The Norwegian Institute of Public Health and colleagues looked into the use of folic acid supplements before and during early pregnancy, and any impact on the risk on the autism spectrum.

“Our main finding was that maternal use of folic acid supplements around the time of conception was associated with a lower risk of autistic disorder,” the authors wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.(list what date this article appeared )

In some countries, flour is recommended to be enriched with folic acid to lower the risk of birth defects. Women are often advised to take folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy.

Despite the practice, European and North American studies have found that many pregnant women take less folate in their diet than is required to prevent neural tube defects.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s research appears to confirm that taking folic acid supplements is well-founded.

The 85,176 Norwegian children who took part in the study were born between 2002 and 2008.

Among the sample, 270 children, or 0.32 percent, were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, and researchers found that there was an inverse association between folic acid use and subsequent autism risks.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 88 children, or 1.14 percent, in the United States are identified with an autism spectrum disorder.

Mothers who took folic acid supplements in early pregnancy had a 40 percent lower risk of having children with autistic disorder compared with mothers who did not take folic acid, the researchers found.

Folic acid is found in naturally high levels in foods such as dark leafy greens, asparagus and broccoli, as well as citrus fruits. If you are looking to become pregnant, setting up an appointment at Healthy Woman OB/GYN is recommended to ensure that the appropriate levels of folic acid are incorporated into your diet.

If you would like more information on how nutrition can improve health feel free to contact our sister company Pop Weight Loss.

Everyone wants to be happy. Whether it’s achieved through success, personal accomplishment, or day to day satisfaction, most people would say that happiness is the goal they would most like to achieve.

But how does food factor into your happiness? Does what you eat affect how you feel?

According to a new study to be published in the Social Indicators Research journal, the happiest people eat seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Researchers from the University of Warwick and Dartmouth College analyzed the health habits of 80,000 people in England. This research included diets, exercise habits, employment, and whether or not they smoked. Psychological health indicators, such as life satisfaction, mental well-being, disorders, happiness, nervousness and feeling “low” were also factored into the study.

Even when all of these aspects of their lifestyle were factored, one link remained prominent: the more fruits and vegetables people ate, the happier they were. To be specific, those who ate seven portions of fruits and vegetables daily were the happiest.

The study measured one portion as 2.8 ounces, with a small apple being about 5 ounces as a reference.

The rule of thumb has always been five servings of fruits and vegetables are suggested to promote cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of cancer. So adding a few more servings into your diet could give you that extra boost to maximize your happiness level.

More research is currently being conducted to find an explanation for the correlation between fruit and vegetable intake and happiness. At this time, it could be that happy people just enjoy eating more fruits and vegetables.
If you are looking for But it might be worth the shot to give you that extra pep in your step each day.

more information about nutrition and health, please visit www.popweightloss.com

But how can you and your family stay protected from illness? Here are a few tips on staying healthy this cold and flu season!

Eat Healthy. The American Dietetic Association reports that eating a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables is one way to boost immunity. The CDC emphasizes drinking plenty of water to help the immune system function properly. Staying away from junk food and focusing on vitamin-packed foods is a great way to steer clear of illness this season.

Live a Healthy Lifestyle. Sleeping is a great way to stay healthy, with seven to eight hours a night being the ideal. Without sufficient sleep, the body has trouble fighting off disease. The American Dietetic Association recommends sleep as an important component of fighting infection. The CDC also recommends maintaining an active lifestyle and adding moderate exercise to your day to boost immune function and help your body fight the cold and flu.

Get Rid of Germs. Wash your hands frequently throughout the day. The CDC recommends washing your hands before and after food preparation and eating, before and after caring for someone who is ill and after you blow your nose, cough or sneeze. Sanitizing items that come in contact with other people, such as keyboards, children’s toys, etc., are a great way to prevent viruses and other illnesses from affecting you.

Get Vaccinated. Although no vaccine exists for the common cold, you can get vaccinated against the flu. The Centers for Disease Control states that getting a flu vaccine once a year is the best step toward prevention during the cold and flu season. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, up to 20 percent of Americans will develop the flu each year. While the CDC recommends the flu vaccine for anyone who wants it, some groups should definitely consider it. They include the elderly and children younger than four (but over 6 months), women who are expecting and people who work in health care related fields.

Pregnant women have to change their daily diets when they become pregnant, but what about during the holidays? Are the traditional foods of the holidays safe for women who are expecting?

Pregnancy weakens your immune system and makes you more vulnerable to food-borne illnesses that could make you sick and harm your baby. So it’s important to avoid certain foods during pregnancy — even on special occasions. Here are some foods to avoid this holiday season, for you and your unborn baby.

Fruit and cheese platters are a party staple, and a relatively healthy way to fill up, but stay away from soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk. Unpasteurized or “raw milk” cheeses may contain listeria, which is killed during the pasteurization process. If you’re not sure which cheeses are safe, stick with hard cheeses like cheddar and Swiss, and semi-soft cheeses like Monterey jack and mozzarella. Cream cheese and pasteurized processed cheeses like American are also safe.

If your party features a carving station with roast beef or turkey, make sure the meat is cooked well-done and is still steaming hot. Unless you’re sure they’re well cooked, avoid sauces like bearnaise, hollandaise, and aioli, which can contain uncooked eggs.

Homemade eggnog is generally off-limits, because it’s usually made with raw, unpasteurized eggs — and alcohol. But you can make a virgin, pregnancy-safe version at home with a pasteurized egg product or an egg alternative like Egg Beaters. Or try store-bought eggnog — just check the label to make sure the eggs are pasteurized. You might also consider “soy nog,” which doesn’t contain eggs or any other dairy products. You can find it during the winter holidays in most large grocery stores and in natural food stores.

You’ll also want to avoid desserts that may contain raw or undercooked eggs, like some custards and mousse, and homemade ice cream.

Fruitcake and other desserts that use alcohol as an ingredient are generally okay, because most of the alcohol burns off during cooking. If the fruitcake has been soaked in rum or other liquor after being baked, however, little of the alcohol will have evaporated, and you should probably steer clear.

The best way to start your health groove this fall is to schedule your yearly appointment with your Healthy Woman OB/GYN, your personal expert on women’s health.

Here are some other ways to jump start your health kick this fall!

Set a meal plan. One of the best ways to stay healthy during the fall is to set a meal plan that works with your schedule. Fall is full of apple pies, tasty warm drinks, and football parties, so it’s a great idea to devise healthy meal options. Plus it’s a great way to save a little extra before the holiday season!

Stay positive. With the flu season approaching, a positive attitude can make a huge difference. In one study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh, participants who had a positive attitude produced greater amounts of flu antibodies. Another study showed that people with sunny personalities produced more antibodies after a vaccination than those without.

Socialize. A great way to stay healthy is by having a great group of friends and family. Having a good social life provides greater longevity and less loneliness, which has been associated with a greater risk of heart disease. Although many think the leading cause of death in women is associated with cancer, heart disease makes up the largest percentage with 24.5% (2008 CDC study).

Be active. Want to increase energy and feel better? Activities such as walking, dancing, or weight lifting can keep bones strong and healthy. Exercise is also a great to naturally battle fatigue and increase energy.

Herewith, we look at the foods you can eat to keep the hot flashes at bay.

Tomatoes
High in Vitamin C, levels of which drop during recurring hot flashes, tomatoes can help prevent hot flashes altogether. If those aren’t your favorite, try bell peppers, broccoli, papaya, jicama, strawberries, mango and/or kiwi instead.

Salmon
A veritable panacea for so much of what ails, salmon is also a tasty way to stave off hot flashes thanks to its high vitamin B content. Foods that also use vitamin B to blast away flashes include tuna, lentils, potatoes, chili peppers, turkey, oats, Brazil nuts and avocado.

Sesame seeds
These tiny seeds contain lignans, which are fibers that boost vitamin E and reduce cholesterol. Toss them onto salads or meats for an easy way to incorporate them into your diet.

Citrus fruits
Oranges, tangerines and grapefruit are all fun of bioflavoids, which tend to lessen the frequency of hot flashes.

Wheat germ
Rich in nutrients like Vitamin E, zinc and folic acid, wheat germ wards off hot flashes by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and giving your nervous system a boost.

Soy
These foods contain phytoestrogens, which mimic female hormones, and can reduce the severity of symptoms. It’s also a great way to get protein in your system.

Herbs
Whether you sip them in a tincture or tea or use them to flavor up your favorite dishes, herbs like cohosh, ginseng, primrose oil and licorice root help relieve hot flashes.

Really want to ensure that you keep your cool?

Maintaining a healthy weight is the number one way to go. So remember to eat cleanly, exercise daily and stay well-hydrated. It’s also helpful to avoid certain foods that are known to trigger hot flashes, including caffeine, alcohol, red meat, garlic, chocolate, aged cheese and foods with high amounts of sugar. And while you’re at it, avoid smoking, hot showers, hot tubs, diet pills, hot weather, stress and anxiety, which can all also exacerbate hot flashes.

A Better You Weight Loss can help you lose up to 20 pounds in one month alone! Email or call 888.373.THIN/8446 for the details.

Pregnancy can throw a lot of curveballs your way—morning sickness, Braxton-Hicks contractions, strange cravings—but one development that catches many women by surprise and turns your 40 weeks into a whole new ballgame is the onset of gestational diabetes.

The result of high blood sugar in pregnancy, gestational diabetes affects approximately 18 percent of women, according to the American Diabetes Association. Why this happens to women who otherwise have no history of diabetes is still being researched, but it likely involves pregnancy hormones blocking the insulin in your body from properly doing its job, which is to help glucose (sugar) become fuel.

There typically aren’t any symptoms associated with gestational diabetes, so you’ll be screened at about 28 weeks for it. If your glucose levels are high, you’ll take an additional test to determine your diabetes status.

Whom It Affects

You’re more likely to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes if you are obese, have had gestational diabetes in a prior pregnancy, have a family history of diabetes, or previously gave birth to a large baby (around 9 pounds). For reasons that are unknown, women who are not white are more likely to be affected. Those 25 and younger are at a lower risk.

What It Means for You

To keep your gestational diabetes in check, you’ll need to be even more vigilant about having a healthy diet than you were before. Keeping sugar to a minimum is important, as is eating at regular intervals—no skipping meals! If your balanced diet and exercise routine don’t control your diabetes, you may have to take medications or insulin.

After you give birth, your diabetes is likely to disappear, but recent studies have shown that women who had gestational diabetes are more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes down the road. Make sure your doctor screens you for diabetes symptoms as time goes on, and keep up the nutritious eating that was necessary during pregnancy. Exercise also helps.

What It Means for Your Baby

Babies born to moms with gestational diabetes are more likely to be bigger at birth, which could cause problems with delivery (or necessitate a C-section). They’re also at a higher risk for having low blood sugar levels and breathing problems in the first few days of their life. Because your baby will store extra fat if you have elevated sugar levels while pregnant, this could lead to a higher risk of being overweight in both childhood and adulthood.

The better you manage your gestational diabetes, the less likely it is that any problems will occur. So knock it out of the park with a healthy diet, moderate exercise and following your doctor’s recommendations, and you’ll have a great shot at being home free of any lasting complications to you or your newborn.

For help with a healthy eating plan for your pregnancy and beyond, consider A Better You, Dr. Rebecca Cipriano’s weight loss and weight management program. Call 732.866.8446 or email to set up an appointment to meet Dr. Rebecca and discuss how she can help you get on track now.

Dr. Borislava Burt-Libo is back to tell you how to be a healthy woman—and stay a healthy woman—all the days of your life.

Life is busy, especially for a woman. If you are like most women, you are constantly running around taking care of everyone in your life—significant other, children, parents, grandparents, etc. And  you go to school or work and run a household. You are a comforter, a healer, a confidante. But are you running on empty? On most days, there just isn’t enough time in the day to take care of your own needs. And let’s face it, even the most tireless of us need to take a little time off for ourselves—to reboot, to manage our health and to be taken care of—so that we can continue on our quest to take care of the world around us. Don’t let this idea of rebooting daunt you. The truth is that all you really need is a little time each a day and just a few days each year to ensure that you stay a healthy (and happy) woman.

What To Do On a Daily Basis

Stress is our worst enemy, it contributes to ailments and aging. Here are a few tricks that take only minutes a day to help fight stress:

Stay active. Take time each day (25 to 30min is all you need) for some form of exercise, be it power walking, yoga, pilates, swimming, jogging (strollers with babies are allowed). Your pulse will go up in minutes and you may even break a sweat as you dance around the house while cleaning or washing dishes or as you chase after your toddler who is no doubt feeling mischievous.

Make the right choices with food and drink. Do have vegetables and fruits, do eat lean meats and cheeses, do drink six to eight glasses of water per day. Do stay away from greasy, fried foods, from simple carbohydrates, from sodas, etc. Ladies, we all know what’ s good and what’s bad, and what works for us and what doesn’t.

Do get enough sleep. That means six to eight hours work for most of us.

Do stay away from vices such as smoking and alcohol.

Take time to breathe.  Five minutes is all you need sometimes. Close your eyes, tune out the noise around you and take nice deep breaths, thinking of something pleasant or nothing at all. Find time to do your favorite hobby—read a good book, sing– it’s good for the soul.

Treat yourself. Go for a mani/pedi on your lunch break or on the way home. A nice, relaxing massage is even better if you can find the time. And above all, no matter what happens, even if the world is crashing down around us – try to remain positive.

What To Do Yearly

Make time in your busy schedule to see your doctor. Just one or two visits per year are vital to staying healthy. Prevention is key.

Besides a thorough history and physical examination, your age and presence or absence of certain risk factors will gear your doctor towards screening for certain conditions. Here are the screening landmarks to expect at your annual visit:

Ages 13-18

Your doctor will make sure that all your immunizations are up to date— namely Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis booster; hepatitis B vaccine, if not given previously; meningococcal vaccine before high school; and human papillomavirus vaccine. If sexually active, girls in this age group will be offered screening for sexually transmitted diseases as well as counseled about safe sex and pregnancy prevention.

Ages 19-39

Starting at 21 years of age, women will be offered a cervical cytology examination, otherwise known as Pap smear, which is a screening test for cervical cancer and can detect presence or absence of HPV. Screening for sexually transmitted infections, such as chlamydia is once again offered. Women in this age group will also be instructed on self breast examinations.

Ages 40 -64

Besides cervical cytology screening, women will now be referred yearly mammograms for breast cancer screening. Colorectal cancer screening is advised starting at 50 years old with colonoscopy (as dreaded as it is by some – it is the gold standard for diagnosis and hopefully need not be repeated sooner than every five to 10 years). Your doctor will order cholesterol screening, which is usually done every five years starting age 45; screening for thyroid disorder also done every five years starting age 50; and screening for diabetes, which is done every three years starting at 45 years old. Calcium intake with vitamin D as well as exercise will be stressed for the importance of bone strength.

Age 65 and older

For women of this age, the same screening applies as the women over 40, with addition of one important test: bone density evaluation, also known as Dexa scan. Also, women will be offered a very important pneumococcal vaccine.

Women of all ages should also remember yearly skin cancer screening. Do wear sunblock and limit sun exposure to 15 to 30 minutes per day. And don’t forget the dentist, your teeth and gums have a lot to do with your health.

So, my dear ladies, this is the basic rundown of the standard testing that most of us will need to undergo in our lifetime to remain healthy. Certain screening and preventive measures may be offered earlier depending on presence or absence of certain genetic and environmental health risk factors.

Your life will probably always be busy and at times even hectic. However, taking care of yourself need not be an overwhelming task. Hopefully, you can find a little time to make the right choices and get the appropriate care with just a few doctor visits each year. Staying healthy on a daily basis must be made into a top priority so that we can keep on taking care of the world and be a healthy woman, mind, body and soul.

To get on your healthy woman track, call 732.431.1616 to book your appointment today.

Lately, we’ve been thinking about what makes us different from other groups? The answer: A whole lot. This realization sparked us to launch a new and groundbreaking program called OB VIP.

What is it and what can it mean for you?

OB VIP is an optional specialized program for our pregnant patients—and a big reason why our group is so different from the rest.

The program includes:

• Access to our prenatal coordinator Grace Kasnowski (also called our maternity concierge), who, along with our doctors and medical assistants, is here to help you every step of the way
• Full access to our website, which features blog posts ripe with need-to-know info, created just for you
• Daily social media support
• Weekly email support
• Access to our Pregnancy Connect program, which offers you entree to the best businesses, services and organizations for pregnant and new moms.
• Breastfeeding classes, in conjunction with BestforBabes.org, a celebrity and new mommy loved organization that is giving breastfeeding a makeover by removing the Booby Traps that stop women from achieving their own personal breastfeeding goals—whether those goals are for one day, one week or one year.
• Postpartum support
• And lots more!

The crowning jewel of program? A special 24-week prenatal visit to create your birth plan. All prenatal patients get a 24-week prenatal visit with myself or my husband to go through birth expectations and ensure that the experience can be just as she hopes it will be. Let’s face it: Having a baby is scary! There are also many options available to moms now. Whether you choose to get an epidural or go completely natural, it’s your choice—but making that decision—and many others involved in the birthing process—isn’t always so easy. We will talk to you about how you want your birth to be, give you the options and empower you with the information you need to make the best decisions for yourself.

We are here to support you—whatever your decisions.

We are your advocates.

And that means that we will be there for you on the big day too. You will always be delivered by one of our docs. This is a big deal. We have no laborists and many practices do. Almost every week in the office, I see a new pregnant patient who is changing doctors because she did not realize that someone she did not know (who was covering for her doctor) did her previous delivery.

So hopefully, if you are pregnant, you are already a Healthy Woman patient but if you are not, please make sure your questions are answered thoroughly and you feel supported by your practitioner.

We want you to get the VIP treatment during her most exciting, exhilarating and sometimes even exasperating time in her life. Why? Because you deserve it!

We’re here for you, so call us 732.431.1616.

October has historically been a month of black and orange, but these days, it’s more likely to be dominated by pink. Everywhere you look, you’ll see products emblazoned with the familiar pink ribbon logo, football players charging down the field in pink cleats, and even the White House swathed in pink light. It’s all to promote awareness of breast cancer, a disease that will be diagnosed for the first time in more than 230,000 women this year.

With so many of our mothers, friends, sisters, co-workers and daughters affected, it can be scary to contemplate that your breasts, once reminders of your strength and femininity, could turn against you. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to reduce your risk — and if you are affected, there are amazing support groups and organizations all across the country for survivors.

Some risk factors, like simply being female and aging, can’t be changed, but others can. Leading as healthy of a lifestyle as possible, with a balanced diet and plenty of exercise, is one great step you can take. Limiting your alcohol intake to less than a drink a day is another.

Routine screening is also an important component — the sooner cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat. Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute recommend yearly mammograms for women beginning at age 40. Those at increased risk due to a family history may want to be screened sooner, so talk to your doctor if this applies to you.

Women at a high risk may also want to consider BRAC Analysis, which will help determine if you have a gene associated with hereditary breast cancer. High risk governs women who have had breast before the age of 50 or ovarian cancer at an age; women who have a family history of breast cancer (on mother of father’s side—first, second or third degree relatives); women of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry and more. (To find out if you’re at risk, click here.)

Shannon and Kyla Harris, two young sisters from Arizona, were definitely at risk—high risk. They had watched a number of women in their lives pass away from the disease. Understandably, they wanted to know what their odds were of meeting the same fate. When the results came back, Shannon, 24 at the time, tested positive. “It was a bit of a relief and I wasn’t at all surprised,” she says. “It was kind of like, okay, now I can figure out my options.”

For her, those options included a preventive mastectomy, a procedure many criticized as too drastic for someone Shannon’s age, but it’s a decision she doesn’t regret. Although breast cancer could still strike, she’s reduced the chances by more than 95 percent.

“I want to watch my son grow, and it’s just one less thing to worry about and stress about,” she says. “I feel great; it’s just a weight off my shoulders. I have a story to tell, I’ve met great people, and I feel stronger.”

It is important to note, however, that the majority of women get additional imaging over the course of time (MRIs and early and/or annual mammograms—both of which are usually covered by insurance) and are, thus, able to stay one step ahead of anything that may arise.

No matter what your experience with breast cancer, take some time this month to support any woman you know who’s been touched by the disease, reflect on what lifestyle changes you could make to give yourself the best shot at staying healthy, and wear that pink with pride.

About BRACAnalysis:

• It enables you to make important choices and take steps to reduce the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.
• The results of the test can make a significant difference in your life and the lives of your family members, depending on your family history of cancer.
• The cost of the test is reimbursed by most insurance plans.

If you’re wondering if BRAC Analysis is right for you, visit www.BRACnow.com for more information.