Temporomandibular disorder screening guidelines
Posted by on February 3, 2014 - 5:41pm

The first ever Recommendations for Diagnosing TMD have been published with support from NIH. Despite a prevalence rate of 2:1 women to men, there was no mention of the sex differences for TMD in the abstract, NIH press release or accompanying editorial.   This continues to frustrate the women's health research community who are actively advocating for more sex based research.  This latest announcement indicates we must continue to be vigilant and work with funders and journals to ensure that sex differences become part of the research equation.   Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) occur as a result of problems with the jaw, jaw joint and surrounding facial muscles that control chewing and moving the jaw. These disorders are often incorrectly called TMJ, which stands for  temporomandibular joint.

Source:   Sex and Gender Women's Health Collaborative.

Are You Suffering from Adult ADHD?
Posted by on January 29, 2014 - 2:32pm

Many people don’t realize that the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can continue into adulthood as a form of adult ADHD.  Adult ADHD can only result from a pre-existing diagnosis of childhood ADHD—meaning, one is only susceptible to adult ADHD if they suffered from this disorder as a child. Roughly 3-10% of school-aged children are afflicted by ADHD, and 60% of these children will continue to have symptoms when they’re adults. Symptoms manifest themselves into forgetfulness, excessive daydreaming, constant fidgeting, and the inability to sit still. These symptoms are more subtle in adults and adult ADHD is, therefore, more difficult to diagnose.

Adult ADHD can greatly disrupt your life—from preventing yourself from being organized to affecting your marriage. Disorganization is one of the most noticeable symptoms of adult ADHD—and with the added difficulties of bills, jobs, and children, organizational skills for adults are even more crucial. ADHD symptoms also makes people more likely to speed and have traffic accidents because sitting behind the wheel for extended periods of time can be very frustrating for adult ADHD patients. In extreme cases, spouses who have adult ADHD may appear to have poor listening skills and an inability to honor commitments, which can disrupt marriages.  While symptoms for adult ADHD are relatively similar between men and women, there are some differences. Sadly, adult women with ADHD are more prone to eating disorders, obesity, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety than male ADHD sufferers. Awareness of adult ADHD is the first step towards treatment. Take a look at this slideshow to see if you think you’re afflicted by adult ADHD. If you have concerns, talk to your doctor to work out a treatment plan that’s right for you.

Source: WebMD

Women's Health Through the Ages
Posted by on January 24, 2014 - 4:44pm

This month marks the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the pivotal case where the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion. Many see this decision as both a political and religious issue, while others view this as the right for women to make private medical decisions without the interference of politics. Regardless of how you view abortion, it’s important to recognize the evolution of women’s health in America to see how far we’ve come in this field.

Here is a brief timeline outlining notable events in women’s health in the United States.

1800: This year, every American woman had an average of seven children over her lifespan. The birthrate reached an all-time high of 55 births per thousand residents—today the rate is 13 births per thousand.

1849: Elizabeth Blackwell ranked first in her class at New York’s Geneva Medical College, making her our country’s first female doctor. Battling sexism and prejudice, Blackwell founded a small clinic that eventually grew into the New York Infirmary for Women and Children and even opened the Women’s Medical College in 1868 to train more female physicians.

1896: The first commercial menstrual care product in America came on the market from a “little known” company called Johnson & Johnson. Unfortunately, this model was a commercial failure and it wasn't until 1921, with the invention of Kotex, that menstrual care products found their market success.

1916: Margaret Sanger opened America’s first birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York. Later, in 1921, she founded the American Birth Control League, which was eventually called Planned Parenthood.

1931: Robert Tilden Frank, a New York gynecologist, became the first researcher to give medical credence to premenstrual syndrome.

1960: The FDA approved the sale of the birth control pill, the first oral contraceptive manufactured by Searle.

1969: The low-radiation mammogram was invented, minimizing the risk of high doses of radiation on earlier models.

1970: The publishing of Our Bodies, Ourselves revolutionized views about the female body and sexuality. It is a book written by women, for women, and has sold more than 4 million copies since its publication.

1973: Roe v. Wade decision made by the United States Supreme Court.

2006: The FDA approved the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B for prescription use. It is now sold over-the-counter for women 18 and older.

2007: Dr. Teresa Woodruff edits the first book on oncofertility, a new field that studies how to preserve fertility in patients whose fertility has been compromised due to cancer treatment.

Of course we know that women's health extends well beyond these notable triumphs, and we're looking forward to a future where innovative advances in women's health continue to become more frequent and groundbreaking.

Source: Everyday Health

FDA Advocates for Sex as a Research Variable
Posted by on January 24, 2014 - 3:14pm

Men and Women are physiologically different, and it is essential to ensure adequate participation of both sexes in research studies in order to determine sex-based differences in disease presentation, prevalence, and treatment. A press release from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers revealed a study that tested the participation rate of women in post-approval studies mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Out of their sample size, researchers found that only 14% of studies “included a multivariate analysis that included sex as a covariate” and a meager 4% “included a subgroup analysis for female participants.” These shocking results mean that women are not getting adequate attention in clinical trials, which may result in harmful drug or device reactions in women.

Women vary from men in genetics, hormones, body size, sex-specific physiology, diet, sociocultural issues, and more—therefore, it is incorrect to assume that women and men will react the same way when tested for medical devices and drugs. Most researchers limit sex-based research to areas that are inherently sex-biased, for instance obstetrics and gynecology more often involves women, while urology more often involves men. However, men and women differ in nearly everything from their hearts to their knees—and research needs to keep these differences in mind. If researchers neglect to include sex as a variable in their research, devices and drugs can be approved for public use without fully understanding the reaction such drugs could have on women.

In response to this growing concern, the FDA has implemented new procedures to ensure participation by sex is evaluated in post-approval study reviews. This is certainly a step in the right direction towards recognizing and evaluating sex-specific health responses to new research.

Source: Journal of Women's Health

Avoiding Wrinkles: Ways to Protect and Prepare Your Skin for Aging
Posted by on January 17, 2014 - 2:01pm

Everyone wrinkles at the same rate and there’s not really much we can do to prevent it, right? Wrong. There are certain habits that can help you avoid premature wrinkles, making your skin look younger (and healthier) longer. Tanning is one of the leading causes of premature wrinkles. When you go tanning, ultraviolet rays are penetrating deep layers of the skin, weakening the skin’s support structure. Wearing lotion with SPF 15 or higher will help protect your skin, and should become part of your routine. Smoking also accelerates the skin’s aging process, and early wrinkling has been found in smokers as young as 20! The smoke from tobacco also turns the skin an unhealthy color and texture, so the best thing you can do for your skin and your body is to quit smoking!

Sun exposure and smoking are the fairly obvious skin detriments, but there are more culprits to wrinkling than meets the eye. Daily facial contractions, such as frowning, smiling, and squinting are thought to cause crow’s feet and frown lines. Wearing sunglasses or corrective eyewear to avoid squinting, while also relaxing your resting face, will help minimize extraneous contractions. Yo-yo dieting is another surprising factor in wrinkle development. Some experts attest that years of losing weight and gaining the weight back can damage the skin’s elastic structure. Losing or gaining weight in a healthy, steady manor can ease your skin into accepting the size of your new body.

Your skin is your body’s largest organ and needs protecting. Eating a balanced diet and staying hydrated with plenty of water will help keep your skin healthy. While you can never truly rid yourself of wrinkles entirely, protecting your skin can help minimize signs of aging. Take this wrinkles quiz to see how much you know about your skin!

Source: WebMD

New Childbirth Assistance Device Has Potential to Save Lives
Posted by on January 16, 2014 - 12:56pm

Every year there are roughly 137 million births globally. Of these, about 10% may result in serious complications. Tragically, approximately 5.6 million babies are stillborn or pass away soon after, and around 260,000 women pass away every year in childbirth. These situations often occur in underdeveloped countries or rural areas where women do not have access to hospitals or procedures such as a cesarean section when undergoing an obstructed or prolonged labor. Currently, when situations like this arise, options to extract the baby include using forceps or a vacuum extractor, which can twist the baby’s spine, crush its head, or cause hemorrhaging. Despite these statistics and outdated technologies, there has been little to no technological advancement in this area for years.

However, Jorge Odón, a car mechanic from Argentina, recently came up with an idea for a new type of low cost device to help extract a baby from the birth canal. It consists of a plastic bag inside of a plastic sleeve. The bag is placed gently around the baby’s head and then inflated to grip it. When the sleeve is pulled, the baby emerges with it. This device is likely safer than using forceps or a vacuum extractor to assist in a difficult labor, and as there is less contact between the baby’s head and the birth canal, the risk of passing an infection such as HIV from mother to child may be diminished.

This birthing assistance device, known as the Odón Device, has been endorsed by the World Health Organization, which plans to increase testing from 30 Argentine women to 100 more women in China, India and South Africa to further determine its effectiveness and safety. The device has also received grants from donors, and has been licensed for production by an American company. If additional tests verify the claims that some doctors are making - that the device is safe to be used by midwives with minimal training - then the device may see clinical use in two to three years.

For more information on the Odón device, visit the WHO website here.

Sources:

Swedish Surgeons Take Innovative Transplant Approach to Childbirth
Posted by on January 15, 2014 - 4:21pm

Swedish doctors are attempting an innovative surgery to give womb-less women the opportunity to give birth to their own children. Nine women in Sweden have received womb transplants and doctors intend to help these women (through in-vitro fertilization) become pregnant and carry their own children. Each of the nine patients was either born without a uterus or had it removed due to cervical cancer. This is the fist major experiment to test the possibility of live, biological births in womb transplant patients.

Many European countries prohibit using a surrogate to carry a pregnancy, which leaves women without wombs fewer fertility options. Womb transplants that can lead to successful pregnancies and births have been attempted before—in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Britain, and Hungary—but have been unsuccessful. Lead researcher, Dr. Mats Brannstrom said, “This is a new kind of surgery; we have no textbook to look at.” Press over these transplants has given hope to former cervical cancer patients (who lost a uterus to cancer) as well as to the one in every 4,500 women born without a womb.

The largest unknown for the scientists is how the pregnancies will proceed. The babies will need ample nourishment from the placenta and blood flow needs to be optimal—which are difficult variables to control for with womb transplants. Brannstrom and his colleagues intend to begin the in-vitro process in the next couple of months—testing their transplant success in their human subjects after finding victory in their mouse, sheep, and baboon subjects. If successful, this will be a major contribution to science, offering an alternative for women who have few childbirth choices.

Source: Associated Press

CDC Announces Decrease in New Lung Cancer Incidence Rates
Posted by on January 10, 2014 - 3:37pm

In the January of 1964, the Surgeon General made its first report linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer. Yesterday, the CDC announced a new triumph in the war against lung cancer by announcing that the rate of new lung cancer cases have decreased among men and women in the United States since 2005. Lung cancer incidence rates decreased 2.6% per year among men, and 1.1% per year among women. While, generally, this is a significant victory, the differing rates between men and women are troubling.

For many years, the female population was not smoking at the same rate as the male population, but the CDC stated, “smoking behaviors among women are now similar to those among men,” so “women are now experiencing the same risk of lung cancer as men.” If women have the same risk as men, it is troubling, therefore, that efforts to decrease new cancer incidences in women is declining at a slower rate than in men. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States, and sex-based research must be conducted to determine why women seem to be lagging behind men in these decreased incidences.

The CDC attributes these decreased rates to tobacco prevention and control programs. The CDC calls for a continued emphasis on local, state, and national tobacco prevention strategies to mitigate future lung cancer diagnoses. Some strategies that have been accredited to this reduced incidence rate are increased tobacco prices, smoke-free laws, restricted tobacco advertising, and a slew of mass media campaigns against smoking.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Staying Warm and Healthy in the Windy City
Posted by on January 9, 2014 - 11:36am

At this point, Chicagoans are celebrating the end of the Polar Vortex, which caused temperatures as low as -40 degrees (with the wind-chill) in our windy city. But, extreme shifts in temperatures can mean extreme health concerns to be aware of. Respiratory problems, the rise of the common cold, frostbite, and hypothermia are just some health problems that can arise in extreme weather changes.

Whenever outside temperatures fluctuate, there are shifts in the pollutants and viruses in the air, making people more susceptible to infection. Keeping one’s nose and mouth covered with a scarf when outdoors protects us from not only these air pollutants, but also keeps the air we breath in warmer before traveling to the lungs.  Family physician Dr. Joseph Szgalsky warns patients that breathing in cold air can “cause squeezing of the air tubes and lead to coughing and asthma flares,” and advises others to breath cold air in through the nose, which will warm the air up before it travels to the lungs. Furthermore, patients who are already sensitive to allergies, asthma, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease are even more susceptible to cold air respiratory flares.

Prolonged exposure to cold air may also cause the blood vessels in the skin to contract, thereby reducing blood and oxygen flow and causing frostbite—a phenomenon where the skin actually freezes. Frostbite can lead to sensitivity to cold, prolonged numbness, gangrene, and decay and death of tissue. It’s essential to protect your skin during these cold days and establish preventative barriers between your body and the outside.

Hypothermia is another side effect that may come about from prolonged cold exposure. This is a severe condition where the body temperature drops and organs are unable to work properly. Indicators of hypothermia include “cold feet and hands, puffy or swollen face, slow or slurred speech, and anger or confusion.”

To avoid these and other serious conditions, doctors advise continual hydration and appropriate layering of clothing when outdoors.

Source: N.J. News

 

Hot Flashes More Frequent and Severe in Cancer Survivors
Posted by on January 9, 2014 - 12:17am

From perimenopause through postmenopause, the most common symptoms include irregular menstruation, hot flashes, and night sweats. Every woman will experience these menopausal symptoms differently. However, research shows that women who survive cancer, in particular, have more frequent, severe, and bothersome hot flashes than other women with menopausal symptoms. Women who survive cancer also report better emotional and social well-being, compared to women without cancer.

A large scale study including 934 cancer survivors and 155 female participants without cancer assessed hot flashes and other menopause-related symptoms and sexual function. 90% of the cancer survivors were afflicted by breast cancer. The study took place in Western Australia and used standard questionnaires.

Hot flashes were much more frequent and severe in cancer survivors; approximately 76% reported having hot flashes over the course of 24 hours, compared to 54% in women without cancer. Also, 60% cancer survivors reported hot flashes as severe or very severe, compared to 40% women without cancer.

In addition to these findings, cancer survivors were less troubled by psychological and physical symptoms. Cancer survivors reported better quality of life, less severe mood swings or sadness, and better social well-being than women without cancer. The findings could possibly be the result of good psychological and social support available for cancer survivors.

The findings of this study highlight that all menopausal women, including cancer survivors, need effective treatment options for their hot flashes. To read more about the treatment options available for menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, visit Northwestern's menopause website here.

 

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