True medical & health

If you are currently obese and you are considering having a child you might want to think about bariatric surgery before conception. It has been shown that by having this procedure prior to pregnancy could reduce the risks of neonatal and maternal complications during pregnancy and have a better chance to result in a healthy and happy infant.

The somewhat controversial HPV vaccine Gardasil has been receiving a lot of press recently, from an allegedly too-quick FDA approval to praise for the high volume of vaccines being distributed. Gardasil, approved in 2006 to prevent 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts caused by HPV, is fast becoming an automatic vaccine for young girls entering puberty.

Both men and women tend to lose hair thickness and amount as they age. Inherited or "pattern baldness" affects more men than women. Approximately 25 percent of men begin to bald by the time they are 30 years old, and about two-thirds are either bald or have a balding pattern by age 60. Women, on the other hand, generally have diffuse thinning that affects all parts of the scalp.

Results which recognized mammography as a successful diagnostic tool for cancer were first published in 1967. Since that time, breast self-examination and a mammography have been considered essential in the identification of breast cancer.

Women are apparently still getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the level of care given them during hospitalization for a severe and deadly form of heart attack. In fact, women face almost double the odds of death compared to men with the same affliction.

Stem cells can generate into many types of cells in the body. In a recent study Genentech scientists in San Francisco say they have grown entire prostates in mice using only a single adult stem cell.  The success of the study was made possible by identification of a genetic signature which distinguished stem cells from other cells.

Women with coveted hour glass figures may no longer be considered to have the healthiest shaped bodies. It seems physical strength, competitive edge, and ability to deal with stress is found in women who have fat that has migrated from their hips to their tummy area, causing them to have more of a cylindrical shape. However, both shapes do have their advantages. 

Through a process called remodeling, our body continuously breaks down bone, absorbs it and then rebuilds it.

Severe abdominal pain and irregular bowel symptoms can be defined by Irritable Bowel Syndrome—or IBS—usually remedied by prescribing laxatives, stool softeners, and/or antispasmodics for the cramps, constipation, and diarrhea caused by the gastrointestinal condition.

A new herb from Peru is gaining popularity as a potential relief for menopausal symptoms. Menopause occurs in menstruating women usually between the ages of 45 and 55 and can last for about a year until the menstruation process completely stops and the side effects subside, entering the postmenopausal state.