High cancer risk in black moms who don't breastfeed

High cancer risk in black moms who don't breastfeed

The analysis found that women who had two or more children faced a 50 percent increased risk of hormone receptor-negative breast cancer, one of the toughest kinds to treat.

But this higher risk was only present in women who did not breastfeed their children.

"African-American women are more likely to have had a greater number of full-term births and less likely to have breast-fed their babies," said Julie Palmer, professor of epidemiology at the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University.

"This study shows a clear link between that and hormone receptor-negative breast cancer."

Data for the research, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, came from the Black Women's Health Study which has followed 59,000 women since 1995.

From 1995 to 2009, researchers found 457 cases of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer and 318 cases of hormone receptor-negative breast cancer among study participants.

Among those diagnosed with hormone receptor positive breast cancer, which also tends to occur more frequently in white women, there was no link to the number of children a woman had and whether or not she breastfed.

"Our results, taken together with recent results from studies of triple negative and basal-like breast cancer, suggest that breastfeeding can reduce risk of developing the aggressive, difficult-to-treat breast cancers that disproportionately affect African-American women," Palmer said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 35 percent of white women in the United States are breastfeeding their babies at six months of age compared to 20 percent of black women.

Breast cancer is expected to kill nearly 40,000 people (39,520 women, 450 men) this year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. It is the second leading killer among women after lung cancer.

Exercise Tips for the Mums-To-Be

Exercise, the very word seems to emit positive vibes! And when this word appears to be so positive, then it can be applied to any situation or condition. Only its "form", "look" and "feel" will assume different appearances as per situations. Obviously, you cannot recommend a high impact, high intensity exercise routine for a woman who has conceived.

Exercising during pregnancy does not only promote the well-being of the mother and the fetus, but it also allows her to experience a smooth, painless and a hassle-free delivery. No human studies so far have been able to claim that healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancy need to limit their exercise for the concern of harmful effects. If you are an expecting mother, then you will need to abide by certain guidelines while exercising:

* Before starting off with a new fitness routine or while following the previous routine after conceiving, consult your gynecologist or midwife for the green signal.

* Avoid exercising if you are diagnosed with complications like pregnancy induced hypertension, preterm membrane rupture, bleeding in 2nd or 3rd trimester and intrauterine growth retardation.

* Drink adequate amounts of water throughout the day especially before, during and after workouts to beat dehydration.

* According to ACOG, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a woman should exercise for 30 to 45 minutes for around 3 to 5 times a week during pregnancy.

* Avoid exercising in supine position after the first trimester as it can decrease the cardiac output to the uterus.

* A pregnant woman requires an additional 300 calories per day to maintain the metabolic activity. Thus, an exercising, pregnant woman needs an additional amount of calories other than the usual metabolic requirement.

* Opt for low to moderate intensity workouts with low impact activities like swimming, aqua aerobics, cycling and training on the elliptical machine.

* You need to increase the duration of the warm up and the cool down sessions.

* You need to monitor your heart rate continuously. Do not let your heart rate go beyond 60 to 70% of the maximum heart rate. Check for signs like fetal distress, difficulty in breathing, palpitations and abdominal cramps. Stop or modify those exercises immediately.

* Emphasize on posture correction, core training and pelvic floor exercises as they will help you in dealing with labor pain. Avoid lifting heavy weights.

* Avoid sports or exercises which need balancing. During pregnancy the center of gravity of the body changes and this can lead to balance disturbances.

* Exercise on a plane surface level to avoid injuries.

* Choose loose, comfortable and light weight clothing during exercising since overdressing can cause the body to get overheated.

* Maintain a correct posture during exercising.

* Avoid strenuous exercises for the abdominal muscles.

* Breathe continuously. Do not try to hold your breath while performing activities (exhale on exertion and inhale on relaxation).

* Avoid contact sports such as gymnastics, volley ball and basket ball after the first trimester.

* Avoid excessive jerking and jarring movements of the joints and the muscles. The joints and muscles become relaxed and loose during pregnancy due to the release of the Relaxin hormone.

* Avoid exercising with extreme fatigue. Avoid exercising in extreme temperatures (hot, cold and humid).

* Try to avoid any type of trauma to the abdominal region.


* Discontinue the exercise, if you observe symptoms like abdominal pain, persistent contractions in the later stage of the second trimester, bloody discharge from the vagina, chest pain, calf pain and swelling and an unexplained dizziness after exercise.

* Decrease your exercise intensity as the pregnancy progresses.

Motherhood means a wonderful addition to your womanhood. So the two aspects of being a woman go hand in hand. To remain as the "dream girl" in the eyes of your partner, you need to pat proper attention to your body during pregnancy and after child birth. And exercises will serve both the purposes- it will allow you to maintain your weight and to stay in good shape while raising your fitness levels so that you can handle all the upcoming hassles of being a mother!

What Are You: Health Freak or Exercise Addict?

Addiction is simply a negative term if it does not relate to positive aspects like addiction for love, care and compassion. Again, exercise is a positive term, but when addiction gets connected with it, the same term may carry a negative tone. In other words, God may appear to be as a perfect villain due to the conspiracy of some people. Hence exercise addiction is destined to bring you undesirable effects. But how can you differentiate between the optimal level of exercise and the levels that will categorize you as an addict. So how much is too much? Exercise requires commitment but it never demands addiction. Being obsessed with exercise is not a good idea.

The Classical Symptoms That Portray Exercise Addiction

    * Withdrawal symptoms when stopped with the exercise sessions. These symptoms can be characterized by irritability, unable to concentrate etc. when not engaged in activities.
    * Showing tolerance to the activity denoting an increased amount of that activity.
    * Getting obsessed with the activity to such an extent that the person starts avoiding his usual duties and responsibilities.
    * Exercising even when sick or injured.
    * Exercising to the point of pain and sometimes beyond that.
    * Working out in an isolated fashion, away from others.
    * Increasing the exercise timings.
    * Maintaining a rigid exercise routine.

The Negative Effects of Over-Exercising

    * Risk of dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
    * An increased tendency to suffer from insomnia.
    * Increase in the amount of stress hormones in the body.
    * Overuse injuries like bone damage and injuries to other structures around the joints. This is because, working out more requires fats and calories in the same manner. These same calories are also required to build up the body. But this calorie is not provided to them due to the extra demands placed on their bodies as a result of over exercising. Hence, there are chances of injuries.
    * Women may face menstrual abnormalities.

What are the Reasons Behind Exercise Addiction?

    * Usually the major cause behind exercise addiction is to look good, that is, to enhance the physical appearance. Today's youngsters are increasingly getting conscious of their physique and appearance. They are more inclined towards developing good appearances to look and feel good. But what they don't know is how much time is required to be spent on exercise without affecting the other daily activities of their lives. A person should refrain from pushing himself or herself too much!
    * Other reasons can be low self esteem, eating disorders, a distorted body image or a way to escape from the usual daily routine.
    * Exercise increases the level of endorphins in the body. Endorphins are substances that are secreted naturally from the body and act as narcotics, reducing the level of pain perceived and giving a sense of euphoria. So this feeling can also cause addiction.

Treatment

Just like other types of addictions, exercise addiction will also require treatment. You need great amount of commitment to stick to an exercise regimen. And you need the same amount of commitment to quit. Sadly, you may need to stay away from aerobics and weight training for months. During this period, the addict should divert his energy to fulfilling his hobbies or in meditation. Finding out the true cause of the addiction is extremely important. If it has resulted from depression, then appropriate activities should be suggested to increase his self esteem and to instill a sense of self confidence.

Quantifying the right amount of exercise is very important to get the optimal benefits from it; otherwise it's just foolishness. People will just relate you as a maniac! And you will be portrayed as a "mad fan" who is trying to imitate "fitness Gods and Goddesses" like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Dolph Lundgren and Bipasa Basu, Halle Berry or Janice Dickinson!

Tips to Ease Your Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms

Mini office breaks are really exciting with mini cups of coffee. "Misty" steam coming out of the cup kept on your office desk may create some bit of temptations. Small sips and "tough" concentration are all that an employee needs to keep up his "motivation" in the midst of an ongoing assignment. As you can see, coffee has become so important to keep people active these days in the face of extreme stress and job pressure. And in fact, many people have recognized themselves as "caffeine addicts" as they feel frequent urges to consume caffeine at definite times of the day. And when it comes to addiction, it has to encounter interventions and ultimately, the drama will end with some withdrawal symptoms. Here, we may help to ease some of your caffeine withdrawal symptoms with a few tips discussed later.

The Duration

In a Johns Hopkins University study, scientists found that the initiation of the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal took place within 12 to 24 hours of stopping the caffeine intake. The major withdrawal symptoms hit within the first two days. The researchers observed that the symptoms gradually disappeared between two to nine days.

Tips to Ease Your Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms

 * Don't Stop Abruptly: If you are a heavy caffeine consumer, don't give it up all at once. This step will only worsen the withdrawal symptom.

* Look for Healthy Substitutes: Substitute the usual caffeine beverage with a cup of decaf beverage like green tea. This will help you in coping up with your body clock.

* Take Painkillers: If you get a headache as a symptom, don't ignore it because it will only tempt you more to get back to your caffeine habit! If the headache seems to be unbearable, then you may take half a tablet of a painkiller.

 * Seek Support from Family and Friends: It is common to be a little irritable or depressed in the withdrawal phase. Tell your friends and relatives that you will be a little grouchy at this time. Their support and cooperation will help you to get over the addiction.

 * Perform Yogic Breathing Practices: Svyasa University researchers attempted to examine the physiological effects of conventional yogic breathing techniques and they found that this breathing technique stimulates and even imitates the influences of caffeine in the system. It brings about the constriction of blood vessels in the cells and this can balance the inflamed blood vessels, thereby offering a natural solution for headaches caused due to caffeine withdrawal. Begin by gently pinching the left nostril so as to close it and then breathe only through the right nostril for several minutes. The study found that the right-nostril breathing produced an increase in the oxygen levels in the body.

* Try Out Homeopathic Remedies: If your addiction is severe, you can try homeopathic caffeine withdrawal remedies. These options come with little amounts of caffeine, which are adequate to relieve your headache, but not just high enough to support your addiction. Their function is the same as that of the commonly used painkillers, but they will get higher ratings for being natural cures. These remedies should be used as per instructions and only for short time periods.

 * Practice Yoga: Fatigue, muscle ache and slight headaches can be easily cured by practicing yoga, a natural remedy. But you need to avoid high-intensity yoga practices at this time, but you can definitely practice restorative yoga because it involves assuming smooth, passive postures. Relaxing meditation can comfort your body by rejuvenating you during fatigue and by relaxing you in times of stress. In a restorative yoga session, you can perform postures at your own comfort level. It can relieve tension, bring peace to your mind and may allow you to control your addictions.

 * Eat Fruits: Fruits, being sources of natural sugars, will help to boost your energy naturally. Consuming fruits will benefit you during the initial stages of the emergence of withdrawal symptoms. It will provide you with a concrete energy base.
    * Opt for Caffeine-Free Drinks: Substituting coke with a caffeine-free drink is a good idea. In fact, any sugary drink will keep you alert and enhance your concentration.

Coming out of an addiction will demand more of self-control on your part. Several occasions may tempt you to revert back to your addiction. You are likely to feel horrible when some guests will arrive at your home and they will be served with caffeinated drinks like coke or coffee right in front of you. They may be offering you as well if they are unaware of your addiction and your decision to quit. Whatever may be the chances of getting back to your old habit, just remember that it's easier to get provoked, but it's a challenge to tame your mind.

11 Reasons to Control Your TV Watching Habit

What can be your favorite pastime when you think of unwinding? What do you do when you are alone at home? You spend hours in front of your television set. Right? And you think that the TV shows are giving you quality time and a healthy company!

In reality, television viewing is always considered to be bad for your health. You cannot accept this fact readily, but watching TV for a long time can put your health at risk. It is accepted that you can gain a lot of knowledge from a few television shows, but still the disadvantages outweigh these benefits with a big margin! TV serves as a medium of entertainment and education for all, but it is associated with a number of physical and mental health problems such as:

   1. Increase in the Risk of Heart Diseases: Based on the analysis of the data collected over a period of six years from 8,800 Australian men and women (over age 25 with no history of heart disease), researchers found that every hour of TV watching increased a person's risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 18%, and increased the risk of death from cancer by 9%. This means that people who watched more than four hours of TV had an 80% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease over the 6-year time period as compared to people who watched 2 hours or less each day. The problem normally crops up from a sedentary lifestyle which television offers to you. According to researchers, the human body evolved to move, not sit still for extended periods of time. So sitting in front of a TV or a computer screen for too long poses serious risks to health, and to life.

2. Disruption of Sleep: The light emitted from the television can prove to be too stimulating to our systems. This can reduce the levels of the brain hormone melatonin, which usually increase in the evening as light levels fall. This may effect the body's natural rhythm, keeping you awake longer and results in irregular sleep and extreme fatigue. Reduced levels of melatonin have also been linked to early puberty in girls.

3. Increase in the Risk of Diabetes: When it comes to controlling diabetes, TV watching habit can be included as the risk factor. A 2003 study of women published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that the risk of diabetes increases by 14% for every 2 hours of television viewing in a day. Another study conducted in the same year and published in the journal Lipids found that men who watched more than 40 hours of TV per week were 3 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than men who watched TV less than 1 hour weekly. According to researchers, all this increased risk cannot be explained by the increased snacking and reduced activity linked with sitting in front of the television.

4. Increase in the Risk of Obesity: Prolonged watching of television relates to an absence of muscle movement. If your muscles stay inactive for too long, it can disrupt your metabolism leading to weight gain. Additionally, when you are watching TV, you tend to eat more and eat unhealthy foods due to advertising and other food cues on TV. A study compared the television viewing habits of more than 50,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study from 1992 to 1998, and found that weight gain increased as TV watching increased. For each two-hour increase in television watching per day, there was a 23% rise in obesity.

5. Development of Attention Deficit Disorder: In the 1970s, a Professor named Werner Halperin suggested that the rapid changes of sounds and images on TV may affect the neurological system of a young child and can cause attention problems. Also, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington Child Health Institute found that 3-year-old child who watches two hours of TV per day is 20% more likely to have attention problems at age 7 than a child who watches no television.

6. Increase in the Risk of Asthma: In the UK, a research studied the TV viewing habits of more than 3,000 children ranging in age from infants to 11 years. The results of the study established that children who spent 2 hours or more watching television per day had twice the risk of suffering from asthma.

7. Greater Chances of Mindless Eating: Studies conducted by the Stanford University of Medicine prove that TV viewing is directly linked with mindless eating. You have more chances of eating junk foods while watching TV than in any other activity! It really feels very nice to enjoy burgers, pizzas and French Fries while watching your favorite shows.

8. Negative Effect on the Mental Development: Watching TV for a prolonged period of time has a negative effect on the intellectual development of children. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages TV viewing for kids under 2 and recommends no more than two hours a day for older kids. Prolonged watching of TV can also lead to a deterioration of the mental processing power in case of older people.

9. Increase in the Eye Strain: Watching too much television is bad for your eyes, especially when watching television in a dark room. Focusing your eyes too long on any one object can strain your eyes.

10. Portrayal of Aggressive Behavior: Young children are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior after viewing violent TV shows or movies. As part of a study, researchers examined the data on more than 3,000 3-year-olds and found that children exposed to more television, directly and indirectly (exposed to the television while other people in the home are watching), are at increased risk for exhibiting aggressive behavior.

11. Reduction of Social Interaction: Watching television may replace social interaction with friends and family, depriving children of sharing ideas and feelings with others. This may result various social phobias.

It would be quite difficult for you to control your TV viewing habit. But once you are able to do it, you won't have any repentance. You would want to spend the weekend by relaxing and this might mean sitting on a sofa and watching TV for long hours. Instead, you can go out and spend quality time with your family - a long drive and a family picnic are great options!

Health Effects of a Sedentary Lifestyle

We all know that we should exercise a lot and follow a proper diet program to keep ourselves healthy. But, to a lot of us it is like grandma's advice - we listen to it and then we forget it and go back to our old ways. We prefer our sedentary lifestyles because it doesn't compel us to do a lot of things. We spend way too much time in front of the telly and if that was not enough, we accompany it with a lot of junk food.

Modern technology has made our lives very easy. We don't have to travel too much to meet a person; we just call them. We don't have to work too hard; the computers/machines just do it for us. We don't even have to make our own food; we just order it or eat ready-to-eat processed food. It is not only a problem in adults even kids become victim of this problem.

What is sedentary lifestyle?

A sedentary lifestyle is a way of living in which a person does not engage in sufficient physical activity for what is generally considered healthy living. It is marked by prolonged period of sitting, whether it is around the TV or the computer screen or anything else. People living a sedentary lifestyle overlook physical activity and are involved in activities that rarely require any amount of physical stress. According to a new study, following a sedentary lifestyle can be more dangerous for your health than smoking.

How does a sedentary lifestyle affects you?

There is a lot of research conducted on the effects of sedentary lifestyle on an individual across the globe. The findings of these researches can be mentioned as follows:

1.Obesity: The major effect of a sedentary lifestyle can be seen on the size of your trousers. Because you are ingesting a lot of calories and not really burning any of them, these calories are deposited in your body as excess fat. And this is just the beginning of the problems.

2.Increased risk of heart diseases: Your heart must get a proper supply of blood from the blood vessels (coronary arteries) in order to keep functioning efficiently. Leading a sedentary lifestyle can slow the blood circulation and your blood vessels can get stiff and blocked. In serious cases, this can lead to arteriosclerosis and cardiac arrest. According to a study, lack of physical activity in your middle age can increase your risk of dying from heart disease by 52 percent in men and 28 percent in women.

3.Increased risk of diabetes: Regular exercise helps in regulating the blood glucose levels. According to study conducted by researchers at Duke University Medical Center, intensive exercise can significantly improve the body's ability to control blood sugar levels. The lack of exercise results in increased blood sugar levels putting excess stress on your pancreas (which secretes the hormone Insulin). This increases your chances of getting type 2 diabetes.

4.Increased risk of cancer: Decreased activity increases the risk of developing certain types of cancers such as breast cancer, colon cancer, and other types of malignant tumors. According to a study carried out by the University of Hong Kong, physical inactivity can increase the risk of dying from cancer by 45 percent in men and 28 percent in women.

5.Increased risk of osteoporosis: The prolonged inactivity causes your bones to lose their strength as they are no longer challenged to support your body structure. Arthritis and Osteoporosis, which cause the bones to become brittle and weak, can be brought on through an inactive lifestyle.

6.Muscles loose their tone: Your muscles are like car batteries. They need to be run on a regular basis to make sure that the car is working. The more sedentary lifestyle you have the lesser muscles you are likely to posses. The less muscles you posses the lesser is your ability to carry out your day-to-day tasks.

7.Being a couch potato also has a serious effect on your posture and spine health. Sitting all day can shorten and tighten your hip flexors and hamstrings, while making the muscles that support your spine to become weak and stiff.

8.Sleeping difficulties: A sedentary lifestyle doesn't put any physical pressure on the body. Thus the body doesn't feel like taking a rest often which leads to sleeping difficulties and in severe cases can also lead to insomnia.

9.Headaches: Researchers in Norway found that that people who did not exercise were 14 percent more likely to develop non-migraine headaches than those who did exercise.


Faster aging process: Telomeres are repeat sequences of DNA that sit on the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from damage. As we get older, the telomeres get shorter, and their deterioration is associated with the physical signs of middle and old age. A research study found that in inactive people the telomeres shortened more quickly than in active people. The faster is the rate of shortening, the faster is your ageing process. The faster is your ageing process, the higher is the mortality rate. Researchers also found that stress can also have an impact on telomere length, and exercising regularly can make an indirect contribution as it tends to reduce stress levels.

Of course if you have been following a sedentary lifestyle for ages then suddenly getting back to exercise can seem a bit of a daunting task. But if you gradually add low intensity activities like washing your clothes, ironing, walking the dog etc. to your lifestyle and then add high intensity activities like running, cycling etc. you may be well on your way to an active and a healthy lifestyle.