Al Zahrawi Obs&Gyn Dept

12/09/2023

🌼 Managing PCOS as a Vegetarian 🌼

Living with PCOS? 🚺 A vegetarian diet can be a powerful ally in your journey to balance hormones and boost overall health. Here's your go-to guide:

1️⃣ **Complex Carbs**: Opt for whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat roti to keep blood sugar steady.

2️⃣ **Plant-Based Proteins**: Load up on beans, lentils, tofu, and paneer to support muscle and metabolism.

3️⃣ **Healthy Fats**: Avocado, nuts, and seeds are your friends. They promote hormone balance.

4️⃣ **Fiber-Rich Foods**: Veggies like spinach, kale, and broccoli are packed with fiber to aid digestion and insulin control.

5️⃣ **Low-Glycemic Fruits**: Berries, apples, and pears are good choices to satisfy your sweet tooth without spiking blood sugar.

6️⃣ **Spices for Health**: Turmeric, cinnamon, and fenugreek can help manage inflammation and insulin resistance.

7️⃣ **Probiotics**: Incorporate yogurt or fermented foods like homemade curd for gut health.

8️⃣ **Portion Control**: Keep portions in check to manage calorie intake.

9️⃣ **Stay Hydrated**: Water is key for PCOS management, so drink up!

Remember, individual needs vary, but You've got this!

02/07/2023

Exercise can suppress signaling within breast cancer cells, which can reduce tumor growth and even kill the cancerous cells, according to a team of Texas A&M researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

What to Know
During muscle contractions, the muscle releases some factors that kill, or at least decrease the growth, of neoplastic cells and in some cases may play a role in fighting breast cancer.

The factors inherently reside in muscle and are released into the bloodstream. Simple forms of muscle contraction, such as occur when going on a walk or getting up to dance, can release these factors to combat cancer.

It is believed that the risk of breast cancer is decreased with exercise because exercise slows the growth of abnormal cells and that precancerous cells can be destroyed by the body before they start to develop.

Regular exercise could disrupt communication in the cancerous cells so as to stop their growth, and the factors released by exercise may play a role in preventing the development of breast cancer in the first place.

Exercise is not 100% guaranteed to prevent cancer. Some people who work out regularly are still diagnosed with cancer, and there are many confounding factors that affect a person's risk of developing cancer, such as smoking, age, genetics, and comorbidities

28/06/2023

08/04/2022

World health day

28/10/2021

Breast cancer awareness

14/08/2021

This is an important post - all women need to be aware and feel confident to talk with health care professionals about ANY changes in their body's functions.

Passing this on...A STORY

I am a Family Doctor and I want to keep a promise made to a patient.

Julie was a healthy, post-menopausal woman in my care who came in for a periodic health examination. One of my routine questions, in what is called the “Review of Systems”, was to ask if she had experienced any vaginal bleeding.

She said “No” but then laughed and added, “Other than when my period came back for a few months last year”.

All health care professionals are taught early on that ‘vaginal bleeding in a post-menopausal woman is Cancer of the Uterus until proven otherwise’. This comment by Julie was, therefore, a red flag (no pun intended) prompting further questions, an examination and an ultrasound of her pelvis.

Julie was surprised to see me so concerned, especially since the symptoms had not recurred over many months.

Sure enough, a pelvic ultrasound and tissue sampling confirmed Cancer of the Uterus.

Julie underwent a hysterectomy and radiation therapy. She is now healthy, cancer-free and is expected to stay that way.

After all this was done, Julie sat ME down for a talk. She told me she’d had no idea a ‘short return’ of her period after menopause was a danger signal. Furthermore, she addressed the topic with friends over coffee and discovered that, out of 20 women, NONE of them knew this symptom was abnormal! She admonished me to “Tell women this! Don’t assume we know it!”

From that day on, I have kept Julie’s advice in mind when talking with post-menopausal patients. But recently my wife suggested that I should take this to a wider audience.

So, Julie, this is for you:

If you are a post-menopausal woman and your period ‘comes back’ or you have even one episode of vaginal bleeding, TELL A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL and insist on having it investigated!

Wishing you all good health and long lives.

02/06/2021

"Polycystic" is a misnomer.
PCOS isn't the first condition to be saddled with a name that is later found to be inaccurate or misleading. What Stein and Leventhal characterized as epithelial cysts are really immature antral follicles.[2] The misnomer is unfortunate because it suggests that ovarian cysts are the defining feature of PCOS. Moreover, except in adolescents, the ovarian morphology isn't the most important feature used to diagnose the condition. Similarly, a woman with polycystic ovaries but no hormonal or metabolic aberrations does not have PCOS. But to date, experts haven't been able to agree on a new name for this syndrome that adequately represents its anatomic, clinical, and metabolic manifestations

27/04/2021

HPV VACCINES

27/04/2021

Pregnancy is a journey

20/02/2021

A recent BMJ study proved that larger hip and thigh circumference (sometimes referred to as a pear shape) were associated with lower risk of death from all causes. Centrally located fat (sometimes called an apple shape) associated with a higher risk of death.

Eat a healthy diet incorporating lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Limit processed carbohydrates, and especially added sugars, which are sugars not occurring naturally in food.

Get adequate physical activity, at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Get adequate restful sleep: for most adults that means seven to eight hours per night.

Limit stress, as it is correlated with the release of the hormone cortisol, which is linked to abdominal weight gain