Health During Midlife Archives - Page 12 of 14

Acupuncture with IVF: Can it Help?

by Drew Nesbitt, TCMP

In a study published in the journal of Fertility and Sterility in 2002, it was discovered that acupuncture, when performed before and after an IVF transfer, increased the rates of conception. Since that time, more and more studies have been done on the subject with encouraging results. Although the initial results in this 2002 study have been over-exaggerated by the media, subsequent studies have still maintained that acupuncture is indeed helpful. […]

Acupuncture for Infertility: Find Out Why It Works!

by Drew Nesbitt, BA, TCMP

Infertility Statistics

For many adults, starting a family should be the most exciting and fulfilling time in their lives. However, for around 25% of the population, conception can end up being a frustrating and stressful process which can ultimately lead to emotional and financial strain.

For couples to be considered infertile, they must try to conceive for at least one year without success. Despite the fact that our bodies were designed to create, there are many complications that can occur during the process of conception. […]

Acupuncture: When East Meets West

by Beverley Golden

[Editor’s Note: This will be the first in a series of articles addressing the efficacy of acupuncture for ailments ranging from general health to infertility to peri- and menopause]

Sitting across a small desk like table, I extend my arms toward her. She places her index, middle and ring fingers on each of my wrists. Like a skilled piano player, she moves her fingers, first lightly, then with a bit more force and finally with an even deeper touch, shifting these alternating pressures from one wrist to the other on three specific points on my radial artery, nine pulses in total. […]

Women Born to Older Mothers Have a Higher Risk of Developing Breast Cancer

A new study analyses the influence that certain birth and infancy characteristics have on mammographic density – an important indicator of breast cancer risk. The results reveal that women born to mothers aged over 39 years and women who were taller and thinner than the average girl prior to puberty have a higher breast density. This brings with it an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Read more about the Carlos III Health Institute’s findings (published in the Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Journal) on: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-women-born-older-mothers-higher.html.

Cyma’s Picks: Nurturing Mothers Rear Physically Healthier Adults

by Susan Chaityn Lebovits

Nurturing mothers have garnered accolades for rescuing skinned knees on the playground and coaxing their children to sleep with lullabies. Now they’re gaining merit for their offspring’s physical health in middle age.

In a recent study published in the journal Psychological Science, Brandeis psychologist Margie Lachman with Gregory Miller and colleagues at the University of British Columbia and the University of California, Los Angeles reveal that while children raised in families with low socioeconomic status (SES) frequently go on to have high rates of chronic illness in adulthood, a sizable minority remain healthy across the life course. The research sought to examine if parental nurturance could mitigate the effects of childhood disadvantage. […]

Sex: It’s Good For What Ails You

by Dr. Barb Depree

Who has time for sex any more? That’s a question I hear from women whose plates are full with working, caring for parents, caring for kids, even caring for grandchildren. With all of the demands on our time and energy, why not just let sex fade into the background? Beyond the intimacy sex brings to our relationships, research continues to document how and why regular sex improves both our mental and physical health. These effects are significant enough to feel as good about an active sex life as about taking our daily vitamins. […]

Heart Facts: How Well Do You Know Yours?

by Beverley Golden

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, everywhere we look we see the signs. Roses, doves and lovebirds. Of all the symbols we associate with Valentine’s Day, the heart is the one that most defines it. Juicy, plump and bulging red hearts adorn all things related to this holiday, devoted to love. Perfect heart images appear, almost magically, everywhere on everything, moments after the Christmas season has ended. […]

Date Night…All Year Long?

by Jane Samuel

I know what you are thinking.

“Dating? What is that? Is that where I put on me-clothes, doll myself up and hold my husband’s hand across the table of a fine restaurant? Sorry, no time for that. I think I hear the kids calling.” […]

Midlife, Baby. Don’t Forget the S-E-X!

Dr. Barb DePree

(Dear Reader, as you may notice, we now have advertisers on our site! Although I am in some way connected to all these entities, I have found such sympatico with MiddlesexMD.com – a site dedicated to providing women with information and resources for navigating the sometimes treacherous waters of peri- and menopause. This is another “Cyma’s Picks.” With this in mind, I bring you the following post by founder Dr. Barb Depree. We hope to offer more posts like this in the future. For now, read on…)

You may not be able to leap up from a lotus position in a single bound. (Heck, you may not even be able to get into a lotus position.) You may find your back a little cranky when your two-year-old demands to be carried. Most disappointing of all (to your love life, anyway), you may find yourself falling into an exhausted stupor every night at the same time as your kindergartner.

For all the delights of motherhood, it’s a different ballgame at midlife. […]

Thoughts on Staying Healthy During the Holidays

by Peg O'Neill, M.D.

I am the queen of making lists. Like many busy working moms, I use lists to help me juggle the myriad of balls that I need to keep in the air on a regular basis: the grocery list, the list of school events, sports and music lessons, not to mention the lists I make at work to remind me to follow up on patients and to take care of the other responsibilities that come with being a partner in a busy pediatric practice. Though they sometimes drive me crazy, lists actually help keep me sane by keeping me at least a little bit organized and by helping to prevent important stuff from falling through the cracks. With the holidays approaching and the myriad of extra things to do, I find myself making even more lists. […]