Virus: Why they Prefer to Attack the Winter ......

The mode of transmission of viruses may explain their preference for winter

Viruses are everywhere and have been raging for millions of years. No form of life is spared, especially not man. From AIDS to SARS (= severe acute respiratory syndrome), to smallpox and hepatitis C, viral diseases have decimated populations and are constantly fueling the specter of the health catastrophe. Others, however, are more common and less dangerous to health.

Real "stars" of winter, the flu, gastroenteritis and cold talk about them at this time of the year.

How to Better Monitor and Measure Diabetes?

Being diabetic imposes constant monitoring of one's blood sugar level. Fortunately, you can do it yourself and control its evolution. Nevertheless, the "traditional" method of taking a drop of blood taken at the fingertip is not always pleasant. That's why a new device, effective and painless, has emerged!

The classic way to monitor and measure diabetes

To measure blood sugar and know the level of blood sugar, you must use a device that evaluates the amount of glucose through a drop of blood taken at the fingertip.

Why are we Often Depressed in Winter? Best Anti-Gloom tips for this Winter

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) discovered in the 1980s the body's strong dependence on daylight. Their research has confirmed that the lack of light during the winter can cause mood disorders. The light blocks the secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone, and promotes the secretion of serotonin, a hormone that acts against depression.

Today, more than 18% of the Quebec population and more than 15% of the French population suffer from winter blues, which, when symptoms persist, can become a seasonal depression.

The symptoms of winter blues make everyday life more difficult. Fatigue, lack of drive, a tendency to remain locked up, laziness, gloominess, melancholy and boredom tend to be felt ... but are not irremediable. Discover our tips to fight the blues of the winter blues.

Practice a Physical Activity

The morning walk should be an automatic reflex! Enjoy the daylight that promotes the secretion of serotonin by walking for 15 to 20 minutes. The fresh air will also start the day off right!

In addition to waking even the most sleepy, walking is recommended to be in good health. Moving allows you to detoxify your body, reduce your stress level and feel better about yourself. Daily low or medium intensity physical activity is recommended as well as 1 to 2 weekly sessions of high intensity physical activity.

Ease your Environment

The music. Even if the lyrics of melancholy songs are very beautiful and pleasant, they do not always cheer our days! Listening to catchy music, with a rhythm that makes you want to dance, makes you feel happier and more motivated throughout the day. For more information, see also our music therapy file.

Clothes. Against the winter blues, it is advisable to focus on bright colors and avoid wearing gray or black every day, colors that are not always synonymous with good mood. Even if the sun is not there during the winter, do not hesitate to wear bright colors that will put a little summer in your day to day and in the lives of people you rub shoulders.

Banking on food

In summer, sun exposure can provide up to 90% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D. In winter, the risk of deficiency is higher:

It is therefore advisable to overcome the lack of sun by having a diet rich in this vitamin. Indeed, a lack of vitamin D could be responsible for depressive symptoms, according to the journal International Archives of Medicine. To do this, rely on salmon, tuna, trout, herring, cow's milk and soy beverages which are excellent sources. If a vitamin D deficiency is identified, dietary supplements can also be taken. For healthy people under 50, a dose of 400 IU to 1000 IU (10 to 25 μg) of vitamin D daily is recommended. For people over 50, it is recommended to take a supplement of 800 IU to 2000 IU (20 to 50 μg) of vitamin D daily.

Then, combinations of herbs such as St. John's Wort, an antidepressant, and rosemary, an antioxidant and stimulant of the nervous system, help regulate mood and prevent depression. Just boil a cup of water and infuse for 10 minutes a tablespoon of rosemary leaves and a tablespoon of St. John's wort flowers. This herbal tea can be consumed two to three times a day.

Try Light Therapy

The light therapy gives good results on the winter blues. It is a question of daily exposure to the white light of a lamp studied to imitate that of the sun.

Light therapy artificially favors the secretion of serotonin and can restore the disturbances of the biological clock and mood disorders. This treatment is considered a reliable medical remedy and is recognized by the scientific community.

Stop Biting your Nails

You dream of having beautiful hands but you have a problem, you can not help but bite your nails. To help you remember, I will give you, in this article, some tips that will allow you to have the beautiful hands that you want.

1 - Nail polish

The nail polish is not good taste, it is very bitter and sometimes very chemical. Get in the habit of applying it on your nails regularly, like that, every time you go through the nails, an unpleasant taste will be felt and naturally, you reduce your reflex and your desire to bite your nails.

2 - Aloe Vera leaves

If you do not have polish, or you do not want to put some, you can simply buy Aloe Vera leaves, cut a small part and rub on your nails every morning. The taste will make you quickly regret gnawing

3 - Chew

Buy chewing gum (preferably no sugar) or chewing plants such as licorice or anise. This will occupy your mouth and will normally give you less desire to bite your nails.

Hemorrhoids: some Natural Solutions to Relieve Seizures

First of all, remember that hemorrhoids are not a pathology, but simply a venous formation around the anus, which exists in everyone, but tends to be irritated in some, causing pain, itching and sometimes even bleeding: it is the hemorrhoidal crisis, which affects nearly one in two French people after 45 years, but can appear much earlier.

Very embarrassing, it is not for all that serious. In any case, when bleeding occurs for the first time, consult your doctor for any other underlying illness.

Once the diagnosis is properly posed, remains the problem: how to live with its crises?

If the use of surgery is sometimes a must, the adoption of a healthy lifestyle can help relieve these few extremely painful days.

1 - We adopt a high fiber diet to facilitate the passage of stool:

Male Hormones can also vary after Childbirth

According to a study of nearly 300 men, the hormonal levels of fathers may vary after the birth of their child, and say a lot about their parental investment thereafter. Point.

If we know a lot about hormonal changes in the future and the young mother before and after delivery, it must be admitted that very few studies have looked at the hormonal changes of young dads.

Also, a new study conducted by Notre Dame University, in the United States, deserves attention.

Sexuality: the Length of the Fingers could be an indication

According to a new study, the difference in height between two fingers could indicate the sexual orientation of a person. A study that supports a scientific theory of sexual orientation. Explanations.

The length of the fingers, and particularly the index relative to the ring finger, could at least partially inform the sexual orientation of a person. This is suggested by a scientific study conducted by the University of Essex (United Kingdom) and published in the journal 'Archives Of Sexual Behavior'. Conducted with identical twins (18 pairs of twins and 14 pairs of twins),

Self-Lubricating Latex could Boost Condom use

Scientists at Boston University have created a self-lubricating condom that they hope will further encourage the use of this method of contraception that may be abandoned by some users due to discomfort and lack of lubrication adequate.

Condoms are the only contraceptive method proven to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection. Despite this known fact, some obstacles to massive and effective use persist, including personal reservations.

"My Health 2022" the main Measures

The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, presented Tuesday the reforms he wants to see implemented by his government.

The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, announced Tuesday, September 18 in the morning, in a speech at the Elysee, the outline of the plan "My Health 2022", which must detail in the afternoon the ministers Agnès Buzyn (Solidarity and health) and Frédérique Vidal (Higher Education).

Medical Assistants to help Doctors

"At least" four thousand medical assistant positions will be created by 2022 to assist physicians meeting certain criteria, said Emmanuel Macron. Among their missions, these professionals will perform administrative tasks and engage in simple medical procedures, such as taking temperature.

An individual Digital Health Space

By 2022, patients will have an individual digital health space, "unless explicitly refused", according to the plan presentation file. In particular, you will be able to access your "health data" as well as "appointment scheduling services offered by professionals and health facilities".

Territorial Occupational Health Communities

In order to "encourage health professionals to work together", Emmanuel Macron wants to strengthen the "territorial professional health communities", composed of liberal doctors. Its goal is that in January 2022, France no longer has an "isolated" liberal doctor.

Salaried Doctors in Medical Deserts

Four hundred positions of salaried general practitioners will be created in local hospitals and in health centers located in medical deserts.

Recasting of the Organization of Hospitals

According to the Head of State, hospitals must be classified in "three defined levels":

• community care (general medicine, geriatrics, follow-up care);
• specialized care, including surgery and maternity;
• ultra-specialized care.

Modification of Hospital Funding

The financing of hospitals will be modified. The share of the pricing to the activity must decrease.

Reform of the Numerus Clausus

"The numerus clausus will be removed to stop maintaining a superficial rarity," confirmed Emmanuel Macron. The limitation of the number of students admitted at the end of the first year common to the health studies (Paces, medicine, maieutics, odontology, pharmacy), will not be any more at the beginning of the school year 2020.

But the measure "will not solve the problem of medical demography," agreed Agnès Buzyn, in an interview published Tuesday by Le Parisien / Aujourd'hui en France.

A bill in 2019

A health bill must be debated in Parliament in 2019.

Hypertension: Changing Lifestyle Reduces Medication use

Opting for a healthy lifestyle when one suffers from high blood pressure allows a drastic reduction in the need for anti hypertensives. What should be done ?

A study, conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and reported at the 2018 American Heart Association's Joint Hypertension Scientific Meetings, found that lifestyle changes were effective in people with disabilities. high cardiovascular risk

A Reduction of the Hypertensive Drugs in 4 Months

The study included 129 overweight or obese men and women aged 40 to 80 years and with high blood pressure.

The participants were divided into three groups: the first group followed a DASH-type diet,

A Healthy Mouth, the key to Healthy Blood Pressure

According to a new US study, people with high blood pressure who are taking medication for their disease will probably benefit more from the effects of treatment if they have good oral health. Conclusions confirming the hypothesis that periodontal diseases have inter-relationships with many general diseases, including cardiovascular diseases.

Poor oral hygiene habits can have far more serious consequences than tooth loss, since they can also have an effect on overall health. More and more studies establish a direct link between periodontal diseases, diseases of infectious origin that affect the tissues supporting the teeth, and serious diseases such as pulmonary diseases, heart disease, and stroke. and diabetes.

Why can we have Pain after Orgasm?

After love, some women experience pain in the clitoris, lower abdomen and uterus. Others report having a headache (migraines). How to explain these intimate pains, which do not occur during the sexual intercourse (we speak then of dyspareunia) but after?

You just have to surf the web a bit to find out: the specialized forums are full of questions about the pains felt by women after orgasm. Pains felt in the clitoris, lower abdomen and uterus but some also report having a headache (migraines). We wanted to know more in the company of Ellen Weigand, head of the site My sexuality.

"By researching this subject, we realize that it is still relatively unexplored by scientists, and that the reasons for post-orgasmic pain are not yet all clearly known," says Ellen Weigand.

Intimate female pain often neglected

"To note first that historically, the pain of women has often been neglected, minimized, and at the level of medical and drug research in particular, the tests are still done today mainly on male mice", launches the specialist immediately. As summarized by a journalist in the journal Nature, Erika Check Hayden (1), "the typical patient with chronic pain is a 55-year-old woman, while the favorite study subject for chronic pain is a male mouse. of 8 weeks ".

Orgasm and involuntary contractions of the vagina

Recall that "orgasm is medically described as the peak of arousal, and the expression of intense pleasure, with triggering of sexual tension and rhythmic contractions of the perineal muscles and pelvic organs related to reproduction as well as a modified state of consciousness. When the orgasm occurs, the woman has between three and fifteen involuntary contractions (at intervals of 0.85 seconds) of the outer third of her vagina, sometimes accompanied by contractions of the pelvic floor, uterus and internal and external sphincters of the anus. »(2)

Muscle spasms, hormonal changes ...

This could explain the pain or cramps felt by some women in the lower abdomen - they often evoke ovarian pain, but do not know if it's really where they are. "We suppose that in some cases it is a muscle spasm," says Ellen Weigand: the pain could be caused by the strong contraction of muscles and organs during orgasm.

"It is also presupposed that hormonal changes, such as that due to menopause, could play a role. "Not to mention vigorous sex that can cause pain in the bottom of the womb, but should fade.

A pain or a cramp can also be located at the level of the clitoris, and for good reason: strongly gorged with blood during the orgasm, and hypersensitive at this time, this hypersensitivity can persist and become painful post-orgasm. Still need to know ...

Psychological factors involved?

Some also explain these pains by psychological factors: tensions, stress experienced by the woman. "In consultation, if a doctor wants to" reduce "these post-orgasmic pain to a psychological problem, we must insist that he still performs medical examinations," warns the expert.

Intimate pain due to STI, endometriosis

These pains can indeed be the symptom of a more or less serious physical problem. If they occur in the lower abdomen, the uterus, we can suspect including endometriosis.

These post-orgasmic problems can also occur in case of sexually transmitted infections, ovarian cysts, etc. If these pains persist and are repeated after each orgasm, it is therefore recommended to consult your gynecologist in all cases.

"Depending on the situation, sex-psychological management may also be necessary to overcome the possible psychological consequences of repeated pain (desire, excitement or orgasm)," Ellen Weigand finally reports.

Sources:

(1) "Sex bias blights drug studies, Omission of females is skewing results", Nature 464, March 2010.

(2) Quotation from the guide I want to understand ... My sexuality (woman), Ellen Weigand, Professor Francesco-Bianchi Demicheli, ed. Health Planet.

The Testimony of a Woman on her Vaginismus

A 26-year-old British woman has begun to raise awareness of the reality behind the word "vaginismus". She wrote a book to communicate on this little-known subject.

Victoria Johnston is 26 years old, and has been suffering from vaginism for years. So that the look on this affection changes, she wrote a book recounting her experience, and told this one to several British media.

"The pain during penetration is like a burning sensation," says the young woman at The Sun. "Sometimes it's also like a scratching sensation, like rubbing sandpaper on the inner lining," says Victoria Johnston.

Weight loss limits the risk of Breast Cancer after Menopause

American researchers have looked at the proportion of breast cancers attributable to weight gain after menopause. They found that weight gain represents a risk but that, conversely, a slight weight loss allowed to reduce it.

With smoking, alcohol consumption and a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight is recognized as a risk factor for developing certain types of cancer. Better prevention is therefore an important health issue, to fight against cancer but also against other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

5 Good Actions to Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer

While there is no quick way to reduce the risk of breast cancer, some lifestyle changes can help put the odds on your side. Alcohol, exercise, diet, smoking and hormonal therapies are in sight.

Despite a slight decrease observed since 2015, breast cancer remains the most frequently observed cancer among women in France, the European Union and the United States. In 2015, more than 54,000 cases were diagnosed in France, resulting in the death of around 12,000 people.

How to Stop Anxiolytics ?

Taken in the long run, anxiolytics, most often benzodiazepines, have disadvantages that far outweigh their benefits. The risk of dependence is one of those side effects. Deciding to stop these drugs is a first step, but motivated as it is, weaning must always be progressive.

Some people take anxiolytics because they can not manage their anxiety or have just been traumatized. Others because they have a phobia, panic attacks or generalized anxiety. In 84% of cases according to the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines, benzodiazepines are prescribed because they are very effective very quickly.

Pregnancy: it is Better to Avoid Sleeping on the back for the Future Baby

Pregnant women spend 25% of their sleep time on their backs. A position that can increase the risk of stillbirths and low birth weight.

Researchers at the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Adelaide, Australia, studied the sleeping status of pregnant women and assessed the value of reducing sleep time on the back for the health of the expectant mother and the fetus.

Beneficial effects

Thanks to a specific device worn by pregnant women, they have reduced their sleeping time on their backs by just over 48 minutes.

Understanding Baby Crying

It's not always easy for parents to know why their baby is crying ... Because he's hungry, because he's hurting, because he's tired? Our experts help us to decrypt baby crying.

Our experts:

 Dr. Jean-Louis Chabernaud *, pediatrician UF S.M.U.R Pediatric (SAMU 92). Antoine Béclère Hospital (AP-HP), Clamart; Carole Bellemin-Noël **, psychotherapist, Dr. Melhem Mazraani, pediatrician

 In the first months of life, crying is the primary means of expression for the youngest child. Not always easy for us parents to decode the causes of these tears.

Why "white noise" helps babies fall asleep

Are you one of the parents who puts their child to sleep by driving around every night? If so, it is that your little one needs a "white noise" to sink into the arms of Morpheus.

Hush, do not make noise, baby tries to fall asleep. And if it was not so true? To sleep well, absolute calm is not necessary. On the contrary, it weakens sleep, according to Eric Muller of Neo-Nutrition.

A regular noise

The "white noise" is a regular noise like that of a fan, the background noise of the television on, a radio, an air conditioner ...

Vegan, Vegetarian, Vegan ... the Meatless and their Labels

Small vocabulary today: how to distinguish vegetarian, vegan and vegan? What are the labels in France to guide these diets?

Do you know how to distinguish between a vegetarian, vegan or vegan?

Vegetarians

A vegetarian does not eat meat, that is, no beef, no poultry, no fish.

Pan-vegetarian?

"French vegetarianism" as some like to call it, includes fish but vegetarians know it: it's not vegetarianism.