Natural family planning

What is natural family planning?

Natural family planning, or NFP, involves being able to identify the signs and symptoms (fertility indicators) of fertility during the menstrual cycle, so you can plan or avoid pregnancy.

How reliable is it?

Its effectiveness depends on how carefully it's used. If used according to teaching and instructions it is over 98 per cent effective. This means that using this method as contraception, fewer than two women in 100 will become pregnant in a year.
It's most effective when taught by a specialist NFP teacher and when more than one fertility indicator is used.
There are also a number of different fertility devices that work by monitoring changes in temperature, urine or saliva. In the UK, the main product is called Persona. This is about 94 per cent effective. This means, using this method, at least six women in 100 will become pregnant in a year.
Myths about natural family planning include:

• It isn't effective. Not true - NFP is highly effective when used correctly.
• It's difficult to use. Not true - NFP is easy to use once you have been taught correctly and have good support.

How do you use natural family planning?

NFP works by observing and recording your body’s different natural signs or fertility indicators on each day of your menstrual cycle. The main fertility indicators are:

• Recording your body temperature - your body temperature changes through the menstrual cycle under the influence of oestrogen and progesterone. It rises slightly after ovulation. Charting these changes each day will show when ovulation has occurred.
• Monitoring cervical secretions (cervical mucus) - the amount of oestrogen and progesterone varies during the menstrual cycle, which alters the quantity, texture and appearance of cervical mucus, seen as vaginal secretions. Charting these changes can help you identify the start and end of your fertile time.
• Calculating how long your menstrual cycle lasts - charting how short or long your menstrual cycles are over six months can give you an idea of your cycle length.

Combining these different fertility indicators acts as a double-check and increases the effectiveness of NFP.

Advantages and disadvantages of natural family planning

The advantages of natural family planning include:

• It makes you more aware of your fertility and helps you plan or prevent pregnancy.
• It doesn't involve any hormones or devices.
• There are no physical side-effects.
• It's acceptable to all faiths and cultures.
• It can help recognise normal and abnormal vaginal secretions.

The disadvantages include:

• It takes time to learn to use the method.
• You have to keep daily records.
• Some events such as travel, illness, lifestyle or stress can make fertility indicators harder to interpret.

Natural family planning does not protect you against sexually transmitted infections.

Can anyone use natural family planning?

Most women can as long as they receive good instruction and support. It can be used at all stages of your reproductive life, whatever age you are.
It may take longer to recognise your fertility indicators and to start to use NFP if you have irregular menstrual cycles, or at certain times - for example, after stopping hormonal contraception, after having a baby or when approaching the menopause.
READMORE:http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health

Lowers Blood Pressure

Patients in the study who were treated with the Enlightn renal denervation system saw an average reduction of 28 points in systolic blood pressure, which is the first number expressed in a reading, after 30 days. At six months, the 46 patients who received the treatment maintained an average systolic blood pressure reduction of 26 mmHg points.
The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Los Angeles.
Patients enrolled in the study had an average blood pressure of 176/96 mmHg despite being treated with multiple medications to manage the condition. No serious side effects were reported, St Jude said.
Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a reading above 140/90 mmHg.
Renal denervation is a procedure in which a thin, flexible catheter is threaded through the body to the renal sympathetic nerves near the kidneys. Radiofrequency energy is delivered to disrupt the nerve activity, relieving high blood pressure.
Millions of people have hypertension that is resistant to drugs, putting them at risk of heart attacks and stroke.
The new therapy is not yet approved in the United States, but several products are already available in Europe.
Device makers that have already received approval to sell hypertension devices in Europe include Medtronic, the front-runner, St Jude, Covidien, ReCor Medical and Vessix Vascular.READMORE:http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx

Menthol-smoking kids easy to get hooked

In a study of tens of thousands of U.S. students, researchers found that kids who were dabbling with menthol cigarettes were 80 percent more likely to become regular smokers over the next few years, versus those experimenting with regular cigarettes.

Menthol is added to cigarettes to give them a minty "refreshing" flavor. Critics have charged that menthol makes cigarettes more palatable to new smokers - many of whom are kids - and may be especially likely to encourage addiction.

"This study adds additional evidence that menthol cigarettes are a potential risk factor for kids becoming established, adult smokers," said study leader James Nonnemaker, of the research institute RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Still, the findings, which appear in the journal Addiction, do not prove that menthol cigarettes are to blame.

"The study's subject to a number of limitations," Nonnemaker said. "This shows an association, not cause-and-effect."

One issue, he said, is that the study was not set up specifically to answer the question of whether menthol might encourage habitual smoking.

The findings come from three years' worth of surveys of over 47,000 U.S. middle school and high school students. That included almost 1,800 kids who had just started smoking during the first or second survey - one-third of whom had opted for menthol cigarettes.

By the third-year survey, more than half of those experimenters had quit smoking. Another third were still occasional smokers, and 15 percent had become habitual smokers.

The odds of becoming a regular smoker, the study found, were 80 percent higher for kids who'd started off with menthol cigarettes. That was with the kids' age, gender and race taken into account.

The results are consistent with the idea that menthol cigarettes encourage kids to get hooked because of menthol's "sensory properties," according to Nonnemaker.

But, he said, more studies are needed. One question is whether the findings might vary by race. This study included mostly white students. But it's known that young African Americans and Asian Americans are especially likely to smoke menthol varieties.

Last year, an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said taking mentholated cigarettes off the shelves may benefit public health.

But studies have varied on the possible effects of the cigarettes versus regular ones.

One recent study found that menthol smokers had a higher stroke rate than those who favored the non-menthol variety. Another, however, found no higher risk of lung cancer, and no evidence that menthol fans had a harder time kicking the smoking habit.

Of course, not smoking at all is the wisest choice. The risks of the habits go beyond lung cancer, and include a range of other cancers, emphysema and heart disease - the number-one killer of Americans.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking any type of cigarettes increases a person's risk of heart disease two- to four-fold compared to non-smokers.

READMORE:http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-73529

Movement disorders

How does movement work?

Even a simple action such as picking up a pencil engages several different parts of the brain. The conscious thought areas of the brain trigger the motor area to send signals to the muscles of the arm.
As the movement begins, sensors in the arm are activated, sending signals back into different areas of the brain that interpret them and then send further messages to the motor area to fine tune power, speed, coordination and balance.

Who's affected?

Given such complexity, problems with the control of movement are understandably widespread. Essential tremor - the most common movement disorder - affects one in 20 people under the age of 40 and one in five people over 65. Up to one in ten people has restless legs syndrome.
Other conditions such as Parkinson's disease (which affects one in 500 people) are less common, but can severely impair quality of life because they reduce the independence of those affected.

Dyskinesia

Dyskinesia simply means abnormal ('dys') movement ('kinesia'). Tics, spasm, athetosis (slow, writhing motions), chorea (rapid, randomly irregular jerky movements) and dystonia are all different types of dyskinesia.
The term 'paroxysmal' is also often used, to indicate the abnormal movements are sudden and unpredictable, with a fairly rapid return to normal.
Dyskinesia is often used to describe the movement difficulties of Parkinson's disease and similar disorders. They're also a common side-effect of certain drugs, such as L-dopa and antipsychotic medication.

Dystonia

In dystonia there are sustained or persistent contractions of one or more muscles. This leads to abnormal postures or writhing, twisting movements of part of the body. There are many different types, with various muscles involved. Writer's cramp is an example of focal dystonia (limited to one group of muscles), causing bizarre postures in one arm when writing or typing and disappearing at rest.
Blepharospas is a focal dystonia involving muscles that control closure of the eyelids. This leads to increased blinking and involuntary closing of the eyes.
Dystonias tend to be aggravated by tiredness, stress, anxiety and emotion.

Tics

Tics are involuntary rapid and repeated contractions of a group of muscles. This may cause movement, such as blinking, shrugging or grimacing, or the production of a sound.

Tremor

A tremor is an involuntary, rhythmic oscillation of a body part due to contractions of opposing muscles. There may be many causes. Everybody has a physiological tremor - that is, a very faint tremor in response to signals from the part of the brain called the cerebellum. Certain factors, such as exercise, emotional stress, or an overactive thyroid gland, can make this 'normal' tremor more prominent.
Essential tremor is as common as angina or stroke. It usually causes a tremor of the hands and feet, but the head and voice may also be affected. Very little is known about what goes on in the brain to cause essential tremor. It's often dismissed as insignificant, especially in elderly people, or misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease.
But although it isn't fatal, it can cause severe disability. Essential tremor can be treated with drugs, including beta-blockers, or brain surgery in severe cases.

Dysphonia

Spasmodic dysphonia is a disorder of the voice caused by abnormal contraction of the muscles controlling the vocal cords. This results in a quivery, jerky or strained voice. There may be times when no sound can be made at all, while at other times the voice is fairly normal.

Ataxia

Ataxia is unsteady or poorly controlled movement due to problems with the control of coordination and balance. There are many different types. Ataxia may be a symptom of conditions such as multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy, or it may be due to diseases of the cerebellum (a part of the brain). One simple and familiar cause of ataxia is alcohol consumption

Restless legs syndrome

Restless legs syndrome is an intensely uncomfortable sensation in the legs (and sometimes arms), which typically occurs with inactivity, especially around bedtime. The sensation, which has been described as tingling, creeping or 'bugs tunneling', is temporarily relieved by moving the limbs.
Other problems include disrupted sleep, insomnia and daytime fatigue. In most cases the cause isn't clear although it may be related to other conditions such as iron deficiency.
Relaxing bedtime routines can help, as can avoiding caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. The condition may be related to a disruption of brain chemical transmitters and medicines, for example those that increase the transmitter dopamine (such as those used to treat Parkinson's disease), can be effective in treating the syndrome.
There are many other movement disorders, including myoclonus, Huntington's disease, gait disorders, spasticity and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).
READMORE:http://www.bbc.co.uk/health