Yes, I said color. As in coloring books. How great is that? Remember the simple joy of being a kid, sitting down (or laying on the kitchen floor) with some paper and a box of crayons, and scribbling to your heart’s content? Well, it turns out, what helps little minds grow helps big minds cope and there is a world of coloring books just for adults!
The concept is similar to what it was when you were a child: When you ...
Continue Reading →Many advances in genetic testing have become more readily available to the general population in recent years. Most of us are familiar with the BRCA testing for breast and ovarian cancer, the COLARIS test for colon and uterine cancer and there is also testing for fetuses well before the second trimester.
More and more it seems that patients are hearing about tests from other family members and friends and are aware of the options to determine their baby’s risk for Down’s ...
Continue Reading →The physicians and staff of WCS are dedicated to promoting women’s health and self-esteem to females of all ages. We feel that a woman’s outlook on life, physical and mental health, happiness, confidence and general well-being start at a very young age. Through many years of experience in providing personalized care to women in our practice it has become evident that a female’s perception of herself directly affects her health. We strive to empower our patients with the ...
Continue Reading →Did you know that kissing can actually reduce the risk for preterm birth and low birth weight babies? Ok, so it’s a stretch, but there is actually some correlation between the two.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, kissing increases saliva production. Saliva is the most natural way to cleanse the mouth. During pregnancy, increased blood flow and hormonal changes cause an increase in acid production that leads to an increase in plaque build-up and tooth ...
Continue Reading →Are you Dense Advocacy, Inc is an organization founded on the efforts to inform each individual patient about her own breast density and the potential limitations of mammogram alone.
This organization advocates for State and Federal legislation to standardize the classification of density in breast tissue and to communicate the risk of density to women to improve early detection.
Missouri is the 17th state to enact into legislation a bill (Senate Bill No. 639) that will ...
Continue Reading →From the moment you get that positive pregnancy test your life changes completely. All of the sudden you are now responsible for another human being. You make changes to your diet, activity, lifestyle, and your home. Immediately there is an overwhelming urge to protect this precious miracle.
If you were able to shield your unborn baby from terrible illnesses like the flu, wouldn’t you. Now you can…
The most effective way to protect yourself ...
It can be very difficult to decipher between what we should and should not do with our healthcare these days. Guidelines and recommendations are constantly changing in medicine and leading to a lot of confusion for everyone.
Over the past 3 years there has been a lot of discussion on when and how often pap smears should be performed. Current recommendations are to start pap smears at age 21. Frequency of screening is based on personal history and results.
Now there are ...
Continue Reading →There have been reports lately about acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy causing an increased risk of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.
The study did involve many limitations and suggests that current practice should not be changed at this time; however, additional studies are planned for this area of medicine.
This blog entry is intended to educate you about risks to your unborn child, not to scare you into not taking Acetaminophen at all. In fact, Acetaminophen is the only fever reducer ...
Continue Reading →Mother’s day is more than just celebrating the woman that has been there for you, loving you, supporting you and encouraging you day after day. It is also the kick off for National Women’s Health Week each year.
What a great time to be reminded of the importance of preventive care for women so that our moms are here on this earth with us as long as possible and that those of us that are moms ourselves ...
Continue Reading →There has been a lot of discussion in the past about when to start screening mammograms and the frequency in which to have them done. Most of the controversy stemmed from a 25-year follow-up of a Canadian study done to determine if screening mammogram is actually able to identify breast cancer better that Clinical Breast Exams (CBE- a breast exam done by a trained health care professional). The study included almost 90,000 women aged 40-69 years old from ...
Continue Reading →Despite the intense campaigning to elimate cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke exposure, approximately 1 in 4 teens in the US are picking up the habit.
Most of us are aware that tobacco use leads to lung disease, multiple types of cancer, heart disease and death, to name a few. In fact smokers are likely to die 13-14 years sooner than non smoker are. However, in a recent study published in the Journal for Nurse Practitioners, teen awareness ...
Continue Reading →Menopause is defined as having no bleeding for one full year and can occur anytime in a women’s 40s-50s. The average age of menopause is 51years old. Menopause is a naturally occurring phase at the cessation of a woman’s reproductive years.
Peri-menopause can start as early as 10 years prior to menopause occurring. It is during this time that most women experience undesirable symptoms and seek medical advice to address their concerns. Peri-menopausal symptoms can include the ...
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