Just because you’re in your twenties or thirties doesn’t mean you’re immune to strokes Continue reading
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The Scary Truth About Strokes in Young People
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The Truth About Your BMI
Why it may NOT be an accurate reflection of your health Continue reading
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The Scary Truth About Cancer Diagnoses
Cancer researchers say the disease is being over-diagnosed and that patients are being subjected to unnecessary treatment. Here’s how they propose fixing the problem Continue reading
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The Truth About Base Tans
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The Truth About 5 Popular Health Drinks
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The Truth About DEET—And Other Bug Repellants
Read this before you start spraying Continue reading
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The Shocking Truth About Domestic Violence
The World Health Organization just released shocking data from the first comprehensive study of its kind. According to the report, physical or sexual violence affects 35 percent of all women globally. And here’s the worst part: The most common type of abuse is intimate partner violence, with 30 percent of women experiencing physical or sexual abuse at the hands of their own partner.
In an unfortunate reminder that this can happen to anyone, photos released last month show Nigella Lawson, British celebrity chef and author of How to Be a Domestic Goddess, appearing to be choked by her husband, Charles Saatchi, as they sit outside a restaurant. Saatchi was given a caution for assault and later told the London Evening Standard Newspaper that it was a “playful tiff” and that the photos made it seem more dramatic than it was. Though Lawson didn’t press charges, she appeared to be moving out of their home in London last week, reports the New York Daily News.
According to the WHO report, domestic abuse has a huge impact on women’s overall health. The data show that women who experience partner violence are more than twice as likely to experience depression and alcohol abuse. They are also one and a half times more likely to get a sexually transmitted infection and are twice as likely to have an abortion. And since many women seeking treatment for abuse-related injuries don’t identify them as such, this report recommends new clinical and policy guidelines aimed at helping medical professionals to spot injuries that are a result of domestic violence. “The health sector is potentially a very early identification point,” says study researcher Karen Devries, PhD, lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (which released the report along with the WHO). “If healthcare providers have the proper training and support, they should be able to identify some of the underlying causes of the cases they’re seeing.”
If you think you might be in danger, remember these expert tips:
Talk to an advocate
Even if you’re not sure whether you’re in danger, you can reach out to The National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE, 1-800-799-7233) to talk through your situation. The service ensures access to a confidential phone call with an advocate who will help you consider your options and talk about the resources available to promote your safety, says Nancy Glass, PhD, associate director for the Center for Global Health at Johns Hopkins. “One thing that makes women hesitant is that they think their only option is a shelter,” says Glass. “By talking with a domestic violence advocate, they can look at all the resources available in their community.”
Find someone you can trust
Whether it’s a friend, family member, coworker, or neighbor, it’s crucial to have someone you can turn to in case of an emergency. It’s even better if you have someone you can confide in who doesn’t know your partner personally (or at the very least, someone whose address your partner is unaware of), says Glass. The key is that your partner shouldn’t be able to find you if you need to stay with the person, says Glass.
Document any injuries
If you have any injuries—physical, mental, or emotional—don’t hesitate to seek medical attention. “Unfortunately, many of our healthcare systems don’t make it clear to women that they can speak out and say that they’re in danger,” says Glass. “What [you] say in that room is going to be confidential, and the providers are going to document it.” Glass suggests asking a doctor or nurse to take pictures of any physical injuries and to take a written statement of who attacked you. “That’s going to help [you] in the future if [you do] go to court or need a restraining order—that it’s documented that [you] did seek care for the injuries,” says Glass.
Trust your instincts
Devries explained that many of the studies on domestic violence ask about specific acts (like slapping, kicking, hitting, etc.) rather than just asking about abuse in general. Why? Abuse can take on many forms, and experts say it can be hard for many victims to realize or accept that they are suffering from physical or sexual violence—especially if it’s at the hands of their partner. But experts agree that your instincts shouldn’t be ignored. “Resources are available and they help a lot, but I think women need to trust themselves when they feel like they’re in danger—that they’re not crazy,” says Glass.
photo: Top Photo Group/Thinkstock
More from Women’s Health:
Signs of an Abusive Relationship
The Crucial New Law That Protects Women
How to Support Women–And Yourself
The Truth About Fertility After 35
If you’re 30 or older and hope to be a mom one day, then a new story in the June issue of The Atlantic is probably already on your radar. Its much-buzzed-about premise: That baby-making panic among 30-something women is overblown, and the fertility cliff you hit during this decade isn’t as steep as you’re led to believe.
The author, Jean Twenge, tears apart some scary statistics. First, an often-cited 2004 study, which shows that one in three women between 35 and 39 will not be able to conceive on their own, turns out to have been based on data from French births that took place from 1670 to 1830. And rather than fertility dipping at 27 before plunging hard at 35, a study of modern women shows only a 4 percent drop in conception rates from ages 28 to 37, reports Twenge.
Reassuring news, right? Well, not quite. While fertility anxiety for women in their early 30s is probably not warranted, well-established research left out of The Atlantic article shows that your ability to conceive a healthy pregnancy really does decline in your mid-30s.
“Most women who want to be moms in their 30s will be able to get pregnant on their own,” says Alyssa Dweck, an ob-gyn in Westchester, New York, and coauthor of V Is for Vagina. “But some won’t, and that fact can’t be brushed aside.”
What triggers the fertility fail? No matter how young you feel at 35, your eggs are more fragile than they were even a few years earlier. Data from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) demonstrates this: In analysis done on the embryo transfers that took place in the year 2006, 44.9 percent resulted in live births in women younger than 35 years—compared to 37.3 percent in women 35-37, 26.6 percent in women 38-40, 15.2 percent in women 41-42, and 6.7 percent in women 43-44. When the eggs were donated by healthy young women, however, 54 percent of transfers resulted in live births, no matter what the age of the recipient was (suggesting that eggs become less viable with age).
As you get older, you’re also more likely to deal with health problems that may affect your fertility, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Diabetes, obesity, and even high blood pressure all put a dent in your baby-making ability, says Dweck.
When older moms do conceive, they have higher odds of having a baby with chromosomal damage, which can result in birth defects such as Down Syndrome. They also face an increased risk of complications in the delivery room, according to a 2007 study that examined data from births between 1980 and 2004 (when more older women started having babies).
The Atlantic article does make some solid points, though. Fertility anxiety may be unintentionally fanned by reproductive specialists who regularly treat fertility-challenged women and don’t take into account all the older moms who pop out a kid problem-free, says Dweck. And the lower bambino rates among post-35 women might be skewed by the fact that in general, older women may be having less sex, she adds.
Finally, the post-35 plunge is just a guideline. Some women will have trouble conceiving in their 20s, while for others, it’ll be smooth sailing past 40. “But since you really can’t predict whether you’ll have problems or not, it’s best to play it safe and start trying to conceive by your early 30s,” says Dweck—if you can, that is.
If you’ve already hit that threshold and your life isn’t settled enough to try for a baby right now, there are some steps you can take to increase your motherhood odds when you are ready. “See your ob-gyn for a pre-conception exam, where she checks your overall health and tests you for conditions that can make it tougher to conceive and carry a child,” says Dweck. “By maintaining good health, you improve your chances of being a mom at any age.”
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More From Women’s Health:
Should You Get Your Fertility Tested NOW?
Fertility Questions
Fertility Treatments: Is IVF Dangerous?
The Truth About the 7-Minute Workout
Last week, the New York Times published a story about a “new” miraculous 7-minute workout that burns fat fast and helps you boost your metabolism. The news of the workout went viral—perhaps you saw several friends sharing it on your Facebook newsfeed.
Here’s the thing: The workout was just an example of a high-intensity circuit training (HICT) workout—a circuit of exercises performed back to back to back with little to no rest in between. HICT workouts have been around for a long time now, and their fat-torching, metabolism-boosting benefits have been widely lauded (such as in many issues of Women’s Health). In fact, the famed 7-minute workout you’ve been hearing about all week was just an example of an HICT, used in an academic article published in ACSM’S Health & Fitness Journal. That article reviewed 18 prior studies about HICT workouts, with the purpose of laying out guidelines for the most effective HICT workout routines—because HICT training has become so popular. And while the article authors offered the 7-minute workout as an example of a workout that matched their guidelines, they clarified that it’s certainly not the only workout that meets the requirements.
So, yes, the 7-minute workout is going to bust your butt. But you can do any good HICT workout to see similar fitness and cardiovascular benefits.
Want to know if HICT is worth your time? According to the study authors, it should involve these 7 components:
It targets all your muscles equally
The purpose of the exercises should be to build strength in all major muscle groups, and to create a balance of strength throughout the body—all body parts get worked on equally.
It alternates between major muscle groups
One of the reasons that HICT is such an intense and speedy fat-blaster is because many HICT workouts alternate moves between major muscle groups. This means that you don’t need to take long rest periods between moves, because while one muscle working, another is resting. Jumping from move to move to move with little to no rest in between guarantees that your heart rate stays elevated (and it helps you finish the circuit faster, because there’s no resting in between moves). And if you have one move that jacks up your heart rate (like jumping squats), you can lower your heart rate with the next move that’s less intense (like a stationary plank).
It targets each major muscle group with intensity
Old circuit training protocols called for 9 to 12 individual exercise stations, but the article authors say that the exact number isn’t as important as it is to make sure that all muscle groups are hit.
It keeps the intensity up throughout
The key to making an HICT workout work is to keep the intensity really high throughout. But the longer you do one move (push-ups, for instance), the harder it is to do that move at the same intensity as when you began. The article authors recommend that you give yourself enough time to do 15 to 20 repetitions of any particular move before switching to the next—30 seconds ought to be enough.
It minimizes rest time
Long rest time undermines the benefits of HICT workouts. You’re not supposed to recover completely between exercises, but you should be able to perform each exercise with proper form and technique. The best bet is to keep rest periods to 30 seconds or less—the authors say 15 seconds or less is ideal.
It actually lasts about 20 minutes
If you push yourself at 100%, you can achieve the health benefits of HICT in as little as seven minute (some studies have even found four minutes to be effective). But most people can’t push themselves at 100% for that long, so considering your own limitations, you’ll actually get the biggest boost from doing two or three circuits total, for a combined time of about 20 minutes. Seven minutes will help you see results, but twenty minutes will be even better.
It’s adjustable, based on your physical ability and limitations
If you are overweight or obese, previously injured, or have other physical limitations, the authors recommend caution before trying an HICT workout. If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, avoid isometric exercises (like wall sit, plank, and side plank), and substitute them for dynamic exercises.
So. About that famous 7-minute workout. To try it, perform each of these exercises for 30 seconds with less than 15 seconds of rest/transition time between moves: jumping jacks, wall sit, pushups, crunches, step ups, squats, triceps dips, plank, high knees, lunges, push ups with rotation, and slide plank.
And if you’ve already given the lauded 7-minute workout a try and are looking for something new, try one of these workouts from the editors of Women’s Health for similar results in very little time:
The 15-Minute No-Equipment Workout
Turbocharge The 8-Hour Diet In Just Eight Minutes A Day!
The Total Body Workout You Can Do Anywhere
15-Minute Workout: Total Body Toning
photo: Ryan McVay/Digital Vision/Thinkstock
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Speed Cardio: A Plan to Pick Up the Pace
The Thin in Thirty Workout
Get a Bikini Body That Rocks!
The Truth About Energy Drinks
The bad news about energy drinks just keeps rolling in: Thanks to inconsistent labeling and an ongoing FDA review that’s not yet finished, energy drinks can contain undisclosed ingredients that haven’t been thoroughly vetted by the FDA, according to a new report released by three congressmen earlier this month.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) surveyed the companies behind 14 popular energy drinks. They asked them about the ingredients they use, the levels of caffeine in their products, the serving sizes, the research performed to back up any claims made about the benefits, and how companies decide whether to categorize their product as a dietary supplement or conventional food (right now, the FDA lets manufacturers decide what their product should be classified as, which affects the guidelines to which they’re subjected).
The report compiled from all of the companies’ responses shows that virtually identical products can be labeled very differently—and that many of the ingredients and claims identified on the label are more concerning than they initially seem to be.
“In local convenience and grocery stores around the country, energy drinks are sold right next to soda and other well-known beverages,” Sen. Durbin said in a released statement. “Any consumer would assume that the high levels of caffeine and novel ingredients in energy drinks have been rigorously tested by the FDA to ensure safety. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case.”
The findings are pretty scary, especially considering that ER visits related to energy drinks doubled between 2007 and 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. What’s more, the FDA has received claims that link energy drinks to several deaths.
The bottom line: Before you reach for a pre-packaged pick-me-up, it’s absolutely imperative that you find out what’s actually in the can:
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More From Women’s Health:
Put Down That Energy Drink!
Skip the Supplements
Could Vitamins Decrease Your Life Expectancy?