Some pregnant women experience disturbances in sleeping than at any other time of their lives. This is common and it usually begins early in the first trimester when pregnant women tend to make more trips to the bathroom due to the rising of the level of the hormone progesterone and the faster clearing of the blood protein creatinine. To make sleeping easier for pregnant women, here are some tips to remember:

Make a consistent sleep-wake hours, limit naps, and avoid caffeine. You can also establish a relaxing routine before going to bed like drinking hot milk or reading a nice book.

Reduce stress and get into relaxation techniques instead. You can do meditation, deep breathing, or yoga.

Limit fluid intake after 6pm to avoid frequent trips to the bathroom.

Be relieved from lower back pain through massage, local heat, and special pregnancy pillow support.

Use stimulus-control techniques like using the bed only when you are sleepy and getting out of bed in the event of prolonged awakenings.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol totally to prevent insomnia. If it persists, see a doctor to get expert advice.

Arthritis is commonly associated with back pains, joint and knees stiffness, and muscle aches. This is a disease of joint disorder that includes inflammation in and around the joints. It can cause stiffness and limit movement in the joint of the person suffering from the disease or can lead to being bedridden or home bound to those with severe cases. There are about 100 types of arthritis, the most common forms are:

Osteoarthritis- affects twice as many women as men and occurs mostly in women of advancing age. Trauma and injury are also risk factors. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative for of arthritis resulting from the breakdown of cartilage covering the ends of bones. This is most common in weight-bearing joints like spine, hips, and knees.

Lupus- or systemic lupus erythematosus, is autoimmune disease with no known cure. It is chronic and can be severely debilitating when left untreated, attacking the skin, nerves, kidneys, lungs, and heart, aside from the joints.

Rheumatoid Arthritis- Seen mostly in women with a female-to-male ratio of about 3:1. This is also an autoimmune disease wherein the body’s immune system inadvertently attacks a joint lining, usually in the wrist, fingers, elbow, shoulders, neck, knees, ankle, and feet, causing inflammation.

To treat arthritis, a long-term management by a qualified rheumatologist is needed. Medicines are available to treat various stages of arthritis like analgesics that include paracetamol and acetaminophen for pain relief. NSAIDS or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are widely prescribed to relieve both pain and swelling but can cause side effects like nausea and ulcers.

For more severe cases, surgery is recommended to replace a joint that is totally destroyed. There are also many people finding relief from adjunctive therapies like acupuncture. It is advised to do this as a complement to traditional medical treatment. Before the onset of arthritis, it is best to keep a healthy lifestyle, exercise to strengthen the muscles around the joints, increase flexibility, and burn the extra body weight that puts you at greater risk of osteoarthritis.

Warts-free skin

The key to cure warts is to have a healthy immune system . Warts are also a common skin problem with children however, as they get older, they will improve their immune system and are more able to ward off warts. In the case of adults who have have too many warts in a specific area like the face, experts say that this is a sign that the immune system is not working properly . It is recommended to seek a doctor for help.

Certain procedures are given to patients to cure warts depending on the case. For extreme conditions that are recurring, persistent, or cosmetically troublesome, patients could undergo surgical removal of warts, laser surgery that uses heat to kill the virus, cryosurgery or the selective freezing of tissues by using liquid nitrogen; and electrosurgery that uses an amount of current to burn off the lesion. It is important to have a dermatologist examine your warts first and recommend which treatment is best for you.

Varicose veins are visible twisted and swollen veins commonly found on the legs and is more prevalent among women than men. More than just a beauty concern for women, varicose veins can trigger serious health problems like leg pains, night cramps, pulmonary embolism which can lead to a stroke. 

An effective treatment for varicose veins is through surgery. There are now procedures that you can choose that are less painful, less invasive, and even result in minimal scarring. It is best to consult your doctor if you experience chronic pain in your legs because of varicose veins. To prevent the onset of varicose veins, here are some things you can do to keep them in check:

1. Exercise regularly. Walking and jogging will result to a a well-toned leg muscle that will pump out more blood than a weak one and strengthens the entire circulatory system as well.

2. Avoid standing still for long periods. Try to walk around and flex your calf muscles by rising up and down on your toes, and squeezing your feet together in your shoes. This will keep the blood circulating more properly.

 3. Avoid wearing high heels frequently. Opt for the more comfortable, low-heeled shoes for everyday wear. You can still wear high heels for special occasions when you need to look your best.

4. Wear support hose. Help your legs decrease the expansion of its vein wall by wearing stockings that apply a gentle, graduated pressure to the leg from the foot upward.

5. Take time to elevate your legs.   Help the veins on your legs pump blood back to your body easier by positioning your legs higher than your head. You can also try it while sleeping by elevating the foot of your bed. Ask your doctor for more details.

We all know that engaging in a meaningful physical activity and other forms of exercise does wonders and benefits to our health.  However, many women become afraid to do any workout during pregnancy because of the harm that it may cause to their baby. While this is understandable as they want to protect their baby as much as possible, studies have already unfounded that pregnant women can exercise safely with minimal risk to herself and her baby.

Exercise can actually help pregnant women decrease swelling,  improve circulation and digestion, get better sleeping patterns, achieve high energy levels, and, for beauty-conscious pregnant women out there, read: less varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and easier time getting back in shape after giving birth. Before beginning any form of workout, it is important to get a doctor’s approval first. Here are some guidelines to a safe and effective pregnancy workout for you and your baby:

Eat well. Take in nutritious food to make up for the calories that you burn through workout. Keep your weight gain at a normal, healthy level.

Avoid high-risk exercise or sport that has a high risk of throwing you off balance like bicycling outdoors. You may opt to ride a stationary bike instead. As your pregnancy progresses, lessen also the intensity and duration of your workout. When performing aerobic exercises such as walking, swimming, dancing, etc., limit its duration to a maximum of 45 minutes to avoid any injury.

Drink plenty of water every 15-20 minutes to stay cool. Do your workout in a well-ventilated place. After workout, do not use hot tubs, saunas or steam rooms. If you feel hot, remember that your baby feels even hotter.

Listen to your body. Stop your workout and seek your doctor if you experience any of the following warning signals: severe headache, fainting, sharp pain on chest or abdomen, bleeding or sudden gush of fluid from the vagina, extreme nausea, or blurred vision.

The air that we breath contains the basic gas oxygen and other gases that enters our bodies through the lungs. Oxygen then transfers to the bloodstream and goes into all our cells. Our respiratory organ is very vital and although there are no foods that predispose us to lung illnesses, people could be prone to develop lung disease if they are undernourished. How do we take care of our lungs in terms of nutrition?

It is interesting to note that there is currently no ideal or specific diet that would keep the pulmonary healthy. The only lung condition with a recommended and specific diet is for those acutely suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. People suffering from this disease tend to be malnourished because they use more of their energy as their respiratory muscles work a lot because of breathlessness.

To keep our lungs healthy, proper diet, good hydration, 6-8 hours of sleep, and no smoking are advised. Although there is no single, preferred food group that is ideal for lung health, knowing the best foods to eat is the key to getting the right mix of nutrients for your lungs. The following dietary practices consist proper nutrition:

- Fish, lean meat, poultry, or dried beans, as well as iron and zinc for protein and energy.

- Plenty of vegetables, fruits, and root crops for vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

- Use olive oil for cooking as it is a good source fat and provides additional dietary energy.

- Make milk and other food items rich in calcium and protein mainstays in your diet for bone and overall growth.

- Avoid excessive intake of fatty and salty foods as a hedge against hypertension, particularly among high-risk individuals.

The air we breath is becoming more and more contaminated making people’s goal of staying healthy more and more difficult too. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is the ‘contamination of the indoor and outdoor environment by any chemical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.’  These substances can impair health that can cause discomfort to humans, animals, and the environment.

As the new year begins, let us take our part in reducing air pollution. These acts could be low profile, but if done by every single person could contribute to massive enforcing of a clean and healthy air. Here are some simple tips that we could observe in cleaning up the air: (now that’s a new year’s resolution for the environment this time.)

Reduce what you throw. Remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Use fuel efficiently. Avoid using wood, charcoal or kerosene for cooking. Instead, use LPG or electricity.

Avoid burning waste like dried leaves. You could instead compost dead leaves which is good as fertilizer for your garden.

Use your engine responsibly. Use less energy by making sure that your vehicles comply with emission standards. Try also joining a carpool or commute when possible.

Conserve electricity. Turn off appliances or lights that are not being used.

Do not smoke in public places, or don’t smoke at all.

The Ab Tightener. Start by crunching up, your left knee bent at 90 degrees and your right leg hovering about 2-4 inches above the ground. Then raise your right leg so that it is perpendicular to the floor. Hold for a few seconds, then return the leg to its original hovering position. Do 10 on your right, keeping your shoulders off the floor throughout, then do 10 more on your left.

Plank with Knee Raise. Position in the basic plank, with your left leg lifted slightly and toes pointed. Tighten your tummy to bend your left leg, and lift the knee toward your armpit. The bent leg should be parallel to the floor, with the knee pointing to the side. Repeat 10 times on the other side, and switch to the other.

Having a bad breath can cause a lot of embarrassment to a person and a significant number of people suffer from this condition. Bad breath or halitosis is described as breath with unpleasant odor where 85 to 90 percent of all its causes originated from bacteria from the mouth itself. With the many things you have to deal with your busy life, would it be best to stop bad breath from interfering you?

Bad breath can be prevented by knowing its source. Check to make sure that you are practicing good oral hygiene. Frequent brushing and flossing can do a lot to prevent bad breath. Visit your dentist if you have a tooth decay as the bacteria in it have a rottening action on the tooth leading to its demineralization. Your dentist could also check for other possible causes that you would otherwise not know like infection of the mouth, systematic disorder like throat infections, chronic sinusitis, gastrointestinal disturbance, diabetes, and others. It is best to seek a professional help to help you locate the root cause of bad breath.

In order to prevent bad breath, there are many habits that you could keep to conquer bad breath completely. Practice proper dental care by brushing your teeth, gums, and tongue after every meal; floss at least twice a day and rinse with mouthwash. Eat a well-balanced diet especially carrots, apples, and celery. Increase fluid intake to avoid dry mouth and stop smoking. Smoking may interfere the normal functioning of the cells in the gum tissue and is also associated with oral cancer. With proper diagnosis of bad breath, the expectation for fresh breath is usually excellent, thus leading to a happier, more confident person.

The Japanese diet, particularly in Okinawa, is low in saturated fat and calories and high in sea foods, seaweed, fruits, and vegetables. This is due to the widely practiced cultural tradition of hara hachi bu (eat until you are only 80% full). Okinawa, Japan also reports 80% lower incidence of cancers like breast and prostate, compared to most developed countries including the US. There is also low incidence of heart disease, stroke, and the average body mass index or BMI (an estimate of an individual’s relative body fat calculated from his height and weight) is 18 to 22, with low body fat levels.  It is also reported that Okinawans have a reduced risk of inflammation and autoimmune disease, which are the main cause of aging.

Based on the Okinawan experience, the aging process can be controlled best by watching those calories and concentrating on wholesome foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Fruits and vegetables are the main focus of the Okinawan meal and the more brightly colored they are, the better. Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of of bioflavonoids and other antioxidants known to help neutralize free radicals. Moderate food serving sizes of quality over quantity is advised and eating slowly so as to savor the flavors of the food are recommended. The Japanese diet, alongside a healthy lifestyle will definitely help us increase our chances of living longer.