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The end of pregnancy marks the beginning of a joyous little bundle in the new mom’s life, but at the same time, it can be mentally stressful and taxing as well, especially for first time moms. In addition it leaves behind the undesirable excess weight that was packed on during the nine months of wait for the precious baby. So all health conscious moms turn to strict exercise programs to shed the extra pounds as dieting during breast feeding is not possible and recommended. Bikram yoga offers a great way to get back in shape physically and reduce stress levels post pregnancy.

Although Bikram is not suitable to practice during pregnancy; it can do wonders for the yogi post partum. Conducted in a highly heated room of about temperatures between 95 to 100 degrees; Bikram helps to remove toxins from the body and the high heat causes excessive sweating in turn forcing the body to burn more calories. The strenuous stretching postures are made easy with the heat allowing the yogi to achieve increased flexibility, in turn producing a healthier and toner body.

Women are able to reap benefits from Bikram as it provided with the weight loss without over exerting the body. The postures of hot yoga are not excessively difficult especially for women who have practiced yoga before and during pregnancy. New moms can start Bikram yoga as soon as their medical practitioner approves, sometimes within 2 weeks after giving birth, as it does not involve any intense aerobic or cardio exercises.

The other great advantage of Bikram after pregnancy is the decrease in high mental and physical stress levels that it provides. Yoga promotes a sense of calm for the mind and spirit, but Bikram goes a step further in assisting with the elimination of the physical stress that the woman’s body goes through during childbirth. The muscles are able to reach their full stretching capacity in the hot rooms allowing improved blood circulation and increased oxygen flow through the body. This results in the entire body regaining health to its pre pregnancy vitality.

It is important to keep yourself highly hydrated though, as the high heat can cause severe dehydration if proper care is not taken. In particular new moms who are breast feeding need to be extra cautious about the water loss as low water levels in the body can affect their milk supply. Other unwanted side effects that one might experience after starting Bikram Yoga included nausea and light headedness. This is also caused by the high heat but improves once you get used to exercising in a hot room. New mothers are also advised to take it slow and keep it simple in order gain maximum benefits from their sessions. Do not overdo and listen to your body as it can provide you with the best guidance of its endurance levels.

Overall hot yoga is a fantastic tool for weight loss and a healthier life after pregnancy and thousands of women utilize it for gaining their pre pregnancy weight and shape back!

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Source by Amna Babar

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After a hysterectomy surgery it is essential to understand how to identify inappropriate abdominal or core strength exercises. Many women unknowingly perform abdominal exercises with the potential for serious pelvic injury when returning to their gym workouts and fitness classes after hysterectomy surgery. Unfortunately many well-intentioned fitness instructors are also unaware of this issue leaving women uninformed, vulnerable and confused about appropriate exercise after pelvic surgery. These physical therapist guidelines are designed to help you identify unsafe abdominal exercises after a hysterectomy.

Exercises involving upper abdominal (or "six pack") muscles pose the most risk to your pelvic floor. Ultrasound studies show that basic abdominal curl exercises force the pelvic floor downwards in women with poorly functioning pelvic floor muscles. The more intense the abdominal or core exercise, the greater the pressure on the pelvic floor and the greater the risk of pelvic floor overload and reduced pelvic support.

Decreased pelvic support can cause an array of serious pelvic floor problems including; vaginal prolapse, incontinence, pelvic pain and anorectal disorders. Hysterectomy surgery involves the upper vagina being stitched up inside a woman's pelvis in order to support the vagina and prevent vaginal prolapse (ie vagina descending down and sometimes out of the woman's body). Research suggests the risk of vaginal prolapse is increased after hysterectomy surgery.

This means that it is imperative that you understand how to avoid overloading your pelvic floor after a hysterectomy with inappropriate abdominal exercises.The following abdominal exercises all have the potential to overload the floor of the pelvis and should therefore be avoided after hysterectomy surgery;

1. Abdominal curl exercises involve lifting the head and shoulders from a lying position and are also known as sit up exercises. Variations include; incline sit ups, oblique sit ups (elbow to opposite shoulder) and fit ball sit ups.
2. Double leg raises involve lifting both legs off the ground simultaneously. Variations include; bicycle legs, double leg raises, Pilates "Table Top" exercise and fit ball between-legs raises.
3. Intense core abdominal exercises such as "Plank " or "Hover" which are performed routinely in gym workouts, yoga and Pilates classes. Never assume that just because an exercise is a "Pilates" exercise, that it is safe for and will help strengthen your pelvic support. Some Pilates exercises can place intense pressure on the pelvic floor.
4. Abdominal strength machines that exercise the upper abdominal and / or external oblique muscles against resistance. These machines increase the pressure within your abdomen that is transferred directly to your pelvis. In fact these exercises will actually make your abdominal muscles even more effective at increasing the downward pressure on the floor of your pelvis.

How to identify unsafe abdominal exercises after hysterectomy surgery?

• Exercises that involve lying and raising the head and shoulders, and / or both legs simultaneously off the ground all increase downward pressure onto the floor of the pelvis. These exercises all have the potential to cause pelvic floor injury, after pelvic surgery and when the pelvic floor muscles are not functioning well.
• Exercises performed in prone (lying facing the floor) and weight bearing through the hands / forearms and feet (with the body elevated off the ground are intense core abdominal exercises. These can be modified by kneeling rather than weightbearing though the feet. Sometimes these are performed forward over a fit ball. Once again never assume that using a fit ball makes the exercise safe for your pelvic floor.
• Abdominal exercise machines that exercise the abdominal muscles in upright or in lying have potential to overload the floor of the pelvis. These types of machines are usually used aiming to "flatten the belly". It is not possible to spot reduce fat from the abdomen with abdominal exercises however this myth still continues to pervade western society. To flatten your abdomen you need to lose fat from all over your body, it is not possible to lose it through exercise from one spot only.

It is desirable for women to return to exercise after hysterectomy surgery and ensure their long-term pelvic health by exercising appropriately. It takes three months for most women to fully heal from hysterectomy surgery. During this recovery time the pelvic floor is at greatest risk of injury. Women should only return to the types of abdominal exercises listed above with their medical specialist's approval and when their pelvic floor muscles are strong and capable of withstanding the large downward forces associated with these particular exercises. For some women with poorly functioning pelvic muscles this may mean avoiding intense core abdominal exercises altogether and opting instead for more appropriate gentle core abdominal exercises more suitable for their pelvic health and longevity.

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Source by Michelle Kenway

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Want to shed off stubborn, unwanted fat from your body without any surgery? If so, then coolsculpting or cryolipolysis might be the best option for you.

Coolsculpting is FDA-approved, quick procedure that works effectively by freezing fats at a targeted area of your body through a non-invasive applicator. While doing so, the procedure leaves the layers outside of your skin unaffected.

How does fat freezing work?

The doctor or certified cryolipolysis technician will put in place a device on the target area of your body, where you want to lose the fat. It then pulls the bulges of fat in between cooling panels. When it is done, the fat freezing procedure will commence freezing the cells of fats beneath your skin.

The entire coolsculpting treatment will typically take for about an hour. It also depends on the size or coverage area that you want to be treated.

Who is the best candidate for coolsculpting?

Coolsculpting is practically for anyone who wants to lose unwanted bulges of body fat. Also it is especially recommended for people who are exercise-resistant and want to shed off fat without surgical procedure.

Yet again, while almost any person can be considered a candidate for fat freezing procedure, experts said that the current coolsculpting treatment are only designed for now to treat areas such as upper or lower abdomen or the flanks.

Is coolsculpting effective?

Patients who have undergone the procedure experienced 20% to 26% of fat reduction after the treatment. The end result is relatively fast and experts said will last a long time as long as the patient maintains a healthier lifestyle and regular exercise.

If the treated person gains considerable amount of body weight after undergoing the cryolipolysis treatment, the weight will be distributed evenly to the fat cells that are remaining in the body.

You may ask where are all the fats go after the treatment. Cryolipolysis experts said that the dead fat cells in your body are digested and eventually flash out from your system like any other energy source. That means after the fat freezing procedure you just pee the fat out of your system.

What are the health risks?

Doctors have assured us that there are no complications or long-term risks associated with cryolipolysis or cool sculpting. However, there are some common side effects like temporary numbness and bruising in the treated area of your body.

Some patients also may experience a tingling sensation or tightness in the treated area. But these side effects will only for several days or a few weeks.

How much does this kind of treatment cost? The rates of coolsculpting range from £399 to £799 per treatment in the UK, and starts $750 per treatment in the US.

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Source by James Dwade

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Excessive scalp hair loss is a severe challenge to a woman’s self image and her standing in business and society. Although we usually think of balding as a man’s problem, women actually make up forty percent of the people in North America experiencing the distress of excessive hair loss. Many women losing significant scalp hair have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Safe, effective, natural therapies that treat the hormone imbalances related to PCOS will also restore your hair to optimal health. I am delighted to offer you these indispensable tools to help you restore your hair and your health.

Women experiencing hair loss lose ground fast in today’s world. At work and in her personal life a woman’s appearance has much to do with her financial and social success. Men may also prefer not to go bald. But since balding is known to be caused by high levels of testosterone, a bald man may be credited with extra virility. There is no such happy story for balding women. The appearance of thinning scalp hair translates to a significant loss of personal power for women.

The medical community in general treats women’s hair loss as a minor health issue. Most physicians have little inclination to address the emotional distress you feel. In many cases physicians treat balding as if it were “only” a vanity issue; they may not recognize hair loss as a red flag pointing to serious metabolic conditions, including PCOS.

The psychological pain of hair loss and its effect on our sense of empowerment is as devastating as any disfiguring disease. If you are a balding woman, your hair loss is a life altering condition with profound consequences for your health. Getting your hands on the wheel and driving yourself toward a solution for hair loss is the first step toward reviving your sense of personal strength and power. If hair loss is part of PCOS, the effort you make to restore your physical health will also renew scalp hair growth.

You need expert help to properly diagnose the cause of your hair loss. Hair loss that could have been merely temporary may become permanent if you have a delayed or incorrect diagnosis. Misdiagnoses is perhaps the most frustrating aspect of hair loss for women. The information I present here will help you identify the cause of your hair loss and ideally lead you and your doctors to proper treatments for your kind of hair loss, sooner rather than later.

Alopecia is the medical term for excessive or abnormal hair loss. There are different kinds of alopecia. What all hair loss has in common, whether it’s in men or women, is that it is always a symptom of something else that’s gone wrong. Your hair will remain on your head where it belongs if hormone imbalance, disease, or some other condition is not occurring. That condition may be as simple as having a gene that makes you susceptible to male or female pattern baldness. Or it may be as complex as a whole host of diseases. Hair loss may be a symptom of a short-term event such as stress, pregnancy, or a side effect of certain medications. In these situations, hair grows back when the event has passed. Substances including hormones and medication can cause a change in the hair growth patterns. When this happens, growth and shedding occur at the same time. Once the cause is dealt with, hairs go back to their random pattern of growth and shedding, and balding stops.

Alopecia: A Common Problem

Today more women than ever are experiencing hair loss — and the causes are typically quite different that what causes balding in men. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, some 30 million women in the United States are experiencing some degree of distressing scalp hair loss. The most common causes of scalp hair loss in women can include:

Mineral or vitamin deficiency – zinc, manganese, iron, vitamin B6, biotin

Essential fatty acid deficiency from a low calorie diet or eating disorders

Protein deficiency, as is common with vegetarian diets

Anemia from a low iron diet, poor digestion or any excess blood loss

Eating disorders, like anorexia, bulimia, even ‘yo-yo’ dieting; also compulsive or excessive physical exercise

Drug toxicity, for instance anesthesia with surgery or chemotherapy for cancer

Many prescription medications have hair loss as a potential ‘side’ effect, including bromocriptine, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, amphetamines, anti-cholesterol agents

Severe infections, either viral or bacterial

Severe stress, either a sudden extreme event or persistent, long term challenges

Any hypothalamic or pituitary disorder

Any liver, thyroid gland, adrenal gland or ovarian disorder, including PCOS

Any sex steroid imbalance such as low progesterone, estrogen dominance, excess testosterone or insulin

Starting or stopping any hormone therapy, including birth control pills, menopausal hormone replacement treatment or thyroid hormone replacement

Any natural event that causes big hormone changes, like child birth, breastfeeding and weaning or menopause

Perms, hair color, bleach, improper brushing/combing, pulling on the hair

Autoimmune disease such as lupus or multiple sclerosis

Allergies to foods, medicines, environmental chemicals or topical drugs

Recent hepatitis B shot. If you had a Hep B vaccine since this hair loss started, there may be a connection.  An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (278:117-8, 1997) links the Hep B vaccine to increased incidence of alopecia in women.

How does an individual woman figure out why she is losing too much of her hair? To understand that, it’s important to understand how hair grows.

Hair Grows in Cycles  

Scalp hair grows about one-half inch per month. An individual strand of hair will grow for two to six years. Eventually each hair “rests” for a while, and then falls out. Soon after, that follicle will start growing a new strand. A healthy scalp will let about 100 of these cycling hairs fall out every day.

In folks with a genetic predisposition to hair loss, and for women with PCOS, hormones called androgens drive this process. Androgen hormones include testosterone, androsteinedione, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Men make and use relatively large amounts of androgens. Appropriate, smaller amounts of androgens are essential to women’s health as well.

In those who are genetically susceptible, testosterone activates enzymes produced in the hair cell, which then cause it to be converted into the more potent androgen DHT.  DHT then binds with receptors deep within the hair follicle. Eventually, so much DHT builds up that the follicle begins shrinking. It can’t produce new hair reliably. Some of the follicles permanently stop producing new hairs. The end result is significant hair loss. The medical term for this condition is androgenic alopecia. Testosterone converts to DHT with the aid of the enzyme Type II 5-alpha reductase, which is held in a hair follicle’s oil glands. Actually, it’s not the amount of circulating testosterone that is the problem but the amount of DHT clogging up and shrinking scalp follicles, making it impossible for healthy hair to survive.

The process of testosterone converting to DHT, which then harms hair follicles, happens in both men and women. Usually women have a tiny fraction of the amount of testosterone that men make. It seems that for women with hair loss, the actual level of testosterone is not as crucial as are changes in the amount of testosterone she has. A shift in hormone levels triggered by lifestyle or other factors, will cause DHT- triggered hair loss in women. Even when hormone blood levels remain within what doctors consider “normal”, they can become high enough to cause a problem for an individual woman. The levels may not rise at all and still be a problem if you are very sensitive to even normal levels of chemicals, including hormones.

Because our hormones operate through a delicately balanced feedback system, with signals sent via the blood between the brain and body tissue, androgens do not need to be raised to trigger a problem. If the so-called female hormones, (which also are essential to men’s health) are for any reason shifting in relation to androgens, the resulting imbalance can also cause problems, including hair loss.

Hormones are always changing. Testosterone levels in men drop by as much as 10 percent each decade after age thirty. Women’s hormone levels shift with each menstrual cycle, or due to a lack of regular menses, in pregnancies and menopause. Eating disorders, excessive exercise, drugs and environmental toxins can also impact hormone levels.

Keys To Successful Treatment

Treatment of thinning scalp hair must be grounded in changing the habits you may have that support elevated androgens. Diet and exercise are key to maintaining optimal hormone balance. In fact, for women with PCOS, research is clear- there is no drug therapy more effective than proper diet and regular exercise. First, you get your foundational health habits in order; then, specific targeted therapies have the best chance of being effective for you.

Women with PCOS may also have excess coarse dark hair on their face and body. The only way to address the dark, coarse hair that grows out of follicles that have already been altered by excess androgens, is to destroy the follicle with laser or similar therapy. Once a follicle has changed the type of hair it produces, it will not change back. It is crucial to tame the excess androgens and prevent conversion of additional follicles, before investing in a therapy to permanently destroy facial or body hair follicles.

What Causes Women to Lose Too Much Scalp Hair?

For a long time doctors believed that androgenic alopecia was the main cause of balding in both men and women. Now we know that the process that leads to excessive hair loss in women is different. It is called female pattern hair loss.

An important difference between male and female balding is the pattern in which the hair loss occurs. Female pattern hair loss tends to happen as an overall thinning across all areas of the scalp, including the sides and back. Men lose hair from specific spots, like the temple, the crown, that bald spot in the back of the head. Male and female hormone and enzyme receptor sites are also in different areas of the scalp, causing the different gender related loss patterns of hair loss.

A second major difference is that balding in men is usually caused by a man’s genetics and his age, but for women, balding can happen at any age.

Lifestyle Choices, Illness and Medical Treatments Cause Hair Loss

Most women with hair loss have multiple features of their lifestyle, diet and health-related events that contribute. Sex hormone fluctuations are responsible for most female hair loss, including those who have PCOS, a recent pregnancy, menopause, hormone replacement therapy or birth control drug side effects. Chemotherapy for cancer, anti-coagulant drugs, iron- deficiency anemia, autoimmune disease can cause hair loss. Any disease involving hormone producing glands, including the thyroid, the adrenal and pituitary glands can trigger balding in women. It is essential for all women to learn the true cause of their hair loss before engaging any particular treatment.

The complex hormonal changes that accompany polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often result in scalp hair loss. Sometimes hair loss is the first sign that a woman is suffering the metabolic disorder that also causes problems with acne, facial and body hair growth, irregular menstrual cycles and infertility. PCOS is associated with increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

Thyroid disorders, anemia, chronic illness or the use of certain medications, particularly any form of hormone replacement therapy or contraceptive prescriptions- should be considered a possible cause of hair loss in women. Autoimmune disorders will result in somewhat different, often less dramatic hair loss known as alopecia areata — an inflammatory condition in which hair comes out in clumps or patches.

Any drop in estrogen levels, as happens after pregnancy, with menopause, or when changing your hormone therapy including birth control pill use, will cause what is called estrogenic alopecia. In contrast to testosterone, estrogen helps scalp hair grow faster and stay on the head longer, resulting in thicker hair. This is the reason women’s hair gets fuller during pregnancy when estrogen levels are quite high, then sheds several weeks after the baby is born.

For women who do not have fertility-related hormone changes, estrogen-deficiency scalp hair loss generally starts around menopause. This form of female hair loss can be the first sign of approaching menopause. Sometimes the alopecia won’t begin until a few months or even years after menstruation has ended. Not all women get noticeable alopecia after menopause but most have a little thinning.

It’s not uncommon to have multiple factors involved in female hair loss. Many women with PCOS have thyroid problems, usually hypothyroidism (low thyroid function). Not only does hypothyroidism contribute to weight problems, it can also contribute to hair thinning. Some women with PCOS have both an excessively high level of testosterone and an under active thyroid.

If your hair is thinning, you may have heavy metals like lead, mercury or cadmium in your tissues. These poisonous residues saturate our environment. If you have lived near what is, or ever was an industrial or mining site, or lived with someone who works in a polluting industry, you may be contaminated. If you have ever smoked tobacco, you have a lot of cadmium in your body.

The majority of women with androgenic alopecia have diffuse thinning on all areas of the scalp. Some women may have a combination of two pattern types. Androgenic alopecia is caused by a variety of factors tied to the actions of hormones including PCOS, using contraceptives, pregnancy, and menopause. Any blood sugar and insulin hormone imbalance will lead to excess androgens. Women with insulin resistance, from chronic over-eating of refined carbohydrate food, will see more impact from androgens. Insulin resistance is associated with PCOS as well as Type 2 diabetes. Chronic stress that depletes adrenal glands can change the levels of androgens a woman produces as well. This is often the source of problems like infertility, acne and hair thinning in lean, athletic women with PCOS. Heredity may play a role in androgenic alopecia.

Any big event like childbirth or breastfeeding, malnutrition from an alteration in your diet, a severe infection, major surgery, or any extreme stress, can suddenly shift much of the 90 percent or so of your hairs that are in the growing phase or resting phase into the shedding phase. You will see this shift in the rate of hair loss 6 weeks to three month after the stressful event. This is called telogen effluvium. It is possible to lose great bunches of hair daily with full-blown telogen effluvium. Usually this type of hair loss is reversible, if major stressors are avoided. For some women however, telogen effluvium is a mysterious chronic disorder and can persist for months or years, without ever completely identifying all of the triggering factors.

Anagen effluvium happens when the hair follicle cells are so damaged they can not recover or reproduce. This is usually due to toxicity of chemotherapy for cancer. Chemotherapy is meant to destroy rapidly dividing cancer cells. Hair follicles in the growing (anagen) phase, are therefore vulnerable. Anagen effluvium means the hair shaft narrows as a result of damage to the follicle. The shaft breaks off at the narrowing and causes the loss of hair.

Traction alopecia is damage from hairstyles that pull at hair over time (braiding, cornrows, ponytails, extensions). If the condition is detected early enough, you can change your styling practice to be gentler on the follicles, and your hair will regrow.

Hormone contraceptives are a leading cause of distressing hair loss and other symptoms in women. Since the birth control pill first began being used in 1960, oral contraceptives, injections, implants, skin patches and vaginal rings have become the most commonly prescribed forms of birth control.  

Unfortunately, many young women are given contraceptive hormones even when they are not sexually active, as a ‘treatment’ for irregular menses or acne. This is a mistake. This is not a treatment that addresses the underlying cause of problem periods or pimples. Contraceptive hormones will severely complicate a woman’s hormone balance and can lead to many health problems, including significant hair loss and worsening acne.

All contraceptive drugs use synthetic hormones to suppress ovulation. These drugs cause your ovaries to stop working; they are in a kind of ‘sleep’ state. Instead of having your natural cycles result from a dance of signals between your body and your brain, your tissues are subject to synthetic hormones in amounts much larger than your body normally makes.  There are many long and short -term consequences to ovarian suppression. Most women experience side effects using contraceptive drugs, including hair loss either during or several weeks or months after stopping the drug.

An article appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (278:117-8, 1997) linking the Hepatitis B vaccine to increased incidence of balding in women.

Diagnostic Testing

In order to successfully treat hair loss, it is essential to understand why your hair follicles are not healthy. There are diagnostic tests that may help identify the underlying biochemistry that is contributing to your excess hair loss. However, many women with significant chemical imbalances related to their hair loss will find that these test results are within the “normal” range. That’s because in many cases hair loss represents a stage of ill-health that is an early phase of a disease that will eventually fully develop. The lifestyle and dietary habits that eventually cause Type 2 diabetes and heart disease will also cause scalp hair thinning and facial hair coarsening in young women. It is usually many years before these same women have diagnostic tests that reveal they are diabetic or have coronary artery disease. Many of these women have undiagnosed PCOS.

Selective Sensitivity is the underlying problem

Another reason why diagnostic tests may be confusing is because of something called ‘selective sensitivity’ or ‘selective resistance’. It turns out that some body cells are more sensitive than others to the same amounts of hormone. A major complicating factor for some women is that while her muscle and fat may be insulin resistant, other types of organ cells are not.  The pituitary, ovaries, and adrenal glands of an insulin resistant woman are stimulated by higher levels of insulin than is desirable, which causes for instance elevated testosterone. The high levels of androgens in turn increase risk for heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

Despite these possible difficulties, it is important to do our best to determine what is and isn’t the cause of a major symptom like persistent excessive hair loss. Diagnostic tests that can help identify the source of your metabolic imbalance are:

The hair pull test is a simple diagnostic test in which the physician lightly pulls a small amount of hair (approx. 100 simultaneously) in order to determine if there is excessive loss. Normal range is zero to three hairs per pull.

Hormone levels: Dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, androstenedione, prolactin, sex hormone binding globulin, follicular stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone. It is ideal to sample for FSH and LH on day 19 to 21 of your menstrual cycle, if those days can be identified.

Fasting blood glucose and insulin levels as well as cholesterol and triglyceride levels

A complete blood count plus serum iron, ferritin and total iron binding capacity

Thyroid stimulating hormone plus a thyroid function panel including T3, T4, and T3 % uptake

VDRL to screen for syphilis

A scalp biopsy should be done before choosing surgical transplant

Densitometry, a magnification device, used check for shrinking of the hair shaft.

Conventional Medical Treatments For Hair Loss

You may be very interested in drug therapies of surgery to address the profound distress of excessive hair loss. It is simply human nature to hope for a simple pill or procedure that will permanently free us from our problems. Unfortunately drugs never actually provide a simple solution. Once you swallow a chemical, it is delivered all over your body; it affects your whole body. We cannot control drugs so they have only the effects we want- there are always side effects that are more or less problematic. Using drug therapy means trading one problem for some others. Sometimes this is exactly the right thing to do. Other times it is a personal disaster. Most drugs will act on all your tissues there is a danger of side effects that further damage your health. Topical treatments applied directly to the scalp use the lowest doses, and are the least harmful drug choices.

You will enjoy the best results when you begin any treatment as soon as possible after hair loss begins. Stopping the adverse effects of androgens means you can prevent further hair loss. And you can support regrowth from the follicles that were dormant still healthy. Depending on how the agent you choose works, stopping treatment will result in the hair loss resuming, unless you have also made other changes in your lifestyle that keep androgens at a level that is healthy and not harmful to you.

Below you will find a list of treatments currently being used to treat hair loss in women. Some of these drugs have not been approved by the FDA for this particular application, however they have all been approved for other applications and are used “off label” to treat hair loss. Currently 2% topical Minoxidil is the only FDA approved treatment specifically for female pattern hair loss.

The effectiveness of these agents and methods will vary from woman to woman, but many women have found that using these treatments has made a positive difference in the character of their hair and their positive self-esteem. As always, treatments have the best chance of being effective if they are geared to the cause of the hair loss as well as to triggering hair growth.

Estrogen and progesterone as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), typically prescribed for women undergoing menopause for any reason, is probably the most common systemic form of treatment for androgenic alopecia in women.

Oral contraceptives will decrease the production of ovarian androgens, and thus can be used to treat women’s androgenic alopecia. There are substantial reasons to avoid the use of either synthetic or bio-identical hormone treatments for your hair loss. Some birth control pills actually contribute to hair loss by triggering it or increasing it once it’s been triggered by something else. Any individual woman may have a selective sensitivity to any hormone combination- what is a low androgen effect formula for one woman may be a high androgen effect for another.

I am no longer able to recommend the use of birth control pills or other hormone-based contraception to young women. Decades of evidence suggest there are plenty of known, and possibly as yet unknown health risks associated with the use of ANY from of reproductive hormones, either prescription or over-the-counter forms. It is clear that the benefits of hormonal contraceptives are accompanied by significant risks, including making it much more likely that a woman will experience hormone imbalances that lead to a long list of negative effects. Hormone replacement puts you are risk for:

Depression or other mood disorders; decreased libido

Migraines and headaches

Breast lumps, tenderness and enlargement

Vaginal bleeding between periods

High blood pressure (hypertension)

High cholesterol

Blood clot in the leg, felt as: pain in the calf; leg cramps; leg or foot swelling

Blood clot in the lung, felt as: shortness of breath; sharp chest pain; coughing up blood

Heart attack, felt as: chest pain or heaviness

Sudden loss of vision or vision changes, which can be a sign of a blood clot in the eye

Cerebral vascular accident (a stroke): impaired vision or speech; weakness or numbness in a limb; severe headache

Liver damage, seen as: yellow eyes or skin; dark urine; abdominal pain

Allergic reaction: rash; hives; itching; swelling; difficulty breathing or swallowing

Acne

Bloating, nausea and vomiting

Changes in your eyes that make it more difficult to wear contact lenses

If you chose a hormone prescription for any reason, you should be sure to use only low-androgen content methods. If you have a strong predisposition for genetic hair loss, insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease or any female organ cancer in your family I strongly recommend the use of another non-hormonal form of birth control.

Below is a list of birth control pills ranging from lowest androgen index to highest:

Desogen, Ortho-Cept, Ortho-Cyclen, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Micronor, Nor-Q D, Ovcon-35, Brevicon/Modicon, Ortho Norvum 7/7/7, Ortho Novum 10-11, Tri-Norinyl, Norinyl and Ortho 1/35, Demulen 1/35, Triphasil/Tri-Levien, Nordette, Lo/Ovral, Ovrette, Ovral, Loestrin1/20, Loestrin 1.5/30.

The following hormonal contraceptives have a significant potential of causing hair loss or making it worse:

Progestin implants, such as Norplant, are small rods surgically implanted under your skin. The rods release a continuous dose of progestin to prevent ovarian function.

Progestin injections, such as Depo-Provera, are given into the muscles of the upper arm or buttocks.

The skin patch (Ortho Evra) is pasted onto your shoulder, buttocks, or other location. It releases progestin and estrogen continuously to prevent your ovaries from producing normal cycles.

The vaginal ring (NuvaRing) is a flexible ring that is inserted into the vagina. This method releases the  lowest amounts of progestin and estrogen.

Minoxidil 2% Topical Treatment – Minoxidil seems to be more effective for women than men, for increasing scalp hair growth. The manufacturers of minoxidil recommend women use 2% minoxidil. There is a 5% solution available that has been tested and found safe enough for men. Because the makers of minoxidil have not invested in the expense of gaining FDA approval for promoting 5% minoxidil for use by women, it must be prescribed and used under a physician’s supervision. Small clinical trials on 5% minoxidil for women show that the 5% solution is in fact more effective in both retaining and regrowing hair than the 2 % solution.

Spironolactone (Aldactone) is a potassium-sparing diuretic used to treat high blood pressure and swelling. Spironolactone slows the production of androgens in the adrenal glands and ovaries. It prevents DHT from binding to receptor sites in the hair follicles.

Cimetidine (Tagamet) is a histamine blocker, approved to treat digestive tract ulcers. It prevents the stomach from producing digestive enzymes. Cimetidine also has been shown to block DHT from binding to hair follicle receptor sites.

Cyproterone acetate is used to reduce sexual aggression in men. Cyproterone acetate blocks DHT at hair follicle receptors. It has significant toxicity and long term side effects and is not available in the US.

Ketoconazole is a prescription topical treatment. It is primarily used as an antimicrobial for treating skin fungus. It suppresses production of androgens by adrenal glands, testicles and ovaries. Nizoral shampoo contains 2% ketoconazole. There is an over-the-counter version available. It has 1% active ingredient and is not as effective as prescription strength.

Finasteride is a drug that inhibits the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, an enzyme that deactivates DHT. It is sold as Proscar to treat prostate enlargement in men. Sold as Propecia it is approved by the FDA for male balding. Women should not take it if they are pregnant or might become pregnant because of the risk of feminization effects on a male fetus.        

Surgical Implants

Since hair restoration surgery is an option for the vast majority of the balding men, women may want to consider it. However, the type of hair loss most women suffer from makes hair transplants a bad idea.

Few women have the type of hair loss that make them good candidates for a surgical solution. Most men lose hair in well-defined areas, for instance the receding forehead or the classic round spot on the top of the skull. Little clumps or plugs of hair are removed from areas where healthy follicles are stable and plentiful, and these are transplanted to other areas of the head. Women more often experience an overall thinning across their whole scalp, including the sides and back. Most women have few reliably stable donor sites. Offering to transplant hair from unstable donor sites is medically unethical and women must not allow their distress about balding to get in the way of a cool- eyed look at the rationale behind treatment options offered.

Are any women good candidates for hair transplant? Yes, some.  A small percentage, 2% to 5% of women will have the type of hair loss that will benefit from this type of procedure. They are:

Women who have suffered hair loss due to non-hormonal causes, like traction alopecia.

Women who have scalp scars from some kind of wound or cosmetic surgery and want to repair hair loss around the incision or injury sites.

Women who have healthy and stable donor sites along with balding in a distinct pattern, like a receding hairline or thinning on the very top of the head.

Natural Remedies for Women’s Hair Loss

Safe, effective natural therapies are available to help you restore scalp health and increase hair growth. Like all natural therapies, in order to be maximally effective, it is essential to work with you as an individual. Some remedies will be more useful to you than others, depending on your unique, personal physical, mental and emotional health status. It is always important to spend your health care dollars well. I offer a consultation service to help you choose and make best use of the available options for treatment. Please visit your local ND to find out how to benefit from a personal consultation. You will receive recommendations for specific natural therapies, designed for your unique health status, to help you restore your health, and your scalp hair to it’s fullest and most enjoyable beauty.

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Source by Nancy Dunne, ND

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Surgery is a painful-and sometimes traumatic-experience in a person’s life. Nobody can escape the after effects of excruciating pain and soreness after having spent hours in the operating room.

Patients with hemorrhoids are often confronted with the possibility of a surgery and what to do after hemorrhoid surgery. The amount of time needed to recover from a surgery depends on the type of surgical procedure done to the patient. A major surgery may require a longer recovery period compared to a minor one. A hemorrhoid surgery, however, is classified under minor surgery and doesn’t require the patient to spend a night at the hospital.

Some of the common types of hemorrhoid surgeries are:

– Hemorroidectomy or removal of anal lumps with the use of a cautery knife or scalpel;

– Infrared Coagulation or direct exposure of hemorrhoid tissues to a laser beam; and

– Direct injection to the veins with chemicals cold Injection Sclerotherapy.

Bear in mind that the speed of recovery after hemorrhoid surgery varies from every patient. Consider some helpful tips to have a painless, quick and successful recovery after hemorrhoid surgery.

The first thing you must bear in mind after hemorrhoid surgery is that a full rest is imperative. Your body needs to regain its strength. Fresh incisions and cuts have the tendency to bleeding and newly operated hemorrhoids have a high risk of recurrence. You will be advised to spend hours of bed rest for the first few days after hemorrhoid surgery.

Once the anesthesia wears off, the pain starts to manifest itself and this can be very uncomfortable especially when you need to move your bowel. Keeping a stock of painkillers at hand is necessary especially when the pain is keeping you from having a normal bowel movement.

Practicing a relaxation method is also helpful when you want to prepare yourself for a bowel movement. A sitz bath or soaking your pelvic region in warm water can help ease soreness and make it easier to defecate.

Eat fibrous foods like grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables to increase fiber in the body. Drink an average of 8 glasses of water a day. Fiber juices and other healthy and alcohol-free fluids aid in the softening of stools and prevent constipation. Hard stools can aggravate the healing wounds and may trigger bleeding.

If you are a heavy or overweight person, losing weight may be one of the advantageous ways to recover after hemorrhoid surgery. Carrying a lot of excess weight around increases pressure in the anus or rectal region. This can only aggravate the symptoms of hemorrhoids. By trimming down to a reasonable weight, you are not only helping your hemorrhoids to heal faster, you are also saving your body from weight-related health problems.

To help alleviate pain and irritation, gently rub medicated cream or gel on the sore spot until they have healed.

Physical pain and discomfort doesn’t stay in the operating room after hemorrhoid surgery. But by coping well and doing things right, you will be well on the road to recovery in no time.

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Source by Emilie Hetheridge