September 28, 2016 is the 15th Annual National Women’s Health and Fitness Day, in light of which we present our top articles discussing women’s health and fitness, along with related topics such as stroke, urinary incontinence, kidney stones, fibromyalgia, ovarian cancer, pelvic floor muscle training, and exercise.
On this day, thousands of women partake in local events to promote health and fitness. Patricia Henze, executive director of the Health Information Resource Center, explained, “Our goal for this national event is to encourage women to take control of their health: to learn the facts they need to make smart health choices, and to make time for regular physical activity.”
Stroke risk tied to women’s weight
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Being overweight has been found to be associated with a higher stroke risk in women. More specifically, carrying around excess weight increases the risk of experiencing the most common type of stroke. On the upside, those extra pounds also mean lower risk of a less common type of stroke.
Dr. Richard Libman, who reviewed the findings, said, “While the results of this study may appear contradictory or somewhat confusing, the take-home message is that overall, obesity causes more harm than good.”
The study looked at 1.3 million British women and found that overweight and obese women were more likely to suffer from ischemic stroke, which is the most common type of stroke affecting 87 percent of stroke patients. Continue reading…
Urinary incontinence in women treated effectively with pelvic floor muscle training: Study
Urinary incontinence in women can be treated effectively with pelvic floor muscle training. Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Carolyn M. Clancy said, “Urinary incontinence can affect women in a variety of ways, including physically, psychologically, and socially — and some of these impacts can be severe. This new report will help women and their clinicians work together to find the best treatment option based on each patient’s individual circumstances.”
Urinary incontinence affects nearly 25 percent of young women, up to 57 percent of middle-aged women, and 75 percent of older women. The annual cost in the U.S. to treat urinary incontinence in 2004 was $19.5 billion. Continue reading…
Kidney stone risk in postmenopausal women reduced with light exercise: Study
Kidney stone risk in postmenopausal women may be reduced with light exercise. The findings of the study revealed that light exercise – up to three hours a week – can lower the risk of kidney stones in postmenopausal women by 31 percent.
The researchers looked at data from over 84,000 postmenopausal women and found that engaging in light physical activity can help prevent kidney stones. Even simple activities like light gardening were enough to reduce the risk.
Kidney stones are common among women, and research has found they may be a result of a systemic problem. Obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease have all been found to play a role in kidney stones. Continue reading…
Fibromyalgia-affected women can benefit from aquatic aerobic exercise: Study
Fibromyalgia-affected women can benefit from aquatic aerobic exercise. The findings come from Turkish researchers who revealed that aquatic aerobic exercises can offer benefits to fibromyalgia patients.
Fibromyalgia patients experience widespread pain and thus have weaker muscular strength. Recommended as a means to reduce pain and build strength, exercise can be difficult for many patients to perform.
Aquatic aerobics offers low impact exercise, which can have a positive effect on patients and help them deal with chronic pain all the while improving strength.
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The researchers analyzed physical and psychological impact of aquatic aerobics and isometric strength-stretching on fibromyalgia patients. Continue reading…
Ovarian cancer may be prevented with exercise
A new study has found that regular exercise may be able to better prevent ovarian cancer, while lack of exercise is associated with a higher risk of ovarian cancer and death.
Senior author Kirsten Moysich said, “Women may be overwhelmed with mixed messages about physical activity or exercise recommendations and opt to be inactive because they feel that they cannot meet the recommended amount of physical activity. Our findings suggest that any amount of regular, weekly recreational physical activity may reduce the risk for and improve survival from ovarian cancer, while a lack of regular exercise throughout adulthood is associated with an increased risk of developing and dying from ovarian cancer.” Continue reading…
