Neon Rose..

11:17 pm: How to Give a Killer Massage
- 20 massage techniques to help relieve back pain and stress, for your special someone.
By Katy Dreyfus

http://www.lhj.com/health/stress/relaxation-techniques/how-to-give-a-killer-massage/

Share this with someone special, so you can GET the killer massage.. *g*

Tags: article, health, massage, treatment, women's health

11:00 pm: Sexual Dreams

You both dream about sex, but you and your partner may have very different things in mind.
( Read more... )

Tags: article, dream, emotions, sex, sexuality

04:47 pm: Women's Health
( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Tags: adult section, article, sex, sexuality

04:30 pm: Women's Health

HEALTH QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Am I Normal?
The truth behind soggy sweat glands, out-of-nowhere orgasms, and other bizarre body behaviour
Michelle Andrews

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/health-questions-answered?cm_mmc=Newsletter-_-2008_Apr_30-_-Health-_-Am.I.Normal.Top


Worth the read, if only for the Matthew McConaughey reference.. *GRIN*

Tags: article, health, women's health, yum

03:08 pm: Women's Health

THE MEDICAL TESTS YOU SHOULD TAKE
Head-to-Toe Tune-Up
Just like your car, your body needs routine maintenance. We asked the experts to help us create this easy schedule for what to do when in your 20s, 30s, 40s

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/the-medical-tests-you-should-take/




Again, definitely worth the read.

Tags: article, breast cancer, health, sex, women's health

02:42 pm: Women's Health

THE MOST HEALTHY THINGS YOU CAN DO
The 101 Best Things to Do For Your Body -- Now!
Live till you're 120. Be happy 24/7. Never have another cold. OK, so we exaggerate. But follow our tips, and you'll come pretty damn close
Jennifer Bright Reich, additional reporting by Loren Chidoni

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/the-most-healthy-things-you-can-do?cm_mmc=Newsletter-_-2008_Apr_30-_-Health-_-The.101.Best.Things.to.Do.for.Your.Body.Top



Definitely worth the read.

Tags: article, breast cancer, family, food, friends, hair, health, sleep, women's health, yoga

06:40 am: Winter Wonderland

Will Winter never end? This is copied straight from The Weather Network's Website..

Winter storm watch for: City of Toronto
Issued at 5:02 AM EST FRIDAY 7 MARCH 2008
..WINTER STORM EXPECTED TO GIVE HEAVY SNOW SATURDAY.. THIS IS AN ALERT TO THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF DANGEROUS WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.

IT APPEARS THAT THE SNOW WILL COME IN TWO DOSES. THE FIRST SHOT WILL BEGIN AS EARLY AS THIS AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO AND LATER TODAY IN EASTERN ONTARIO. WE MAY HAVE A BRIEF REPRIEVE OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING WHERE SNOW MAY BECOME LIGHT AND MORE INTERMITTENT. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS THEN EXPECTED IN THE SECOND SHOT BEGINNING MIDDAY SATURDAY IN THE SOUTHWEST AND IN THE AFTERNOON OVER EASTERN ONTARIO. KEEP IN MIND THAT THE SNOWFALL DURATION WILL BE ABOUT 36 HOURS BUT THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL BE SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. STORM TOTALS MAY BE 20 TO 30 CENTIMETRES ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM LONG POINT TO THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE THEN TO PETAWAWA. THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR 30 TO 50 CENTIMETRES OF SNOW OVER THE NIAGARA PENINSULA AND PARTS OF EASTERN ONTARIO.

TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL DEPEND ON THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM AND THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE AVAILABLE TO CONVERT TO SNOW. WINTER STORM WARNINGS ARE ISSUED WHEN SNOWFALL OF 25 CENTIMETRES IS EXPECTED IN 24 HOURS.

Lovely... God only knows what *this* weather shift is gonna do to my barometer of a body.. *sigh8 I hate fms.

Tags: article, fibromyalgia, fms, health, snow, weather

04:34 am:
I posted this last March.. but it is again March, Endometriosis Awareness Month - And it's imporant, so, No, I am Not going to cut it.


This article was written by ripleyflutterby, for the Toronto Star Health Section

I know the pain of endometriosis (a.k.a. endo). For nearly twelve years it has been a part of me, and was part of my mother as well. I’ve only known its name for about a year now. I am living with a disease that continues to progress, intrude, and oppress me. It becomes more pervasive all the time. It chains me down and keeps me from living the life I wanted.

This disease is not new though it has only really come to light over the last twenty-five years. Celebrities like Susan Sarandon and Dolly Parton have spoken out about their experiences with endo. It even believed that Queen Victoria herself was victim to it. Marilyn Monroe had it and her subsequent addiction to painkillers because of it played a part in her death. It is not merely a physical disease, but an emotional and mental one as well. It is one of the most under researched diseases out there. There is no agreed upon cause so finding a cure is like fumbling around in the dark.

It is reaching millions of women who aren’t even aware that their debilitating pain is not normal, that it is a sign of something serious. Yet these women suffer in silence. Estimates range from ten to twenty percent of all women of childbearing age and it takes approximately 9 years on average to get diagnosed. Our voices are dismissed by ignorant doctors who have never heard of it, by family and friends who just cannot understand, by partners who are as frustrated as we are. We deal with ignorant doctors or doctors who have nothing to offer us except prescriptions for painkillers. They seem as helpless and we feel as sufferers.

It is a complex disease whereby the endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus and can spread affecting various organs such as the digestive tract, the reproductive system, the bladder and in rare cases it has gone to the lungs or brain. Every month the body tries to shed this tissue which causes internal bleeding leading to lesions of scar tissue penetrating other body parts and causing permanent tissue damage. The body tries to rid itself of this tissue through muscle contractions which cause immeasurable pain for some and for others they have relatively little pain. There is no correlation between the amount of scar tissue and the amount of pain. It is the number one cause of infertility in women of childbearing age.

Pelvic pain is by far the most common symptom which may be chronic or related to menstruation, changed menstrual pattern, heavier, longer and increasingly painful periods, premenstrual spotting, abdominal pain, sometimes related to the menstrual cycle with severe pain or cramps one week before menstruation, pelvic pain accompanied by abdominal bloating, pelvic masses, lower back pain, painful intercourse, noticeably worse before or during menstruation, painful bowel movements, rectal bleeding during menstruation, pain while urinating, and fatigue.

It is an incapacitating disease that eats away at our insides, confining us to bed for days at a time. For some we cannot have sex for the pain it causes. For others we lose our fertility. For some women it is a daily battle with pain and other symptoms. We undergo diagnostic surgeries where there is a chance we could wake up to find an organ removed because it has been so consumed by scar tissue that it is permanently damaged. For now our options are mostly symptom management, which is includes harsh narcotics where the side effects are often worse than the pain and hormonal treatments that leave us at risk for osteoperosis. Some women, at the end of their ropes have no other option but to have a full hysterectomy for the mere chance of pain relief. This leads to further complications such as surgically induced menopause. In many, even despite such drastic actions, the pain returns. It even has the potential to develop into cancer.

The quality of life is severely affected and the public costs are astronomical due to lost productivity, lost wages, the need to be on disability and the costs to the health care system because women are showing up in emergency rooms doubled over in pain and needing drugs just to get through the night, because of the endless operations women must undergo every few years to remove scar tissue.

For students, we are dealing with ignorant faculties, missed classes, compromised concentration and work quality, having to write exams in excruciating pain or in drugged hazes. We have to deal with weird stares as we sit next to outlets so we can plug our heating pads in. We lose our social lives because we are tired, and sick and can’t get out because we can’t walk or can’t pull our heads out of the toilets. Many women lose their relationships and many never get the opportunity to be mothers and if they do, they must worry about passing it on to their own daughters.

Pain is chronic but it is also chronically denied, and more often than not dismissed as “just “ cramps. It is under treated. It is assumed that we simply have a low threshold for pain or that it is normal. For those of us lucky enough to be taken seriously, the waiting list at a pain clinic in Toronto is over a year long.
March is endometriosis awareness month. Please educate yourselves and demand more from your health care providers. If you are having pain, speak up! Make some noise and make them listen. We deserve to live without pain. Let’s empower ourselves to take control of our health and our bodies.

Elizabeth Barry


(& Yes, I am still awake.. *sigh*)

Tags: article, chronic pain, doctors, endo, endometriosis, endometriosis awareness, health

01:32 am:

Fibromyalgia Pain: It's for Real

Researchers Say Chronic Pain Patients Don't Process Body's Natural Pain Relievers

By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
on Thursday, November 30, 2006


Nov. 30, 2006 -- There is now "overwhelming" scientific evidence showing that fibromyalgia and related chronic pain conditions are real, but their clinical management leaves much to be desired.

That is the conclusion of two researchers from the University of Michigan who have studied fibromyalgia for several years.

Because there has been no obvious physiological cause for the pain disorder, doctors still routinely dismiss fibromyalgia as being "in a patient's head."

But after reviewing the research, Richard E. Harris, PhD, and Daniel J. Clauw, MD, write that it is increasingly clear that fibromyalgia is a central nervous system disorder and that patients experience hypersensitivity to pain. There also appears to be a fairly strong genetic component to fibromyalgia and related conditions.

"It is time for us to move past the rhetoric about whether these conditions are real, and take these patients seriously as we endeavor to learn more about the causes and most effective treatments for these disorders," Harris and Clauw write in the December issue of the journal Current Pain and Headache Reports.

Brain Imaging Studies

As many as 10 million Americans may have fibromyalgia, according to The National Fibromyalgia Association.

The disorder is characterized by chronic pain throughout the body, but symptoms may also include fatigue, headaches, and problems with memory and concentration.

Brain imaging studies conducted at the University of Michigan and other research centers in recent years show clear differences in responses to pain stimulation among people with and without fibromyalgia.

Compared to people without the disorder, fibromyalgia patients showed increased brain activity in response to pain.

"These studies indicate that fibromyalgia patients have abnormalities within their central brain structures," Clauw says.

Research by Harris, Clauw, and colleagues also suggests that fibromyalgia patients don't process the body's natural pain relievers as efficiently as people without the disorder.

"We think that these may have both a heightened sensitivity to pain and this dysfunction in their analgesic [painkilling] mechanism," Harris tells WebMD. "It is not yet clear how this all fits together."

National Fibromyalgia Association president and founder Lynne Matallana tells WebMD that the doctors who treat fibromyalgia patients face a unique challenge.

"This is a new paradigm for medical professionals to understand," she says. "It isn't a virus, or bacteria or inflammation. It isn't a tumor or something else that you can see. It is a problem within the pain-processing center of the central nervous system."

Treatment Options Still Few

While the recent research has done much to improve the understanding of fibromyalgia and related chronic pain conditions, few advances have been made in the treatment of these disorders, Harris says.

The use of medications such as antidepressants can help some patients with fibromyalgia. And regular exercise seems to help many patients.

Acupuncture has been shown to reduce pain in some studies, but not others, he adds.

Matallana says several drug companies are in the later stages of testing several new drugs designed specifically for the treatment of fibromyalgia, which target the central nervous system.

"We are really excited about this research," she says.

Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/130/117675.htm
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=77862

Tags: article, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, fms, health, treatment

02:08 am:
The article ripleyflutterby submitted -
THE TORONTO STAR IS CONSIDERING IT TO BE PUBLISHED UNDER THE HEALTH SECTION!!!!!

I know the pain of endometriosis (a.k.a. endo). For nearly twelve years it has been a part of me, and was part of my mother as well. I’ve only known its name for about a year now. I am living with a disease that continues to progress, intrude, and oppress me. It becomes more pervasive all the time. It chains me down and keeps me from living the life I wanted.
This disease is not new though it has only really come to light over the last twenty-five years. Celebrities like Susan Sarandon and Dolly Parton have spoken out about their experiences with endo. It even believed that Queen Victoria herself was victim to it. Marilyn Monroe had it and her subsequent addiction to painkillers because of it played a part in her death. It is not merely a physical disease, but an emotional and mental one as well. It is one of the most under researched diseases out there. There is no agreed upon cause so finding a cure is like fumbling around in the dark.
It is reaching millions of women who aren’t even aware that their debilitating pain is not normal, that it is a sign of something serious. Yet these women suffer in silence. Estimates range from ten to twenty percent of all women of childbearing age and it takes approximately 9 years on average to get diagnosed. Our voices are dismissed by ignorant doctors who have never heard of it, by family and friends who just cannot understand, by partners who are as frustrated as we are. We deal with ignorant doctors or doctors who have nothing to offer us except prescriptions for painkillers. They seem as helpless and we feel as sufferers.
It is a complex disease whereby the endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus and can spread affecting various organs such as the digestive tract, the reproductive system, the bladder and in rare cases it has gone to the lungs or brain. Every month the body tries to shed this tissue which causes internal bleeding leading to lesions of scar tissue penetrating other body parts and causing permanent tissue damage. The body tries to rid itself of this tissue through muscle contractions which cause immeasurable pain for some and for others they have relatively little pain. There is no correlation between the amount of scar tissue and the amount of pain. It is the number one cause of infertility in women of childbearing age.
Pelvic pain is by far the most common symptom which may be chronic or related to menstruation, changed menstrual pattern, heavier, longer and increasingly painful periods, premenstrual spotting, abdominal pain, sometimes related to the menstrual cycle with severe pain or cramps one week before menstruation, pelvic pain accompanied by abdominal bloating, pelvic masses, lower back pain, painful intercourse, noticeably worse before or during menstruation, painful bowel movements, rectal bleeding during menstruation, pain while urinating, and fatigue.
It is an incapacitating disease that eats away at our insides, confining us to bed for days at a time. For some we cannot have sex for the pain it causes. For others we lose our fertility. For some women it is a daily battle with pain and other symptoms. We undergo diagnostic surgeries where there is a chance we could wake up to find an organ removed because it has been so consumed by scar tissue that it is permanently damaged. For now our options are mostly symptom management, which is includes harsh narcotics where the side effects are often worse than the pain and hormonal treatments that leave us at risk for osteoperosis. Some women, at the end of their ropes have no other option but to have a full hysterectomy for the mere chance of pain relief. This leads to further complications such as surgically induced menopause. In many, even despite such drastic actions, the pain returns. It even has the potential to develop into cancer.
The quality of life is severely affected and the public costs are astronomical due to lost productivity, lost wages, the need to be on disability and the costs to the health care system because women are showing up in emergency rooms doubled over in pain and needing drugs just to get through the night, because of the endless operations women must undergo every few years to remove scar tissue.
For students, we are dealing with ignorant faculties, missed classes, compromised concentration and work quality, having to write exams in excruciating pain or in drugged hazes. We have to deal with weird stares as we sit next to outlets so we can plug our heating pads in. We lose our social lives because we are tired, and sick and can’t get out because we can’t walk or can’t pull our heads out of the toilets. Many women lose their relationships and many never get the opportunity to be mothers and if they do, they must worry about passing it on to their own daughters.
Pain is chronic but it is also chronically denied, and more often than not dismissed as “just “ cramps. It is under treated. It is assumed that we simply have a low threshold for pain or that it is normal. For those of us lucky enough to be taken seriously, the waiting list at a pain clinic in Toronto is over a year long.
March is endometriosis awareness month. Please educate yourselves and demand more from your health care providers. If you are having pain, speak up! Make some noise and make them listen. We deserve to live without pain. Let’s empower ourselves to take control of our health and our bodies.

Elizabeth Barry

Tags: article, chronic pain, doctors, endo, endometriosis, endometriosis awareness, health