Robust You

You often see an infant crying relentlessly and her mom or dad doesn’t know why the little bundle is crying. It’s only when the baby’s diaper starts to leak that maybe one of the parents suspect that the baby may be itching because of the diaper. It could be diaper rash caused by allergic reaction to the diaper.

Some women may have experienced the same discomfort during menstruation, not with a diaper but with sanitary napkin. During this so-called “monthly period”, some women complain of itching, redness, swelling and skin irritation in the vaginal area.

While some beliefs point to the menstrual blood as the cause of allergy, there’s no truth to it. In fact, in many of these cases, the sanitary napkins are found to be the culprit, causing itchiness, irritation, and slight swelling around the vaginal area. This is a clear case of napkin allergy. And there are rare cases of severe reactions like severe swelling and difficulty in breathing.

Most sanitary napkins contain a chemical called methyldibromo glutaronitrile which is the top 9th allergen that affects human beings. Although the chemical causes allergic reaction, it has not been banned because it is not considered life-threatening or cancer-causing reaction. Other possible causes of napkin allergy may be attributed to the different scents, chemicals, and plastics used in the napkins, mainly to add value to the commercial appeal of the product. If you are sensitive to any of the chemical compositions in your sanitary napkin, you might develop irritation or rashes due to the continued skin-to-skin exposure.

The first sign of napkin allergy is itchiness of the vagina followed by reddening or irritation around the vaginal area. The moment you feel the allergic reaction, quickly switch to another napkin brand. You may have to check the chemicals or material composition of the napkin which caused your allergy and look for a brand that doesn’t contain the same material composition. Changing the type of napkin you use may help prevent the rashes or irritation caused by napkin allergy. If all the napkins you have tried has not eliminated the allergic reaction, it would be best to consult and seek the help of a professional.

In order to treat your napkin allergy, you should use an over-the-counter prescription topical cream, following your doctor’s advice to prevent further irritation. There are different types of treatment depending on the type of rashes. For example, for allergic reaction, doctors recommend hydrocortisone cream while bacterial skin infections are treated with antiseptic or antibacterial topical cream. For yeast infection anti-fungal cream is the recommended treatment.

Internal products like menstrual cups, cloth pads or tampons, or cotton pads made from unbleached organic cloth with no chemical additives may be used in lieu of commercially-available sanitary napkins.

You should know that wearing tight-fitting clothes during heavy flow can aggravate the allergic symptoms. By wearing loose harem pants or skirts, air flow around the sensitive areas will prevent sweating which can cause irritation and discomfort.

If you have allergic reaction to napkin and can’t find the appropriate replacement, you may want to use talcum powder as this is an effective solution for preventing sweat from being absorbed onto the napkin. The powder will also decrease the friction between your skin and the napkin that usually triggers the onset of allergy / rashes.

It’s important to keep your sensitive area extra clean during menstrual period. This means washing the affected area with soap and water every time you change napkin every 3 to 4 hours. To prevent spread of bacteria, make sure you wipe the genitals from front to back.

It’s amazing how some women are able to balance a career, manage the family and everything in between and still has time to spare for an hour of workout. It’s not easy but if some women can do it, so can you. Including exercise into your daily routines will not only help shape your body but can also give a lot of health benefits – alleviate depression, boost your immune system, or help prevent colon.

Among the many exercise routines women can get into, the following exercises offer premium benefits. Hence, all women should do:

If you need to tone your hips, thighs and butt, squat exercises can effectively work out most of the muscles in these problem areas, which are often the concerns of most women. Squat exercises are the go-to exercise routine that engaged more muscles compared to other exercise routines. Squat exercises work the thighs, glutes and core including abdominals and the muscles that support your spine. There are many different variations of squats such as chair squat, wide stance squat, ball squat, or assisted squat. You can also add dumbbells when performing squat exercises.

You can start your basic squat exercise by standing with your feet in a wider position than the width of your shoulder. Make sure your toes are pointed outward. As you inhale, pull your abs tightly in. Let your heels carry your weight. Then slowly bend your knees and slightly from the hips. Make sure your back is upright and you’re not leaning forward from the waist. Exhale, and straighten your legs to get back to the starting, standing position.

Moving away from the early notion of being often associated with adult entertainment, pole dancing takes on a new dimension when it became the new and fun fitness trend for women across the United States and in other countries. Today’s pole dancing has evolved into an exercise form which gives your body a full workout. Pole dancing is performed not only by professionals and performers but also by gym enthusiasts, students and pole athletes. It’s a high-intensity exercise that combines isometric muscle contractions and strength-based internal training. Some of the benefits women can get from pole dancing include:

Cycling outdoors is different from turbo training, which is biking done indoors. Without having to worry about the natural elements – rain, sun, wind, dust, etc., you can stay fit by biking indoors through turbo training. This exercise can help you become more fit as you pedal in a static position. This exercise is ideal for women who don’t have the time to spare to go cycling outdoors because of home responsibilities, but want to achieve their fitness goals. You only need to deal with boredom because there’s no scenery that can take your mind off the activity. Most of the time, women go for turbo training during rainy days.

Women can use turbo trainer for aerobic fitness and as a weight loss program because it helps burn calories more than other forms of exercise. Turbo training can also help protect you against heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, depression, dementia, certain cancers, diabetes, and osteoporosis. In other words, turbo training or biking indoors equate to a good cardio workout.

There is a good reason why some 20 million Americans have chosen and decided to become vegetarians. Main factor is health benefits and how a veggie diet can alter one’s lifestyle for the better.

Like any diet, veggie diet is also surrounded by myths which may have been passed from one vegan’s mouth to another. And in every transfer of stories, some may be added and some may be omitted.

Considered as one of the best diets in terms of promoting health and wellness, the veggie diet is said to be a moving factor in losing weight or preventing killer diseases. In order to know exactly how veggie diet can benefit you, it’s better to check the myths and facts about veggie diets.

Myth: Veggie Diet is Healthy Because There’s No Meat

Fact: Veggie diet is healthy not because of the removal of animal foods in it but by the removal of other harmful foods such as sugar, grains, vegetables oil and trans fats found in processed foods.

Myth: Saturated Fat and Cholesterol are Bad Substance

Most vegetarians believe that saturated fats and cholesterol are contributors to heart attack.

Fact: The latest medical finding is that saturated fats and cholesterol help in improving the blood cholesterol profile which leads to a reduced risk of a heart attack.

Myth: Veggie Diet Reverses Heart Disease

This idea came about because of the positive results of a number of studies done by two doctors, Dr. Ornish and Dr. Esseltstyn. The results included the partial reversal of coronary heart disease with improved angiograms.

Fact: Further analysis of the results of above study showed that outcome was achieved because of controlled lifestyles of the subjects.

Myth: Vegetarian Diet Is Not For Pregnant or Breastfeeding Women

Fact: The nutrient needs demanded by pregnancy and breastfeeding can be derived from a plant-based diet if you choose wisely. Supplements such as B12, folic acid or iron may be recommended by your OB-Gynecologist.

Myth: Animal Proteins are Harmful

Fact: Animal proteins promote weight loss, lower blood pressure, diabetes control and improved bone health.

Myth: Animals are not Suited for Human Consumption

Fact: The truth is that we are adapted to eating animals and plants alike.

Myth: Meat is the Main Cause of Heart Problems, Diabetes and Cancer

Fact: Found to cause heart problems, cancer and diabetes is the processed meat and not the unprocessed red meat.

Myth: Vegans and Vegetarians Live Longer

Fact: A study was made between a group of health conscious vegetarians and a group of health conscious meat eaters and they found out that they have the same mortality rate and the same heart disease risk.

Myth: Veggie Diets Supply All the Necessary Nutrients

This claim by vegetarians that all the nutrients the body needs are in their diet does not really hold true.

Fact: Nutrient deficiencies are commonly found in their veggie diets.

Are you considering shifting to a vegetarian diet?

Maybe now you see the health benefits of making the transition to vegan diet or you simply want to discover if you can make the big leap to a plant-based diet. But whatever your reasons are, it’s good enough that you have come to terms in trying a healthy option.

A vegetarian is a person who avoids eating meat, poultry, fish and shellfish and their by-products. Instead, he restricts his food preferences to grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with or without the dairy products or eggs.

According to the Vegetarian Society, there are three kinds of vegetarians, they are:

The transition from being a non-vegetarian to being a full-pledge vegetarian is undoubtedly not an easy task to accomplish. It requires sheer determination and discipline to be one.

The transition period doesn’t have to be swift or abrupt. In fact, it should be gradual to allow your mind and body to take in the changes. There would be struggles and challenges along the way and you have to keep that determination if you want to get past the transition period.

Following are some time-tested tips that will guide you and help ensure that you are on the right track:

By keeping the guides above, you can feel that you are ready to make the big switch – that of becoming a vegetarian.