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Welcome to the e-HealthFlash newsletter, brought to you by Goshen Health System. e-HealthFlash delivers to your mailbox timely medical news and, health and wellness information that matter to you and your family. To visit Goshen Health System’sWomens website, click here.
Smoking is a heartbreaker for baby
The warning’s right there on the cigarette pack—“Smoking by pregnant women may result in fetal injury, premature birth and low birth weight.” But a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded study puts that caveat in perspective: Women who smoked during the month before pregnancy through the end of the first trimester had a greater risk of giving birth to babies with heart problems than women who didn’t smoke during that time. The research looked at more than 3,000 infants born with heart defects and nearly 4,000 babies born without. Data revealed that defects ranging from holes in heart chambers to blood circulation problems in the heart were more common in babies whose mothers smoked before and during pregnancy—especially if mom smoked heavily. A battle looms for those babies: Infants born with heart defects have a greater risk of dying in their first year or face multiple surgeries and treatments to correct the problem. So, if you smoke and are pregnant, or you’re thinking of becoming pregnant, talk with your healthcare provider about how you can quit—for your health and your baby’s.
A violent cycle
The suffering caused by an intimate partner’s abuse doesn’t stop when the abuse does. That kind of trauma sets the stage for health problems that last a lifetime, says World Health Organization research. The organization looked at 25,000 women, ages 15–49, in Asia, South America, Africa and Europe. Researchers discovered that women who’d been victims of sexual or physical male partner violence experienced poor overall health including pain, memory loss and difficulty walking and performing daily activities. In addition, more abused women had thoughts of suicide or had attempted suicide than women who’d never been abused—no matter what their age, education or marital status. American women weren’t included in the study—published in the British medical journal The Lancet—but partner violence doesn’t discriminate. Know that help is available: If you or someone you know is facing abuse from a partner, speak to someone you trust, such as a family member, clergy or a healthcare provider, or call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
One more thing hormone therapy doesn’t prevent
There’d been such high hopes for the preventive benefits of hormone therapy, but over time, the drugs’ negative effects have overtaken the positive. With that in mind, it may come as no surprise that hormone therapy doesn’t help protect you from another condition: dementia. That’s according to research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Following more than 2,900 women who were at least 75 years old—and more than half taking hormone therapy—the study gave them annual mental agility tests for four years. More than 280 women developed dementia, and after accounting for age, education and self-reported medical history, researchers concluded that no matter how you slice it, hormone therapy doesn’t help protect your brain.
Mute those pregnancy migraines
As if the aches and pains of pregnancy weren’t enough, you’ve found your migraines have gotten a whole lot worse. To rein in the pain, try one of these American Pregnancy Association home remedies:
• Figure out what triggers your migraines. Keep a log and write down when you get your migraines and what you ate so you’ll know what to avoid. That slice of chocolate cake or hunk of cheese may be the culprit.
• Rest with a cool towel across your head or take a cold shower.
• Lay down in a cool, dark and quiet room.
• Engage in some light exercise or meditation, such as yoga.
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