competition for a national innovation award. Arunachalam’s machine stood first out of nine hundred forty-three entries. President of India Pratibha Patil presented him with an award.

His next big move is to reach the wider world. He plans to expand to as many countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Bangladesh and many more. Inspired by his breakthrough innovation, the film Industry in India initiated a film on February 2018 titled as ‘PadMan’.

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Useful Tips and Information on Menstrual Hygiene

At times, even women living in urban areas or metropolitan cities are unaware of basic hygiene that are important to follow during periods. Lack of limited education on the subject, hesitance against the free flow of communication and taboos. These are some of the barriers that overshadow the basic hygiene knowledge of menstruation. Take a look below and see if you knew them before:

You should change your sanitary pad once in every six hours. During heavy flow, you could change in shorter time. Wearing same pad for longer duration could lead to problems such as skin rashes and infections

- Wash regularly to avoid bad odour and spread of germs

Once you have decided to throw a used pad, do it properly. Refrain from flushing the pad down the toilet as it may cause a blockage. Wrap it well before you discard it. Then wash your hands properly.

- Apply an ointment after a bath if you suffer from a pad rash. In case if it doesn’t heal, visit a doctor.

While travelling, always carries extra pads stored in a clean bag or a pouch. Carrying some tissues and a hand sanitizer will be useful as well as a bottle of water will keep you hydrated.

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Consequences of Workplace Harassment

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Mon, 07 May 2018 09:59:10 +0000

Employees who experience sexual harassment by supervisors, colleagues or subordinates in the workplace may develop more severe symptoms of depression than employees who experience harassment from clients or customers. The research which involved 7603 employees from across 1041 organizations in Denmark was published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.

Also Read: Exercise in big parks can reduce depression

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Dr. Ida Elisabeth Huitfeldt Madsen, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Denmark, the corresponding author said: “We were surprised to see the differences between the effects of harassment by clients or customers compared to harassment by other employees. This is not something that has been shown before. Previous research showed an increased risk of long-term sickness absence for employees exposed to sexual harassment by a colleague, supervisor or subordinate but an increased risk was not always found in association with sexual harassment by clients or customers.”

Dr. Madsen added: “Our findings suggest that sexual harassment from clients or customers have adverse consequences and should not be normalized or ignored. In this study, we found that sexual harassment from clients or customers, which is more prevalent than harassment from other employees, is associated with an increased level of depressive symptoms. This is important as some workplaces, for example in person-related work like care work or social work, may have an attitude that dealing with sexual harassment by clients or customers is ‘part of the job’.”

The researchers found that compared to employees not exposed to sexual harassment, employees harassed by clients or customers scored 2.05 points higher on the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) – a self-report mood questionnaire that generates a diagnosis of depression together with an estimate of symptom severity. Scores on the MDI range from 20 for minor depression to 30 or more for major depression. Employees harassed by a colleague, supervisor or subordinate scored 2.45 points higher compared to employees who had experienced sexual harassment by clients or customers.

When looking at clinical depression only, the researchers found no increased risk among those harassed by clients or customers compared to those not exposed to harassment, whereas those harassed by colleagues, supervisors or subordinates had a significantly higher risk of clinical depression.

Out of the 7603 employees who participated in this study, 2.4% (180) were exposed to sexual harassment by clients or customers, while 1.0% (79) was exposed to harassment by colleagues. Women were more likely to be exposed than men, with 169 out of 4116 women reporting sexual harassment by clients or customers compared to 11 out of 3487 men, and 48 women reporting sexual harassment by colleagues compared to 31 men. Participants employed in care workers were more often exposed to sexual harassment by clients or customers – 152 out of 2191 (6.9%) – than participants employed in other occupational groups such as education, service or industrial work.

The authors note that as the number of exposed individuals in this study was relatively low. This increases the uncertainty of the reported estimates, especially for men. The observed associations may thus largely be reflective of women’s experiences. The cross-sectional observational design of this study does not allow for conclusions about cause and effect. Also, the use of self-reported data that relied on participant recall may have led to sexual harassment being under- or over-reported.

Despite these limitations, the authors suggest that it is important to investigate sexual harassment from clients or customers and sexual harassment by colleagues, supervisors or subordinates as distinct types of harassment and to identify methods to prevent sexual harassment and the development of depressive symptoms.

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Global nutrition needs swift efforts

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 11:05:15 +0000

Global nutrition crisis threatens human development, demands ‘critical step change’ in response – Report

Women’s health in India has emerged as a major nutritional challenge with the country wrestling largest number of anemic women in the world and the other having to tackle diseases related with obesity –that is on the rise, warns the latest Global Nutrition Report, 2017. It says there is malnutrition among adults globally.A total of 614 million women aged between 15–49 years were affected by anemia. India had the largest number of women impacted, followed by China, Pakistan, Nigeria and Indonesia.In India and Pakistan, more than half of all women of reproductive age have anemia.

It is a global issue that many women in high-income countries also suffer from; prevalence rates may be as high as 18% in countries such as France and Switzerland. Obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥30) is most common among North American men (33%) and women (34%), and lowest among Asian and African men (6%) and Asian women (9%).

Also Read:
Difference Between Pranayama and Breathing
Yoga Mojo Going Viral – Meditation in India

Overweight and obesity are increasing in almost every country and are a real concern for many low and middle income countries, not just high-income ones.The problem affects more women than men in all the world’s regions, reflecting a wider global gender disparity.

Hypertension is most common (28%) among African women and European men, and lowest (11%) among North American women. A quarter of Asian and Latin American men suffered from raised blood pressure in 2015. While more women worldwide are affected by obesity, the case for diabetes and hypertension is mixed. There is more diabetes among men than women in Asia, Europe, Northern America and Oceania, and more hypertension among men than women in all regions except Africa.

The world now faces a serious nutrition- related challenge, whether stemming from under nutrition or obesity, states Global Nutrition Report 2017.

The report found the vast majority (88%) of countries studied face a serious burden of two or three of these forms of malnutrition. It highlights the damaging impact this burden is having on broader global development efforts.

“The world can’t afford not to act on nutrition or we risk putting the brakes on human development as a whole,” said Corinna Hawkes, Co-Chair of the Global Nutrition Report’s Independent Expert Group and Director of the Centre for Food Policy at City, University London. “We will not achieve any of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline unless there is a critical step change in our response to malnutrition in all its forms. Equally, we need action throughout the goals to tackle the many causes of malnutrition.”

The Report calls for nutrition to be placed at the heart of efforts to end poverty, fight disease, raise educational standards and tackle climate change.

“We know that a well-nourished child is one-third more likely to escape poverty,” said Jessica Fanzo, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Global Food and Agriculture Policy Ethics at Johns Hopkins University and Global Nutrition Report CoChair.

At least 41 million children under five are overweight, with the problem affecting high and lower income countries alike
At least 10 million children in Africa are now classified as overweight
One-third of North American men (33%) and women (34%) are obese
155 million under-fives are stunted; Africa is the only region where absolute numbers are rising, due to population growth
52 million children worldwide are defined as wasted, meaning they do not weigh enough for their height

In all 140 countries studied, the report found ‘significant burdens’ of three important forms of malnutrition used as an indicator of broader trends:
1) childhood stunting-children too short for their age due to lack of nutrients, suffering irreversible damage to brain capacity,
2) anemia in women of reproductive age-a serious condition that can have long term health impacts for mother and child, and
3) overweight adult women-a rising concern as women are disproportionately affected by the global obesity epidemic.

“They will learn better in school, be healthier and grow into productive contributors to their economies. Good nutrition provides the brainpower, the ‘grey matter infrastructure’ to build the economies of the future.”

Rates of undernutrition in children are decreasing, the report said, with recent gains in some countries. But global progress is not fast enough to meet internationally agreed nutrition goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target 2.2 to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030.

EmornUdomkesmalee, Co-Chair of the Global Nutrition Report’s Independent Expert Group and Senior Advisor, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand, said, “It’s not just about more money – although that is important – it’s also about breaking down silos and addressing malnutrition in a more joined-up way alongside all the other drivers of development. There’s a powerful multiplier effect here that we have to harness.”

The report found that overweight and obesity are on the rise in almost every country.With 2 billion of the world’s 7 billion people are now overweight or obese and a less than 1 per cent chance of meeting the global target of halting the rise in obesity and diabetes by 2025.

Rising rates of anemiaamong women of reproductive age are also cited as a concern with almost one in three women affected worldwide and no country on track to meet global targets. “Historically, maternal anemia and child undernutrition have been separate problems to obesity and noncommunicable diseases,” said MsFanzo. “The reality is they are intimately connected and driven by inequalities everywhere in the world. That’s why governments and their partners need to tackle them holistically, not as distinct problems.” Donor funding for nutrition rose by just two per cent in 2015, to US$867 million, representing a slight fall in the overall percentage of global aid. The report says funding needs to be ‘turbo charged’ and calls for a tripling of global investments in nutrition, to $70bn for over next 10 years to tackle childhood stunting, wasting and anemia and to increase breastfeeding rates. Crucially, donors are only spending 0.01 per cent of official development assistance on diet related Non-Communicable Diseases, a ‘disturbingly low’ level.

Pledges to invest in nutrition must be ‘concrete’ and ‘acted upon’, not ‘empty rhetoric’, the report said. Of the 203 commitments made at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2013 those most likely to be classified as ‘on course’ are the UN agencies’ at 86 per cent, followed by ‘other organisations’ at 75 per cent and NGO policy commitments at 73 per cent.

The report found there is a critical need for better data on nutrition – many countries don’t have enough data to track the nutrition targets they signed up to and to identify who is being left behind.

Report says the world consumes too much salt. Intake varies by region, but no region had intakes within the WHO-recommended limits of 2 g/day of sodium. Asia has the highest intake (4.3 g/day of sodium), followed by Europe (4.0 g/day of sodium). At national level, only seven countries (Burundi, Comoros, Gabon, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda) have sodium intakes within desirable limit).

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Stressful events can increase women's obesity

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 08:33:59 +0000

Women who experienced one or more traumatic lifetime events or several negative events in recent years had higher odds of being obese than women who didn’t report such stress, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2017, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians.

“Little is known about how negative and traumatic life events affect obesity in women. We know that stress affects behaviour, including whether people under- or overeat, as well as neuro-hormonal activity by in part increasing cortisol production, which is related to weight gain,” said study senior author Michelle A. Albert, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine, cardiology, and founding director of the Center for the Study of Adversity and Cardiovascular Disease, at University of California, San Francisco.

Obesity, a preventable risk factor for cardiovascular and other diseases, impacts more than one-third of U.S. adults. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 70 percent of American adults are either overweight or obese. Women tend to live longer than men, putting especially obese, aging women at greater risk for disease, said study author Eva M. Durazo, Ph.D., a post-doctoral scholar at the NURTURE Center, Division of Cardiology, and UCSF said.

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The researchers studied the relationship between major life events and obesity in a group of 21,904 middle-aged and older women, focusing on women with the highest obesity prevalence. They defined obesity as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or higher. And, they measured the impacts of two types of stress: traumatic events, which could occur anytime in a woman’s life and includes events as death of a child or being a victim of a serious physical attack, as well as negative life events that had occurred in the previous five years of a woman’s life. Negative events included wanting employment but being unemployed for longer than three months or being burglarized.

Sleep deprivation may increase risk of cardiovascular disease in older women Older women who don’t get enough sleep were more likely to have poor cardiovascular health, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2017. In the new study researchers considered sleeping at least two hours more during the weekend than on the weekday as a sign of being in state debt. Among the roughly 21,500 female health professionals between ages of 60 and 84 the research team followed, women who were in sleep debt were more likely to be obese and have hypertension. When taking into account socioeconomic status and sources of stress, such as negative life events and work-related stress that could also influence cardiovascular health, quality of sleep was still an important factor for good overall cardiovascular health. The results suggest that not getting enough sleep during the week might throw the body off and may increase risk of cardiovascular disease in older women.

NEARLY A QUARTER (23 PERCENT) OF THE WOMEN STUDIED WERE OBESE

Women who reported greater than one traumatic life event versus no traumatic life events had 11 percent increased odds of obesity;

The higher the number of negative life events reported by women in the last five years, the higher the tendency for increased odds of obesity. Specifically, women who reported four or more negative life events had a 36 percent higher risk of obesity, compared to women who reported no such events;

Among women who had higher levels of physical activity, there was a stronger association between increasing cumulative/chronic stress and obesity, though the reason for this finding remains uncertain.

“Our findings suggest that psychological stress in the form of negative and traumatic life events might represent an important risk factor for weight changes and, therefore, we should consider including assessment and treatment of psychosocial stress in approaches to weight management,” Albert said.

Because the study looks at the association between stressful events and obesity in a snapshot of time, future studies should look at the relationship longitudinally, following people for weight gain over time after life events have occurred, according to Albert.

“This is important work because women are living longer and are more at risk for chronic illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease. The potential public health impact is large, as obesity is related to increased risks of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and cancer, and contributes to spiraling healthcare costs,” Albert said.

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Centre for Childhood Neuro developmental Disorders at AIIMS

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 11:10:13 +0000

The genetic tests would help in antenatal counselling preventing further birth of affected children in families and unveiling of newer pathogenic and therapeutic pathways.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences will soon establish the Centre for Advanced Research and Excellence for Childhood Neuro developmental Disorders.

The Centre of Excellence will come up at the Mother and Child Block at an approved amount of Rs 14.3 crore. The broad category of Neuro developmental disorders to be covered by the CoE would be Neuromotor impairments, Motor, language and cognitive delay and epilepsy. Vision and hearing impairments will be covered as comorbidities.

According to AIIMS Deputy Director Administration V. Srinivas, the proposal for establishing the CoE was conceptualised by a team of senior faculty led by Prof V. K. Paul and Prof Sheffali Gulati.

The state-of-the-art Centre will provide high quality affordable care, perform high end diagnostic and therapeutic research and act as an education and training hub.

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The five key elements of the CoEare –Creation of a National Registry, National Knowledge and Training Centre, Advanced Diagnostics, Advanced Therapeutics& Rehabilitation and a helpline for Tele-consultation.

The National Registry will be the first of its kind in the country paving the way for meaningful research, policy making and advocacy for childhood neuro development disorders.

A standardised list of investigations for diagnosis of neuro developmental disorders would be developed including advanced genetic investigations in collaboration with Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology. The genetic tests would help in antenatal counselling preventing further birth of affected children in families and unveiling of newer pathogenic and therapeutic pathways.

The Centre will focus on use of technology-aided rehabilitation strategies for children with neuro developmental disorders. This will be done in collaboration with IIT Delhi utilising textile technology and biomedical engineering. It will provide reliable and round the clock toll-free telephonic guidance.

The India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited as part of its CSR activities has collaborated for the purpose.

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Dance therapy: A paradigm shift

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 07:44:26 +0000

Neerja Singh is a retired scientist of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Her interest is in phytochemistry and non-conventional therapies benefiting the patient. She has practised many such therapies like yoga, dance etc.

Dance is an art wherein you can express yourself and have a therapeutic experience. Dance movement therapy is an old concept but needs a grip in India. The author shares her experience on how dance therapeutically heals her mentally and physically.

What is DANCE?
It is not just a form of art wherein you move rhythmically to music for entertainment. But, it is also a type of therapy. Here is how?

The purpose of dance is to express one’s emotion freely and take pleasure in performing it. If one is angry, cheerful, melancholy, afraid or feel strongly about something, one may choose to show it through eyes, facial expression, and body movements in dance.

There is nothing new about dance. It is well known that dance benefits our body and mind. People have been dancing for centuries or you can say since childhood for entertainment. However, dance as a type of therapy was recognized back in modern dance movement of 19th century. During this movement, it was realized that dance could go beyond simple entertainment, and can be used as a form of expressions. By mid of 20th century, dance therapy developed in US and Europe which added observation, interpretation and manipulation of dance elements into the practice. In 1966, a professional organization, the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) was established. Dance movement therapy (DMT) in USA, Australia, and dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) in the UK is the psychotherapeutic use of movements and dance to support intellectual, emotional and motor functions of the body,as a form of expressive therapy.

DMT uses movement and expression with the skills of psychotherapy, counseling, and rehabilitation to help individuals to achieve both physical and mental health, stress reduction, disease prevention and mood management.

Following are the benefits of Dance Movement Therapy –
1. Improves cardiovascular endurance
2. Improves balance and coordination
3. Improves muscular strength and flexibility
4. Improves body posture and mobility
5. Reduces muscle tension
6. Reduces stress and anxiety
7. Mood elevator
8. Improves expression of feelings
9. Builds confidence and get over shyness

Following are some recent research which showcases that dance therapy can be effective in the treatment of mental health issues like eating disorder, depression, and anxiety.

A study from the Journal of Arts in Psychotherapy (2007) found that dance therapy had a positive effect on participants experiencing symptoms of depression.

A study from Alzheimer’s care (2009) suggests that DMP improves memory recall in people with dementia.

American Journal of Dance Therapy indicated that DMT may be a treatment option for children on the Autism spectrum.

Also, it can be considered as a treatment option for childhood obesity.

At my golden age with silver hair and a young heart, I must say, dancing helps me feel a lot better. I did all sorts of exercise, yoga, meditation, walking, jogging, etc. but I didn’t enjoy any of it and discontinued it sooner or later. Then, I realized that my body moves with emotions and expressions whenever I hear beats of music. I become thoughtless, feel happy and energetic. My mind connects with my body and soul, it’s like meditation to me. It therapeutically heals my aching joints and stiffness of body due to lifestyle diseases, much better than any physiotherapy ever could. This article is not some kind of scientific research, as lot of research on this topic has already been done all over the world. It’s only my insight and personal experience after joining a dance class. A group or couple dance class helps motivate you to do better each day and builds your confidence.

Some people might think, “A dance class? At this age? ”. Yes, I know it is uncommon but why not. One of the reasons that people of my age do not turn up at dance classes is because they are shy. Many North Indian families in earlier days did not appreciate dancing and did not allow girls to dance as it was looked down upon. I was never allowed to dance but allowed to do higher education in those days.

I will not tell you how to move your body or on which song you should dance or how you should dance…… No. I am only going to tell you to move your body and express your feelings as we all know that dancing makes us feel light, joyful, releases happy hormones such as Seratonin, Endrofin, Dopamin etc. Dance moves can predict our feelings like if we are anxious, or self-conscious while dancing, it will show through our moves. You can do any type of dance i.e. Ballroom, Ballet, Tango, Zumba or just wiggle slightly, do what you love or what you feel comfortable with.

Dance like no one is watching and just let go of yourself is the secret of good health. You do not have to be a dancer to get benefit from dance movement therapy. Do not let shyness, age or stamina come on the way. Let your heart dance with joy and happiness, your eyes will dance with emotions and your body movements will improve motor skills. The concept of DMT is new to India and needs more attention. India being the motherland of traditional and modern dance forms can be the new platform for DMT. A new concept like beer yoga is becoming a fad in our society wherein I feel DMT is much more scientific and effective in gaining holistic health. So be happy, enjoy and destress yourself, have a good diet and get better sleep. That is a secret of a happy and healthy golden age.

If you wish, sometime instead of sport shoes, put on your dancing shoes…Hey…..Come on…..Dance.

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10 Questions about breast cancer

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 05:14:44 +0000

10 Questions about Breast Cancer

1. Can breast cancer be prevented?

There is no certain way to prevent breast cancer, since the cause of the disease has not been determined. Early detection followed by prompt care offers the best chance of treating breast cancer successfully.

2. What are the risk factors for breast cancer?

Every woman is at risk for breast cancer. More than 70% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors. The risk of developing breast cancer increases as a woman gets older; it also increases if she has a family history of breast cancer, has never had children or had her first child after age 30, and if she has had prior radiation treatment for Hodgkin’s disease.

3. Do diet and exercise affect breast cancer risk?

Researchers are continuing to explore the effect that a healthy, active lifestyle can have on reducing breast cancer risk. Maintaining a diet low in fat may be beneficial. Following a healthy diet and exercising regularly is good for your overall health, and it may reduce breast cancer risk.

4. Do birth-control pills influence breast cancer risk?

Although some studies have shown increased risk for women who used oral contraceptives before 1975, the risk may not be the same for women using oral contraceptives today. Today’s birth-control pills contain less estrogen and progestins than those manufactured before 1975. Research is still ongoing, and the decision about whether or not to take these medications should be made by each woman and her doctor, based upon her individual case.

5. When should women start having mammograms?

Most cancer organizations recommend that women have annual screening mammograms starting at age 40. Mammography is most effective when it is done regularly — just one mammogram is not enough.

6. Besides having mammograms, what else can women do to detect breast cancer?

In addition to annual mammograms, all women should have a clinical breast exam (by a doctor or a nurse) every year, starting at age 20. After age 20, every woman should also check her own breasts regularly.

7. Are all breast lumps cancerous?

More than 80% of all breast lumps are benign (not cancerous). Breast lumps are very common, especially in younger women, and can come and go with menstrual cycles. Any unusual lump or a lump that doesn’t go away should be checked by a doctor.

8. How does early detection affect breast cancer survival?

When breast cancer is detected and treated at its earliest stage, the five-year survival rate is 97%.

9. What is the best treatment for early-stage breast cancer?

There is a wide range of treatment options, and the best treatment is one that a woman and her doctor decide upon together. For women with early-stage breast cancer, surgical choices include breast-conserving treatment (lumpectomy) that removes the cancer but not the breast. Lumpectomy is usually followed by radiation, chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy.

10. Is there a cure for breast cancer?

No woman treated for breast cancer can be promised a certain cure, but breast cancer is highly treatable. Many women, especially those who find and treat their breast cancer early, go on to live long and productive lives. There are millions of breast cancer survivors in the world today.

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Breast lump? Why you shouldn't panic

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 06:53:25 +0000

It’s every woman’s greatest fear: Finding a breast lump while showering or doing a monthly breast self-exam. But the truth is, a lot of that fear is unfounded, due to the fact that 80% of all lumps turn out to be benign. Here’s what those lumps really mean. Writes Indu S.

We all know the stats: One in nine women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. For most of us, those numbers make every bump in our breasts a cause for panic. But while a lump should never be ignored, the fact is that the texture and feel of a perfectly healthy breast — whether lumpy or smooth, sore or sensitive — can vary from month to month, woman to woman. So when should a bump evoke concern? Read this B&S advisory article compiled by information from leading doctors in the field.

Why your breasts are lumpy?

Doctors have a scary name for lumpy breasts: Fibrocystic breast disease. But although the word disease may induce panic, doctors reassures that lumpy breasts are common. “Many women experience lumpiness, tenderness or thickening of the breast tissue due to monthly hormonal changes. It’s not unusual.”

In fact, there isn’t even a specific test to diagnose these kinds of lumps. It’s not like having a mammography or biopsy and finding a result. It’s kind of in the fingers of the beholder.

Sussing out the good lump from the bad

If your breasts are on the lumpy side, it can be tough to know what to feel for during those monthly self exams. The good news is that “normal” breast lumps tend to feel distinctive; usually they’re soft, smooth and movable. Cancerous lumps, on the other hand, tend to be hard, rough-edged and immobile.

The best way to keep yourself healthy is to examine your breasts every month so that you’re intimately familiar with their geography — every dip and lump and thickening. The best time to do it is about a week after your period, when breasts tend to be least lumpy. (Breast lumpiness and soreness is most likely to occur the week before a woman’s period and ease up after menstruation begins.)

Once you have a sense of the normal texture of your breasts, it will be easier to figure out when something doesn’t feel right and merits a trip to your doctor.

Lumps and cancer risk: Is there a connection?

The good news is fibrocystic breast condition does not increase your risk of breast cancer. There is no relationship between this condition and breast cancer, claim doctors.

What to do when your breasts hurt

Try taking the Pill. Birth-control pills seem to ease pain and lumpiness for some women. This is probably because they keep a woman’s hormone levels more stable throughout her cycle.

Ditch that skimpy lingerie — at least on top. Some women find that wearing a supportive bra (read: one with underwires) can help ease pain.

Go easy on caffeine — Though studies haven’t proved a connection between lumpiness and caffeine, some doctors recommend that women with monthly breast pain cut back on the coffee.

Your Breast Health

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women today, and every woman is at risk. Although there is no proven way to prevent the disease, there are ways that each woman can protect her health. Here are steps you can take to maintain good breast health.

Follow an early-detection program:

* Get regular mammograms, beginning at age 40; one every year or as directed by your doctor.

* Have a breast examination by a doctor or nurse, every year, starting at age 20.

* Learn the normal feel of your breasts, and perform monthly self exams. Many women have lumpy breasts, which are usually not cause for concern. However, if you feel a change or a lump that is new, be sure to have it checked by a doctor or nurse right away.

* There are other steps you can take for good breast health. Researchers are continuing to explore the effect that a healthy, active lifestyle can have on reducing breast cancer risk. While it is not yet known whether losing weight will reduce your risk of developing breast cancer, maintaining a lifelong healthy weight is good for your breast health as well as for your heart and bones.

Results of breast cancer research also suggest you should:

* Maintain a diet low in fat; one that includes fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These low-calorie, high-fiber foods have proven health benefits.

* Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Regular use of even small amounts of alcohol — whether it is liquor, beer or wine — has been shown to increase breast cancer risk.

* Don’t smoke. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease and many chronic illnesses; it also negatively affects the health of others.

* Exercise regularly. Work out, do aerobics, bike or walk briskly — exercise in some way so as to raise your heart rate — three or more times a week. Several studies have shown that regular vigorous exercise can reduce breast cancer risk.

Reducing your risk: Self examination techniques

Breast cancer cannot be prevented, but it can be detected at an early, treatable stage. Women ages 40 and older should go for regular screening mammograms, a simple procedure that can reveal breast cancer at its earliest stage — up to two years before it can be felt. Annual screening mammography should begin at age 40. And, annual breast examinations by a medical professional are a required complement to screening mammography. Every woman, age 20 and over, should have a clinical breast exam by a doctor or nurse every year.

Many breast irregularities are found by women themselves, yet women often do not know how to perform breast self-examination (BSE), and few do so regularly. Although BSE has never been proven to affect survival (BSE usually finds lumps at a later stage), becoming familiar with your breasts and what feels normal for you is a recommended component of every woman’s breast health program. Your annual exam is a good time to ask your doctor or nurse about how to do a good self-examination every month. Giving yourself a correct and comprehensive breast self-exam is vital to your health.

For Monthly Breast Self-Exams:

* Use the flat part of your fingers of your three middle fingers to feel your breast. Always use your left hand for your right breast and your right hand for your left breast.

* Go from your neck, down under your arm, across and to the bottom of your rib cage and up the breastbone. This area is all breast tissue.

Check for any lumps, hard knots, swelling, dimpling or thickening. Perform your self-exam in front of a mirror and observe for any abnormal change in size, shape, color or discharge.

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HEALTHY DIET TIPS FOR MOMS

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 06:35:15 +0000

Healthy Diet for Moms-to-be

Eat well, be well during pregnancy

By Samya Athamneh, International Dietician

Congratulations, you are pregnant. However, if you are like most women, who have concerns running through your mind, how can I eat healthy for both my baby and my self? In addition, how can I gain the right amount of weight so that it does not take me until my child is in preschool to fit back into my jeans again?

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Between cravings and morning sickness, eating well during pregnancy may not always be a piece of cake. However, prenatal nutrition is a serious business. It is necessary for you and your baby’s growth, brain development, reduced risk of birth defects and a strong immune system. Since it is not how much, but what you eat that makes the difference, here is how the healthy pregnancy diet can help. During pregnancy, the body requires extra calorie, protein, vitamins, mineral in order to support the baby’s growth and to allow for changes in mothers body.

Important considerations in pregnancy

The extra food you eat should not be just empty calories, it should provide the nutrients your growing baby needs. For example, calcium help makes bones and teeth strong, while you are pregnant; you still need calcium for your body plus extra calcium for the developing baby. Similarity, you require the all-essential nutrients than you did before become pregnant.

Here are some of the most common nutrients you need and the foods that contain it:

Nutrient Needed	Needed for	Best sources
Protein	Cell growth and development	Lean meat, fish, poultry, egg white,beans, peanut butter, tofu
Carbohydrate	Daily energy production	Breads, cereals, rice, potatoes, pasta
Calcium	Strong bones and teeth, muscle contraction/nerves function	Milk, cheese, yogurt, sardines with edible bone, spinach, okra
Iron	Red blood cell production / needed to prevent anaemia	Lean red meat, spinach, iron fortified cereals, nuts, dried fruits
Vitamin A	Healthy skin, good eye sight, growing bones	Carrot, dark green leafy vegetable,potatoes
Vitamin C	Healthy gums, teeth and bones, assistance iron absorption	Citrus fruit, broccoli, tomato, fruit juices
Vitamin B6	Red blood cell formation effective use of protein, fat and carbohydrate	Whole grain cereals, banana
Vitamin B12	Formation of red blood cell, maintain nervous system health	Meat, fish, poultry, milk
Vitamin D	Healthy bones and teeth, aid in calcium absorption	Fortified milk, dairy product, cereals,fish, sardines
Folic acid	Blood and protein production/effective enzyme function	Green leafy vegetables, dark yellow fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, peas

Food craving during pregnancy

Food craving during pregnancy is normal. Although there is no widely accepted explanation for food cravings, almost two thirds of all pregnant women have it. If you develop sudden urge for a certain food, go and indulge your craving, it provides energy or an essential nutrient. However, if your craving persists and prevents you form getting other essential nutrients in your diet; try to create more of a balance in your daily diet.

During pregnancy your tastes for certain foods may change, you may suddenly dislike foods you were fond of before your pregnancy. In addition, during pregnancy, some women feel strong urges to eat non-food items such as ice, laundry starch, dirt, chalks, ashes, paint chips, clay.

This is called pica and may be associated with a mineral deficiency like anaemia. Do not give in to theses non-food cravings; they can be harmful to both you and your baby.

Foods to avoid

Some foods make you and your baby sick, avoid these foods as they can cause food poisoning or certain harmful diseases.
• Raw fish, especially shellfish
• Soft scrambled egg and food made from raw or lightly cooked eggs
• Un-pasteurized juices
• Un-pasteurized milk and foods made from it
• Herbal supplements and teas
• Raw or uncooked meat, poultry, seafood and hotdog
• Never eat non-food items like clay , starch, coffee grounds
• Avoid alcohol during pregnancy; alcohol has been linked to premature delivery, mental retardation, birth defects and low birth weight babies
• Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tile fish (also called white snapper), because they contain high levels of mercury.

What to eat and when

During pregnancy, you may have morning sickness, diarrhoea or constipation, you may find it hard to keep foods down or you may feel too sick to eat at all. Here are some suggestions:
Morning sickness: Eat crackers, cereal or pretzel before getting out of bed, eat small frequent meals throughout the day and avoid fatty, fried, and grassy foods.
Constipation: Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables, drink six glasses of water.
Diarrhoea: Eat more foods that contain pectin and gums to help absorb excess water such as apple, applesauce, banana, white rice, oatmeal, boiled potatoes.
Heartburn: Eat small frequent meals throughout the day. Try drinking milk before eating and limit caffeinated foods and beverages like tea, coffee, chocolate, soft drinks.

Unveiling myths with reality

Pregnancy produces a host of physiological and emotional changes in women. Advice seems to pour in from all sources, well-meaning friends, family member, and colleague at work and even perfect strangers tend to comment on a pregnant woman’s health. In the face of often-contradictory advice, especially concerning ones diet, it may be hard for a mum to achieve a comfortable and healthy balance. Eating a healthy diet is one of the most important things any pregnant women can do to enhance her health as well as the health of her baby. Here are some nutrition myths followed by information to get you and your baby off to a good start.

Myth#1: You are eating for two

In reality, you are eating for one plus one very small being. Most women only need to consume an extra 300 calories per day. Far from being a tome to overindulge, pregnancy is a time to eat sensibly and healthily. The suggested weight gain during the pregnancy is approximately 24-35 pounds (10-15 kg). However, this weight may vary depending upon each mother-to-be, pregnancy weight and the number of babies she is carrying. An under weight woman may gain up to 40 pounds, while an overweight woman may be asked to gain just 15 pounds, your doctor will specify an appropriate weight gain for your height and body build.

Myth#2: Eat low carbohydrate, high protein diet

In reality, weight loss diet, high protein – low carbohydrate, is not recommended during pregnancy. According to the daily food guide pyramid, grains, fruits and vegetables should compromise more of your diet than the meat groups. In fact, 2-3 servings of protein are required each day for pregnant women. This is easily achieved by consuming an egg/ 2-3 oz of poultry or meat/ ½ cup of dried beans or peas in the course of one day. Extra calories consumed during pregnancy should be evenly distributed among five major food groups.

Myth#3: Pregnancy induced high blood pressure caused by too much salt

In reality, pregnancy induced high blood pressure is due to a variety of physiological changes in the body during pregnancy and is therefore not treated the same way as hypertension in non pregnant adults. Moderation is the key. While overindulging in processed foods, typically containing too much salt would be unhealthy, eliminating salt and consuming no salt or low sodium specific food will be inappropriate. Aim to get 6 grams of sodium as a table salt in your foods every day.

Myth#5: It is better to rely on vitamins rather than ones diet during pregnancy

In reality, Vitamin should never be a substitute for a healthy diet, while most obstetrician and midwives will prescribe a multivitamin for their patients, these vitamins are intended to supplement and not replace a sensible diet. The best sources of vitamin and minerals may be found in their naturally state as they are better absorbed and are accompanied by their other nutrients such as protein or fiber.

Myth#4: Now that you are pregnant, it is a good time to start thinking about folic acid and B complex vitamins

In reality, Folic acid is particularly important in the first days and weeks of fatal formation, for this reason it is recommended that women take multivitamin before becoming pregnant to ensure they have adequate folic acid during the early development of the baby’s brain and spina bifida. Optimal folic acid consumption should continue through out pregnancy and in every woman’s diet during the childbearing years. Beside vitamins, excellent sources of B complex vitamin include orange juice, beans, citrus fruit, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and whole grains.

Dietary guide

In order to achieve a well balanced healthy adequate nutrition during pregnancy, you should cover the daily allowances from the different criteria of food on a daily basis as following:

Nutrient	Food allowances per day
Milk	2-3 cup
Meat/fish/poultry(liver once a week) cooked weight	4 oz
Vegetables including: Dark green leafy or deep yellow Potato Other vegetables	½ cup 1 medium ½ to 1 cup
ruits including: Citrus Apples or other fruit	1 serving = 1 fruit 1 serving = 1 fruit
Cereals enriched or whole grain As pasta/rice/macaroni	3 Serving (1 Serving to ½ to 1 cup)
Bread, enriched or whole grain	4 slices (2 in the morning as breakfast / 2 for dinner and keep 1 slice as a snack in between )
Vegetables oil	4-5 teaspoons
Vitamin D supplement or use fortified milk Iodized salt	400 IU ( consult your doctor) 5-7 grams per day
Eggs	3 eggs per week

Repeatedly, it has been emphasized that reduced nutritional intake has a depressing effect on physical development. Malnutrition during the period of rapid brain growth will lead to some neurology impairment. Past studies of nutrition in women during pregnancy have shown a definite relationship of the diet of the mother and the condition of baby at birth.

To protect your self and your precious baby from any possible complications review your lifestyle and try to change any unpreferable behaviour related to your diet toward the better.

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KISS GUILT GOODBYE FOREVER

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 08:51:15 +0000

Curb those feelings of insecurity, panic and guilt, which working mothers commonly face when they have two full-time jobs – work and motherhood

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Sixty percent of all mothers today work, either part-time or full time outside their home. Moreover, statistics show that the No. 1 emotion working mothers struggle with is guilt – guilt because they are not home when the kids get home from school, guilt because their son does not like his sitter and guilt because they cannot be a room mother. “Working mothers suffer from two major ailments: guilt and role strain,” says Devika Singh, psychologist at International based in Dubai Herbal Treatment Center.

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A universal mom problem

Guilt and parenting go hand in hand. Every mother experiences it, as she somehow believes if something is wrong with the children it must be her fault. In addition, because a working mother is not physically present with her kids 24 hours a day, she naturally blames herself even more when there is even the slightest of problems.

Working mothers face challenges all the time. Mixed with the responsibilities they have as concerning their children are the commitments of their careers. Devika adds, “Women who must work, may feel guilty that they do not spend sufficient time with their children and worry that their child-care arrangements are inadequate, but they find some comfort in the fact that their working will provide the best for their children.”

“Women who choose to work in order to develop their own potential and to prevent boredom or even depression, which may result if they feel forced to stay home, feel guilty that they are ‘abandoning’ their children. Professional women also feel guilty that they are not devoting themselves as thoroughly to their careers as they ought to in order to move forward. These women struggle with their anger at children who present extra, time-consuming demands.

Whatever the reasons why they work, few working mothers do not feel a constant undercurrent of guilt about the effects of their working on their children. The guilt is usually most intense for mothers of infants and preschool children,” she says.

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Affects On Moms Guilt On Mental And Physical Health

“Role Strain’ is the somewhat euphemistic term for the chronic fatigue, anxiety, sense of always being behind, and near panic that working mothers so commonly feel from trying to manage their separate and often conflicting roles. Working mothers of small children who need them in the night may suffer as well from sleep deprivation, which leaves them less alert, less productive, and somewhat irritable on the job. Even those rare few who seem to manage both work and mothering without suffering stress may face periodic exhaustion, lack of private time, and neglect of exercise and appearance.”

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“A crucial conflict in professional women today is between achievement and the fear of loss of love. They worry that men will be put off by their competence or their interest in their careers may present conflicts in their marriages. Most women do not realize that these conflicts may underlie their anxieties, disappointments, loss of meaning, lack of ambition, frustrations, or boredom in their working lives.”

“It is important for working women to recognize the internal obstacles that they bring to the situation. Then they will be freer to recognize and deal with external limitations that society continues to impose on women in the workplace. Most working mothers keep their guilt and role strain within tolerable limits, although some may need professional help to deal with the stress and self-criticism. Most try hard to focus on the quality of the time they spend with their children rather than its amount. Many try to compensate with special activities and material benefits they are able to shower their child with. They cope with role strain; most often by lowering their career ambitions or slowing down, at least until the children no longer need them as much, and by teaching their children earlier to be self-reliant and independent.”

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Tip For Moms To Ease Their Mommy Guilt

A mother should recognize that her feelings are trying to tell her to change something and the change always requires at least a two-step process. First, you have to learn to let go of the things that are causing you problems. Sometimes it is just a matter of looking at a situation in a new light. Other times it is a matter of getting the training of handling your parenting job differently (like learning yell-free discipline techniques or meal-planning tricks). Second, you have to replace the old ways with new ones, which is not hard. Once you begin prioritizing the enjoyment of your parenting experience, you will want to create even more ways to do so. You will be modelling for your kids what it means to be a happy, balanced, well-adjusted parent, so your whole family will be better off.

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Moms, View Your Career In A Positive Light

You do not have to be there every second; most children will obey and act accordingly. Even if you are not around all the time, they instinctively know when they are loved.

Set your priorities and evaluate them often. Focus only on what is truly important, not what that stereotype in your head is saying.

Do not be slack on the rules for discipline and routine give them a sense of security no matter how much they rebel and complain about it. Your children want to know that you are there if they need you.

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Remember when you leave your child at day-care that nonworking parents may also use childcare help even though they are at home. If your child is having a particularly rough time with separation, it is most likely a phase that he/she is going through rather than something that she would really want to change.

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Working Moms Can Benefit Their Children, Too

They encourage independence and cultivates a sense of responsibility in children. Kids of working moms are with adults who are not their parents for at least part of the day. This separation, which makes moms feel guilty, can actually breed a kind of self-reliance that improves self-esteem. Children with working moms get used to starting homework on their own; watch their siblings and help with dinner preparation.

For children, having two working parents can go a long way in shaping their understanding of men, women and families. This means boys may be more likely to have supportive attitudes toward the woman being equal in his future household. For little girls, the idea of achievement in a career outside of mothering can be stimulating, and encourage them to do the same.

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Seeing a mom as a working person often confirms for children the sense that people, especially women, are multidimensional. Best of all, their feelings of pride in you doing your job well can carry over into feelings about their own self-worth and give them encouragement about their own capabilities in the future.

Many working parents see the benefit of having caregivers, who offer more opportunities for socialization and a wider range of activities for children than they could at home.

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Want to write for InnoHEALTH? send us your article at magazine@innovatiocuris.com

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Read all the issues of InnoHEALTH magazine:
InnoHEALTH Volume 2 Issue 3 (July to September 2017) – https://goo.gl/MCVjd6
InnoHEALTH Volume 2 Issue 2 (April to June 2017) – https://goo.gl/Nv3eev
InnoHEALTH Volume 1 Issue 2 (October to December 2016) – https://goo.gl/4GGMJz
InnoHEALTH Volume 1 Issue 1 (July to September 2016) – https://goo.gl/iWAwN2

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Women's Corner Archives - InnoHEALTH magazine

Arunachalam Muruganantham: A Tale of Menstrual Hygiene Movement

Consequences of Workplace Harassment

Global nutrition needs swift efforts

Stressful events can increase women's obesity

Centre for Childhood Neuro developmental Disorders at AIIMS

The genetic tests would help in antenatal counselling preventing further birth of affected children in families and unveiling of newer pathogenic and therapeutic pathways.

Dance therapy: A paradigm shift

10 Questions about breast cancer

10 Questions about Breast Cancer

1. Can breast cancer be prevented?

2. What are the risk factors for breast cancer?

3. Do diet and exercise affect breast cancer risk?

4. Do birth-control pills influence breast cancer risk?

5. When should women start having mammograms?

6. Besides having mammograms, what else can women do to detect breast cancer?

7. Are all breast lumps cancerous?

8. How does early detection affect breast cancer survival?

9. What is the best treatment for early-stage breast cancer?

10. Is there a cure for breast cancer?

Breast lump? Why you shouldn't panic

It’s every woman’s greatest fear: Finding a breast lump while showering or doing a monthly breast self-exam. But the truth is, a lot of that fear is unfounded, due to the fact that 80% of all lumps turn out to be benign. Here’s what those lumps really mean. Writes Indu S.

Why your breasts are lumpy?

Sussing out the good lump from the bad

Lumps and cancer risk: Is there a connection?

What to do when your breasts hurt

Your Breast Health

Follow an early-detection program:

Results of breast cancer research also suggest you should:

Reducing your risk: Self examination techniques

For Monthly Breast Self-Exams:

HEALTHY DIET TIPS FOR MOMS

Healthy Diet for Moms-to-be

Eat well, be well during pregnancy

By Samya Athamneh, International Dietician

Important considerations in pregnancy

Here are some of the most common nutrients you need and the foods that contain it:

Food craving during pregnancy

Foods to avoid

What to eat and when

Unveiling myths with reality

Myth#1: You are eating for two

Myth#2: Eat low carbohydrate, high protein diet

Myth#3: Pregnancy induced high blood pressure caused by too much salt

Myth#5: It is better to rely on vitamins rather than ones diet during pregnancy

Myth#4: Now that you are pregnant, it is a good time to start thinking about folic acid and B complex vitamins

Dietary guide

KISS GUILT GOODBYE FOREVER