Perhaps no sexual-wellness “aid” has created as much of a stir as the jade egg. Last year, Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness brand, Goop, had to pay $145,000 (over R2 million) in fines for selling the eggs on their website with unsubstantiated health claims, per CNN, and yet, they’re still being talked about—and sold. Just, ya know, with very vague (or zero) descriptions.

So what exactly is a jade egg, anyway?

A jade egg, a.k.a. yoni egg is an egg-shaped weight (typically made out of a stone like jade or rose quartz) that you insert and hold inside your vagina. Similar to a Kegel or Ben Wa ball (does anyone remember Fifty Shades Darker?), the egg has been said to strengthen the pelvic floor, by requiring the muscles there to clench to keep it in place. The problem is—and this is a major problem—they can do more harm than good.

“There are no proven benefits of using a jade egg, but there are several risks,” says Women’s Health advisor Dr Kate White, an obstetric-gynaecologist and director of the Fellowship in Family Planning at Boston University.

Number one: Because they’re made of stone, “the eggs are porous and can absorb bacteria, which means it’s not possible to fully clean them in between each use,” says Dr White. “So when you insert the egg into your vagina after the first use, you’re literally putting bacteria back into your body.” That’s like asking for an infection.

What’s more, because the egg has a glass-like, slippery texture, it can be rather hard to remove, says Dr White. While some eggs have a string attached to them, extraction could require a visit to your gynae’s office or even the emergency room. Um, no thank you.

READ MORE: “I Do Kegel Exercises With A Yoni Egg — This Is What It’s Like”

Are there any possible benefits to using a jade egg?When Goop first advertised the jade egg, which really kicked off the hype, it purported that the egg supports hormonal balance, menstrual regulation, and bladder control, none of which had any scientific research behind it, according to Forbes.

And while it’s possible that a jade egg could help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, there’s no reason, given its risks, to choose one over the tried-and-true, all-natural (not to mention, free) method: Kegel exercises. Kegels involve simply squeezing your down-there muscles as if you’re holding in your pee, and experts say they work.

There’s one other potential perk of a jade egg: increased sexual desire. Once again, there’s no proof of this, but “it’s possible that you would feel a bump in your libido from the placebo effect, which is powerful,” says Dr White. (As in, just thinking you’re doing something to boost your drive could boost your drive.) That said, it still isn’t worth the risk.

In terms of lubrication—another supposed benefit of a jade egg—”the body produces more discharge in the presence of a foreign body inside your vagina, so it’s theoretically possible that it would increase,” Dr White explains. “But there are other ways to increase your lubrication without risk…like, you know, with lube.”

^{This article was originally published on www.womenshealthsa.co.za} 

^{Image credit: Wikimedia Commons}

Marissa Gainsburg

As yet, there’s not enough evidence that nurturing your fascia can directly reduce your risk for cancer or disease. (If only things were that simple!) But the tissue can impact your energy, your 5-kay performance and perhaps even your stress levels. So why wouldn’t you want to give it some TLC? Here are a few habits to adopt now…

STRETCH EACH MORNING

Even a quick forward fold can help break up collagen in your fascia, allowing more oxygen to hit your muscles and setting you up for better movement all day long. To really reduce tension, hold stretches for five breaths or longer. (Afterwards, you should be able to deepen that stretch even more.) Or hit the mat. Yin yoga keeps you in poses about twice as long and advanced practitioners maintain their poses for up to five minutes! Researchers think static stretching may produce anti-inflammatories that help repair tissue.

READ MORE: The Beginners Guide To Foam Rolling Correctly

GIVE YOURSELF A MASSAGE

Trying to improve fascial health without hands-on techniques (the major one: foam rolling) is like trying to make a peanut butter sarmie without bread – it just doesn’t work. Relieving kinks on your own improves range of motion and slashes soreness. Why? Kneading soft tissue removes collagen build-up and raises body temperature, which amps blood flow to pump nutrients to the area and flush waste. Roll until you feel a release. Hate it? Perfect excuse to book a profesh massage.

DRINK UP!

Our bodies are made up mostly of water and much of that H2O is in our fascia. So if you’re underhydrated or dehydrated, the tissue will be dry and brittle, not wet and spongy. The consequence: compromised mobility. Even your skin can look dull when your fascia isn’t hydrated because the superficial fascia (the layer closest to the surface) gives skin its healthy tone. Down your eight glasses daily – plus a glass or two extra on days you’re exercising hard, to replace what you lose in sweat.

READ MORE: A Physio’s Guide To Foam Rolling The Right Way, Plus Which Type Of Roller To Use

EAT FRUIT AND VEGGIES

High levels of inflammation throughout the body infiltrate the fascial tissue, summoning pain. A clean diet that’s packed with fresh produce and healthy fats and light on processed food (a favourite one to follow is the Mediterranean- style diet) helps minimise the I-word. Adding a daily serving of collagen, in the form of powder or bone broth, might even boost the collagen profile in your fascia, strengthening the web.

GET HOPPING

Scientists recently discovered that fascial tissue stores more kinetic energy than any other type of tissue – in fact, it’s this spring-like material, not powerful muscles, that enables kangaroos to catapult as far as 13m. (Pretty cool, right?) Because of this relationship, experts think plyometrics (explosive jumps) makes your fascia more durable and resilient by increasing its density. While all the other tips here will improve your fascia, only this one will actually strengthen it. Three times a week, spend up to five minutes doing hopscotch over an agility ladder or do three sets of 10 to 20 jump squats.

No longer are beets relegated to Grandma’s borscht or the sad corner of the salad bar. From hummus to juice, the often-overlooked bulb is now taking center stage in the health community—and it’s not hard to see why. They’ve got an earthiness that complements veggies and a sweetness that adds depth to desserts. The beetroot’s nutritional profile is also pretty impressive—the humble roots are packed with fibre, vitamins, and nutrients. Beetroot is technically ‘in season’ through autumn and winter, says Abby Langer, a registered dietician, but since they store incredibly well, they crop up in supermarkets all year-round.

So yes, we love our beetroot. But there’s a red elephant in the room. Many people will notice something strange going down in the toilet after they eat them. First off, you’re not bleeding. “It’s just the natural colours coming out,” says Langer. “Don’t be alarmed. It’s completely normal to have your urine and stool dyed red by the colour in beetroot after you eat them.” Glad that’s cleared up…

Cooked vegetables may be easier to digest than raw, Langer says, but at the end of the day, “it’s whatever you prefer.” No matter how you slice ‘em—steamed, pickled, raw, dehydrated into chips, or roasted to unearth their sweetness – beetroots are more versatile than we give them credit for. “I’ve actually made a chocolate beetroot cake, which was incredible,” she says.

We’re all for marching to the beet of our own drum, but try giving them a shot this winter. You’ll see why we’re obsessed.

They’re low in cals but high in nutrients.

One cup of beetroot contains 119 calories, according to the USDA. And with that cup, you’ll also score two grams of protein, nearly four grams of fibre, nine grams of sugar, and 13 grams of carbohydrates. To really paint the picture, you should know that a cup of turnips, also root veggies, only has one gram of protein and two grams of fibre. (Not to hate on turnips, of course, because they also have some stellar properties like being rich in vitamin A). Anyway, back to beetroot. These bad boys are also fat-free and a good source of folate, manganese, muscle-helping potassium, and immune-boosting vitamin C. And their impressive resume doesn’t stop there…

READ MORE: 15 Complex Carbs You Should Def Incorporate Into Your Diet

They’re anti-inflammatory and may prevent heart disease.

Research, such as that from Nutrition Journal, suggests that beets are a serious powerhouse when it comes to lowering blood pressure. That’s because they’re high in nitrates, which gets converted into nitric oxide—a gas that actually relaxes and widens your blood vessels, thereby aiding healthy blood flow throughout your body, explains Sydney Greene, a dietitian in New York City. “Essentially, this means more oxygen is being circulated, increasing your levels of alertness and energy.”

While lower BP (thanks again, nitrates!) definitely helps reduce the risk of heart disease, antioxidants such as betalains also play a role. “In general, antioxidants work in the body to scavenge free radicals that can cause damage to cells anywhere in the body,” Green says. “The betalains are potent antioxidants that can prevent heart disease as they help decrease inflammation.”

They can help boost your workout—and digestion.

Given what you know thus far, it’s no shock that beetroot is also known to help you kill it at the gym and, get this, live longer. “The nitrates in beetroot have been shown to positively affect exercise endurance,” Langer says. One possible reason? Research suggests that the nitrates actually improve the function of mitochondria, which are the powerhouses for your cells and muscles—essentially, they’re what provides them with energy.

And last but certainly not least, fibre-rich beets can help aid your digestion, keeping your system a-go and you regular.

READ MORE: These Are The Top 10 Power Foods That’ll Keep You Fuller For Longer

There are three main varieties of beetroot.

Red: They boast a brownish-red exterior and burst with crimson goodness inside. They are pretty sweet and FYI: Their bright-red colour tends to bleed, so don’t wear white when cooking with it.

Golden: Coral on the outside and vibrant yellowy-orange inside. They are slightly less sweet than red beetroot, with an earthier taste. They also don’t have the same color-bleeding problems that red varieties do.

Chioggia: Also known as candy-cane beetroot, this pretty variety is striped and swirled with red and white on the inside. For best results, keep them raw since cooking fades their colour and design. They are super sweet.

The best beetroot might be a little dirty.

Don’t be turned off by a little mud. Most beetroots tend to be dirty, and that’s normal (hello, they’re called “root” veggies after all!), but make sure they’re firm, Langer says. Pay close attention to the beet greens as well – they too should be firm and the darker they are, the more nutrients are packed inside.

They’re best when kept in the fridge.

When you get home, remove the greens, leaving around two inches of stem to prevent colour bleeding. Don’t throw out the greens—they’re edible and have lots of vitamins and minerals, too. More specifically, the leaves are super high in vitamin K, which supports bone strength, and vitamin A, which can contribute to glowing skin, Greene explains. Her advice? Either use them right away or wrap in a damp cloth and store in the fridge for 1-2 days, just as you would with kale, chard, and other leafy greens.

As for the bulbs, it’s okay to leave ’em dirty until you’re ready to chow down. If you do wash before storing, however, Green says to make sure they’re dried thoroughly. Pop the beets in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer for max freshness or up to two weeks. Pro tip: don’t store with fruits, as this can speed up spoilage.

They don’t have to be peeled to eat.

We all know keeping the peel intact generally preserves produce’s nutrients. But sometimes, you just want to preserve your sanity, too. “I personally don’t peel beets because it’s such a mess. That juice stains. I just trim off the taproot and greens, scrub them well, and cut them for cooking,” Langer says.

Whatever way you go about prepping beetroot, wearing gloves is a bright idea. Sure, looking like Mr Clean is fun, but steering clear of staining your fingers is what you really want. Another smart choice? Using a plastic cutting board instead of a wood one, which is porous and might soak up even more of the beet juice that (reminder!) stains…big time.

^{This article was originally published on www.womenshealthsa.co.za} 

^{Image credit: iStock}

Marissa Miller and Elizabeth Bacharach

Wildfires can have dramatic impacts on Western landscapes and communities, but human values determine whether the changes caused by fire are desired or dreaded. This is the simple — but often overlooked — message from a collaborative team of 23 researchers led by University of Montana faculty in a study published in the May issue of the journal BioScience.

Repetition can be useful if you’re trying to memorize a poem, master a guitar riff, or just cultivate good habits. When this kind of behavior becomes compulsive, however, it can get in the way of normal life — an impediment sometimes observed in psychiatric illnesses like Tourette’s syndrome and autism spectrum disorders. Now, Rockefeller scientists have identified a brain circuit that underlies repetition in worms, a finding that may ultimately shed light on similar behavior in humans.

There's a link between appendicitis and Parkinson's disease, according to a study published this week.

The new research, set to be presented at a conference next weekend, says a person is nearly three times as likely to develop Parkinson's disease if they've had their appendix removed.

Appendicitis, or inflammation of the appendix, is a common condition that causes abdominal pain. It's usually treated with an appendectomy—surgical removal of the appendix, which isn't a vital organ.

About 7% of the population have appendicitis at some point, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. That's what makes the new research pretty scary. Parkinson's is a disorder of the nervous system that affects the ability to control movements.

It's not known for sure what causes Parkinson's disease. However, researchers believe rare genetic mutations and environmental triggers, such as certain toxins, can increase your chances of having Parkinson's.

The new research points to the gut as a potential culprit. Why? Because of a protein found in the GI tract. "Recent research into the cause of Parkinson's has centered around alpha synuclein, a protein found in the gastrointestinal tract early in the onset of Parkinson's. This is why scientists around the world have been looking into the gastrointestinal tract, including the appendix, for evidence about the development of Parkinson's," Mohammed Z. Sheriff, MD, the lead author of the new study, said in a statement.

RELATED: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Appendicitis

To be clear, though, your chances of getting Parkinson's disease are slim to begin with. Having an appendectomy makes them only slightly higher, according to the new research. Dr. Sheriff's team analyzed the health records of more than 62 million people in the US. They looked at how many of the 488,190 patients who had received an appendectomy went on to develop Parkinson's at least six months after the procedure.

The answer to that question was 4,470. In other words, 0.92% of the patients who had received an appendectomy went on to develop Parkinson's at least six months later. The number of patients who did not undergo an appendectomy totaled 61.7 million. Only about 0.29% of those patients developed Parkinson's. This means the increase in your chances of developing Parkinson's if you've had your appendix removed is slight, jumping only from 0.29% to 0.92%.

But the new study might give doctors a better understanding of how Parkinson's develops. "This research shows a clear relationship between the appendix, or appendix removal, and Parkinson's disease, but it is only an association," Dr. Sheriff said. He added that additional research is essential in order to confirm the relationship between appendicitis and Parkinson's.

Parkinson's is expected to affect 930,000 people in the US by 2020, according to the Parkinson's Foundation.

RELATED: 9 Symptoms of Appendicitis

Mandy Adams is part of a network that encourages women to rest and reflect during their periods.

MPs from various parties write to the US biotech firm behind Kuvan, a drug the NHS says is too expensive.

Starting at age seven, kids can get stuck in a vicious cycle of obesity and emotional problems that is hard to escape, British researchers say.

Investigators are not sure what triggers the struggle, but new study findings suggest that, over time, youngsters who are obese are likely to develop anxiety and moodiness, while those with emotional problems are more apt to become obese.

Clear by age seven

“Awareness and understanding that higher weight and emotional problems often occur together might be important for parents,” said study co-author Charlotte Hardman, a senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool in England. For health care practitioners working in prevention and early intervention, targeting both health outcomes might be of benefit”.

Hardman and co-author Praveetha Patalay tracked the mental health and body mass index (BMI) of more than 17 000 British kids born between 2000 and 2002. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.)

Although the researchers found no connection between obesity and emotional issues among very young children, the link was clear by age seven and strengthened as kids got older.

Kids who were obese at age seven had a greater risk of emotional difficulties at age 11, which then predicted a high BMI at 14, the study authors found.

“Specifically, higher body mass index and emotional problems tended to occur together in mid-childhood and adolescence, from ages seven to 14, but not in early childhood at ages three and five” Hardman said.

What’s more, seven- to 14-year-old girls had, on average, higher BMI and emotional difficulties than boys.

Clinically obese

Still, Hardman noted that boys and girls in that age range were about equally likely to struggle with some degree of obesity and/or mental health difficulties, such as being anxious or in a bad mood.

The team first reported their findings in the March 20 online issue of JAMA Psychiatry, and are scheduled to present their research this week at a meeting of the European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow, Scotland.

For the study, Hardman and Patalay analysed a nationally representative sample of kids enrolled in the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study.

It collected BMI information on participants at nine months and then five more times at ages three, five, seven, 11 and 14. Their parents filled out questionnaires about their children’s mental health. The findings were adjusted for factors known to affect both obesity and mental health, including gender, ethnicity, behaviour problems and parents’ mental health.

Nearly 8% of the kids were clinically obese by age 14. By then, nearly twice as many were struggling with anxiety and feelings characterised as a “bad mood” the study found.

No cause and effect

Though poverty played a part in the link between weight and mental health, there was an across-the-board association between BMI and emotional problems. Hardman said that suggests social, physiological and psychological processes become increasingly important as children age.

Why? Hardman said the study didn’t explore underlying reasons and it does not prove cause and effect. However, she offered a theory.

“Children with higher BMI may experience weight-related discrimination and poor self-esteem, which could contribute to increased depressive symptoms over time (as has been shown in adults), while depression may lead to obesity through increased emotional eating of high-calorie comfort foods, poor sleep patterns and lethargy” Hardman said in a meeting news release.

Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, reviewed the study findings.

Cycle can be interrupted

Heller said the link between obesity and mental health in children likely has many roots.

“Obese children may have less healthy diets, be less physically active, and be under the influence of the highly palatable, highly processed foods that encourage over-consumption” she explained. “Growing children, who are in the throes of discovering who they are, may be particularly vulnerable to these effects as well as being bullied, made fun of, and stigmatised by their peers”.

But the cycle can be interrupted. Heller said that excessive screen time, physical inactivity and poor diet are issues that can be addressed with lifestyle changes.

“Parents and caregivers should be role models and encourage a dietary pattern of a balanced, more plant-based, less processed foods lifestyle, daily physical activity and less screen time” she said. “All of these things can help improve self-esteem and well-being, improve gut health and manage weight”.

^{Image credit: iStock}

A toxic protein linked to Huntington’s disease can move from neuron to neuron through a nanotube tunnel whose construction is initiated by a protein called Rhes, say scientists at Scripps Research.