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Tuesday, April 20, 2021
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Breast Cancer Survivors Memory Issues Fixed By Exercise Therapy

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Breast Cancer Treatment Fatigue is Countered By Exercise

Exercise for women can easily combat the stress brought on by breast cancer.

STATES CHRONICLE – A new study has revealed that the phrase “a healthy mind in a healthy body” is especially true in the case of women who survived breast cancer.

After undergoing treatment for breast cancer, the majority of women report memory problems. While the causes can vary, the truth is that women do have these issues. The study focused on finding applicable and safe ways to combat the issue.

Undergoing breast cancer treatment is not something anyone could cause enjoyable. The treatment itself is quite aggressive and will end up wearing out the body and the mind. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments, especially lengthy one, are known to affect the human memory.

Apart from the physical aspects of treatments, there are the mental repercussions as well. Undergoing any medical treatment adds stress and fatigue to anyone’s life. In the case of cancer patients, it adds the already existing stress and fatigue caused by awareness of having the disease.

Low self-confidence and emotional exhaustion are also emotional factors which have been previously shown to lead to issues regarding memory.

Data from the study was gathered from 1,800 members. All the members of the study group were breast cancer survivors.

After Breast Cancer Treatment Women Have All The Reasons To Exercise

As part of the study, it was observed that members who took part in either moderate or vigorous physical activities were, as expected, able to better cope with the fatigue and the stress brought on by the treatment.

In time, members who were physically active also reported fewer issues with their self-confidence.

In the hectic and busy lifestyle the world is currently living, it is easy to forget a few things along the way or to not have time for everything one would hope to achieve.

A lot of people see exercise as something people do to lose weight, or what fit people do to stay in shapes and keep their bodies looking good. Three weekly hours of exercise, however, are enough to cause the brain to generate small doses of hormones that make us happy and content.

Exercising has been proven in the past to be a very effective stress reliever when the proper mindset is used.

Issues with memory exist due to the daily stress. In the case of women who suffered from breast cancer, the stress of that, as well as the exhaustion from the treatment itself can quickly lead to depression. Before considering medical help in the case of depression, always consider and try to exercise first.

Image Courtesy of Free Stock Photos.

Stress Before Pregnancy Can Affect the Baby

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"pregnancy stress"

Being stressed even before getting pregnant could lead to your baby having a low weight

STATES CHRONICLE – Although most recommendations are given to women who are already pregnant and they are advised to lead a healthy life and have a balanced diet so that their baby will be healthy, it turns out that women need to be careful even before getting pregnant.

According to a new study, being stressed out before pregnancy could increase the risk of birthing a low weight baby. In most people, stress hormone cortisol levels are usually high in the morning and decline through the day. However, there are people who present an abnormal pattern, having a low cortisol level in the morning which fails to decline normally during the day.

This pattern has been linked to several diseases including cancer and artery issues. A new study suggests that the abnormal cortisol levels could also be linked to the weight of the baby. In the study participated 142 pregnant women from several cities in our country.

The researchers assessed the subjects’ stress levels by analyzing their blood pressure, cortisol levels and body mass index. Putting together all data, they found that the cortisol pattern of the mother can affect the baby’s birth weight.

What happens is that the levels of cortisol can lower the blood flow to the fetus which reduces oxygen and nutrients, so the fetus has a difficult time developing properly. According to data, 300,000 babies with low birth weights are born in the U.S. every year. Having a low weight and not being properly developed, means the babies have a higher risk of developing health problems.

This is why it is recommended that women who are planning to get pregnant should evaluate their stress levels and reduce them if necessary. If it is the case, they should treat depression, make sure they have family and friends support and that they’re in a healthy relationship. Physical activity should also become part of their lives as it has been proven that exercising can reduce stress levels.

In this way, women will have a healthy lifestyle which will be good both for their body and for their mind, and most importantly it will prove to be good for their future baby.

Image source: www.bing.com

Stress Can Reduce Sperm and Semen Quality New Study Reveals

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Stress Can Reduce Sperm and SemenNew protein that gives hope to infertility patients was found and the results were revealed last month. Now we get some more insight into how fertility is connected to stress through the results of a new study that links stress to male fertility. Apparently, stress can reduce sperm and semen quality in men.

While you might say that there is no news here, there haven’t been any conclusive studies, until now, that showed that stress can reduce sperm and semen quality. Stress has always been associated with a number of health problems, which include obesity, depression and heart disease.  Now we know that stress affects the sperm and semen quality.

Stress Can Reduce Sperm and Semen Quality

Did you know that when it comes to infertile couples, in 40% of the cases, the male partner is the sole cause of infertility? Sperm abnormalities, such as misshaped and immobile sperm, low sperm production or ejaculatory problems aren’t the only things that cause infertility. Lifestyle is also a big factor that can influence fertility. For example, it has been known for decades that smoking can affect sperm motility and now stress is the next culprit for sperm and semen deterioration.

The study was led by scientists from the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York, NY and the Rutgers School of Public Health in Piscataway, NJ. The researchers conducted their study from 2005 and 2008 on 193 men with ages between 38 and 49. The levels of stress in their life were measured and the semen concentration and sperm shape and movement were also analyzed.

The researchers found that the men who experienced more stressful lives and life events had a lower percentage of sperm motility and sperm altogether. Men who didn’t experience stressful life events had healthier sperm and semen. Also, it was discovered that the men whose jobs stressed them had lower levels of testosterone in their semen.

But how does stress affect the sperm and semen quality? Well, the researchers couldn’t exactly tell how that happens, but they do propose a couple of theories. It is known that stress activates the release of some steroid hormones that affect the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbs. This can reduce testosterone levels and thus, sperm production.

Also, stress could cause oxidative stress, a type of physiological stress that is caused by free radicals. This type of stress has been linked to semen and sperm damage.

Stressful events in midlife ups risk of Dementia, Alzheimer’s in women

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Stressful events like divorce, miscarriage, widowhood, break-ups etc in the life of a woman may increase the risk of developing dementia at a later stage of her life, a new study has found.

The researchers carried study on 800 women in Sweden who periodically underwent testing between 1968 and 2005 to find out the physiological effect of trauma on their life.

The researchers found that experiencing such psychosocial trauma in midlife was linked with a 21 percent increase in risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and a 15 percent increased risk of developing any type of dementia, over nearly four decades.

These women were also at increased risk of experiencing prolonged periods of distress or feelings of irritability, tension, nervousness, fear, anxiety or sleep disturbances.

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For the study, the participants were asked whether they had experienced any of 18 psychosocial stressors, including whether their spouse or close relative had a mental illness or abused alcohol, or whether they or their husband had lost a job. Medical records and other information from psychiatric examinations were used to determine whether participants developed dementia over a 38-year period.

About a quarter of participants said they had experienced one psychosocial stressor, 23 percent experienced two stressors, 30 per cent experienced three stressors and 16 percent experienced four stressors. The most common stressor was mental illness in a first-degree relative.

The study was published in the journal BMJ Open.

Anxiety stinks, says a new study

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A new study has unveiled some negative aspects of anxiety. The study suggests that when people are anxious, smells they once found neutral or pleasant become distasteful.

Scientists used powerful new brain imaging technologies to understand the pros and cons of anxiety. The study revealed how anxiety or stress can rewire the brain, linking centers of emotion and olfactory processing, to make typically benign smells malodorous.

Researchers led by Wen Li, a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Waisman Center, said that the brains of human subjects experience anxiety induced by disturbing pictures and text of things like car crashes and war transform neutral odours to distasteful ones, fuelling a feedback loop that could heighten distress and lead to clinical issues like anxiety and depression.

panic-anxiety-disorder-300x300The study serves crucial for mankind as it may help scientists understand the dynamic nature of smell perception and the biology of anxiety as the brain rewires itself under stressful circumstances and reinforces negative sensations and feelings.

“After anxiety induction, neutral smells become clearly negative. People experiencing an increase in anxiety show a decrease in the perceived pleasantness of odours. It becomes more negative as anxiety increases,” Li said.

The scientists used Functional MRI to understand the effects of anxiety during the study. Functional MRI is a technology that enables clinicians and researchers to observe the working brain in action. In the course of the experiment, researchers observed that two distinct and typically independent circuits of the brain – one dedicated to olfactory processing, the other to emotion – become intimately intertwined under conditions of anxiety.

The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

 

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