If you are seeing so many people quitting smoking nowadays, they sure have made the right choice. Smoking can give rise to many diseases and is the cause of million deaths around the world every year. If you are smoking, you should stop now, because there are many ways on how to do so.

Why You Should Stop Smoking

Smoking can increase the risks for coronary heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. Aside from this, smoking can also give rise to poor health, frequent illnesses, prolonged absences from work and school and increase in health care costs. The health problems that smoking can bring to us are too many. Smoking gives rise to coronary heart disease and stroke and can damage blood vessels in the body, making them narrower and thicker so that blood pressure goes up and the heart pumps harder to overcome the elevated blood pressure. Aside from these, smoking also reduces blood flow to the legs and to the skin of the other parts of the body, creating mottling, ischemia and gangrene.

Smoking can also cause lung disease by creating damage to the airways and the alveoli or small sacs in the lungs. It can also cause COPD, emphysema or chronic bronchitis, and can trigger an asthmatic attack especially in patients who already have asthma. Smoking can also cause cancers especially in the bladder, the blood, cervix, colon, rectum, esophagus, kidneys, ureter, liver, larynx, pancreas, stomach, oropharynx, trachea and lungs. Among pregnant women, smoking can cause preterm deliveries, stillbirth, low birth weight infants, congenital anomalies, sudden infant death syndrome and ectopic pregnancies. Smoking can reduce fertility, give rise to osteoporosis and can cause gum problems and tooth loss. Other problems caused by smoking are diabetes mellitus, inflammatory problems, immune system defects and rheumatoid arthritis.

Smoking and Mental Health

Aside from these numerous medical conditions, new research says that smoking can also give rise to mental health problems. This study, created by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine was able to show that people with mood problems and other mental disorders should quit smoking to be cured with their ailments. The results, which were published in the journal Psychological Medicine, have shown that quitting smoking can improve mental health outcomes. To lower the risk for mood disorders such as depression, one should consider quitting smoking by as little as reducing cigarette consumption by half. There is a strong link between cigarette smoking and a better psychiatric outlook.

In this study, researchers gathered data from the National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions from the early 2000s. Data were gathered from 4,800 daily smokers who were made to answer questionnaires about smoking, drinking alcohol and mental health. The researchers found out that those with addiction and other psychiatric problems have alleviated symptoms three years after they quit smoking. The risk of acquiring mental health problems is even lesser for those who had not history of any psychiatric illness. Those who continued smoking still suffered mood disorders because they have failed to quit. Drug abuse problems also failed to prevail among those who quit smoking. The results of this research are important to let other health practitioners be aware how smoking can raise the risk for mental health problems. Thus a practitioner should urge a patient with psychiatric problems to stop smoking so that there will be relief of symptoms.

Do you want to quit smoking but you don't know how to start? First of all, make a list of the things of what makes you want to stop smoking, including the dangers and health hazards that smoking brings. You can also use nicotine replacements such as nicotine gums and patches. Stay away from places and thoughts which may make you want to smoke. Shy away from your usual smoking buddies. Lastly start believing on yourself that you can do it because a lot of people have made it and there was no turning back for them

To read more about the ill effects of smoking, you can read our other articles on this site.

Colon cancer is becoming a more common type of cancer nowadays around the world. The colon is the part of the large intestine which is located in the lower part of the abdomen; it is also the longest part of the large intestine. It functions to extract water, electrolytes and other nutrients from solid wastes before waste is moved into the rectum and out of the body. These functions are not easily carried out by the colon when it is affected with cancer.

Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is a type of cancer that starts when colon cells go out of control and excessively multiply to form a mass or a tumor. Small tumors are often benign and are called adenomatous polyps; they usually grow on the inner walls of the intestines. In some cases, these tumors often grow into malignant cancers over time of they are not removed during colonoscopy. Malignant tumors can cause many complications. The cancerous cells may travel through the bloodstream to the other parts of the body where they will invade healthy tissue and cause many complications. This is termed as metastasis and the prognosis is poor.

Colon cancer has many causes, one of which is the presence of polyps. Another is bad genes; colon cells can grow uncontrollably when there are damages and mutations in DNA. Damage to DNA occurs by virtue of a misunderstanding between oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, suicide genes and DNA repair genes. There is chaos between these genes so that the cells are unable to commit suicide and uncontrollable growth ensues.

Another risk factor for colon cancer is age. It is said that 90% of people who get diagnosed by colon cancer get diagnosed at the age of 50 or above. Other risk factors include being sedentary, being obese, tobacco smoking, diets which are high in fat and low in fiber and diets rich in red meat. Still other people get colon cancer when they have diabetes, acromegaly, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and radiation treatment for other cancers.

Symptoms of colon cancer include diarrhea, constipation, rectal bleeding, blood in the stools, changes in stool consistency, narrow stools, abdominal pain, pain during defecation, frequent urge to defecate, fatigue, weakness, irritable bowel syndrome, iron deficiency anemia and unexplained weight loss. There may be other signs and symptoms when there is metastasis or spread to other parts of the body.

Colon cancer is traditionally treated according to the types and stage of cancer as well as the health status, the age and the other characteristics of the patient. The most common treatments for colon cancers include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Though these are effective treatments, they are not without side effects. Thus the quest for natural remedies for colon cancer is on.

Grape Seed and Colon Cancer

Recent news has it that grape seed can help treat colon cancer. In this study done by researchers from the University of Adelaide, grape seed is said to aid in chemotherapy in killing colon cancer cells. The results of this study were published in the journal PLOS ONE. Researchers used commercially available grape seed extract produced by winemaking, and used it along with chemotherapy against colon cancer. According to the researchers, grape seed extract which contained tannins showed no side effects, significantly decreased damage to the intestines, decreased inflammation brought about by chemotherapy and inhibited the growth of cancer cells by 26% along with chemotherapy. Thus aside from its anti-cancer effects, grape seed extract may also reduce inflammation.

The researchers are hoping to disseminate this information to give hope to those afflicted with colon cancer. To know more about colon cancer, you can check our other articles on this site.

Retinal Degeneration

Our eyes are the windows to our souls. Indeed, our eyes have many functions, including light reception, light perception and vision. Without our eyes we cannot perceive our environment, the foods that we eat, the people we go with and our work. This is why have to take care of our eyes very well, so that we cannot lose contact of our world.

But what happens if unexpectedly we develop some illnesses which hamper our vision? One of these illnesses that can affect our eyes is retinal degeneration. The retina is the part of the eyes which is sensitive to light. It is located at the back portion of the eye and it makes up about 65% of the eye's interior. Inside the retina are rods and cones that convert light to signals that are carried by the optic nerve to the brain. The retina contains a small dimple in its centre called the fovea centrallis; this is the area where the sharpest vision occurs and where colour perception is mostly done.

Retinal Degeneration

There are millions of people around the world affected by retinal degeneration. Retinal degeneration is a medical condition wherein there may be irreversible vision loss because of a degenerative process in the retina. In most of these conditions, the tissue layer than is located on the inner part of the eye which is so delicate becomes damaged and thus has an impaired ability to send signals to the brain. The most common of retinal degenerative disorders is age-related macular degeneration and is usually found among the elderly. Other retinal degenerative disorders are mostly inherited and may be due to genetic mutations. Examples of these inherited retinal degenerative disorders include retinitis pigmentosa, retinoschisis, choroideremia, congenital amaurosis, Stargardt disease and Usher disease. All these retinal degenerative diseases can cause the death of photoreceptors which are light-sensing neurons in the retina.

Exercise and Retinal Degeneration

There is no definite treatment for retinal degeneration, however most of us can delay or prevent it. This is exactly what a new study is trying to say in their recent findings. A study published in The Journal of Neuroscience has found out that moderate aerobic exercise can help preserve retinal structure and function. Exercise can positively impact nerve cells found in the retina by preserving them after damage. Past studies have already discussed that exercise can protect against neurodegenerative diseases and neurological injuries, however they have not fully detailed if exercise can affect vision.

In this study done by researchers from Atlanta VA Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation and Emory University, mice were made to run in treadmills for two weeks before and after they were exposed to bright light that can cause retinal degeneration. These mice were trained for one hour per day for five days a week for two weeks. After exposure to bright light, the mice exercised for two weeks. Mice who exercised lost only half of the number of photoreceptor cells as compared to mice which didn't exercise.

The researchers found out exercising on treadmill preserved the function of photoreceptors and the function of the cells of the retina. This is said to be the first study that was able to show how exercise was able to preserve vision and retinal health. The researchers hope that their findings can pave the way towards creating exercising regimens that can prevent blindness from retinal degeneration.

The researchers also found out that the retinal cells of the mice who exercised became more responsive to light and contained higher levels of a growth protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BNDF has been found by past studies to increase during exercise.

For more information on how exercise can benefit you, feel free to browse our other articles on this site.

Recent modernization has brought about toxic drugs and substances that when taken in, can cause damage to our kidneys and give rise to kidney failure. Another emerging medical problem is chronic kidney disease which has become a more common illness nowadays. Chronic kidney disease is a medical condition affecting the kidneys by decreasing their ability to filter waste materials from the body and perform their other usual duties. When this happens the body no longer functions very well. Leaving you prone to many diseases such as hypertension, malnutrition, weak bones, anemia, electrolyte imbalance and nerve damage. Chronic kidney disease can also increase your risk for cardiovascular diseases.

Chronic Kidney Disease

There are many causes of chronic kidney disease including high blood pressure, diabetes and other problems. These problems do not cause chronic kidney disease instantaneously but slowly develop over time. This is why early detection and treatment should be done for chronic kidney disease so that complications may not ensue including kidney failure, which may require dialysis or kidney transplantation for life.

Chronic kidney disease results from diabetes when blood sugar levels are too high, so that excess sugar causes damage not only to the kidneys but also to the other organs of the body such as the eyes, the blood vessels, the nerves and eyes. High blood pressure also gives rise to chronic kidney disease because it builds up pressure in the walls of the blood vessels and damages the kidneys and its blood vessels in turn, in addition to other complications such as strokes, heart attacks and other problems. Other problems that may give rise to chronic kidney disease include glomerulonephritis which is a group of diseases that cause inflammation and damage to the kidneys, inherited diseases such as polycystic kidney disease, congenital malformations, lupus and other immune system disorders, kidney obstruction due to stones or tumors or prostate problems, and repeated urinary tract infections.

Chronic kidney disease may bring about symptoms such as fatigue and less energy, difficulty in concentrating, poor appetite, trouble sleeping, muscle cramping, swelling of the limbs, dryness and itchiness of the skin, puffiness of the eyes, and frequent urination. Anyone is prone to chronic kidney disease at an earlier age.

Chronic Kidney Disease and Exercise

Recently, a doctor from Leicester has been awarded the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinician Scientist Award to fund a study which will look into the effects of exercise on heart disease of patients who have chronic kidney disease while they are on dialysis. This is based on the observations of experts that heart disease and not kidney disease are the common cause of deaths of patients on dialysis. Patients who have chronic kidney disease are more likely to die from stroke and heart attacks.

This new study will focus on the benefits and effects of exercise on the heart health of patients with chronic kidney disease. About 130 patients with end stage kidney disease will be utilized in this study. This study will also confirm that exercise in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing dialysis is safe and can improve quality of life. The award recipient, Dr James Burton, has also commented that there are probably many reasons why people with chronic kidney disease are more prone to heart disease. The mechanisms behind the relationship of heart disease and chronic kidney disease should be looked into and considered so that more patients with chronic kidney disease can be prevented from having heart disease and stroke. The study also aims to encourage dialysis patients to engage in exercise such as cycling. It is said by the researcher that cycling or using an exercise bike is the best form of exercise for dialysis patients since it works many muscle groups and wouldn't interfere with chronic kidney disease treatment.

For more articles on kidney health, feel free to read out other articles on this site.

Stroke is one of the top killers in the world today. It happens when the blood supply to the brain is reduced or blocked, thus depriving the brain of much-needed oxygen and nutrients. Once the blood supply to the brain tissue is cut off, the brain cells may die and there may be damage to the brain. This is why stroke is treated as a medical emergency; death can ensue within minutes. If the patient is lucky enough to live, there may be potential complications. However, stroke is easily preventable through certain lifestyle changes and controlling other comorbidities such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease.

Stroke

There are two types of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic stroke happens when there is blockage to an artery supplying the brain tissues. Hemorrhagic stroke, on the other hand, happens when there is leakage due to the rupture of a blood vessel. Aside from these two, some people may also experience a temporary disturbance in the blood flow to the brain, a condition known as transient ischemic attack or TIA.

Ischemic stroke usually happens when there is narrowing or blockage to the arteries of the brain due to disease or blood clots. The most common types of ischemic stroke are thrombotic stroke and embolic stroke. A thrombotic stroke happens when one artery of the brain becomes blocked by a blood clot or thrombus. Clots may form when there are fatty deposits or plaques in the inner lining of the arteries that can cause reduced blood flow. An embolic stroke happens when a blood clot or debris float away from one part of the body to the brain to deposit into the arteries of the brain. This blood clot or debris is called embolus.

A hemorrhagic stroke, on the other hand, occurs when there is leakage and rupture of an artery of the brain. This results to hemorrhage, and may be caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure or aneurysms (also known as weak spots in the blood vessels). It may also be due to a congenital illness known as arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Hemorrhagic stroke may either me intracerebral hemorrhage or subarachnoid hemorrhage. An intracerebral hemorrhage results when the blood vessel ruptures and spills blood all over brain tissues, bringing forth brain damage. On the other hand, subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs when there is rupture and spillage of blood into the space in between your brain and your skull.

Transient ischemic attacks are also called mini strokes and occurs with a brief episode of several symptoms which are similar to when you have a stroke. However these symptoms only last for about less than five minutes. The symptoms occur because the blockage is only temporary.

Signs and symptoms of stroke include difficulty in walking, difficulty of speaking, incoherence, paralysis, numbness of the face or limbs, vision problems and headaches. If you have symptoms of stroke, it is necessary that you seek medical help at once so that complications are prevented. Prognosis depends on the location of the stroke and the type of stroke. However, due to modern medicine nowadays, many people survive stroke for more than ten years.

Stroke in Women VS Men

A recent study has commented, however, that women may have a worse quality of life than men after stroke. This study done by researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center compared quality of life between men and women who had either strokes or TIAs. Quality of life in the form of everyday activities, self-care, depression, anxiety and pain were observed after three months and one year. The results showed that women had poor quality of life after stroke than men. This is an eye opener to health practitioners so that they can focus on quality of care for women stroke survivors.

If you want to learn more about stroke and its consequences, feel free to read our other articles on this site.

Metabolism is the process by which the body digests food and creates energy for the cells to perform its basic life functions. As we age, our body's metabolism gets slower. However, there are really some reasons why our body's metabolism gets slower and slower every day.

Top Reasons Why Your Metabolism Slows Down

You Don't Eat Enough Food

 If you think that your body can get more energy when you lose weight and limit your food intake, you're wrong. Your body needs enough calories to provide food for your cells to perform basic processes. If you eat less food, you will not have the strength and energy for the basic needs of the body and thus you will feel weak and your metabolism will slow down. Instead of losing weight you gain a lot of weight because your body is slow in metabolizing food.

 You Don't Take Energy Boosters

 There are many substances which can serve as energy boosters, one of which is caffeine. Caffeine can give you a quick fix so that your central nervous system is stimulated and your metabolism speeds up by about 5 to 8%. It is said that your metabolism can be raised by 12% by a cup of brewed tea. Coffee and tea both contain antioxidants that fight off free radicals in the body and thus eliminate the feelings of stress from your body.

 You Take White Carbohydrates

 White carbohydrates contain empty calories and fewer nutrients that whole wheat bread and pasta. This is because whole wheat bread and pasta contain fiber; so do fruits and vegetables. If you take in more fiber, you can experience a sense of fullness and satiety without the elevation of blood sugar levels associated with high-sugar carbs which can make you feel drowsy and can slow down your metabolism. You should aim to take about 25 grams of fiber a day which is almost equivalent to three servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

 You Take Warm or Room Temperature Water

 One study done in Germany found out that if you drink about 6 cups of cold water a day, your metabolism can increase by 50 calories every day, which is enough to shed 5 pounds a year. This is because cold water increases the work of the body to regulate it to normal temperature.

 You Eat Pesticide Laden Food

 Nowadays, fruits, vegetables and meat are laden with pesticides; these pesticides are stored in the cells of fruits, vegetables and meat and are transported inside our body cells, especially our fat cells. What happens is that these chemicals slow down our metabolism even if we exercise and if we try to lose weight. There are even some studies which suggest that pesticides can give rise to weight gain. This is why you should opt to buy organic fruits, vegetables and meat .

 You Don't Eat Protein

 Protein is needed by the body to build and repair body tissues as well as to maintain muscle mass. Proteins can be found in lean meat, nuts, yogurt and seeds. A meal high in protein can burn calories by 35 percent.

 You Lack Iron

 Iron is needed by the body to carry oxygen to and from the tissues. This oxygen transported from one cell to another is necessary to burn fat in muscle. Iron stores may be low when you don't take iron rich foods, when you have malabsorption and when you have menstruation or blood loss. Low iron levels can give rise to a slower metabolism and lower energy levels. You can boost up your iron levels by eating iron rich foods such as liver, lean meat, seafood, spinach and other vegetables.

 You Lack Vitamin D

 Vitamin D which can be taken from sunshine and from various food sources can boost your metabolism and can provide you with higher energy levels while also boosting your immune resistance against infections and other diseases. Food sources include fish oil, milk, dairy products, eggs, cereals, shrimp, seafood, and fatty fish such as tuna and salmon.

 Reduce Your Alcohol Intake

 Too much alcohol can not only make you groggy; it can also slow down your metabolism levels. If you consume too much alcohol, your body can burn less fat, because the presence of alcohol inhibits the creation of energy as fuel for body processes. Alcohol can reduce your body's metabolism by about 73%, according to sources.

 You Don't Drink Enough Milk

 Milk and other dairy products contain calcium which is not essential in the maintenance of bones, teeth and joints but also for various metabolic processes such as the burning of calories and the transmission of nerve impulses. Calcium deficiency can slow down your metabolism. Make sure that you choose low-fat dairy to maintain your weight within normal levels.

 If you want to know more about eating healthy, you can try reading our other articles on this site.

Have you heard about light therapy? Several advocates have said that light may have certain health benefits. One of the most promising types of light to be used in therapy is blue light, which is said to be more effective than white light. If you are curious how it comes to be, read on.

Blue Light

All of us are quite accustomed to using bright white light in our homes, in the form of fluorescent white lights which are visible to our eyes. Most white lights emit at a wavelength of 550 nanometers. However, some experts say that this type of light may not be beneficial to us, thought this is the type of light that our eyes are sensitive to. White light is said to be not the best light that can affect our circadian rhythms. Our circadian rhythm serves as a body clock that regulates our sleep, our hormones and our moods. Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation emitted, absorbed and utilized by things in our universe. They come in wide spectrums ranging from short gamma rays to long radio waves. As Isaac Newton have pointed out before, the shorter the wavelength of the color (like red), the more damaging it is.

Advocates say that our eyes have the ability to distinguish between different light colors and that the therapeutic action of light is brought about by the activation of cells in our eyes that then send impulses to the brain. Our eyes also contain special ganglion cells that contain a substance known as melanopsin, which is activated by light. Melanopsin-coated cells are especially activated by light within the wavelength of 446 to 477 nanometers, and blue light belongs to this category. Upon activation, melanopsin coated cells then send signals to the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus, and this action further leads to a decrease in melatonin levels. Once melatonin is decreased, this would make the circadian rhythm shift as if it were daytime. This would make you more alert and awake.

This process is responsible for the health benefits of blue light in illnesses such as seasonal affective disorder, depression and even cancers.

Blue Light And Preterm Labor

Recently there is news that a researcher from Florida State University who has discovered a way of preventing and slowing down preterm labor. How? This is through the use of blue light. The researcher is now developing goggles as light emitting devices that could emit blue light for sleeping pregnant women who are at risk for preterm labor. He theorized that blue light can decrease the levels if melatonin in a pregnant woman. Melatonin is said to be connected to uterine contractions. Thus, administering blue light through goggles in pregnant women can slow down or stop contractions, making it useful in stopping or preventing preterm labor. An alternative is to use blue light in the night stand while pregnant women are asleep.

An earlier study by Olcese has discovered that women often go to labor at night because it is during this time when melatonin levels are at its peak. When pregnant women were exposed to bright light overnight, their melatonin levels dropped and these suppressed their contractions and delayed labor. The researchers want to disseminate this information so that more women with preterm labor would be helped by health professionals and this would also further more studies on ways on how to induce labor through the elevation of melatonin levels.

Preterm birth is birth which occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy.  It also one of the causes of infant deaths worldwide. It is due to many factors such as multiple pregnancies, infections of the mother, premature rupture of membranes, problems in the uterus or cervix and use of illegal drugs.

For more articles on pregnancy, feel free to read our other articles on this site.

You have probably heard many things about cholesterol. Many people say that this compound is all bad because it clogs up the blood vessels of the body and leads to things such as heart attacks and strokes. However, not all cholesterol is bad; in fact, our cells contain it in its outer layer. Cholesterol is a type of fat being produced by the liver and some of it is necessary for body functioning. However, in some cases, cholesterol levels can be higher, especially low density lipoproteins, also known as bad cholesterol.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is an important substance in the body. It functions to strengthen and maintain cell membranes and can affect the way molecules enter in and out of the cell. Cholesterol is involved in the production of sex hormones and of hormones from the adrenal glands such as aldosterone, cortisol and corticosterone. It is also involved in the production of bile and is said to aid in the conversion of sunshine to Vitamin D, a vitamin that has certain cardiovascular benefits and can strengthen the immune response. Cholesterol can even aid in the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins such as Vitamins E, K, D and A.

When there is an excess of low density lipoproteins (LDL), this can lead to atherosclerosis or the narrowing of blood vessels, high risks for heart disease, heart attacks, stroke, liver disease and other problems. People who are at high risk for elevation of LDL levels include diabetes, high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, liver disease, kidney disease, and thyroid diseases. Risk factors which cannot be modified include family history, your sex, your age, early menopause, and you race.

Cholesterol can kill a person. This is why in the next few years researchers have been vigilant in researching about new treatments in high cholesterol levels. Danish researchers have a new finding in this regard. These researchers have found out that a new receptor system which is located in all cells of the body can deal with LDL cholesterol. This receptor is called sortilin and can influence a type of protein called PCSK9 which can modulate LDL levels. Studies before had pointed out that if there is inhibition to PCSK9 there would be lowering of LDL cholesterol levels. Thus many experts have focused on developing drugs that have the capabilities of inhibiting PCSK9. However, in the past, only a few researchers have focused on determining how the body regulates PCSK9.

Cholesterol Levels and Sortilin

In this new study, the researchers have attempted to identify PCSK9’s biology and they have found out how this protein can move into the cell. The researchers then studied the important mechanism of how PCSK9 is released into the blood and how it increases LDL cholesterol levels.

This study, done by researchers from Aarhus University has discovered an important element in the mechanism of LDL cholesterol elevation in the form of sortilin. Sortilin is said to increase the activity of PCSK9. The researchers found out that if they inhibit sortilin, they can also inhibit the elevation of LDL cholesterol levels, such as what happens when they inhibit PCSK9 activity.

Thus the researchers theorized that sortilin inhibitors can actually be considered as alterative to statins in the treatment of elevated cholesterol levels especially in elevated levels of LDL cholesterol. Statins are currently considered as first-line medications to elevated cholesterol levels, however not many people can tolerate this class of drugs because of their unwanted side effects, especially those with liver problems.

Aside from statins and other cholesterol lowering medications, you can also lower cholesterol levels the natural way. You should refrain from eating foods rich in saturated fat such as red meat and other fatty foods. Focus on fruits and vegetables instead because they are rich in fiber, which also helps lower elevated cholesterol levels. You can learn more about lowering cholesterol levels by reading our other articles on this site.

Pregnancy is an important milestone in a woman's life because it is the stage of her life when she gives birth to a new human being. However, pregnancy can also increase a woman's risk for acquiring diseases. Due to the load that she has to take care of, she is often susceptible to infections, one of which are colds and flu.

Pregnancy and Colds

Colds and flu are so common that almost every one of us have experienced bouts of it in our lifetimes. Colds are respiratory tract infections caused by influenza viruses. There are more than 200 viruses that cause common colds, and they are constantly mutating.

A pregnant woman is susceptible to infections such as colds and flu because during pregnancy the body minimizes the actions of the immune system to fight off foreign bodies so that it will not fight off the baby as a foreign body. This is termed as natural immunosuppression. The result is a greater susceptibility to diseases particularly infections such as colds. After infection, a pregnant woman develops symptoms such as body malaise, runny nose, aches, pains, cough, sore throat, fever and chills. These symptoms annoy the sufferer and prevent him or her from doing daytime work. In pregnant women, this is especially dangerous since it may cause complications not only to the pregnant woman but also to the baby.

A recent study has shown that women who are pregnant and who contact colds and viral infections during the course of their pregnancy have greater risks of bearing children who may have asthma later on. The results of this study are published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. According to the researchers, this was because bacterial exposure and infections contacted by a mother during pregnancy can affect the environment of the fetus inside the uterus, thus making the baby develop asthma and allergies later on. Additional risks of acquiring asthma and allergies later on in life include early exposure to allergens such as animal fur and house dust. The authors commented that asthma and allergies can manifest in a child as early as five years old. The study involved more than 500 pregnant women from Germany and studied their children as well. The respondents were made to answer questionnaires during their pregnancy and later on when their children where between the ages of three to 12 months of age and every year up to five years old.

This study only suggests that we should better take care of our health when we are pregnant. Colds may go out on their own after 5 to 7 days but the pregnant woman has to take extra care of herself.

What To Do

The pregnant woman should take plenty of rest, drink enough water and other fluids such as fruit juices, and taking prenatal vitamins. Prenatal vitamins can offer the pregnant woman protection against these diseases, especially if they contain vitamin C and zinc that can fight off infections. Aside from prenatal vitamins, she should aim to eat foods rich in nutrients such as citrus fruits, mangoes, papaya, tomatoes, bell peppers, spinach, kiwi, melon, strawberries, broccoli and other fruits and vegetables. Zinc rich foods can also protect women from infections such as beef, pork, oysters, oatmeal, turkey, yogurt and wheat germ.

If you are pregnant and have a cold, you can opt for natural remedies and not resort to cold medications. There are many spices that have anti-viral activities such as garlic, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. You can also consider using a humidifier to keep moist air around you. Throat pain with sore throat can be relieved by saltwater gargles so that you can be free from nasal congestion and sinus headaches. You can also use saline sprays to moisten the upper respiratory tract.

For more tips on how to deal with colds, you can read our other articles on this site.