The information on Health24 is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are experiencing symptoms or need health advice, please consult a healthcare professional. See additional information.
Research reveals that your relationship could be tested when your waistline – or your guy’s – begins to grow (or even shrink). Learn to maintain a strong and loving union, scale be damned.
Sitting on my boyfriend’s lap at a bar in our hometown a few months ago, I was feeling a little sassy and started whispering sweet (and by sweet, I mean salaciously dirty) nothings into his ear. Playing along, he went to give my ass a flirtatious squeeze – a move he’s favoured since we started dating a year ago – but, instead, managed to grab a handful of my ample lower back. Yep, definitely not my butt.
Read more: ‘I watched porn with my partner for the first time – here’s what happened”
Admittedly, by swapping yoga classes for cocktails with my man, I had put on some “happy weight” – those kilos people add when they’re blissfully head over heels – or what Channing Tatum calls “fappy”, for fat and happy. My guy said he adored my new curves, but they were making me self-conscious. And that love-handle grab didn’t help.
Insecurities are nothing new, but as Sarah Varney reveals in her book, XL Love: How the Obesity Crisis is Complicating America’s Love Life, new evidence suggests that when a partner gains or loses a considerable amount, the shift can push a rock-solid bond onto shaky ground. But not always: research also shows that lots of couples manage to remain tight in the face of weight change. Follow these strategies to stay hot and heavy with your partner – no matter what the scale says.
Team up
Love can send emotions – and dress sizes – soaring. Experts blame spousal concordance, the phenomenon in which partners gradually adopt the same rituals, for better or for worse. Have you submitted to his Sunday TV binge-watching routine? Joined his late-night McDonalds runs? You’ve fallen prey to spousal concordance. Melding your worlds creates intimacy, but it’s also one reason why happy couples tend to gain weight, according to a Health Psychology study. While adding a few extra kilos isn’t so bad, starting unhealthy habits is. “Asking your partner to encourage healthy habits and discourage destructive ones can help motivate you,” says Joburg-based clinical psychologist Liane Lurie.
Read more: “I cheated on my husband – and this is why I did it”
Her advice is also critical for twosomes who are challenging themselves to lose in dangerous ways because they think their partner won’t be attracted to them otherwise. “Perhaps the words ‘For fatter, for thinner’ should be added to our modern-day marriage vows,” says Lurie. If you both need to get back on a healthier track, set small goals you can achieve together: commit to taking a 15-minute walk or run together every weekend morning, or swap takeaways (whether fast food or green juice) twice a week for a home-cooked dinner.
Own those curves
Unfair, but true: relationships can get extra tricky when one partner expands but the other doesn’t – especially if the gainer is the woman. A study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science found that husbands and wives are both more content when the wife’s BMI is lower than the husband’s – even if she’s still overweight. “A less-heavy wife could make a man believe that he’s done well on the mate market,” says study author Dr Benjamin Karney.
But what if you’re the buff one? Take heart: size isn’t the only predictor of relationship success; sex and communication count too. In fact, what’s far more important than your comparative proportions, is how you feel about your body.
Read more: This is how long most couples date before getting married
Joburger Dawn Tlhapane had always been petite, but after dating her guy for a while, she started gaining weight, and went from a size 28 to 32. “I was worried he wouldn’t find me as sexy,” she says. A study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that whether women were tiny or voluptuous, those with a poor body image were less sexually fulfilled, likely because they were too hung up on how they looked during the deed to actually enjoy it.
Since that’s no fun, it’s crucial to work on improving your confidence. “I eventually confronted my guy and, it turns out, he thought I looked beautiful with a few extra kilos,” says Dawn. “It actually brought us closer together.” “Every time your partner compliments you, thank them and repeat the compliment in your head, even if you don’t believe it,” suggests Dr Jessica O’Reilly, author of The New Sex Bible: The New Guide to Sexual Love. Then keep those good vibes going in the bedroom. “Everyone looks hot from behind and there’s no such thing as a bad close-up of boobs,” insists O’Reilly, so try reverse cowgirl: get on top, facing his feet, and roll your hips in a circular motion to get you both off.
Support his weight
Dudes don’t have it easier: they often care about their weight as much as we do. One guy we spoke to gained nine kilos while dating his now-ex. “I found myself wondering why anyone would want to have sex with me,” he says. It can be easy to pin your guy’s weight troubles on a pre-existing problem you have with him. So, what was once a peeve about his messiness can morph into: “He’s lazy. And it’s showing.”
Read more: THIS sex trend is more popular in relationships than ever before
If your guy is slimming down, you might interpret that the wrong way too: Is he getting ready to leave me? Not necessarily. Your guy may be going through the same thing. Capetonian Basha Taylor, 35, says dropping 64kg has refreshed her 14-year marriage. “I feel sexier, have more energy and want to be outdoors,” she says. Basha and her husband use this to their advantage, watching the sun set from the sand dunes every Sunday… “My husband spoils me now; I’ve never seen that side of him.” Rather than take his shape-shifting as a sign that you’re growing apart, think about what might have caused it. And be supportive – just as you’d want him to be if you put on some extra padding.
Sweet therapy
It’s a fact: exercising together can improve your bod and your bond. Research has shown that after participating in an exciting joint physical challenge or novel activity, many couples reported feeling happier in their relationships. And a recent survey revealed that 85 percent of duos who work out together said that it has improved their union, with one in five claiming that it “saved their relationship altogether”. Visiting a hiking trail versus a couples’ therapist? Far less pricey, that’s for sure.
This article originally appeared on www.womenshealthsa.co.za
Image credits: iStock
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The latest Global Burden of Disease study data shows that South Africa continues to battle with HIV, road injuries and violence as well as diseases related to obesity.
“Life expectancy in South Africa is rapidly increasing, but that doesn’t mean we’re enjoying healthier lives,” said Professor Charles Shey Wiysonge, Director of Cochrane South Africa and a co-author of the study in a statement.
Fewer healthy years
“Communicable diseases like HIV, car accidents, and waves of violence are taking the lives of far too many South Africans, especially young people. South Africa is one of the few countries in the world where the number of healthy years that men and women can expect to live has fallen over the past 25 years,” he said.
The study, published in the medical journal the Lancet, is a peer-reviewed analysis of global data on causes of death, disease and risk factors to health loss is in its 20th edition. It is based on research from more than 130 countries involving the work of over 2 500 collaborators.
Globally, 2016 was the first time in modern history where fewer than five million children under the age of five died in one year. In 1990, for example, 11 million died.
‘A lot of work to do’
The study warns that the “triad of troubles” of obesity, conflict and mental illness, including substance use disorders is threatening and preventing progress.
Excess body fat is associated with a range of health risks. A high body mass index (an indicator of obesity) is the fourth largest contributor to loss of healthy life, after high blood pressure, smoking and high blood sugar.
Furthermore, poor diet is associated with one in every five deaths in the world.
Said Wiysonge: “We have a lot of work to do.” – Health-e News.
Image credit: iStock
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The information on Health24 is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are experiencing symptoms or need health advice, please consult a healthcare professional. See additional information.
We are told not to scroll through social media or browse the internet before bedtime, as screen time can inhibit quality sleep.
But now it seems digital is actually the solution.
If you’ve been having trouble sleeping, a new online therapy programme may help ease your insomnia, a recent study says.
A digital interactive programme
The online programme also reduced patients’ rates of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, paranoia and hallucinations, the study found.
This study on digital therapy is not the only one. In a previous Health24 article, researchers confirmed that online therapy programmes could help some people with mild to moderate depression.
“Getting our shut-eye can help improve psychological health. Sleeping well can help shift our blues, reduce our fears, and make us happier,” said lead author Daniel Freeman, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
The online programme, called Sleepio, is an interactive digital cognitive behavioural therapy programme that participants can access online.
Improved sleep
The study, which was published in The Lancet Psychiatry, included more than 3 700 insomnia patients in the United Kingdom. About half were assigned to Sleepio. The others received no treatment and acted as a control group.
The 10-week treatment programme involved six sessions of 20 minutes each that featured an animated therapist. The participants also completed daily sleep diaries, which were used by the programme to provide personalised advice.
By the end of the programme, patients had an average 5-point reduction in insomnia on a 0–32 point scale. They also had a 2-point reduction in paranoia and a 1.5-point reduction in hallucinations, according to the study.
The patients also had improvements in depression, anxiety, psychological well-being, nightmares and perceived functioning, Prof Freeman’s team said.
The improvements in mental health symptoms were largely due to improved sleep, suggesting a possible causal role, the researchers said. They said their findings highlight the importance of treating sleep problems in the general population.
Sleep plays a role in mental health
“When it comes to psychological disorders, sleep problems are very much the poor relation. For too long insomnia has been trivialised as merely a symptom, languishing way down in the league table of problems to be tackled,” Prof Freeman said in a journal news release.
“However, how well we sleep might actually play a role in our mental health. For many people, insomnia can be part of the complex package of causes of mental health difficulties. If you can sort out your sleep, you could also be taking a significant step forward in tackling a wide range of psychological and emotional problems,” Prof Freeman said.
Tea Lallukka, from the University of Helsinki in Finland, and Borge Sivertsen, of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, authored an accompanying editorial. “The findings highlight the potential benefits of the implementation of easily available and low-cost internet therapies for insomnia,” they wrote.
Treat insomnia to treat mental illness
“Treatment of insomnia might help reduce the burden of mental ill health and prevent onset of symptoms such as hallucinations and paranoia. The findings add to understanding of the significance of insomnia as a causal factor in mental ill health, and corroborate findings from observational studies or smaller trials,” Lallukka and Sivertsen said.
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Some celebrities take tanning to the extreme. Nicole Snooki LaValle, previous cast member of the MTV hit reality show Jersey Shore is one of them.
There is actually a name for this. An obsession with tanning, whether it’s from the sun or a bottle, is called tanorexia.
An actual addiction
The need to look like a golden beach goddess is an aesthetic thing. Especially in the USA, a tan is associated with health and a pale skin with illness. The sun became associated with health when Arnold Rikli first used light therapy in 1855 to treat tuberculosis.
A sunbathed skin became popular in the 1920 through Coco Chanel, who further popularised sunbathing. Fast forward to the 2000s, to a slew of celebs who just can’t resist showing off a sun-tanned body. And while most people are fully aware of the dangers of too much sun, there are those who just can’t help themselves.
The fact that studies have shown that a tanned skin is associated with attraction, does nothing to curb this potentially deadly obsession .
And a sunbathed skin is not only about achieving good looks.
According to The American Skin Cancer Foundation, frequent tanners exhibit signs of both physical and psychological dependence, resulting in symptoms of increased tolerance, craving, and withdrawal. UV light can increase the release of opioid-like endorphins, feel-good chemicals that relieve pain and generate feelings of well-being. This means tanning is a real addiction, just like drugs and alcohol.
The wrong side of tanning
Still think there’s no such thing as too much tanning?
Look at this video to get a glimpse of some of the most extreme cases of tanning:
Too much sun
It goes without saying that too much sun increases your risk for skin cancer. According to statistics published in a Health24 article, South Africa has the second highest incidence of skin cancer in the world after Australia. It’s as simple as that – the more exposure to UV rays, the higher your risk of skin cancer. And it’s not just cancer – premature ageing and sun damaged skin will most certainly be your fate if you spend too much time in the sun.
Too many chemicals
While “self tan” products don’t expose you to damaging UV rays, you are still exposing your body to more chemicals than you normally would. And there is a debate on whether self tan is safe to use or not.
Self tan contains dihydroxyacetone (DHA), an active colour additive that causes the top layer of the skin to darken. In small amounts, this additive is not carcinogenic and poses no real health risk.
Yet there is a more recent addition to the tanning market, self-tanning pills. These pills contain the colour additive canthaxanthin and are generally considered unsafe. In high doses, canthaxanthin can cause hives or damage to the liver or vision.
Be sun smart
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
The beginning of a new relationship may be hot, but then many couples inevitably cool off and are left wondering: Should we be having more sex?
Turns out, your age (or the age you feel you are) might be the biggest factor in that equation, according to a recent Kinsey Institute report. The 2017 study from The Kinsey Institute, published in the Journal of Sex Research, examined how age impacted the frequency of nookie.
Over a 10-year span, they examined nearly 1 200 middle aged and older adults, asking them how many times they do it, the “quality” of the sex, and how interested they were in “doing it” And to determine subjective age (a.k.a. the difference between participants’ chronological age and the age they normally feel), they asked the simple question: “Many people feel older or younger than they actually are. What age do you feel most of the time?”
Read more: The 36 sex positions that everyone should try in their lifetime
The results? It’s all about your attitude, baby. When people reported that they felt “older”, they were less interested in intercourse and thought the “quality” of sex was worse.
Over the decade-long study, people did start to get it on less often, going from 2.52 times over the past six months to 1.8 times. Unsurprisingly, those with chronic health conditions did it less. Plus, those who did it often at the study’s start were also having more sex 10 years later. Meaning, your habits now impact those in the future. Use it or lose it, right?
Feeling younger does your body good outside the bedroom, too. Research finds that those who see themselves as younger than the candles on their birthday cake are healthier and live longer, the researchers point out.
Read more: This is the best time of day to have sex
But that still doesn’t answer how many sex sessions are best. Well, past research suggests that those who knock boots once a week are the happiest – which also happens to be the number WH readers say they do it on average.
And when you get older, provided you still have health on your side (and, hello, you plan to), you could very well be having sex at that retirement home. Women’s Health previously reported on a study that found 32% of sexually active women in their eighties had sex at least twice a month. Whoa! You might have some catching up to do.
This article originally appeared on www.womenshealthsa.co.za.
Image credit: iStock
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You don’t need a complicated belly fat weight-loss plan to shed kilograms. Instead, live by these seven simple and straightforward rules…
1. Read food labels
You should read food labels like you read your Facebook feed – closely. Then abide by the rule of five: If any food has any one of the five ingredients below as any one of the first five ingredients on the label, don’t let it near your mouth.
1. Simple sugars
2. Enriched, bleached, or refined flour (this means it’s stripped of its nutrients)
3. HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup – a four-letter word)
4. Saturated fat (four-legged animal fat, or palm or coconut oil)
5. Trans fat (partially hydrogenated vegetable oil)
Putting them into your body is like dunking your cellphone in a glass of water. It’ll cause your system to short out your hormones and send your body confusing messages about eating. When typical slightly overweight people eat sugar, they on average store 5% percent as ready energy to use later, metabolise 60%, and store a whopping 35% as fat that can be converted to energy later. Any guess as to where 50% of the sugar we consume comes from? HFCS in fat-free foods like salad dressings and regular soft drinks.
Read more: 6 regular foods you probably didn’t know could shrink your tummy
2. Choose unsaturated fat over saturated
Meals high in saturated fat (that’s one of the ageing fats) produce lower levels of leptin than low-fat meals with the exact same kilojoules. That indicates you can increase your satiety and decrease hunger levels by avoiding saturated fats found in such sources as high-fat meats (like sausage), baked goods and whole-milk dairy products.
3. Quench your thirst (don’t feed it!)
The reason some people eat is because their satiety centres are begging for attention. But sometimes those appetite centres want things to quench thirst, not to fill the stomach. Thirst could be caused by hormones in the gut, or it could be a chemical response to eating; eating food increases the thickness of your blood, and your body senses the need to dilute it.
A great way to counteract your hormonal reaction to food is to make sure that your response to thirst activation doesn’t contain unnecessary, empty kilojoules – like the ones in soft drinks or alcohol. Your thirst centre doesn’t care whether it’s getting zero-kilojoule water or a mega-kilojoule frappe. So when you feel hungry, drink a glass or two of water first, to see if that’s really what your body wants!
Read more: Which is actually better for weight loss: diet or xxercise?
4. Limit your alcohol intake
For weight loss, avoid drinking excessive alcohol, not solely because of its own kilojoules, but also because of the kilojoules it inspires you to consume later. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, so you end up feeling like you can eat anything and everything you see. Limiting yourself to one alcoholic drink a day has a protective effect on your arteries but could still cost you kilos, since it inhibits leptin.
5. Eat the right kind of carbs
Eating a super-high-carb diet increases a protein called neuropeptide Y (NPY), which decreases your metabolism and increases your appetite. Ensure that less than 50% of your diet comes from carbohydrates, and that most of your carbs are complex, such as whole grains and vegetables (not processed snack foods and baked goods).
Read more: Here’s exactly how to use breakfast to lose weight
6. Have more sex
In any waist management plan, you can stay satisfied. Not in the form of a dripping double cheeseburger but in the form of safe, healthy, monogamous sex. Sex and hunger are regulated through the brain chemical NPY. Some have observed that having healthy sex could help you control your food intake; by satisfying one appetite centre, you seem to satisfy the other.
7. Get a step ahead of your cravings
There will be times when you can’t always control your hormone levels, and you feel hungrier than a lion on a bug-only diet. Develop a list of emergency foods to satisfy you when cravings get the best of you – things like a handful of nuts, pieces of fruit, cut-up vegetables, or even a little guacamole.
This article originally appeared on www.womenshealthsa.co.za.
Image credits: iStock
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Ayaan Ahmed Isaacs was born on 4 March 2016. A few days later he suddenly became ill with violent crying fits, abnormal breathing, lethargy and poor latching. “This was certainly not mere newborn niggles,” says his mother, Shamaa Sheik.
On 18 March he was admitted to hospital after a blood test revealed signs of infection.
Over the next few weeks, Ayaan would undergo a number of surgeries: two were to remove 40 abscesses from his liver; later a port was placed in his chest to make blood draws less traumatic; and a further two to place a gastrostomy tube in his stomach to assist him with feeding.
Bubble Boy
While in hospital, Ayaan continuously presented with infections. His paedatrician ran more tests and by April 2016 he was diagnosed with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID). SCID is a genetic disorder of the immune system and is the most severe type of primary immune deficiency diseases affecting about 1 in 58 000 births.
According to a previous Health24 article, primary immunodeficiencies are disorders that occur because part of the body’s immune system does not function properly.
This means that a common cold can be life threatening to someone with SCID – and most children don’t survive longer than a year.
“We were told that the only known cure was a successful blood stem cell transplant from a matched sibling or an unrelated donor,” says Sheik.
The search for a solution
“Once he was diagnosed with SCID we needed to determine his tissue type to find a possible donor. After three failed attempts at tissue typing Ayaan locally, we met with a transplant team to discuss our options. Without a tissue type, we couldn’t proceed further towards a transplant,” says Sheik. At this meeting she asked about gene therapy because the transplant process came with many risks. “Gene therapy was showing great promise the UK, France, Italy and America for children battling immune deficiencies and who lacked a matched donor.”
She says, “We were immediately told not to pursue the idea as the therapy was experimental and led to leukaemia. Instead we were advised to have Ayaan’s tissue typing done at a laboratory in the Netherlands, a test we had to pay for in dollars.”
After an agonising five-month wait, they finally received a tissue type and could start a preliminary search for a donor. “We remained hopeful that a match would be found despite the odds which are about 1 in 100 000. As ethnicity plays a huge role in finding a donor, the statistics and probability of finding a fully matched donor looked even more bleak.”
In November 2016 they received confirmation from the South African Bone Marrow Registry that the results of the donor search had been released to their haematologist.
“The results were only discussed with us in February 2017!” Sheik says. “There was no donor and our alternatives were either to do a half matched transplant using a parent or to go with an umbilical cord blood transplant which yielded a five out of six match on low-resolution testing.” She explains that the danger of accepting a low-resolution result without high resolution testing meant it was likely that more mismatches could be revealed, ultimately resulting in serious complications at transplant.
“The haematologist said he would find out whether a cord could be defrosted to extract DNA to perform high resolution testing.”
Gene therapy
They were desperate to find an alternative. “With the constant delays we experienced, I felt like I needed to do something,” she says.
“All the articles I read about SCID spoke about treatment only being effective if a child was transplanted within the first three months. Eleven months had gone by and still there was no sense of urgency from the specialists. They weren’t responsive to our requests for information.”
By November 2016, research led her to the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. “I made contact with a doctor at the hospital who was heading up a clinical trial. It was refreshing to receive an empathetic response minutes after my initial enquiry. By the end of March 2017, we arrived in Memphis ready to begin treatment. It only took three months to get here as opposed to our 11 month wait back home with no progress. Ayaan received his new cells on Freedom Day [27 April].”
They were warned that treatment overseas could run into bills of millions of dollars and even then the treatment may not work, but that didn’t deter Sheik.
“I found copies of journal articles that published the results of previous clinical trials from 1990 to date. There was no evidence of any South African nor African child being treated for X-linked SCID, so getting an opinion locally was not possible,” says Sheik.
“I also joined a support group on Facebook for families who have children with SCID together with a special SCID mailing group in order to gather more information.
These families were from America mainly; the rest were from Canada, Hawaii, Australia and the UK. “The nationalities joining these groups increase monthly as newborn screening for SCID becomes more prevalent worldwide.”
Sheik posted questions to families who had undergone gene therapy to find out what their experiences had been. “I was satisfied with the many positive responses I received.”
The journey is far from over
“We’re so proud to hold his hand through this historic process. I truly hope that his story inspires hope in others to remind them that miracles happen every day,” she says.
“No child should have to die just because they are unable to find a donor. Gene therapy offered Ayaan a chance at life that he ordinarily would not have had. I was fortunate to have found an alternative therapy that is working and already showing remarkable results.”
She continues, “We are mindful that this is still an experimental treatment and there are complications that can arise; however, I am very optimistic that he will return to South Africa with a functioning immune system.”
According to Sheik, Ayaan is the first child in Africa to receive gene therapy for X-linked SCID using the new technology developed by St Jude.
You can follow young Ayaan’s journey on Facebook.
Health24 is following up with St Jude’s to verify this information and to report on the gene therapy treatment.
Image credits: Supplied
Listening to someone with a chronic cough can be very irritating, and unfortunately many people walk around with an untreated cough much longer than they should.
Coughing is your lungs’ way of trying to get rid of toxins.
Smoking and coughing
A smoker’s cough is a persistent cough, often suppressed by medication, according to an article published in the the Respiratory Medicine journal.
In the early stages of smoking, a smoker’s cough is a “dry” cough, but the longer a person smokes, the more phlegm or sputum is produced. The colour is usually clear, yellow or green.
Asthma
Health24 previously reported on the 7 dangerous conditions that start with a cough among others. A cough is also one of the major symptoms of asthma, an article in the Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews states. And many patients consult with their doctors following their persistent cough.
Cough variant asthma (CVA) is a subtype of asthma, with a primary characteristic of a cough without any other accompanying symptoms such as dyspea or wheezing. An article in the International Archive of Allergy and Immunology journal reports that CVA patients are among those who consult doctors complaining about a persistent and ongoing cough.
Can you guess which cough belongs to which category? (Answers are revealed below)
A.
B.
C.
A.
B.
C.
A.
B.
C.
A.
B.
C.
The answers:
1. A – Smokers usually have a persistent cough, sometimes dry, according to an article published in the the Respiratory Medicine journal.
2. B – Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews journal, finds that an asthma cough is typically dry and may be associated with an excessive amount of mucus production as heard in the clip.
3. C – Listening to the different coughs we can hear that the asthma case is likely the one with the wheezing, this evidence is also revealed in the Singapore Medical Journal stating that wheezing is the most common symptoms associated with asthma in children toddlers.
4. B – What might appear to sound like asthma might not always be the case. An article in Pedatrics journal explains that the respiritory sounds that takes place in the upper airway obstruction may cause various manifestations of the vocal chord dysfunction that is often mischaracterised as wheezing and atrributed to asthma.
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