And if you’ve gained more than a few pounds since your wedding day, forget trying to fit into that bridal gown. “As you gain weight, you experience an increase in fat cell size and number, which will probably prevent you from getting back to your married weight. Instead of focusing on the numbers on the scale, set behavioral goals: “Eat breakfast every day, go for daily walks, eat more fruits and vegetables — when you set behavior goals, they are easier to accomplish and they make you feel good.”  Stick with these behaviors for 3-6 months and they will become part of your life.

Based on your current weight, eat about 10 calories per pound of nutritious food (low in fat, rich in lean protein, high in fiber), get regular exercise, and assess your weight after a month or so.

As you get to a healthy weight, you can go up to 12 calories per pound.

Created by Karen Thampoe, MD.
West Houston Internal Medicine
Office located in Katy, Tx

The truth, experts say, is that you can weigh more than your ideal weight and still be healthy (not to mention happy).
If you’re overweight, losing just 10% of your body weight is associated with a myriad of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar, and reducing your risk for heart disease. Not only that, experts say, but this kind of weight loss is easier to attain and maintain, setting you up for success in the long run.

Experts recommend that you try losing 10% the old-fashioned way — by slowly changing eating and exercise behaviors — then maintain this new weight for a few months before trying to lose more.  Not only will your body get the signal to lower its “set point,” but you’ll give yourself a chance to get used to new food choices, smaller portions, and regular exercise.

Internal Medicine is a specialized of medicine where the specialty focuses on whole body of the patient. Although the name suggests internal organs, internists also treat external conditions. Internists are often used to solve medical puzzles, since they are familiar with a wide range of medical conditions and their causes.

Specialists in internal medicine treat people with all sorts of conditions, from hepatitis to cancer, and careers in internal medicine are incredibly varied.

General Internal Medicine covers all aspects of the pathology of adolescents, adults and the elderly (it does not treat children). It is neither surgical nor invasive.

The preferred level of attention of General Internal Medicine is curative or “secondary prevention”, although internists have the knowledge and training for primary attention. 
Internal Medicine can treat the medical pathologies (non obstetric) of pregnant women and the medical complications associated with surgery and anesthesia.

Internal Medicine has a strong foundation in epidemiology and evidence based medicine, nevertheless its objective is not the attention of great populations but the patient himself, using the bio-psycho-social model.

Women and Stroke

Stroke is as much of a threat to women as it is to men. Protect yourself by learning about your risk factors and knowing the signs and symptoms.

It doesn’t get the attention that osteoporosis does.

And there are no pink ribbons or red dress campaigns to raise awareness like there are for breast cancer and heart disease.

Stroke, it might seem, isn’t on the country’s radar as a women’s health priority. But if you’re a woman, it should be on yours.

Each year, about 795,000 people have strokes in America, according to the American Heart Association. About 144,000 deaths are attributed to stroke each year.

Of those deaths, about 60 percent occur in women. For those who survive, stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability.

As a woman, you may have some unique risk factors for stroke. But you also have more power to prevent stroke than you might realize. By learning what puts you at risk and acting quickly if stroke occurs, you may be able to prevent a stroke or avoid its devastating consequences.

Recognize your risk

Strokes happen when blood is prevented from reaching the brain, usually by a blood clot or a broken blood vessel. Without adequate blood, brains cells die. That can cause trouble speaking, paralysis and other problems.

Depending on the severity of the stroke and how quickly it’s treated, brain damage can be permanent or even deadly.

Many risk factors for stroke apply to men and women, says Robert J. Adams, MD, spokesperson for the American Stroke Association. Among them:

• Increasing age.
• Family history.
• High blood pressure.
• Tobacco smoke.
• High cholesterol.
• Physical inactivity.
• Excess weight.
• Diabetes.
• Atrial fibrillation.

But some risk factors are unique to women.

Use of birth control pills. Birth control pills increase the likelihood of blood clots, says Dr. Adams. And that danger is compounded when you smoke.

“Certainly, you shouldn’t smoke to begin with,” he says, “But if you use birth control pills, you definitely shouldn’t smoke.”

Pregnancy. Although the risk is small, pregnancy increases a woman’s chance of stroke because, among other things, it raises blood pressure and puts stress on the heart.

Use of hormone therapy. A combined hormone therapy of progestin and estrogen, sometimes taken to lessen the physical effects of menopause, raises stroke risk, according to the National Stroke Association (NSA).

This doesn’t mean that all women should necessarily avoid hormone therapy, says Dr. Adams. But it does highlight the importance of weighing the potential advantages of hormone therapy against its known risks.

Having a thick waist and a high triglyceride level. Postmenopausal women with a waist size larger than 35.2 inches and a triglyceride level higher than 128 milligrams per deciliter may have a fivefold increased risk for stroke, reports the NSA.

The big picture

When deciding on a stroke-prevention strategy, it’s important to look at all of your risk factors together, according to Dr. Adams.

With your doctor’s help, you can identify specific steps you can take to bring your risk down. These steps might include:

• Managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and health problems such as diabetes.
• Controlling your weight.
• Choosing a diet low in saturated fat and rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Getting 30 minutes or more of exercise most days of the week.
• Quitting smoking.

For some women, additional steps, such as avoiding birth control pills or hormone therapy, or taking low-dose aspirin, might also be recommended. Your doctor can help you form the best prevention plan, based on your unique risk profile.

Speed matters

Should a stroke occur, act fast. Warning signs come on suddenly and may include:

• Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side.
• Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding.
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination.
• Severe headache with no known cause.

If you have any of these signs (even if they improve after a few minutes), call 911. Women may be reluctant to report their symptoms, says Dr. Adams. But delays in getting help can be costly.

Treatment with a drug called tissue plasminogen activator can dramatically lessen the effects of some strokes—but only if it’s given within three hours. This makes it important to note the time when symptoms begin.

“The clock starts when the symptoms start, not when you get to the emergency room,” says Dr. Adams. “One of the reasons we don’t use this important drug as much as we would like is because patients don’t get into the hospital soon enough.”

Remember, as a woman, you’re not immune to stroke. But you’re not powerless against it either. Educating yourself and taking the necessary steps to reduce your risk may help keep you healthy and independent.

reviewed 10/22/2009

With Black Friday and the official kick-off of holiday mania just a week away, Santas are gearing up for the season—and this year, that doesn’t just mean dusting off the red suit and beard. As they prepare to populate the malls, the Associated Press reports, Santas across the country are hoping for a little gift from U.S. public health officials—a chance to cut the line for the swine flu vaccine.

While Santa organizations such as Santa America and the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas have been warning their respective St. Nicks to take precautions this season—to ditch the furry gloves and carry Purell, for starters—advocates for the consortiums of Clauses say that, due to the elevated risk faced by their members, it makes sense to give them priority when it comes to vaccination. It’s not just hanging out with sniffling, coughing, runny-nosed kids all day that puts Santa at higher risk, they argue, but also the fact that, by nature, Santas’ bellies tend to be, well, like bowls full of jelly, and recent research suggests that obesity can increase the risk of severe complications and even death due to H1N1 infection. Ernest Berger, Chris Kringle-in-Chief at Santa America, told the AP that he estimates almost all U.S. Santas are overweight, and nearly a third are morbidly obese.

Berger approached Republican Congressman Jo Bonner last week, lobbying the Alabama representative to get Santas added to the priority list for H1N1 vaccination. (Bonner’s office confirmed to the AP that they were looking into the request.) Yet regardless of whether or not Santas successfully get to skip the line for shots, they are hopeful that this year’s good cheer will be tempered with some good sense. As Nicholas Trolli, president of the Real Bearded Santas, told the AP, “We don’t want any child to go without seeing Santa, but it’s not worth bringing your child to the mall, infecting the Santa and infecting the other children.” And Berger told NPR that hand sanitation will be incorporated into Santa visits:

“We’re going to make hand sanitizing a part of the Santa visit ritual. We want this to be a positive experience for our children and not detract from the joy of visiting with Santa.”

What’s the difference between cold and flu?

The common cold and flu are both contagious viral infections of the respiratory tract. Although the symptoms can be similar, flu is much worse. A cold may drag you down a bit, but the flu can make you shudder at the very thought of getting out of bed.

Congestion, sore throat, and sneezing are common with colds. Both cold and flu bring coughing, headache, and chest discomfort. With the flu, though, you are likely to run a high fever for several days and have headache, myalgia, fatigue, and weakness. Usually, complications from colds are relatively minor, but a severe case of flu can lead to a life threatening illness such as pneumonia.

More than 100 types of cold viruses are known, and new strains of flu evolve every few years. Since both diseases are viral, antibiotics cannot conquer cold or flu. Remember: Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections.