Hotflashes - April 2025

Preventing Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Pelvic organ prolapse is an issue that affects nearly half of all women between the ages of 50 and 79. Some of the major risk factors are hard to avoid, like getting older and having one or more vaginal childbirths. However, there are some things you can do to lower your risk of pelvic organ prolapse, which we’ll go over in this article.

Exercise your pelvic floor

Our pelvic floor holds up a lot of vital organs and all the weight that comes with pregnancy if you’ve ever been pregnant, but it’s not often an area we think about exercising other than the occasional Kegel. There are many other exercises you can do daily though that can strengthen your pelvic floor and provide better support for your organs. You can look up examples online, talk to your doctor about options, or see a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor therapy.

Maintain a healthy weight

Our pelvic floor supports a lot of weight as it is, and if you’re overweight, it has to work even harder. Talk to your doctor about what a healthy weight looks like for you and try to lose weight if you are overweight. This will not only take pressure off your pelvic floor, but it can take pressure off your joints and improve your overall health.

Prevent constipation

If you are frequently constipated, it can cause your pelvic floor muscles to have to work harder than they need to. Prevent constipation by staying hydrated and eating a diet high in fiber. If you still struggle with constipation, talk to your doctor about other solutions you can try.

Don’t smoke

Smoking isn’t good for any part of your body, and your pelvic floor is no different. This is because smoking leads to chronic coughing which puts extra pressure on your pelvic floor muscles.

Protect your pelvic floor

Even though our pelvic floor is extremely important, most of us don’t think about protecting it when we’re lifting heavy objects, but lifting them improperly can cause injury both to your back and pelvic floor. It’s a good idea to get help with objects that are just too heavy for you, and when you are able to lift an object, bend your hips and knees into a squat, while keeping your back as straight as possible to lift the object in order to protect your back and pelvic floor.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24046-pelvic-organ-prolapse

Alcohol’s Effect on Your Body

While we often think of how alcohol affects our body in the short term like the warm buzz, the lowered inhibitions, or the unpleasant hangover the next day, alcohol can have long-term effects on your body and health. In today’s article, we’ll go over how alcohol affects different systems and organs within your body over time.

Pancreas

When you drink lots of alcohol, over time this can lead to an inflammation in your pancreas, leading to pancreatitis. This can cause abdominal pain and serious long-term complications. Additionally, alcohol can affect your sugar levels, which can cause damage to your pancreas and lead to complications like diabetes.

Liver

Your liver acts as a filter for your body by breaking down and removing harmful substances, like alcohol, from your body, but when you drink heavily over time, it can damage this process. This can lead to alcohol-related liver disease, chronic liver inflammation, and eventually cirrhosis.

Central Nervous System

While it might be easy to think of how alcohol affects your nervous system in the short-term, it can also have long-term affects. For example, it can lead to numbness and tingling in the feet or hands, difficulty regulating emotions, struggling to create long-term memories, difficulty thinking clearly, and irrational decision making.

Digestive System

When you drink, this can cause damage to your digestive tract tissues, which can eventually lead to issues digesting food and absorbing vitamins and nutrients properly. It can also cause issues like gas, bloating, fullness in the abdomen, diarrhea or painful stools, ulcers, and hemorrhoids.

Circulatory System

Alcohol also affects both your heart and lungs, which can increase your risk of high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, difficulty pumping blood through the body, stroke, heart attack, heart disease, and heart failure.

Sexual Health

Heavy drinking can cause your body to prevent sex hormone production. Additionally, it may lower your libido, keep you from getting or keeping an erection, make it difficult to orgasm, affect your menstrual cycle, and may even increase your risk for infertility.

Skeletal and Muscle Systems

Drinking heavily overtime can damage your bone density. This will lead to thinner bones and an increased risk of fractures. It can also lead to muscle issues like muscle weakness, cramping, and eventually muscle atrophy.

Immune System

Lots of drinking can lower your body’s ability to fight off germs and viruses, and studies have shown that people who drink heavily are at an increased risk of developing pneumonia or tuberculosis compared to people who don’t drink or don’t drink as heavily. Drinking can also increase your risk of several types of cancers.

Mental Health

Over time, drinking regularly can worsen your mental health and overall well-being, making you more at risk for conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse.

https://www.healthline.com/health/alcohol/effects-on-body

Rainbow Spritzer Mocktail

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup chopped peeled kiwifruit
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries or fresh raspberries
• 1 cup chilled ginger ale
• 1/2 cup chilled unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup chilled lemonade

Directions: 

• In 4 tall glasses, layer blueberries, kiwi, pineapple and strawberries. In a 2-cup glass measure or small pitcher, mix remaining ingredients; pour over fruit. Serve immediately.