Dear Subscriber
www.sunhealth.org/delwebb/nestingplace/
by Karon Ford, BSN, MA, Sun Health Women's Services
In Arizona, the Sonoran desert in full bloom can be beautiful and captivating but for some it can start a cascade of symptoms leading to the misery of hay fever. This time of year the dry, dusty, pollen-heavy wind may trigger dangerous wheezing in asthmatics. This month Health-e Woman articles address the latest in allergy and asthma treatments including what the newest research reveals about the effectiveness of alternative medicine. You will also learn how you might protect your unborn child from developing asthma and allergies just by adjusting your diet during pregnancy with one simple, yet delicious food.
Don't forget to take our poll addressing the real concerns women face in the near future. The poll is located on the left sidebar and is titled "Get Real Presidental Candidates."
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Hay Fever, Should You Move to Escape the Misery?
http://www.sunhealth.org
 Twenty-seven sneezes. That's what forced Ann to stop her car alongside the road on a windy spring day in Nebraska. Ann's prescription medication was no match for Nebraska's airborne pollens. She's thought about moving back to Colorado where, with the exception of one bad spring, she lived free of hay fever for six years. Allergy and immunology specialist Betty Wray, MD, of Atlanta, Georgia, says that if Ann were her patient, she'd recommend allergy testing to learn exactly what Ann is allergic to. "It's not painful or dangerous, and it gives you so much information," she says. Wray believes that avoiding allergens and getting treatment are reasonable options for Ann—and far less unsettling than moving.
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Do Alternative Allergy Treatments Work?
http://www.sunhealth.org
 Those
of us looking for alternatives to chronic itchy eyes and runny noses may have
heard of some allergy treatments that don’t involve drugs or weekly allergy
shots. Two methods gaining popularity are enzyme potentiated desensitization
and low dose immunotherapy.
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What You Need to Know about Asthma
People
who are having an asthma attack have real trouble taking a breath. Many people
with stuffy noses from hay fever or colds say, "I can't breathe," but
they retain the option of breathing through the mouth. Asthmatics, however,
know what "I can't breathe" really means. Instead of their nasal
passages, it is the bronchial tubes in their lungs that become swollen and
clogged. Breathing can become frighteningly difficult.
Asthma
involves two conditions: (1) contraction of the small muscles surrounding the
bronchial tubes and (2) inflammation of the lining of those tubes.
Traditionally, treatment primarily addressed the first aspect of asthma; in the
past two decades, though, it has become clear that tissue swelling is the
underlying cause.
The
conventional treatment of asthma is highly effective for most people.
Treatments include both short- and long-acting bronchodilators, which relax the
bronchial muscles, and anti-inflammatory medication, which helps relieve the
swelling of tissue.
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Mediterranean Diet and Apples for Mom Fend Off Asthma, Allergies in Kids
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Pregnant
women who eat a Mediterranean diet rich in fish, fresh fruits and vegetables,
legumes, nuts, dairy products and olive oil may help protect their children
against asthma and allergies, new research suggests.
The
study, published online in Thorax, an international journal of respiratory
medicine, included 468 mother and child pairs that were followed from pregnancy
up to six and a half years after birth. The researchers collected information
on eating habits and on the children's asthma and allergy symptoms.
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Cueing Into Your Eating Patterns
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When
someone is trying to lose weight, one common piece of advice is "Eat only
when you are hungry." It sounds simple enough, but the reasons that people
eat can be very complex, and many have nothing at all to do with hunger. Our
internal cues are influenced by all sorts of other signals streaming in from
the outside. Tracking down those "other signals" has kept scientists
busy and yielded some surprising research on our eating patterns. Do you
recognize yourself in any of these patterns?
The Myth of the
"Light Lunch"
Feeling
virtuous because you had a "light lunch"? Chances are good that
you're compensating for it later in the day. A study conducted by scientists at
the National Center for Toxicology monitored the amount of fat typically eaten
at lunch by 17 subjects. The researchers gave the participants meals during
three different periods. All of the meals contained the same amount of fat as
the participants' usual lunch, but the subjects were told that the meals had either
less, more, or the same amount of fat than what they usually ate.
The
results? When people thought they were eating less fat at lunch, they ate more
calories than when they were told the meal was high-fat. They also ate more of
their calories from fat compared to both the "low-fat" and
"normal" periods.
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Femme Fitness: Women and Performance
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Women
have been creating an increasing presence in the world of health and fitness.
According to the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association
(IHRSA), women comprise 53 percent of health club memberships.
While
in the past it was considered unfeminine for a woman to perspire, today's
female athletes and workout buffs sweat right along with the best of them. This
increase in female participation has raised some questions, though: Are there
special considerations for female participants and athletes?
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Acupuncture Improves Pregnancy Rates in Women Having IVF
http://www.sunhealth.org/obgyn/
Acupuncture is an ancient practice used to stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself and promote well-being. Small needles are placed in very specific areas based on your needs. Ancient medicine believes that the needles help to relieve blocked energy pathways. Modern medicine believes the process stimulates the nervous system to release beneficial chemicals. Regardless of the conflict in theory, acupuncture is gradually becoming an accepted option for a variety of health issues. It is typically used in conjunction with modern medicine for the best results.
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Women and Speed Dating
If
you only have five minutes to pick a mate, you're likely to do it the way your
ancestors did, with men seeking beauty and women looking for security, wealth
and commitment.
It's
an ancient formula but one still very much in play in modern "speed
dating," said researchers reporting in the current Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences.
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HPV Vaccine Effective in Preventing Cervical Cancer Lesions
http://www.sunhealth.org/obgyn/
Genital
human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease in
the United States, and is the cause of virtually all cases of cervical cancer.
Although over 100 types of HPV have been identified, two types (HPV-16 and
HPV-18) are responsible for nearly 70 percent of all cervical cancers
throughout the world.
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Sun Health Events
www.sunhealth.org/delwebb/womancenter/
Community Education Class to Train Babysitters
Safe Sitter® teaches adolescents how to handle emergencies when caring for younger children.
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What is Sun Health?
Located
in the northwest Valley of Phoenix Arizona, Sun Health is a non-profit
healthcare organization that exists to serve all ages with excellence in
medical care, wellness programs, research and education.
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