Eating Well For You During Your Pregnancy

Eating healthy throughout your pregnancy is the greatest gift you could give your unborn baby, but there are also a lot of rewards in it for you to. It’s common for many moms to be to forget that they also benefit in eating healthy through out their pregnancy. What you eat has a direct effect as to how well your body copes and recovers from all the physical changes it goes through. It also helps with the physical and emotional challenge of carrying and delivering a baby.

The truth is, most pregnant women rarely walk around all nine months with that rosy glow everyone talks about. The first three months some of us walk around a nasty shade of green and in a hazy fog thanks to the tiredness we feel those first three months. The second three months are a little better, and we are no longer green but we deal with other issues such as varicose veins and leg cramps.

The third trimester, we are back to the hazy fog again and have other issues such as swelling and heartburn just to name a few. Some of these can be avoided with a good diet. Eating foods that have some complex carbs can help reduce your tiredness and staying away from fatty foods will help with the heartburn.

Research has shown that pregnant women who eat healthy throughout their pregnancy usually have a safe and uncomplicated pregnancy. Studies have shown that some pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia or high blood pressure can be directly related to deficiencies in a pregnant woman’s diet. High amounts of sugar and polyunsaturated fats increase this risk as well as having a low intake of vitamin c, e and magnesium.

Perhaps for some women one of the biggest benefits of eating healthy during their pregnancy is that it could help you during labor and delivery. A well balanced pregnancy diet has been said to help prevent preterm labor, which is labor before 37 weeks. A good diet can also help you cope with labor and delivery better. Any woman who has given birth knows how much energy it takes to endure hours of contractions and sometimes hours of pushing. Eating healthy will ensure that you have the energy and the stamina to get through your little one’s delivery.

Once you have delivered your little one, it is still important to continue your good habit of healthy eating especially in the postpartum period. Your body needs a lot of resources to recover from all the stretching, blood loss and not mention sleep deprivation and still take care of a newborn. It is just as important in the months following your delivery to continue to eat well. As my doctor put it, it is essential to eat as though you were pregnant for at least three months after delivery.

A final added bonus to eating healthy throughout your pregnancy is that you may never stop eating healthy. This is setting up the groundwork for a lifetime of eating healthy for not only you but for your children. If you continue to eat healthy you are setting a prime example for your children.

A Sleep Disorder That Affects the Legs – Restless Sleep

A Sleep Disorder That Affects the Legs – Restless Sleep Syndrome

Restless leg syndrome, known as RLS, is a sleep disorder that afflicts more than 15 percent of adults.
It affects more women than men and the incidence of restless leg syndrome increases with age. Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis and varicose veins, also increase the risk of developing restless leg syndrome.

This sleep disorder is characterized by an uncontrollable urge to move the lower legs, knees and occasionally the arms. Sometimes painful sensations accompany the urge to move. People that suffer from this sleep disorder describe the feelings and sensations in different ways. Many describe a tingling, itching or pulling sensation. Still others say it feels prickly or burns. Some feel as if they have worms crawling under their skin.

The sensations which are typical of this sleep disorder can occur anytime during the day or night.
Restless leg syndrome occurring at night has a devastating effect on sleep. The symptoms can cause the sufferer to get in and out of bed repeatedly which can delay or disrupt sleep. Since sleep in repeatedly interrupted, extreme daytime sleepiness is common.

The combination of always feeling tired and the symptoms themselves can cause a person with restless leg syndrome to alter their lifestyle. Long trips, movies, concerts and eating in restaurants are some of the activities they usually avoid. Attending a long meeting at work can become very painful and uncomfortable. People that have this sleep disorder often suffer from depression.

Researchers believe that restless leg syndrome may be caused by malfunctions of the pathways in the brain that controls movement reflexes and sensations. Often this sleep disorder has a genetic base.

Restless leg syndrome cannot be diagnosed by one single test. Often standard neurological examinations show no signs of an abnormality. In many cases, a doctor makes the diagnosis of restless leg syndrome based on the description of the symptoms. They also take into account family history, and the results of a routine medical examination and blood tests.

Many times the treatment for restless leg syndrome is aimed at controlling the debilitating sensations that accompany this sleep disorder. Often iron supplements are prescribed because severe anemia has been linked to this disorder. Relaxation techniques, diet changes and the elimination of caffeine and alcohol help some sufferers of restless leg syndrome.

In most cases, this sleep disorder is treated with drugs. These drugs could include dopamine agents, benzodiazepines, opioids or anticonvulsants. Medications do not cure restless leg syndrome, but they manage the symptoms. People that suffer from this sleep disorder usually have to stay on their medications for the rest of their lives.

Another sleep disorder similar to restless leg syndrome is periodic limb movement disorder known as PLMD. There are two main differences between restless leg syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder. Restless leg syndrome occurs when the sufferer is awake or asleep; periodic limb movement disorder only occurs when the sufferer is asleep. Restless leg syndrome movements are voluntary responses to very unpleasant sensations; the movements of periodic limb movement disorder are involuntary and are not consciously controlled. Both of these sleep disorders can be effectively controlled with medical treatment.

How to Lessen the Chances of Seeking Spider Vein Treatment

How to Lessen the Chances of Seeking Spider Vein Treatment

What do you expect when you undergo spider vein treatment? Different people are expected to have different opinions. And besides, not everybody will be willing to undergo such procedures. There are various processes that can be done to eliminate the unwanted vein. But how badly do you want this to be done?

Some people opt for their veins to be removed out of mere vanity. Others feel like the situation is causing too much trouble and pains that they want to live without. There are those who just cannot accept that they are getting old and the spider veins are part of the process. To whom you can relate among the three? Whatever your reasons are for availing treatments, you must consult with the right doctor as to your best options. They can provide you with the proper details that will suit your body fine accordingly.

Before you start contemplating about getting the right medications and procedures, you must first have an overview of how the situation comes about.

What are the causes of spider veins?

There are actually a lot of factors that come into play and contribute to the gravity of the situation. Here are only some to give you basic idea about the overall scheme of things with regards to the veins.

1. Women usually develop more spider veins as they reach their menopausal stage. This causes many hormonal changes that lead to the situation.

2. Women also suffer from such when they get pregnant. The situation may also lead for more serious problems like the swelling of the veins near their private parts, more commonly known as hemorrhoids.

3. But not only pregnant women are prone to such. People who suffer from obesity are likely to develop spider veins as well as other kinds of veins which might be painful, like varicose veins.

4. Medical conditions like high blood pressure can also increase the emergence of the unwanted veins.

5. Standing for a very long time will also cause such problem. To avoid this, you must shift your weight every once in a while so that the pressure wont be handled by only one leg. You must also do necessary exercises like walking, jogging and running to develop the muscles on your legs and for the lower part of your body to gain strength.

6. Too much sitting also causes the development of the unwanted veins. To help solve the problem, if you find yourself in such situation, you must stand up every 30 minutes or so. Walk a while for a brief time. This way, your blood circulation will be regulated. And you will lessen the emergence of the unwanted veins.

7. Incorrect diet can also cause the veins to easily become visible all throughout your body. To remedy this, make sure that your diet is composed of high-fiber foods like wheat grain, well-cooked vegetable, juices and fresh fruits. The foods that are high in fiber will lessen constipation. This will also lessen the early developments of the unwanted veins. You must also make sure that you regulate the amount of salt that you get inside your system. Such element can cause swelling that may lead to the development of the veins.

Now that you know the causes, you will lessen the possibility of seeking out spider vein treatment in the future.

An Overview about Spider Vein Treatment and Development of Other

An Overview about Spider Vein Treatment and Development of Other Veins

The sight of those unwanted veins on your face and on your legs can make you want to rush to your trusted doctors for varicose and spider vein treatment. Although the technology with regards to the cure for such occurrence is continuously developing, people also remain in constant search for some permanent solutions to what they deem as a problem.

Finding a solution to the perceived problem cannot be categorized as mere vanity. Maybe you just want to feel good and you are also concerned about the health risks that these cases may bring forth. It is when you can no longer perform your daily tasks and your life and job is affected by your ultimate goal of concealing the veins that this becomes a personal issue.

Women are more prone to spider veins. The reason for this is the hormonal change that they go through especially during the menopausal period. But men also suffer from the situation.

The Development of the Veins
Who ever likes the emergence of the unwanted veins in their faces and legs? But you cannot do anything about it. You may slow down the process, but as you age, you will have to face the truth that the veins are there to stay. It is of course not unless you are willing to pay the price for these veins to be removed through medical procedures.

If you are wondering how these veins develop, here’s a brief overview to give you an idea.

Do you know how the veins work in the circulation of the blood throughout your body? First off, the heart pumps the blood to be able to supply the needed nutrients and oxygen on the different parts of the body. The arteries are responsible to carry the blood from the heart to your body parts. The veins, on the other hand, carry the blood from various parts of the body and bring it back to the heart.

It is amazing how the body works. But just like machines, the body gets old and rusty as it ages, thus the emergence of sickness, weakness and other signs of aging.

The veins act as the one-way valves. They aim to prevent the blood from flowing back to where they’ve been before it can reach the heart. Through time, these valves weaken. As a result, the blood can leak back to the vein. If the vein has collected enormous amount of blood, this can cause decongestion and the vein will be clogged. This is why the vein expands and becomes enlarged and swollen. The result will be either varicose or spider veins.

What’s the difference?

Spider veins are nearer on the surface of the skin. These are smaller and they appear in red or bluish colors. Varicose, on the other hand, looks more swollen. It appears like the veins will pop out of the skin any time, although it can be found deeper than the spider veins. This appears in the colors blue and deep purple. When a woman is pregnant, she’s prone to develop varicose veins around the vaginal area. These are more known as hemorrhoids.

You can consult your trusted dermatologists for any vein problems. Spider vein treatment is easier than curing varicose and hemorrhoids. It doesnt pose much health risks than the two.