It’s not unusual to see that at least one parent of an obese child is obese as well.  While some of this may be environmental (diet and lifestyle), research is pointing to genetic and intra-uterine (during pregnancy) factors as well.
An interesting study undertaken by American and Canadian researchers, and will be published in the next issue of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), has found that children of women who were conceived after their mother had weight loss surgery had a lower incidence of obesity than siblings who were born before she had the surgery.
The researchers looked at 49 …read more

It’s another theme day at b5media, and this month is all about mental health. Check out the round-up of posts over at Alzheimer’s Notes with Mary Emma Allen and Liz Lewis.
Particularly in the United States, where mental illness is often seen as a sign of weakness and self-medication (with alcohol, drugs, and even over-committed lifestyles) is common, many women are living their lives with undiagnosed psychological and emotional illnesses that are completely treatable.
According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, there are seven categories of mental disorder that are particularly common in women:

Anxiety Disorders, including OCD, panic, PTSD, social …read more