Category: Health

{With new cancer cases worldwide expected to rise from 14 million to 22 million per year within the next two decades, and annual cancer deaths rising from 8.2 million to 13 million, the United Nations today called for multipronged preventive action including treaties and laws extending tobacco-style restrictions to alcohol and sweetened beverages.
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“More commitment to prevention and early detection is desperately needed in order to complement improved treatments and address the alarming rise in the cancer burden,” said Dr. Christopher Wild, Director of the specialized UN cancer agency in launching a new report ahead of World Cancer Day on Tuesday.

The report warns that the global battle against cancer won’t be won with treatment alone and urgently needs effective prevention measures to curb the disease.

As an example of preventive strategies the report highlights the need for adequate legislation to reduce exposure and risk behaviours, citing the first international treaty sponsored by WHO, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, as critical to reducing tobacco consumption, a major contributor to lung and other cancers, through taxes, advertising restrictions, and other regulations and measures to control and discourage its use of tobacco.

Similar approaches need to be evaluated in other areas, notably consumption of alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages, and in limiting exposure to occupational and environmental carcinogenic risks, including air pollution, it stresses, noting that about half of all cancers, whose total annual economic cost is estimated to reach approximately $1.16 trillion, could be avoided if current knowledge was adequately implemented.

“Adequate legislation can encourage healthier behaviour, as well as having its recognized role in protecting people from workplace hazards and environmental pollutants,” said Dr. Bernard Stewart, who co-edited the report with Dr. Wild. “In low- and middle-income countries, it is critical that Governments commit to enforcing regulatory measures to protect their populations and implement cancer prevention plans.”

The study, World Cancer Report 2014, issued by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a specialized agency of the UN World Health Organization headed by Dr. Wild, stresses that the cancer burden is mounting at an alarming pace. Due to growing and ageing populations, developing countries are disproportionately affected, with more than 60 per cent of cases and 70 per cent of deaths occurring in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

“Despite exciting advances, this report shows that we cannot treat our way out of the cancer problem,” Dr. Wild said, noting that the situation in the developing world is made worse by the lack of early detection and access to treatment.

Access to effective and affordable cancer treatments in developing countries, including for childhood cancers, would significantly reduce mortality, even in settings where health-care services are less well developed, the report notes.

But the spiralling costs of the cancer burden are damaging the economies of even the richest countries and are way beyond the reach of developing countries, as well as placing impossible strains on health-care systems, according to the report, compiled with the collaboration of over 250 leading scientists from more than 40 countries.

“The rise of cancer worldwide is a major obstacle to human development and well-being. These new figures and projections send a strong signal that immediate action is needed to confront this human disaster, which touches every community worldwide, without exception,” Dr Wild said.

Many developing countries continue to be disproportionately affected by the double burden of high infection-related cancers, including those of the cervix, liver, and stomach, and the rising incidence of cancers linked to industrialized lifestyles, such as those of the lung, breast, and large bowel.

Yet the implementation of effective vaccination against hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus can markedly reduce cancers of the liver and cervix, respectively, the report says, stressing that preventing the spread of tobacco use in low- and middle-income countries is crucial to cancer control.

Likewise, in rapidly industrializing countries, measures to promote physical activity and avoid obesity should also be prioritized in relation to cancers such as those of the large bowel and breast.

In addition, low-tech approaches to early detection and screening have proven their efficacy in developing countries. A prime example is cervical cancer screening using visual inspection with acetic acid and cryotherapy or cold coagulation treatment of precancerous lesions. This type of “screen-and-treat” programme has been successfully implemented in India and Costa Rica, for example.

“Governments must show political commitment to progressively step up the implementation of high-quality screening and early detection programmes, which are an investment rather than a cost,” Dr Stewart said.

Globally, in 2012 the most common cancers diagnosed were those of the lung (1.8 million cases, 13 per cent of the total), breast (1.7 million, 11.9 per cent), and large bowel (1.4 million, 9.7 per cent). The most common causes of cancer death were cancers of the lung (1.6 million, 19.4 per cent), liver (0.8 million, 9.1 per cent), and stomach (0.7 million, 8.8 per cent).

{{Annual awards – bestowed at the AU – highlight how Africa’s future is inextricably tied to progress in defeating malaria}}

At the official opening of the African Union Summit of heads of state, H.E. Armando
Guebuza, President of Mozambique, conferred the 2014 African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) Awards for Excellence in Vector Control to Cape Verde, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Swaziland. Each country has demonstrated exemplary leadership in maintaining at least 95% coverage year round of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN) and/or Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) interventions, the most important tools in preventing
malaria.

Malaria is a leading cause of child deaths and kills 627,000 people every year, most in
Africa. The continent has made tremendous progress in the delivery and use of life-saving tools in the fight against malaria, including LLINs, IRS, rapid diagnostic tests, and effective treatments, including preventative care during pregnancy.

Yet malaria continues to wreak a huge toll on Africa. It burdens already fragile health systems; it is a leading cause of absenteeism in schools; it negatively impacts agricultural productivity and businesses large and small when employees and entrepreneurs are kept from their work; and it robs African countries of at least USD $12 billion every year in economic potential.

“We cannot lose ground in our struggle to end preventable deaths and suffering from malaria” said President Guebuza, who serves as Chair of ALMA. “Our people and our communities are counting on us to continue to scale proven interventions to insure that no African loses their livelihood or life to this ancient disease.”

Last month, the World Malaria Report declared that as a result of significant scaling-up of
malaria control interventions, an estimated 3.1 million lives have been saved in Africa since 2000, reducing malaria mortality rates by 49%. And while funding challenges remain, resources for malaria prevention globally have grown from $100 million in 2000 to an estimated $1.9 billion in 2013. ALMA’s current Chair, H. E. President Guebuza of Mozambique, has rallied his peers and partners to increase malaria funding so that we sustain these impressive gains.

ALMA was founded by H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania to create a platform for Africa’s presidents and prime ministers to accelerate action on malaria prevention and control. ALMA’s second chair, H.E. President Ellen Sirleaf of Liberia, continued to promote performance and accountability through the innovative ALMA Scorecard for Accountability and Action. Winners of ALMA’s Awards for Excellence are selected by an independent
committee representing the World Health Organization (WHO), Roll Back Malaria (RBM), the private sector, civil society and academia. For more information about ALMA and for a profile of the progress shown by the seven winning countries, ple

{{New York- January 16, 2014}}, {H. E Dr Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health took part in a panel discussion held to introduce the notion of Global Convergence in Global Health and exploring the crucial need to integrate it into the Post 2015 framework. The event hosted by the Permanent Mission of Norway and the Global Health 2035, invited Dr. Binagwaho to take part in a panel of experts that included Dr. Margaret Kruk from Columbia University, a commissioner of Global Health 2035; Dr. Gavin Yamey of the Global Health Group; Dr. Ariel Pablos Mendez of USAID and Dr. Srinath Reddy, President of the Public Health Foundation of India.
}

The event tiled “Towards a Global Convergence in Global Health: What convergence means for health after 2015” was at the occasion to launch the report: Global Health 2035, that was put together by 25 renowned economist and global health experts from around the world, who came together from December 12 to July 2013, in order to revisit the case for health investment and it was published on December 3, 2013.

This Lancet Commission explores the possibility of achieving immense progress in global health by 2035, through grand convergence towards reduction of preventable infectious, maternal and child deaths to low levels universally. The report considers the capability of forming an SDG around the grand convergence of global health. The said report was published on December 3, 2013, and this was its first launch in New York. In a nutshell, the report makes the case that the return on investing in health is even greater than previously estimated.

Bringing a localized example, Rwandan Minister Dr. Binagwaho, discussed how her country achieved an 80% reduction of preventable deaths. She explained that a strong financial investment in health, with the help of the private sector and coordination of partnerships around the agenda was key to facing the challenge of a gap in universal access to health in Rwanda. The process involved education the population and dispatching skilled community workers to all parts of the country. She highlighted that these workers were elected by their own communities in order to preserve trust and solidarity within the system..

Dr. Kruk of Columbia University described the Global Health 2035 report as a product of academic and independent analysis of the divergent effect that health conditions have taken globally and the need for successful convergence as a number of countries such as Chile, China, Cuba and Costa Rica have illustrated. Fiscal policies can curb Non-communicable diseases and injuries and leverage significant new revenue for low and middle-income countries.

She further stated that the 2035 convergence goals are encapsulated into the“16-8-4” convergence goal, which consists of the reduction of under-5 mortality to 16 per 1000 live-births, reducing annual AIDS deaths to 8 per 100,000 population and reducing annual tuberculosis deaths to 4 per 100,000 population.

Dr. Yamey of the Global Health Group stated that the UN is a tool which can facilitate country-level expenditure and impact necessary for 2035 such as structural investments in low income nations and investment on convergence in lower-middle income nations. He insisted that the economic benefits will exceed the costs of investment. Moving onto global health convergence as part of the post-2015 framework, Yamey stated that it would consist of a single, simple, overarching goal which encapsulates multiple conditions involving a progressive and pro-poor UHC, monitored with feasible targets.

In her concluding remarks, Dr. Binagwaho debunked the myth that poor countries cannot contribute to its health and introduced the pro-poor system that Rwanda utilized to ensure the poorest in rural areas benefit first and foremost. In concluding her statement, the minister placed importance on equality, science, participation and good governance in Rwanda’s success so far

{{Healthy tipple }}

{A small glass of red wine every day could keep adult diabetes under control, scientists believe}.

A new study found that the drink contains high concentrations of chemicals that help the body regulate levels of sugar in the blood.

Just a small glass of red contained as many of these active ingredients as a daily dose of an anti-diabetic drug, the researchers found.

Although the study didn’t look at the effects of wine on people, its authors believe moderate drinking as part of a calorie controlled diet could protect against type 2 diabetes.

However, their conclusions angered Diabetes UK who accused the researchers of making ‘astonishingly bold suggestions’ based on ‘limited research’.

The charity warned that wine was so high in calories it could lead to weight gain – outweighing any benefit.

Around 2.6million people suffer from type 2 diabetes in Britain. The disease occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin – the hormone that regulates blood sugar – or when its insulin does not work properly.

High levels of sugar in the blood can cause tiredness, heart disease, strokes, blindness, nerve damage and kidney disease.

Past studies have shown that natural chemicals found grape skin and wine called polyphenols can help the body control glucose levels, and prevent potentially dangerous spikes or dips in blood sugar.

The new study compared the polyphenol content of 12 different wine varieties. The team, from the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, found that levels were higher in red wines.

The scientists then studied how these polyphones interact with cells in the human body, focusing on a particular ‘receptor – or molecule that sits on the surface of cells – called PPAR-gamma – involved in the development of fat cells, energy storage and the regulation of blood sugar.

The authors showed that polyphenols in wine bind to the receptor and that a small glass of wine contains enough to rival the activity of the potent diabetes drug Avandia.

{{Claims}}

The study’s authors believe moderate drinking as part of a calorie controlled diet could protect against type 2 diabetes

The researchers who report the findings in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Food and Function believe moderate red wine consumption could have benefits for diabetics

‘You could derive a natural extract from grape skins for the treatment of diabetes,’ Professor Alois Jungbauer said.

‘Also, this is further scientific evidence that a small amount of wine really is beneficial for health.’

Previous research involving thousands of people has shown that moderate drinking of alcohol can reduce the risk of diabetes type 2, he said.

‘Moderate is the equivalent of a small glass each day for women, and two for men,’ he added. ‘Our big problem is to convey the message of a healthy lifestyle because too much wine will cause diabetes and obesity.

‘If you have wine then you must reduce your intake of calories from food by the same amount.’

But Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK was critical of Prof Jungbauer’s conclusions.

‘It is very difficult to see how this limited research will have any benefit to people with Type 2 diabetes. It is a basic study into the chemistry of red wine and has no clinical relevance at this stage,’ he said.

‘The researchers have made an astonishingly bold suggestion based on the results of their research suggesting that a very small glass of red wine may be beneficial to people with Type 2 diabetes. This assumption is fundamentally wrong based on the evidence presented from this research.

‘Previous studies have demonstrated potential health benefits from chemicals isolated from red wine.

However the alcohol in wine is high in calories and can lead to weight gain, which can outweigh the benefits of these chemicals.’

{Almost twice as many obese people in poor countries than in rich ones as fat and sugar consumption rises, warns ODI}

The extent of the world’s obesity epidemic has been thrown into stark relief as a report from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) puts the number of overweight and obese adults in developing countries at more than 900 million.

Future Diets, an analysis of public data about what the world eats, says there are almost twice as many obese people in poor countries as in rich ones. In 2008, the figures were 904 million in developing countries, where most of the world’s people live, compared with 557 million in industrialized nations.

“The growing rates of overweight and obesity in developing countries are alarming,” said the report’s author, ODI research fellow Steve Wiggins. “On current trends, globally, we will see a huge increase in the number of people suffering certain types of cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks, putting an enormous burden on public healthcare systems.”

The report warns that governments are not doing enough to tackle the growing crisis, partly due to politicians’ reluctance to interfere at the dinner table, the powerful influence of farming and food lobbies and a large gap in public awareness of what constitutes a healthy diet.

According to the report, overweight and obesity rates since 1980 have almost doubled in China and Mexico, and risen by a third in South Africa, which now has a higher rate than the UK.

Regionally, North Africa, the Middle East and Latin America all have overweight and obese rates on a par with Europe.

Workers install lights on a giant McDonald’s sign in Beijing. Diets in China are proportionally richer in animal products than in the 1960s. Photograph: AP

“The evidence is well established: obesity, together with the excessive consumption of fat and salt, is linked to the rising global incidence of non-communicable diseases, including some cancers, diabetes, heart disease and stroke,” says the report.

“What has changed is that the majority of people who are overweight or obese today can be found in the developing rather than the developed world.”

The report highlights a paradox in the developing world. As well as obesity, under-consumption remains a problem for hundreds of millions of people in poor countries, where progress on reducing stunting – low height to age – has been slow. Up to a third of infants in the developing world are stunted.

Factors behind the increase in obesity include rising incomes and urbanization, which tend to lead to diets rich in animal produce, fat, salt and sugar; and the various influences of globalization, among them advertising and the media, on diets.

But the report cautions against jumping to conclusions that national diets are converging on a single international norm.

In China, for example, diets are proportionally richer in animal products and vegetables than in the 1960s, but sugar consumption remains low.

In contrast, Thailand has experienced an increase in the per-head consumption of starchy roots and pulses as well as fruit, which Thais consume more than animal products.

This variety in diets carries certain implications, the report argues. Globalization will not – in the medium term – place massive restrictions on the scope for policy action, and policy needs to start where people are, in terms of their preferences and traditions.

“Trajectories are not preordained; there is scope to influence the evolution of diet to get better outcomes for health and agriculture,” says the report.

Yet, Wiggins acknowledges that governments have been timid in staking out positions on diet. “Who wants to take on the food industry?” he said. “Then there is the moral and ethical dimension: people would not like the government to tell us what to put on the dinner table.”

This is not to conclude that diet policy must be timid, says the report, even if that is, apparently, the public mood. It contrasts government reluctance to act on diets with strong action to limit smoking.

Although diet is a more diverse issue than smoking, says the report, there may be scope for governments to take more incremental measures that could pave the way for the public to accept something needs to be done if future health costs are to be contained.

Some governments have managed to change diets for the better. South Korea has increased fruit and vegetable consumption through publicity, social marketing and education campaign, including training of women to prepare traditional low-fat, high-vegetable meals.

Denmark banned Trans fats, which have made its McDonald’s among the healthiest in the world.

Further back, the introduction of rationing in the UK during the Second World War ensured that the poorest people were able to eat a balanced diet.

But these are the exceptions. For the most part, diets are increasingly unhealthy – with an increase in the consumption of sugar. Sugar and sweetener consumption has risen worldwide by more than a fifth per person from 1961 to 2009.

Less than a third of countries are consuming less than the recommended top limit of 50g of sugar a day per person, and 69 countries have average per capita sugar consumption of more than double this recommended upper limit.

The world’s top sugar consumers include the US, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Mexico.

Fat consumption remains a concern. Among developing countries the highest consumption of fat is in East Asia and southern Africa.

However, industrialized countries still have much higher levels of fat consumption – often more than double their developing counterparts.

If you want to know more about the vitamin B complex and where we get it, read on. Vitamin B is a combination of eight water soluble vitamins. The B vitamins work together to boost metabolism, enhance your immune and nervous systems, keep the skin and muscles healthy, encourage cell growth and division, and many more benefits to your body. Years ago the breakdown of the vitamin was not known.

{{Vitamin B1, also know as thiamine. }}

B1 serves as a catalyst in carbohydrate metabolism and helps synthesize nerve-regulating substances. Deficiency can cause heart swelling, leg cramps and muscular weakness.

Foods rich in thiamine include meats, eggs, leafy green vegetables, nuts, legumes, berries, wheat germs and enriched cereals. It is said to improve mental ability and to help indigestion. Some also believe it is good for depression, stress and anxiety.
{{
Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin.}}

B2 helps metabolize fats, carbohydrates and respiratory proteins. Deficiency can result in skin lesions and light sensitivity.

Foods with abundant riboflavin include mushrooms, milk, meat, dark green vegetables, enriched cereals, pasta and bread. This vitamin is good for skin, nails, eyes, mouths, lips, tongue and is believed to help prevent cancer.

{{Vitamin B3, also known as niacin. }}

B3 helps release energy from nutrients. It can reduce cholesterol and prevent and treat arteriosclerosis, along with many other benefits.

Food sources rich in niacin include chicken, salmon, tuna, liver, nuts, dried peas, enriched cereals and dried beans.

{{Vitamin B5, also know as pantothenic acid. }}

This vitamin has a role in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and proteins.

Food sources include eggs, whole grain cereals, legumes and meat, although it is found to some degree in nearly every food. Fatigue, allergies, nausea and abdominal pain have been attributed to a deficiency of vitamin B5.

{{Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine. }}

B6 helps the body absorb and metabolize amino fats, to use fats and to form red blood cells.

Pyridoxine is found in whole grains, bread, green beans, spinach, avocados, bananas and liver. Lack of this vitamin may result in smooth tongue, skin disorders, dizziness, nausea, anemia, convulsions and kidney stones.

{{Vitamin B7, also known as biotin or vitamin H.}}

B7 helps form fatty acids and assists in the release of energy from carbohydrates. Note: There have been no cases of deficiency among humans.

{{Vitamin B9, also known as folic acid. }}

Sometimes this vitamin goes by the name of vitamin M or vitamin B-c.
Folic acid enables the body to form hemoglobin. It helps treat anemia.

Good food sources include leafy green vegetables, nuts, whole grains, legumes and organ meats. Be mindful that folic acid is lost when foods are stored at room temperature or cooked. Folic acid is extremely important in pregnancy as it helps prevent neural tube defects in newborns, including spina bifida.

{{Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin or cyanocobalamin. }}

B12 assists the function of the nervous system and the formation of red blood cells. If the body is unable to absorb sufficient B12, pernicious anemia can result.

B12 can only be found in animal sources such as eggs, milk, fish, meat and liver. Therefore vegetarians are strongly encouraged to supplement.

Supplements are available for each of these vitamins. However, it is imperative that you try to eat healthy, including many of the above mentioned foods in your daily diet. Be sure to ask your doctor if you have any questions.

{{Researchers in Ohio have found that frequent use of cell phones by college students is tied to poorer academic performance, anxiety and unhappiness. This is according to a study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.}}

The researchers, from the College of Education, Health and Human Services at Kent State University in Ohio, describe how they surveyed more than 500 college students about their cell phone use and compared their responses with their college grades and results of clinical tests they undertook for anxiety and life satisfaction or happiness.

Not decrying the usefulness of the smartphone to today’s college students, which allows them to stay in touch with family and friends and easily browse the Internet, the researchers suggest there is merit in considering what potential harms they may pose.
This is particularly relevant, especially as recent research like the Pew Center’s Internet and American Life Project suggests college students are the most rapid adopters of cell phone technology.

The majority of the students who took part in the study were undergraduates, equally distributed by class (freshman, sophomore, junior and senior), and there were also 82 self-reported majors.

First author Andrew Lepp, associate professor at Kent State, and colleagues compared the participants’ self-reported cell phone use against their college grades – the students gave them permission to obtain their cumulative college grade point average (GPA) from the university’s official records.Cell phone use linked to levels of happiness

Their analysis showed that cell phone use was negatively linked to GPA – the higher the cell phone use, the poorer the grades – and positively linked to anxiety – higher cell phone use was linked to higher anxiety.

They also found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that higher GPAs tended to correlate with more happiness, while more anxiety was linked to less happiness.

Anxiety and happiness were assessed with two well-known questionnaires for assessing mental health: the Beck’s Anxiety Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life (SWL) index.

Further statistical analysis (path analysis) on these associations encouraged them to suggest cell phone use is linked – via GPA and anxiety – to happiness.

They also found that these links were statistically highly significant.Findings add to debate about high cell phone use by students

However, it should be noted that the study was not designed to determine cause and effect, so no matter how good the statistics, they cannot show for certain that it is cell phone use that leads to anxiety, poorer grades and reduced happiness.

While it is plausible that spending a lot of time calling and texting affects academic performance, it could equally be argued that these results suggest students who are more anxious, perform less well in class, and are more unhappy are more likely to use cell phones.

{{Research from experts answering your most pressing questions about what is and isn’t safe during pregnancy.}}

{{Is it safe to get pierced during pregnancy?}}

Whether you’re thinking about getting your nipples, genitals, or burgeoning belly pierced, think again. “Puncturing the skin during pregnancy is never a good idea because there’s an increased risk of infection, which can then spread to the bloodstream,” according to Diana Mad fest, a dermatologist and clinical instructor at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan. Plus, when you’re pregnant your immunity is weakened so you’re more susceptible to infection.

So what if you’re already pierced and pregnant? Never fear, your existing body work won’t harm your unborn baby. Read on for tips on caring for your piercings.

Should I remove my belly ring?

Your favorite pair of jeans isn’t the only thing that will feel snugger as your waistline expands. “If your belly ring begins to feel tight, take it out or replace it with a more comfortable piece of jewelry,” says Joey Wyman, a former body piercer and mother of a 5-month-old. Swap your ring for a piece of clean fishing line or Teflon body jewelry (known as PTFE, or polytetrafluorethylene), which flexes with your growing belly. Wyman points out that you probably won’t need to take this precaution if your piercing has been in for at least three to four years because it’s not likely that the hole will close.

If you’re comfortable keeping your piercing in throughout your pregnancy and your healthcare provider approves, then go for it. The chances of it interfering with the actual birth are slim. “We can always work around a belly ring,” says Leslie Kardos, an ob-gyn at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco and mother of two, who also happens to have her belly pierced. “In fact, I left mine in for the birth of my second child without a problem,” she says.

The incision used during most c-sections runs along the bikini line and doesn’t interfere with the belly button. And if for some reason a belly ring ends up posing a problem during the birth, it can easily be removed.

How do I clean my belly ring?
Is It Safe During Pregnancy?

Take care of your belly ring the same way you did before pregnancy, by carefully washing the area with ordinary soap and warm water. It’s important to keep any piercing clean, but you should be particularly stringent with the belly variety, which seems to get infected more often than other piercings. After all, the belly button has a tendency to collect lint and bacteria.

Should I remove my nipple piercing?

When it comes to nipple piercings, ob-gyn Kardos takes a more conservative approach than with the belly variety. “It’s best to remove a nipple ring when you’re pregnant, especially if you plan on breastfeeding,” she says. In addition to being an obvious choking hazard for your baby, Kardos points out, a nipple ring interferes with a baby’s ability to latch on properly, and milk could leak through the piercing hole.

Your best bet is to take out your nipple piercing and let the hole heal over. Once your child has stopped breastfeeding, you can have your nipples pierced again.

Should I remove my genital piercing?

Let comfort be your guide: “If your genital piercing isn’t bothering you during your pregnancy go ahead and leave it in,” says ob-gyn Kardos. However, she advises taking it out as your due date approaches because so much stretching, pulling, and tugging goes on during childbirth that the jewelry could easily be ripped out, leading to additional vaginal trauma.

How do I clean my genital piercing?

Take care of your genital piercing the same way you did before pregnancy, by carefully washing the area with ordinary soap and warm water.

{{Testimony from a former Cigarette addict}}

According to the testimony given by a former cigarette smoker who recently celebrated a one-year anniversary of quitting smoking.

{“Well, of finally quitting … like most smokers, I had tried to quit many times and failed. But this quit stuck, and I’d like to share the top 10 things that made this quit successful when the others failed”.}

{{1. Commit Thyself Fully}}. In the quits that failed, I was only half into it. I told myself I wanted to quit, but I always felt in the back of my mind that I’d fail. I didn’t write anything down; I didn’t tell everybody (maybe my wife, but just her). This time, I wrote it down. I wrote down a plan. I blogged about it. I made a vow to my daughter. I told my family and friends I was quitting. I went online and joined a quit forum. I had rewards. Many of these will be in the following tips, but the point is that I fully committed, and there was no turning back. I didn’t make it easy for myself to fail.

{{2. Make a Plan}}. You can’t just wake up and say, “I’m gonna quit today.” You have to prepare yourself. Plan it out. Have a system of rewards, a support system, and a person to call if you’re in trouble. Write down what you’ll do when you get an urge. Print it out. Post it up on your wall, at home and at work. If you wait until you get the urge to figure out what you’re going to do, you’ve already lost. You have to be ready when those urges come.

{{3. Know Your Motivation}}. When the urge comes, your mind will rationalize. “What’s the harm?” And you’ll forget why you’re doing this. Know why you’re doing this before that urge comes. Is it for your kids? For your wife? For you health? So you can run? Because the girl you like doesn’t like smokers? Have a very good reason or reasons for quitting. List them out. Print them out. Put it on a wall. And remind yourself of those reasons every day, every urge.

{{4. Not One Puff, Ever (N.O.P.E.).}} The mind is a tricky thing. It will tell you that one cigarette won’t hurt. And it’s hard to argue with that logic, especially when you’re in the middle of an urge. And those urges are super hard to argue with. Don’t give in. Tell yourself, before the urges come, that you will not smoke a single puff, ever again. Because the truth is, that one puff will hurt. One puff leads to a second, and a third, and soon you’re not quitting, you’re smoking. Don’t fool yourself. A single puff will almost always lead to a recession. Do not take a single Puff!

{{5. Join a Forum}}. One of the things that helped the most in this quit was an online forum for quitters (quitsmoking.about.com) … you don’t feel so alone when you’re miserable. Misery loves company, after all. Go online, introduce yourself, get to know the others who are going through the exact same thing, post about your crappy experience, and read about others who are even worse than you. Best rule: Post Before You Smoke. If you set this rule and stick to it, you will make it through your urge. Others will talk to you through it. And they’ll celebrate with you when you make it through your first day, day 2, 3, and 4, week 1 and beyond. It’s great fun.

{{6. Reward Yourself.}} Set up a plan for your rewards. Definitely reward yourself after the first day, and the second, and the third. You can do the fourth if you want, but definitely after Week 1 and Week2. And month 1, and month 2. And 6 months and a year. Make them good rewards that you’ll look forward to: CDs, books, DVDs, T-shirts, shoes, a massage, a bike, a dinner out at your favorite restaurant, a hotel stay … whatever you can afford. Even better: take whatever you would have spent on smoking each day, and put it in a jar. This is your Rewards Jar. Go crazy! Celebrate your every success! You deserve it.

{{7. Delay. If you have an urge, wait}}. Do the following things: take 10 deep breaths. Drink water. Eat a snack (at first it was candy and gum, and then I switched to healthier stuff like carrots and frozen grapes and pretzels). Call your support person. Post on your smoking cessation forum. Exercise. Do whatever it takes to delay, but delay, delay, delay. You will make it through it, and the urge will go away. When it does, celebrate! Take it one urge at a time, and you can do it.

{{8. Replace Negative Habits with Positive Ones}}. What do you do when you’re stressed? If you currently react to stress with a cigarette, you’ll need to find something else to do. Deep breathing, self massage of my neck and shoulders, and exercise has worked wonders for me. Other habits, such as what you do first thing in the morning, or what you do in the car, or wherever you usually smoke, should be replaced with better, more positive ones. Running has been my best positive habit, although I have a few others that replaced smoking.

{{9. Make it Through Hell Week, then Heck Week, and you’re Golden}}. The hardest part of quitting is the first two days. If you can get past that, you’ve passed the nicotine withdrawal stage, and the rest is mostly mental. But all of the first week is hell. Which is why it’s called Hell Week? After that, it begins to get easier. Second week is Heck Week, and is still difficult, but not nearly as hellish as the first. After that, it was smooth sailing for me. I just had to deal with an occasional strong urge, but the rest of the urges were light, and I felt confident I could make it through anything.

{{10. If You Fall, Get Up}}. And Learn From Your Mistakes. Yes, we all fail. That does not mean we are failures, or that we can never succeed. If you fall, it’s not the end of the world. Get up, brush yourself off, and try again. I failed numerous times before succeeding. But you know what? Each of those failures taught me something. Well, sometimes I repeated the same mistakes several times, but eventually I learned. Figure out what your obstacles to success are, and plan to overcome them in your next quit. And don’t wait a few months until your next quit. Give yourself a few days to plan and prepare, commit fully to it, and go for it!