If you’re planning to take a trip while pregnant, you should check with your doctor to be sure it’s safe for you to travel. Unless you have complications with your pregnancy, most women can travel safely. Here are some travel tips to keep you safe and comfortable during pregnancy, courtesy of the American Pregnancy Association:

* Travel during the second trimester is usually most comfortable after morning sickness has passed and the fatigue of the third trimester is still ahead.
* Wear comfortable, loose clothing and comfortable shoes.
* Take things to make you more comfortable, like a pillow from home and some snacks that satisfy you.
* Always take your prenatal records with you on the road.
* If you’re driving, stop to get up and stretch often and take plenty of bathroom breaks.
* Be safe: Wear your seat belt and follow safety instructions for whatever transportation you use.

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A class of drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction may one day help delay or even prevent heart failure in patients with the most common forms of muscular dystrophy, according to a study published in the May 13 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive muscle-wasting disease that primarily strikes boys between ages 2 and 6 years old. It affects all voluntary muscles, including the lungs and heart. Most patients die before age 30. Duchenne muscular dystrophy and a less severe variant called Becker muscular dystrophy affect about one in every 3,500 to 5,000 boys in the United States.

Maya Khairallah of the Montreal Heart Institute and colleagues assigned mice with muscular dystrophy to either a placebo or Viagra. The mice received the drug once a day for six weeks.
…read more

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Most of us don’t need to hear it or read it … we have felt it in our wallets every time we’ve gone to the grocery store. But just because food prices are rising doesn’t mean you can’t make healthy food choices. The good news is that many foods that are good for you are also cheap. Here is our list of the top healthy foods you can find in your grocery store for under a dollar.

Prices may vary based on the store, location, and time of year.
1. Apples. Great for: Snacks, green salads, main dish salads, and fruit salads.
2. Bananas. Great for: Snacks and fruit salads, yogurt parfaits, and smoothies.
3. Baby Carrots (in bags). Great for: Snacks, casseroles, stews, veggie platters, and side dishes.
4. Canned Beans. Great for: Green salads, casseroles, stews, and chili. Types of beans range from 50% less sodium kidney beans and black beans to white beans and garbanzo beans.
5. Canned Tomatoes. Great for: Italian and Mexican recipes, chili, stew, and casseroles. Flavor options range from no-salt-added sliced stewed tomatoes to diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil.
6. Oranges (extra large navel oranges). Great for: Snacks, green salads, and fruit salads.
7. Pears. Great for: Snacks, as an appetizer with cheese, green salads, and fruit salads.
8. Lentils (dry). Great for: Soups and stews, cold bean salads, and casseroles.
9. Pearl Barley (dry). Great for: Soups and stews, cold salads, and casseroles.
10. Yogurt (plain, lowfat, or fat-free). Great for: Smoothies, yogurt parfait, dips, and dressings.

via webmd

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You don’t need to starve yourself on a wacky fad diet if you want to look look better in your shorts or swimsuit this summer. The secret to weight loss is to choose healthy foods and take in fewer calories than you burn. And it’s just easier to make better food choices in summertime, when heavy, high-calorie dishes seem less appealing. The best foods for weight loss in summer are light, refreshing and, most important, keep you out of the hot kitchen.

The single easiest way to trim calories from your summer diet, experts say, is to load up on nature’s bounty. Produce is at its peak in summer. Delicious fruits and vegetables abound at farmers’ markets and in your local grocery. Besides being low in calories, produce is loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. …read more

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Stroke patients have a high risk of falling after they leave the hospital, a New Zealand study shows. The University of Auckland researchers added that prevention programs may help lower that risk. People who have had a stroke fall almost twice as often as people who haven’t had a stroke. Falls are very common, and risk factors for falls are easy to identify. We need to emphasize fall prevention during stroke services when patients resettle at home,” lead author Ngaire Kerse, an associate professor in the department of general practice and primary health care at the School of Population Health, said in a prepared statement.

Kerse and colleagues found that 37 percent of 1,104 stroke survivors reported at least one fall during the first six months after their stroke. Of the 407 who fell, 37 percent suffered an injury that required medical treatment, and 8 percent suffered a fracture.

“This is much higher than reported previously. The incidence of falls in the study is even higher than for older people in long-term residential care,” Kerse said. Among the other findings:

* Older age, a prior fall, previous stroke, prior dependency before stroke, poor cognitive status and low mood such as depression were associated with either a higher risk of falls or injury after stroke.
* Women were more likely than men to suffer an injury due to falling.
* People who fell in the year prior to stroke were 1.6 times more likely to fall after a stroke.
* Patients with higher levels of functioning were 80 percent less likely to suffer an injury after stroke.
* Patients who were more dependent were twice as likely to fall after a stroke.
* Those who were depressed were almost 1.5 times more likely to fall than those who weren’t depressed.

The study was published in the May 16 issue of Stroke.

“Falls are important for all older people. But in people with stroke, falls add to the consequences of stroke. There is an opportunity to offer fall prevention strategies as part of the initial rehabilitation for stroke patients and as part of ongoing rehabilitation in the home,” Kerse said. Fall prevention strategies should include:

* Lower leg strengthening, balance retraining and exercise programs.
* Assessment of fall hazards in the home and improvements such as appropriate lighting, removal of obstacles and installation of hand rails.
* Increased awareness of fall prevention among family members.

via medicinenet

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