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Along with keeping mom healthy, regular exercise during pregnancy helps prevent excessive newborn weight, a new study shows.

Published in the October issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Norwegian researchers found that the odds of delivering a too-big baby dropped by as much as 28 percent in women who exercised regularly in their second and third trimesters during their first pregnancy.

“Women often adopt healthier habits before and during pregnancy, like stopping caffeine use. This study suggests that adding exercise to that list may be icing on the cake,” said Dr. Robert Welch, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Mich.

Known medically as fetal macrosomia, a heavier birth weight poses a risk to both the baby and the mother. If a baby weighs more than 8.8 pounds, the risk of delivery problems, C-sections, postpartum hemorrhage and low Apgar scores all increase, according to background information in the study. Larger birth weights have also been associated with an increased risk of obesity later in life, according to the researchers.

The study also reported that the number of too-big babies appears to be on the rise, while the number of women exercising during pregnancy is on the decline.

To measure what effect regular exercise has on newborn weight, the Norwegian researchers reviewed data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study. That database included information on nearly 37,000 women, whose pregnancies lasted at least 37 weeks.

All of the women were pregnant with one child. Two-thirds of the women were normal weight, and 20 percent were overweight, but not obese.

Exercise information was gathered at weeks 17 and 30 of the pregnancies. In women who’d never been pregnant before, 43 percent said they exercised three times a week or more before pregnancy. In women who’d previously been pregnant, 32 percent said they exercised three times a week or more.

By the 30th week of pregnancy, 25 percent reported never exercising, and 19 percent said they exercised one to three times a month. Twenty-nine percent reported exercising one to two times weekly, while 24 percent said they were exercising three or more times each week.

Pre-pregnancy exercise didn’t seem to make a difference in a baby’s birth weight, but exercise during pregnancy did. In women who’d never been pregnant before, those who were exercising at least three times a week had a 28 percent reduced risk of a large birth weight baby, while those who were still regularly exercising at 30 weeks had a 23 percent decreased risk of having a too-big baby.

The effects of exercise didn’t appear to be as consistently beneficial in women who’d already had children. When these women danced or participated in low-impact aerobics, they also reduced the likelihood of delivering a large baby, but when they swam or trained in fitness centers, the benefit disappeared.

Although the study wasn’t able to address why this was so, Dr. Steven Allen, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Scott & White Healthcare in Temple, Texas, said it may be that this may be a risk factor that’s less modifiable in subsequent pregnancies, or “they may not have had enough exercise.”

Allen said that while exercise during pregnancy is definitely a good idea, these findings might be different if done with a different population. For example, American women are likely more ethnically diverse and have different average body-mass index levels.

But, in any case, Allen said, “Exercise should be encouraged for everyone who’s healthy enough to do it. Exercise shouldn’t be discontinued just because you’re pregnant.”

Allen added that research in the United States has also shown that women who exercise are less likely to have preterm deliveries.

Welch cautioned that as women progress in pregnancy, they should avoid any exercise that has them lay flat on their back, because this can restrict blood flow to both baby and mom. Also, contact sports are out, as is anything where falling might be likely, such as horseback riding.

He said he tells his patients to keep their heart rate to no more than 120 beats per minute during exercise. This allows you to get an aerobic workout, but isn’t so much that it might shunt blood away from the baby, Welch explained.

Incomplete and interrupted radiation treatment is a common problem among Medicare patients with head and neck cancer, a new study has found.

Researchers analyzed data from 5,086 Medicare patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer between 1997 and 2003 and found that nearly 40 percent of them experienced interruptions in radiation therapy or failed to complete the course of therapy.

People who had surgery before radiation treatment were more likely to complete the treatment without interruption than were those who did not have surgery (70 percent versus 52 percent). People with co-existing illnesses, those who had undergone chemotherapy and those whose disease had spread to surrounding lymph nodes were less likely to do so, the study found.

The findings are in the September issue of Archives of Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.

“Surgical patients may be more likely to complete radiotherapy for several reasons,” wrote Megan Dann Fesinmeyer, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and her research colleagues. “First, characteristics that make patients good candidates for surgery may also make them more likely to complete radiotherapy. Because comorbidities are known to decrease survival in patients with head and neck cancer, healthier patients may be chosen by surgeons to complete more rigorous treatments (e.g., surgery in addition to radiotherapy).”

The study authors added that people “willing to undergo major surgery to treat their disease may also be more motivated to complete a full course of uninterrupted radiation therapy, despite any toxic effects of treatment that may occur.”

More research is needed to determine the factors associated with incomplete or interrupted radiation therapy among those who don’t have surgery, the researchers noted.

By the time you reach the 28th week of pregnancy, you should be able to feel your baby rolling, thumping and kicking. To be sure baby is doing well, you can keep track of kick counts.

The Alameda Alliance for Health offers these instructions on measuring baby’s kick counts:
Track kick counts each day, measuring them at about the same time each day, when your baby is active.
Track kick counts shortly after you’ve eaten a meal, as your baby will probably be most active then.
Sitting or lying on your side, place your hands on your belly and monitor baby’s movement.
Each time you feel a roll, kick, thump or turn, mark it down on a piece of paper. Don’t count baby’s hiccups.
Keep counting until you’ve felt 10 movements from baby. If baby doesn’t move 10 times within one hour, try again later that day. You should call your doctor if your baby’s movement seems abnormal or you’ve tried more than once that day and can’t feel baby move 10 times or more during one hour.

Stress can have a significant impact on your physical and emotional health.

The Cleveland Clinic offers this advice on how to keep stress under control:
Limit alcohol consumption, don’t smoke and stick to a healthy diet.
Don’t take on more than you can handle, and don’t be afraid to politely say “no,” no matter who’s asking.
Exercise is a great stress reliever and helps you feel better.
Practice relaxation techniques daily.
Get organized and take control over your life. Do what you can, and recognize what you can’t control.
Try to identify and minimize things that cause stress.
Be realistic in what you can accomplish, and accept that you don’t have to do everything. Remind yourself of what you do well.

The normal cycle of hair growth lasts for 2 to 6 years. Each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter (less than half an inch) per month during this phase. About 90 percent of the hair on your scalp is growing at any one time. About 10 percent of the hair on your scalp, at any one time, is in a resting phase. After 2 to 3 months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place.

It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle. However, some people may experience excessive (more than normal) hair loss. Hair loss of this type can affect men, women and children.