I know that I have touched on numerous topic that encourage people to exercise for numerous reasons, but a new study has just come out that was performed over a two year period in Australia looking at the risk of rectal cancer and having a sedentary lifestyle. I know that many people cannot change the biggest factor, which is being sedentary due to work; if your job requires you to sit at a desk to perform your job, there is not a lot of leeway BUT there are plenty of ways that we can get moving outside of work.

What was the study?
The study looked at around 2000 people over the course of a 2 year period studying their colon and rectum looking for any changes in the cellular make up and looking for signs of cancer.  Some of the participants had active lifestyles with non-sedentary jobs and the other population had sedentary job for at least 10 years.  Sadly, it was found that the population that had sedentary jobs had over two times the risk of getting a colorectal cancer than the active group. From this study we can gather that long term sedentary work, leads to a much higher risk of colon and rectal cancer.  That’s pretty scary and makes me want to walk around as I am writing right now!!

What can I do?
If you have a sedentary job, make time to get up and walk around and try to change your position frequently.  I know that your empoler might not like wheat I am going to tell you, but people who smoke take frequent smoke breaks, so why can’t you take a frequent walk break?  Sometimes when I have a day where I have to be at my desk a lot, I just drink a ton of water so that I remind myself to get up and get active (hey, walking to the bathroom is better than just sitting there and powering through work!)  Take walking lunches, or stand to change your body position and get blood flowing.  Really try to get a good 30minutes of cardio exercises in per day, which I know can be hard to do, but if you can take the time to watch TV after work, you can take the time to go for a brisk 30 minute walk, do yard work, garden, park really far away from stores when you are doing errands.

Being active is not only healthy, it is preventative medicine as you are preventing bad things form occurring to your body by doing what is natural, walking around and keeping your body moving.  I hope that this encourages everyone to include working out, and I’d love if we got a few runners 😉 but I would be happy if everyone could just make a commitment to make being active a priority in their lives, you will feel better and your body will thank you for it!

Yours in Good Health
B

Sometimes people have super strong cravings and urges to eat things; I know when I tell myself that I can’t have like cake, or ice cream, I really want them, but some people have these intense urges to eat things that are not real foodstuffs.   When people have these intense urges, and give in and eat these things such as dirt, animal feces, clay, hairballs, ice, paint, paper, and sand, it is known as pica, and it can be a pretty serious issue.  Most times when you are really craving something, it is because you need the nutrients in that food; with pica the “food” you crave really isn’t nutritious at all.

What is the deal with Pica?
Truly pica is when people eat any of the aforementioned foods and it is usually due to a nutritional deficit.  Most often the cause is iron deficiency anemia  and zinc deficiency, but some people just like feeing a certain texture in their mouths, so they eat these different items.  If this behavior of eating non-food items lasts more than one month, it is designated as pica because there are no tests to diagnose it.

Who is usually affected?
The groups at the highest risk for pica are children and pregnant women.  It is estimated that between 10-36% of all children in the 1-6 age group have pica. This can be a serious risk for lead poisoning if children are eating paint and paint chips, so your HCP should test their lead levels.  And for pregnant women, if they have a nutritional deficit, which can tend to be iron, they will have pica to try and replace the missing nutrient that their babies need.  Anyone who has a poor diet and is lacking in nutritious food is at risk for pica.

What are the risks?
As mentioned above, some children can have high lead levels from eating paint which can lead to mental disorders and death, but some other complications are:
*Bezoars (a mass of undigestible material trapped in the body- stomach usually)
Infection
*Intestinal obstructions
Malnutrition
*These usually require surgical intervention to treat

What are the treatments?
All underlying medical conditions need to be treated (like those listed above) and there also needs to be a level of behavioral therapy.  Like any other behavior people get used to in their lives, or bad habit, it needs to be broken.  Sometimes a negative consequence for eating a non-food and a positive reinforcement when healthy food is eaten can work, or just feeding nutritious foods can lead to the cravings to diminish and the behavior will go away on its own.

Depending on the cause of the pica, your HCP will be able to help guide you through the treatment and how to reshape behaviors to ensure that you are eating healthy food and preventing this from occurring in the future, and teach you the signs to look for when you start having these urges/cravings and what to do.

Some people feel very “freak”-ish because of pica, but it really isn’t something to be ashamed about, and it is usually a simple treatment.  I wouldn’t encourage my friends to have a bowl of sand when they come over for dinner, but I would look for it as an opportunity to explain this condition and how to treat it. If you are worried at all about you or your children, go see your HCP and get treated.

Yours in Good Health
B

One of my friends told me that she was having a problem with diarrhea and stomach pain, and she was cutting things out of her diet, changing when she ate, and her whole routine before finally getting a diagnosis from a Gastroenterologist: “giardiasis”.  Giardia is one of those parasites that I always think is always present in third world countries without running water, and could never happen in a place where we eat organic (or at least try to), wash everything in fresh water, and are super freaks about cleanliness, right?  Wrong!  Apparently it is a pretty common cause of diarrhea in the US and other countries.  Yikes!

What is Giardia?
It is a parasite that colonizes and reproduces in the small intestines of humans and other animals causing cramping and diarrhea and can take 1 to 2 weeks from time of first infection until you see symptoms.

How do I get it?
Giardia must be swallowed to cause an infection and you can get it if you ingest food or water which has been contaminated with the parasite.  Also, since it lives in the small intestine, the parasites can also be spread through bowel movements by changing diapers, using toilet paper, etc. So, people who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, then smoke, bite their nails, etc. can infect themselves.  Also, if you get the parasite on your hands, you can spread the parasite when preparing foods and spread to other people.  Giardia can be spread quickly in daycare centers with children and in nursing homes, where people require care with bowel movements.  As well, in areas where fresh water is tough to come by, if a water source is infected with any form of raw sewage, it can easily infect others.  It is an infection that requires reporting to the Department of Public Health in your city (in the US) because the risk of spreading is so high.  And it can also be spread through the stool of animals!!

What are the symptoms and how do I know I have it?
The most common symptoms are:
Diarrhea
Foul-smelling soft stools
Abdominal cramping
Bloating
Increased gas
Weakness
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
If you have these symptoms and they are not going away, you should see your HCP who will order studies on your stool and will test for the parasites or they may do an invasive study (enteroscopy) to look at the small intestine, but mot commonly the stool samples will produce a positive test if you have the infection and you can begin treatment.

How do I treat the parasite?
Some of the infections go away on their own, but most times the infection needs to be treated with with metrodiazole (flagyl) which is an antibiotic and antiprotozoal agent to kill off the parasite and make the area inhabitable for the parasites.  You might also need Intravenous fluids for dehydration and diarrhea, and a lighter diet might be required (like leave out the dairy or heavy foods) while your stomach is cramping and feeling unwell.  Sometimes even with treatment, if you have had the parasite infection for a while, even after the infection is gone, you may still have symptoms for a while.

How do I prevent it?
Prevention is key here, for certain!  If you have a water source that may be contaminated (like if you are hiking or receive a notice from your towns reservoir, etc) you should try to decontaminate water by boiling it, using iodine treatments, or filtration systems before drinking, cooking, or in any way ingesting the water.  As well all healthcare workers and daycare center workers should be vigilant about washing their hands with antibacterial soap after helping with patients/children using the bathroom and with any contact with fecal matter.  Also, after walking your dog, touching any animals, make sure to wash your hands and if you can’t rush to get your hands cleaned off, don’t touch your hands to your face/mouth.

If you have any of the symptoms or are worried that you may have giardia, it is worth a trip to your HCP for a stool test to make sure that you don’t have the parasite, and if you do, getting early treatment will make you feel better faster.  Just be aware that this infection can happen to anyone who lives in developed and undeveloped countries alike!

Yours in Good Health
B

I know that I have talked a LOT about chocolate and how good it is for you, primarily dark chocolate, and despite my sweet tooth for milk chocolate, I think that any science telling me to eat chocolate, is good science!  But there is a new study from the University of California, San Diego looking at the benefits of boosting your ability to exercise.  Eat chocolate and get a better workout? Count me in.  

How does this work?
Cacao’s main ingredient is epicatechin, which is a flavanoid that is thought to help with all of the positive effects of dark chocolate (like lowering blood pressure and decreasing stress).  And in these studies, sedentary, middle aged male mice were made to work out daily and half were given the purified form of epicatechin twice a day and the other half were just fed water.  Their workouts were watched and studied, to see which mice were able to work out longer and, based on level of baseline cardiovascular shape they were in.  So some mice were encouraged to walk on the treadmill, some at a faster pace of longer timeframe, and some for really very little exercise at all.

What was found?
After 15 days of this treatment, the mice were given a treadmill test. The mice that were more sedentary yet given two doses of epicatechin were far superior to the other mice in working out; they had higher stamina at a faster pace, while being less “in shape” than the other mice.  The researchers biopsied the back leg muscles of the animals and what they found was kind of amazing.  The muscles of the mice that had taken the epicatechin had new capillaries growing in their muscles (small blood vessels) so they had more blood and more energy to their muscles than the mice without it. The mice with eipcatechin created mitochondria, and mitochondria are structures in the cells that produce energy; the more mitochondria a muscle has, the less fatigue it will have and the healthier it is.  That is truly amazing!

How will this translate to humans?
Well they are now going to study the effects on humans, but it is presumed that 5grams (one half a square) of dark chocolate a day will have these effects on the muscles in the body, and it is also hypothesized that the muscles actually have receptors for the epicatechin, but eating too much can undo the effects that occur.  Epicatechin is present in chocolate with the least amount of processing; milk chocolate has very little (if any) of the flavanoid.

While it is still being studied, it is still a cool thing to try to see if it boosts the energy in your workouts, but stick to the purest dark chocolate you can and only to 5grams a day.  See if it makes a difference, and let me know if you can workout harder and longer!

Yours in Good Health!
B

I just wanted to take sometime to talk about the true importance of listening to other people.  I know that there is a LOT of chatter in this world and people talk a lot (I am a major culprit of that), but how often do we really listen to what they are saying?  Have you ever had a conversation with someone and is may have struck you in the middle of the night or the day all of a sudden it strikes you that they may have been asking something of you and you totally didn’t get it because you weren’t fully engaged in the conversation, or had a thousand other things on your mind?  I know that it happens to me, not a lot at work, but when I talk to people in my outside life, if I am not completely engaged, I can miss some crucial parts of conversations.  More importantly, you can mis the signs of a friend or loved one asking or help, or letting them know that they need you.

How can I become a better listener?
It is actually more difficult than it seems, and you need to basically re-learn behavior.  Most of us are taught how to talk and how to best use words to get our points across, but not many of us are taught to actually sit and listen. But here are some tips on how to better engage in a conversation, and after some time of consciously working at it, this behavior will become second nature:
-Keep conversations, as much as possible, in areas without a lot of other noise, stimulation (turn TV’s/radios off) and close doors when possible to allow for your full attention
-You will be as open as your body sits physically, so try not to cross your arms, but appear and be open
-Concentrate on the person and what they are saying
-Make eye contact, or give the person encouragement to speak by looking at them
-Don’t interrupt; sometimes it can be hard to formulate the word or correct working in particularly tough conversations, so give time to allow that to happen.
-If you are not sure about a certain point, or need clarification, repeat a point back to the other person and ask open ended questions to allow for a more in depth answer.
-If you are tired or unable to fully concentrate, get a cup of tea/coffee and try to stay engaged best you can
-If someone asks to talk to you (“Hey can I to talk to you about something when you have a minute?”) make time for that as soon as you can.
-Don’t rush to fill a silence, sometimes people just need a moment to think about things and let ideas/statements settle.

I know that these seem like silly little tips, but it really is a skill you have to learn to focus on people when they are talking and really listen to them.  I had to learn it as an HCP and it is a skill that has helped me in real life immensely, but every now and again, I wake up int he middle of the night with a thought that I had a missed moment with someone; I wasn’t fully engaged because I was thinking about a billion other things, and I may have missed a moment to help out or allow someone to tell me something that has really been bothering them.  In an ideal world, we would all be very blunt and say exactly what we are thinking….but, in the real world, that just doesn’t happen!

Try to keep your mind clear, ears open, and really allow yourself to hear others; your relationships will be stronger, and you will feel more connected to those around you, plus it gives you some time to get out of your own head (which can be a nice little stress vacation!)

Yours in Good Health
B

Most people see long, painted nails and think: how beautiful! I see long, or acrylic, nails and think: Good gravy, I wonder what is growing under those! Moreover, when I see people biting or chewing on their nails, I get super grossed out.  It made me think  that the average person does not know what is lurking under those nails, and how to truly get them clean.  Nails are just dead protein, keratin, like the hair on our heads, and they grow faster in summer because of the warm weather, we are more active, thus raising our metabolism, and allowing our nails to grow faster.  But these beautiful nails that we have, whilst helpful in texting, typing, and giving a good scratch, they can have breeds of bacteria under them, and be a source of infection for our bodies!

What kind of bacteria is lurking?
So many different forms of bacteria have been found under peoples nails when they are cultured ranging from Staphylococcus Aureus (the bacteria responsible to skin infections, flesh eating bacteria, toxic shock, etc) to Klebsiella (can cause skin infections, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, etc) to Candida parapsilosis (a yeast that can cause very serious and difficult to treat skin, wound, and GI tract infections).  Also, if people do not wash hands properly after using the bathroom OR after changing diapers, Salmonella and E. Coli has been found under nails.

Why is this so important?
These bacteria found under nails are obviously really important to know for healthcare workers, to prevent the spread to our patients, but think about every single person you come in contact with every day, that somehow their fingernail cleanliness can affect you: a cashier giving you change (transfer can occur on money), a food worker (what if their long nails poke microscopic holes in their gloves? your sandwich is now a breeding ground for bacteria), a client that you shook hands with (quick transfer).  And, all the while, you have a bug bite on your leg that you then scratch at: transference of all of those bacteria go right into your skin.  Gross, right?  I don’t want you all to be total germophobes, BUT I think that we do all need to think about hand-washing way more than we do…..

What can I do to prevent it?
Keep short (under 3mm), natural nails that are well taken care of (no jagged edges, no biting, etc) and wash your hands for 20 seconds then rinse your hands for 20 seconds EVERY time you wash with antibacterial soap.  When you are washing your hands, pay attention to your nails and really get them clean.  If you have longer nails, you can use an orange stick to scrape out dirt/debris from under the nails while washing, then toss the stick.  But really focus on washing every aspect of your hands, including your nails (an area most people miss).  And wash your hands after using the restroom, changing diapers, and before you are going to eat or use your hands to put things to your mouth, especially if you have been out touching thing in public (like on the subway or a bus).  Keep in your mind that these bacteria are everywhere, and you want them off before they get into you; the best way is to wash, wash, wash!

So steer clear of those long, luxurious, artificial nails that seem beautiful to most, but look like roving petri dishes to me!  Keep them short, clean, and away from those beautiful teeth of yours- not only does it put stress on your teeth that can lead to breakage and stress fractures, but it can put that bacteria right into your mouth.  Yuck!  Keep them short, and keep them clean!

Yours in Good Health
B

Earwax (cerumen) is a healthy part of your body’s defense system: it keeps out dirt and bacteria from affecting your inner ear, acts as a water protectant, and is its own form of lubricant so that the canal doesn’t dry out.  Sometimes we do have too much in our ears which can cause the earwax to be visible or cause decreased hearing ability.  How we keep our ears clean, can be really important for your overall health.

People ask me all the time about ear candling, if they should do it, how it works, etc. and I did, at one point in my career, work in an ENT clinic and we used to manually clean out our patients ears.  Our primarily elderly population never really asked about it ear candling, they just came in for their monthly cleanings, so it was kind of a non-issue.  But now, there are all sorts of alternative therapy spas and holistic treatment centers that offer this as a treatment, and some of my clients and friends often ask about it and if it is a good thing for them to do.  I must say, I cringe every time I see people shoving Q-Tips in their ear canals, just pushing wax further and further into their ear canal, and causing blockages of their ear canal.

What IS ear candling?
It is the practice of placing a lit, hollow, wax candle into the external ear canal.  The theory behind ear candling is that the heat in the hollow candle causes a vacuum effect to draw out ear wax that may be causing blockages in your ear canal.  It is claimed by holistic practitioners and by ear candle companies to improve overall health and be a gentle way to clean the ears, improve hearing, and also treat/prevent sinus infections.  The whole process can last from between 15 minutes to 45 minutes depending on how many candles are burned in each ear.  It was touted as being started by the Hopi tribespeople, but that has been disproven numerous times over.

Is it good for you?
After ear candling started gaining popularity, researchers wanted to find how effective this therapy is and exactly how it works and improves health.  I know that so many people are going to be bummed right now, but time and time again it has been actually shown to be BAD for you! It has been found to be ineffective at pulling out ear wax can can actually push the wax further into the ear canal.  Also, the wax from the candles can actually drop into your ears causing more wax…which seems to defeat the purpose! And, despite the fact that between the end of the candle and the client, a flame retardant is usually placed to prevent burns, but in research clients were found to obtain burns to their faces, necks, ear canals, ear drums, and middle ears.  When you are trying to do something healthy, I think the last intention is that you burn your internal ear, right?  In 2007 the FDA made a statement that ear candling is dangerous when used as labelled by companies.  Both the Canadian and American Family Journals have spoken out about the dangers of ear candling.

Why do people do it?
People tend to feel really relaxed when they are doing it; it is quiet time to themselves without a computer, TV, people bothering you. It really is “me” time and some people almost get to a meditative state when candling.  Also, there is an idea that the wax residue in the candles, once the treatment is finished, is their own ear wax, but one of the studies found that it is just residue from the candle, itself, burning.  I think that people see all of that wax “removed” from their ears and are excited about doing something good for their body, so they continue to do it.  If you feel relaxed and good, and people tell you you’re doing something good for you, why wouldn’t you continue to do it?  Well, now you know better!

What should I do instead?
If you need your ears cleaned out regularly because you have tons of cerumen, then you should probably see your HCP and possibly go to a specialist.  ENT specialists suggest that patients go in to see their HCP for cleaning/irrigation…but I know that every time you feel like you need your ears cleaned, you are not going to see your HCP.  So, the best thing to do is buy an earwax removal kit, place the dropper at the edge of your ear canal (Not in it!) and place 2-3 drops in your ear, and repeat the process on the other side. Doing this two nights in a row should allow the wax to come out on its own while you sleep at night.  If that doesn’t work, you can gently flush some warm water (make sure it is warm water- cool water is super uncomfortable and can make you dizzy) into your ear (with the flusher provided) and it will help to flush the excess wax out.

PLEASE don’t stick Q-tips, paperclips, or anything else in your ears to clean them out and see your HCP if you need help or are unsure how to safely clean them out yourself.

Yours in Good Health
B

People tend to ask me how often they should poop, and it’s always after some small talk (or a couple of drinks) that this topic pops up.  It’s always the questions of not only how often should I poop, but how long does it take to digest a meal, and when should I see a doctor?  There are a lot of interesting answers that I think might shock most people…

How long does it take to digest a meal?
This is kind of a tough question because technically, you start digesting food with the saliva in your mouth, so you start digesting immediately.  As the foodstuffs goes down your digestive track, that’s where the timing changes and depends on what you have eaten and how long it takes your body to break it down.  As we all know, fats take a long time to digest and slow digestion time, because it is harder for your body to break down, hence why you feel fuller after eating  fatty meal.  Fiber, on the other hand, both soluble and insoluble, are pretty easy for the body to pass through, and they act as a filler when you drink lots of water, and help to bulk up your poop, and empty out the colon. Fibers can be in the form of flax, oats, wheats, and other grains or fruits, vegetables, etc.  So truly? For the average meal, you are looking at about 20 hours from mouth to butt.

How often should I poop?
This is, again, very person dependent.  So this can vary from people who poop every couple of days to those who poop multiple times a day.  What’s important is that your poop is of a normal consistency, not really loose and or frothy, without the presence of blood, or oil.  And, it is also very important that your poop isn’t too hard, or that you are constipated.  On average, daily is how much most people poop.  Again this can be affected by what you eat: high fats will slow you down, and fiber can help to make you bulk your stool but without plenty of water you might make yourself constipated, too many fruits or veggies high in vitamin C can make you poop too much.  Also, vitamins can have an effect on our colons.  For example, iron can cause significant constipation.

In general what foods constipate?
Dairy, cheeses, milk(unless you’re lactose intolerant)
Fast foods (high fat)
High sugar items (baked goods)
Breads and pastas (high starch)
Meat (beef and pork)
Processed proteins (pre-made meals with any form of protein- meat, soy, etc)

What foods can cause diarrhea?
Artificial fats and sweeteners
Caffeine
Spicy foods/peppers (capsaicin…the spice can cause GI irritation)
Acidic foods (such as citrus fruits- highly acidic and lots of vitamin C!)
Sulfur containing foods (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, garlic, onions)

When Should I See an HCP?
If you are having lots of gas and stool, are uncomfortable, or feel lots of urgency, you should talk to your HCP.  Also, the opposite is true; if you are feeling bloated and full, and you goes days between having bowel movements, you should see someone. If you mix between having diarrhea and being constipated, you should talk to your HCP as well.  Your issues could be diet related or you could have an undiagnosed medical issue. And, if you ever see blood in your stool you should go to see your HCP within a day or seek medical attention, it could be a sign of something much more significant.  Basically, use your best judgement, but if it seems like your colon has a different schedule than everyone else, you might want to get it looked into, you might have an issue that a diet change or medication could help.

Honestly, eating a healthy diet with a good mix of proteins, veggies, fruit, and grains paired with drinking water and getting 30 minutes (a minimum) of exercise a day is the best way to keep YOUR colon functioning properly and making sure that your body is working optimally.  I know this isn’t everyone’s favorite topic to bring up with their HCP or friends, but if you have concerns, bring it up…us HCP’s talk about poop all the time, I promise we can handle it!

Yours in Good Health
B

Just as we have learned how important kegels can be for the ladies, but fellas, did you know that they can benefit you as well?  There are plenty of benefits, some of which may be things that you are too embarrassed to talk to your HCP about but maybe you can try to work your kegels and be proactive!  Kegel exercises are aimed at toning and strengthening the pubococcygeus muscles, which are the muscles of the pelvic floor.

What are the benefits?
Kegel exercises can help men by decreasing prostate pain that is associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatitis, along with preventing urinary incontinence, and can help to prevent premature ejaculation and increase intensity of orgasms.  Also, it can make your erections stronger and for longer.  I am not a man, but I see no negatives here!!

When should I start doing Kegels?
Any male at ANY age should be doing kegel exercises, especially because approximately 1 of every 10 men over 60 years old has some form of urinary/prostate problem that would be benefitted by strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor!  And, with those benefits, I can’t see why any man wouldn’t want to start their toning, a more intense orgasm should entice anyone!

How do I do them?
So, basically you have the squeeze the same muscles that you would squeeze as if you are holding in urine or a bowel movement, when you really have to go, but have to wait.  It is best to actually do these exercises with an empty bladder, but try to contract and relax these muscles 15 times a day, and work up to 75 times and them start holding the contraction for 3-5 seconds and try to get in two sets of 50 per day while holding the contraction.

I know it seems like a lot BUT you can do them anywhere at any time without it being noticed: while driving, in the shower, at work, watching TV, etc. No one has to know that you are exercising, and really the benefits to you out weight the few minutes a day you will be strengthening your pelvic floor muscles and doing something positive for your body!  You will start to see the benefits in 4-6 weeks after starting the exercises and, I promise you, you’ll thank me!!!

Give it a go, and I’ll wait the 4-6 weeks until my inbox blows up with thank you’s!

Yours in Good Health
B

I know that this topic is mentioned a lot, and people joke about it, but ladies, you really should be doing them!  Kegel exercises strengthen the muscles in the pelvic floor, which supports your uterus, bladder, and bowel.  The muscles can be weakened due to pregnancy and childbirth, age, being overweight, and sometimes….just because you don’t strengthen them!  Sometimes this weakening can cause organ prolapse, where your bowel droops down and puts pressure on your bladder causing leakage and urgency. Kegels are muscles just like any other muscle, and they need to be worked out, and the good news is that you can do it at ANY time and no one has to know…and it can make sex more enjoyable and orgasms MUCH better!

How do I do kegels?
So, you need to get pretty comfortable with your body, just to find the right muscles and make sure that you are doing it the right way, but I promise you will thank me!  Insert a finger into your vagina and try to squeeze the muscles around your fingers, and your fingers should feel the muscles tighten and the pelvic floor should move up.  OR you can always try and stop your pee mid stream, the same muscles help to stop the urine flow are your kegels, but I don’t like to encourage people to do that, in case they are prone to UTI’s and if you do that a lot it can cause incomplete emptying of the bladder.  So NEVER DO KEGELS WITH A FULL BLADDER; you want to make sure that you are empty before exercising!

Once you’ve learned your muscles, you need to start working them!  A great way to start is to contract the muscles for 5 seconds, then relax for 5 seconds and try to do that 4 to 5 times in a row, and work up to 10 second contractions with 5 second breaks.  And you can even get weights: Kegel Exercise Weights and GyneFlex with VTP (R) – Regular Strength to help and really work those muscles, starting slow with lower weights and working your way up!   Remember to breathe while doing the exercises, and try to work yourself up to 10 sets three times a day- seems like a lot, but you can do them while sitting at your desk at work, laying in bed, sitting in traffic, really ANY time!

What are the benefits?
As I said earlier, strengthening the kegel muscles can help with urinary incontinence and urgency and it can help with prevention of pelvic prolapse, where the organs droop into the pelvic area.  And, strengthening of the pelvic muscles can also increase the sensitivity during sexual intercourse and your orgasms can become more intense and enjoyable.

How long will it take to see results?
If you are starting your kegel exercises because you have urinary leakage or incontinence and you are hoping to change that, it may take 8 weeks up to 12 weeks to see a significant change, because you are strengthening very weak muscles, and think of how long it takes to see a change in your biceps, muscles that already have some tone.  Sex and orgasms can be effected sooner after starting the exercises.

Start working out your kegels even if you don’t have any of these problems to prevent them from occurring.  And, if you are having trouble locating them, or performing the exercises, I know you might feel awkward, but talk to your HCP or email me, your HCP can help you to locate the muscles.  Give it a try, I promise you will thank me, and so will your partner 🙂

Yours in Good Health
B