Online Medicine

Many pregnant women have asked me if it’s safe to work your abdominals.  With healthy pregnancies it is typically safe to do traditional ab work (i.e. lying on your back) up till week 12.  After week 12 it is no longer recommend to lay on your back.  However, you can still work your abdominals without laying on your back. 

Try this simple exercise to strengthen your abdominals:

On all your knees on all fours, head in line with the spine bring one knee in towards your chest.  Hold for 2-3 counts.  Release and repeat 10-15 times.  Then repeat on the other side.  Work up to 2 sets of 10-15 reps.

HOUSTON -- (November 30, 2007) -- Botox® may reduce benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or enlarged prostate, said a Baylor College of Medicine physician-scientist.

Dr. Christopher Smith, an assistant professor of urology at BCM, said a National Institutes of Health multi-center study will examine the shrinking effects of Botox® on these patients. He will lead the BCM portion of the study.

"Lower urinary tract symptoms resulting from BPH can be secondary to enlargement of the gland and/or due to increased muscle tone within the gland," said Smith. "The prostate becomes compressed against the urethra, causing the symptoms of urinary frequency, urgency and decreased force of stream."

BPH is a common disorder in men over the age of 50. Read more about BPH.

"Research has shown that nerves are a major source of prostate growth," said Smith. "They release chemicals and growth factors that have a direct influence on the maintenance and growth of prostate tissue."

Botox® is a commercial preparation of botulinum toxin A that works by preventing nerve impulses from reaching the muscle.

"In animals and humans, injecting Botox® can shrink and relax the prostate so that the urinary systems from the BPH are decreased," said Smith. "This has been show to be effective in both large and small prostates."

"So now we're not just looking at the cosmetic upside of Botox®," Smith said. "We're investigating whether this potent therapeutic agent can have a positive impact on improving the quality of life of men suffering from BPH symptoms."

Those interested in taking part in this study can contact Sebrina Tello at stello@bcm.edu or 713-798-8106. The study will be funded by the National Institute of Health. For more information on this trial and others in the department, visit http://www.bcm.edu/urology/?PMID=4989.

Many new moms want to lose the baby weight, but just don’t have the motivation to do it.  One thing I often remind my clients is to think about how good they feel after they work out.  After each workout I talk about how much stronger and toned their muscles are becoming, and how much better they feel about themselves in body and mind.  The more you equate working out to feeling and looking good the more motivated you’ll be to exercise.

For personal or group coaching info visit: http://fitbysara.com/coaching.php

KOTTAYAM: The Kerala government proposed to upgrade facilities in 115 community health centres in the state, health minister P K Sreemathy said on Thursday.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for the I P block at the taluk hospital at Pampady here, she said the state was far behind other states in utilising new scientific and technical facilities in the health sector, despite Kerala being in the forefront in maintaining the health sector compared to other states

She said the government was committed to providing better facilities to the public, a majority of whom approach government hospitals.

The minister said the need to find out the cause of disease was more important than the treatment. Opposition leader Oommen Chandy presided.

NEW DELHI: The strike called by AIIMS doctors in protest against the passage of a bill restricting the retirement age of its Director at 65 years on Thursday saw muted response with the medicos backing institution head P Venugopal abstaining from work while those opposing him attending OPD and other services.

By and large the OPDs functioned normally with only some doctors who want the present Director to continue in office staying away from work.

The AIIMS administration led by Medical Superintendent D K Sharma had, following the Supreme Court orders, asked the resident doctors to refrain from striking work.

"All OPDs are functioning normally. There is no problem at all. I am supervising the OPDs operations," Sharma said, adding "a few doctors have boycotted (the OPDs)".

The strike was called by Resident Doctors (rpt) Doctors Association yesterday when the AIIMS bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha amid wide protests from opposition benches.

Anil Sharma, General Secretary, RDA, AIIMS, said, "we have boycotted the OPDs and the future course of action would be decided at a GoM later today".

The bill seeks to restrict the age of the AIIMS Director at 65 years. The move may pave the way for removal of Venugopal from the post. Union Health Minister A Ramdoss has been in the last two-and-a-half years locked in a turf war with Venugopal.