Everything You Need to Know About The New IUD

Posted on January 15, 2013 by admin

Want to prevent pregnancy for the next three years? There’s a new contraceptive to consider: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new intrauterine device (IUD) that’s more than 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, according to statement released last week by the parent company Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

The new hormonal IUD, called Skyla, is the first to hit the U.S. market in over a decade. Compared to Mirena, the other hormonal IUD on the market, this updated option delivers a lower dose of hormones, is slightly smaller, and lasts for up to three years, instead of five. Skyla’s size makes it a better option for women who haven’t had babies and don’t want one now–like college students or newlyweds–according to Laura Corio, M.D., a Manhattan-based gynecologist.

Intrigued? Here’s what you need to know:

HOW SKYLA WORKS
First, your gynecologist inserts a T-shaped IUD through the cervix and into your uterus. (The device itself is no longer or wider than a standard tampon, but yes, insertion can hurt a bit.) While non-hormonal IUDs are made from copper, which acts as a natural spermicide, hormonal IUDs such as Skyla gradually release small doses of the synthetic hormone levonorgestrel—the same stuff in emergency contraceptive pills. Both options thicken your cervical mucus, which creates a hostile environment for embryo implantation and prevents pregnancy, explains Corio. Based on a clinical trial of over 1,400 women, Skyla works well: fewer than 1 in 100 women got pregnant. Still, there’s no IUD that will protect you from sexually transmitted infections or HIV, so it’s smart for women who have one to use a condom during sex with a new partner.

SIDE EFFECTS
The good news: Skyla is over 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy. And in some cases, the hormones from Skyla (and Mirena) can reduce cramps, lighten your flow, and even sometimes stop bleeding altogether. Now for the bad news: security comes with some strings attached. According to Bayer, the most common side effects include vulvovaginitis (vaginal inflammation or infection), pelvic pain, acne or seborrhea (itchy, flaky skin), ovarian cysts, headaches, menstrual cramps, breast pain, increased bleeding, and nausea.

COST
In many cases, an IUD is the most affordable method of long-term birth control, although it does cost the most upfront. Between a medical exam, the actual IUD, insertion, and follow-up visits with your doctor, getting an IUD can set you back between $ 500 to $ 1000, according to PlannedParenthood.org. The good news: It won’t cost you a penny more until you have it removed. (Unlike a tampon, you can’t do this yourself.) And if you leave your IUD in for its full lifespan–that’s three years for Skyla, five for Mirena, and 12 for a non-hormonal IUD–it will totally pay for itself.

HOW TO GET IT
According to Bayer, Skyla will be available by prescription the week of February 11—which leaves you plenty of time to do your research and talk to your doc about whether it’s right for you. And if you get an IUD, then decide to have a baby? You can go to your OBGYN to get it removed any time, and get pregnant as soon as it’s out.

Get more information about Skyla.

photo: Spike Mafford/Photodisc/Thinkstock

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Everything You Need to Know About the Flu

Posted on January 10, 2013 by admin

Flu season: It’s officially scary. Yesterday, Boston declared a public health emergency after the virus killed more than a dozen people, according to CNN.

And Boston isn’t the only place affected by the virus. Twenty-nine states and New York City are reporting high levels of influenza-like-illness (ILI) and 41 states are reporting widespread geographic flu activity, according to the latest FluView update (which contains data from the last week of December) from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here, everything you need to protect yourself—and your loved ones—from the flu.

Flu Update from the CDC

Could This Be the Worst Flu Season EVER?

Should You Get the New Flu Shot?

5 Times You Should Call in Sick to Work

The Anti-Flu Drug That Might Not Work

Germ-Proof Your Office

6 Ways to Fight the Flu

What Causes the Flu?

Your Body On… The Flu

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Should You Be Worried About Blood Clots?

Posted on January 7, 2013 by admin

If something can delay the Secretary of State from doing her job, you know it’s dangerous. Hillary Clinton was recently released from the hospital after being treated for a blood clot near her brain. The good news: Clinton has made a full recovery and is back to work. The bad news: Most women aren’t aware of the risk factors and warning signs of a clot.

So what exactly is a blood clot? “It’s basically when your blood goes from a liquid to a solid state,” says Lorenzo Munoz, M.D., neurosurgeon at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Think of your veins as a series of pipes, and you can see how an obstruction would cause major damage to your circulatory system. Though Clinton’s blood clot was located in her head, they can also crop up in the veins in your legs, lungs, and neck.

Clots are typically treated with anticoagulants (blood thinners), which help to break them up and keep them from getting bigger, says Munoz. But if they’re left untreated they can cause serious complications. “Sometimes they form and go away,” says Munoz. “But if you have a clot in your leg that becomes dislodged, it can cause a pulmonary embolism, which can keep you from breathing and can kill you. And if a clot travels to your brain, you can have a stroke.”

While it’s not always possible to prevent a clot, taking these precautions can help keep you safe:

Know the risk factors
There isn’t one main cause of blood clots, but doctors have pinpointed a few factors that may bring them on. “If you have a penetrating injury to your skull that interrupts the flow of blood, that can be a precipitating factor,” says Munoz. Other risks include dehydration, steroid use, hypervitaminosis (an excess of vitamins), and birth control use in women over 35 and women who smoke. In fact, just step away from the cigarettes completely. “If you’re on birth control and smoking, you’re asking for trouble,” says Munoz.

Stay hydrated
Dehydration is a huge cause of blood clots, since it messes with your natural blood flow. “The more hydrated you are, the better your circulatory system is working,” says Munoz. Before you hop on a plane, make sure to stock your bag with a water bottle—flying tends to suck the fluids right out of you.

Keep moving
Sit at a desk all day? Roll your ankles while you’re seated, and take a few short breaks to get up and walk around, says Munoz. Any light movement will get your blood flowing, which can reduce your risk of blood clots.

Look for the warning signs
A blood clot in your leg can be accompanied by calf pain, swelling, redness, or even lumpiness in the veins, says Munoz. A clot near your brain, like Clinton’s, can be associated with a bad headache, seizures, vision problems, numbness, or weakness. “Any time you have an unexplained, atypical headache that doesn’t go away with a pain reliever, you should get it checked out,” says Munoz. And if you’ve had a clot in the past, be sure to schedule regular appointments with your doctor to avoid another one.

photo: Thinkstock

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The Depressing Truth About Your Smartphone

Posted on December 5, 2012 by admin

You’re online at work all day, checking the smartphone with one hand and typing on the computer with the other. When you get home, you surf the web while you watch TV. This kind of device juggling is a ubiquitous practice, and one that has a name: Researchers call it “media multitasking,” and warn that it might actually be bumming you out.

Earlier research has linked information overload—caused by too many devices spitting out too much stimulus—to both depression and social anxiety. In a new study, experts at Michigan State University sought to uncover the role that media multitasking might play in fostering that link. To find out, they recruited 319 people and asked each to fill out psychological profiles and questionnaires related to their use of popular media, including television, music, email, text messaging, and web surfing.

Among the study participants, researchers found a significant and consistent correlation between media multitasking and both depression and social anxiety. In fact, when the study team further parsed the data, they found that the most avid media multitaskers reported nearly twice the number of depressive symptoms as those who rarely used several gadgets at once, says study author Mark Becker, PhD, a psychologist at MSU.

Media overload might decrease your brain’s ability to filter out irrelevant information and ignore distraction, the study team suspects. Such poor “attentional control,” has been tied to depression and social anxiety, according to research published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology and the Psychological Bulletin.

Does this mean the end of iPad Scrabble marathons while you catch up on Real Housewives? Not yet, Becker says. He cautions that the team’s research is preliminary, and only shows a correlation between media multitasking and symptoms of depression and anxiety. “It might be that media multitasking causes increased symptoms of depression and social anxiety, but it’s also possible that depression or social anxiety makes a person more likely to media multitask,” Becker explains.

So what should you do while researchers figure it out? Becker says he’s hesitant to offer specific advice before establishing concrete evidence. But taking frequent breaks from daily inundations of information certainly won’t hurt, he says. So if you’re already holding an iPad…please, put down the smartphone.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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What Every Woman Needs to Know About the IUD

Posted on November 29, 2012 by admin

Great news: The intrauterine device, or IUD, is probably a lot safer than you think. IUDs do not cause pelvic inflammatory disease, according to a joint study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.

Researchers looked at medical data from nearly 60,000 women over four and a half years, from January 2005 to August 2009. They found that women with IUDs didn’t experience any higher rates of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) than women without IUDs. This in spite of the widely held belief that IUDs put you at greater risk of the fertility-crushing disease.

So why the common misconception? “In the 1970s and 1980’s, an IUD called the Dalkon Shield was found to increase the risk of women developing PID,” explains study author Carolyn B. Sufrin, MD, MA, of UCSF’s Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. “Even though the IUDs on the market now are very different devices, that misperception continued to exist among practitioners and patients. Our study disproves the link and reaffirms there is an extremely low risk of developing PID from an IUD.”

And, contrary to a long-held misperception, an IUD can be inserted in women who haven’t been pregnant before. “I recommend the IUD for any woman who wants a reliable, long-lasting, reversible birth control option,” says Deborah Ottenheimer, MD, an ob/gyn in private practice at Ottenheimer Health Care in New York City. Here’s why it’s worth it to consider and discuss with your doc at your next gynecologist appointment.

Forgetting about it is a good thing. There’s nothing worse than the stomach-sinking feeling when you realize you forgot a pill. But you don’t need to do anything about the IUD after insertion. “If you or your partner feel anything, that may be a sign that it’s not in the right place,” says Ottenheimer. The IUD is checked for proper placement at your annual gynecologist appointment, but other than that, you can leave it alone.

It doesn’t disrupt your cycle. “Unlike the pill, which creates an artificial cycle, both hormonal and non-hormonal IUDs allow you to cycle naturally,” explains Ottenheimer. What this means: It’s easy to pinpoint any period abnormalities that could clue you in to a potential problem.

It’s super effective. “Studies show an IUD is 99 percent effective at preventing unplanned pregnancy,” explains Ottenheimer. This stat is superior to other methods of birth control like the Pill, which, in practice, has about 92 percent efficacy.

It’s financially smart. In the past, spotty coverage meant that the IUD often had to be paid for out of pocket—and, at $ 700 to $ 800 for insertion, it wasn’t exactly cheap. Now that the Affordable Care Act ensures that birth control is covered, an IUD can end up less expensive over time than the equivalent cost of years of co-pays for the Pill. Since most women consider birth control an economic issue, the cost angle is hard to overlook.

It lasts a long time. “Many patients are put off by the potential pain of insertion,” says Ottenheimer. The truth: Yes, it can be crampy, but the actual procedure only takes a few minutes, your doctor will give you before-and-after meds to minimize pain, and once it’s in, it’s there for a long time. “Mirena (the hormonal option) lasts for five years and Paragard (the non-hormonal option) lasts for ten,” says Ottenheimer.

… But you can get pregnant as soon as you take it out. Even if you’re planning to start a family in the next year or two, an IUD may be the ideal for-now option. “Removal only takes a quick office visit, and it’s possible to get pregnant within twenty-four hours of having it removed,” says Ottenheimer.

photo: Photodisc/Thinkstock

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Your Guy Friends Think About You Naked

Posted on November 2, 2012 by admin

While you may swear that your relationship with your dude BFF is totally platonic, science begs to differ. New research in The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships suggests that men and women can’t be just friends.

Researchers interviewed 88 pairs of opposite-sex, college-aged friends about their romantic attraction to each other and their perception of how attracted their friend was to them. The findings confirmed long-standing rom-com stereotypes: Men are much more attracted to their female friends than vice versa. Guys also tend to overestimate their gal-pal’s attraction towards them, while women underestimate how much their guy friends want them. Men were also more willing to act on mistaken mutual attraction. This research suggests that men, more so than women, have a hard time being ‘just friends’—as Billy Crystal’s character Harry says in the classic When Harry Met Sally, “the sex thing always gets in the way.”

Study results also show that stress levels soar when hormones mix with co-ed friendships. If the thought of your guy friend reenacting a Fifty Shades of Grey scenario in his head every time you two hang out makes you want to gag, you should know what to say in case he pulls a move. If you want to remain friends, the most important thing is that he doesn’t feel rejected, says psychotherapist Bonnie Eaker Weil Ph.D., author of Make Up, Don’t Break Up. Tell him you’re really flattered he wants to take things to the next level, but even though he’s an attractive guy (possibly a white lie that’ll spare his ego a little), you don’t want to spoil the friendship by crossing a line.

photo: Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock

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What His Passport Says About His Penis Size

Posted on October 3, 2012 by admin

Maybe it’s not just the sexy accents that compel American women to seek out European men. According to a new paper published in the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences, European men have longer penises on average than American dudes. Out of 113 nationalities included in the study, men in the U.S. measured in at an average of 5.1 inches long, falling short of men from Iceland, who reported 6.5 inches, on average. Italy (6.2”), Sweden (5.9”), and Greece (5.8”) also surpassed our stateside fellows.

Top length, however, goes to The Republic of Congo, with an average size of–you might want to sit down for this–7.1 inches. Ecuador and Ghana place second and third on the globe with 7 and 6.8 inches, respectively.

But don’t book tickets abroad just yet. The study author is a noted controversial figure in academic circles, and the stats he gathered were from Internet websites. For all we know, these figures only prove that men from the Republic of Congo have the biggest… imaginations.

In any case, penis size isn’t actually an indicator of a man’s sexual prowess—or whether you’re going to have an orgasm. “The size of the organ doesn’t matter so much as technique, foreplay and stimulation of the nerves surrounding the clitoris, vagina, and vulva,” says Debra Wickman, MD, co-founder of SHE: Sexual Health Experts, a dedicated sexual health practice.

If anything, Wickman says, girth is more important than length—most of the nerves are located in the first few inches of our vaginas, and a wider penis is better able to stimulate those nerves. In fact, Wickman cautions that when it comes to penises, bigger isn’t always better: “Increased length can often be more a cause of pain—the penis can hit your cervix, which can be really uncomfortable.”

Want to increase your chances of hitting the big O, regardless of how big (or not) your partner’s penis is? Check out these tips. You can thank us later.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Everything You Need to Know About Soy

Posted on October 2, 2012 by admin

‘;s_time.prop4 = ‘healthylifestyles|’;s_time.prop5 = ‘{}’;s_time.prop7 = ‘resources’;s_time.prop8 = ‘magazine’;s_time.prop11 = ‘nutrition’;s_time.prop15 = ‘lifestyle article’;s_time.prop16 = ‘eating’;s_time.prop28 = ‘health|eating|nutrition||page 1’;s_time.prop17 = location.href;if (typeof(catsCSV) == “string”) s_time.prop13 = catsCSV;if (typeof(omnitureHookFunction) == “function”) eval(“omnitureHookFunction();”);var s_code=s_time.t();if(s_code)document.write(s_code)// ]]> Vignette StoryServer 6.0 Mon Aug 20 11:41:40 2012 S
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E SweepstakesHealth NewsettersSubscribeHealthy & HappyNews & ViewsFamilyHome and TravelMind and BodyMoneySex and RelationshipsDiet & FitnessFitness • Cardio • Strength • YogaWeight Loss • Diets • Dieting TipsFood & RecipesEating • Cooking • Nutrition • Restaurants and Fast FoodsRecipesBeauty & StyleBeauty • Skincare • Hair • Makeup • StyleCelebrity • Celebrity Tips • Celebrity HealthHealth A-ZAlzheimer’s DiseaseAsthmaBipolar DisorderBirth ControlBreast CancerChildhood VaccinesCholesterolChronic PainCold, Flu, and SinusCOPDCrohn’s DiseaseDepressionDiabetes (Type 2)FibromyalgiaGERDHeadaches & MigrainesIncontinenceMenopauseOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisRheumatoid ArthritisSexual HealthSleep DisordersUlcerative ColitisMore ConditionsMagazineCurrent IssueSubscribeTablet EditionArchiveGive a Gift SubscriptionCustomer ServiceMedia KitAge-Proof Your BonesHome >> Food & Recipes >> Eating >> Nutrition >> There are so many ways to get this good-for-you protein into your daily diet. Here’s how to do itand why you absolutely should. Comments: Add | Read soy-bean Laura Johansen/Getty Images If you bypass tofu at salad bars, skip the meatless dishes at Chinese restaurants, and avoid edamame when you’re out for sushi, well, it’s time to give soy-based foods a second look. “Whole soy foods are a great substitute for meat,”says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Their healthy protein content makes them a good option even if you’re not one of the growing number of people going “flexitarian,”or opting to eat less meat. Here’s your guide to making this legume a regular and great-tasting part of your diet.

Soy 101
All soy products are made from soybeans, mostly grown here in the United States. You can buy whole soybeans dried or canned, or in the produce section or freezer aisle as edamame, the common name for soybeans picked before they’re fully mature. (Edamame can be purchased either in pods or shelled.)

Beyond whole beans, soy takes on a number of different guises. Roasted soybeans are sold as soy nuts or ground into soy nut butter. Soybeans can besoaked in water, cooked, and filtered tomake soy milk and soy yogurt. Adding a coagulant to soy milk curdles it, producing tofu, which ranges in texture from “silken”(very soft) to “extra firm,”depending on howmuch liquid is removed. Soybeans can also be fermented into a paste called miso (the base for miso soup) or a cakeor patty called tempeh, which is often used in place of meat in sandwiches or grilledand eaten on its own. Finally, soy can be found in many packaged foodssuch as frozen meatless burgers, cereals, and energy barsoften in the form of “soy protein isolate,”meaning it’s mostly the protein from soybeans you’re getting.

The power of soy
Soy’s biggest nutritional claim to fame is its complete protein, one of the only plant proteins that contains all nine essential amino acids our bodies need from our diets to function properly. This makes it an ideal substitute for meat, poultry, and eggs. In fact, a half cup of cooked soybeans supplies about one-third of your necessary daily protein, for a mere 149 calories (versus about 230 for one serving of cooked ground beef). That protein and the fiber it contains make it incredibly filling. Plus, soybeans are cholesterol-free and lower in heart-unhealthy saturated fat than meat and dairy.

Next Page: How to eat soy and like it 12Next Sally Kuzemchak, RDLast Updated: February 09, 2012Free Food & Nutrition Email Newsletter

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All About Exes: Why Women Call it Quits

Posted on July 26, 2012 by admin

Breaking up SUCKS, even if it’s you that’s doing the breaking. Yesterday’s Mr. Right can be today’s Mr. Right Now. Women all over the world have had to say so long to relationships—having ex boyfriends is something we almost all have in common! Maybe you ended things because you realized you had different priorities, or perhaps your ex had a wandering eye, or maybe your chemistry just fizzled out. For whatever reason your relationships end, there’s a woman out there that knows how you feel. Check out the results of our break up survey below and let us know which results surprise you!

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Wanderlust Diary, Day 1: The 6 Best Things about my Day of Wandering

Posted on June 22, 2012 by admin

This summer, Whole Living is partnering with Wanderlust, an annual festival held in three North American cities that centers around …
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Tag Archives: About

Everything You Need to Know About The New IUD

Everything You Need to Know About the Flu

Should You Be Worried About Blood Clots?

The Depressing Truth About Your Smartphone

What Every Woman Needs to Know About the IUD

Your Guy Friends Think About You Naked

What His Passport Says About His Penis Size

Everything You Need to Know About Soy

All About Exes: Why Women Call it Quits

Wanderlust Diary, Day 1: The 6 Best Things about my Day of Wandering