Running On Bad Data

In our weekly section, The Latest, we share articles and quick reads that came to our attention recently. Every once in a while, we like a deeper dive into a topic. 

This week a friend (and reader) suggested Good for a Girl- A Woman Running in a Man’s World, New York Times best-seller by Lauren Fleshman. Ms. Fleshman shares her inspirational story and science backed information about female athletes in a world with so little research, information or expectations created for them. 

What is your favorite health or wellness related read? Let us know in the feedback survey this week!

- Maggie Ruvoldt & Stephanie Majercik

The Tasting Menu

• Nurturing Intimacy After Childbirth

• When What You Eat Goes to Your Head

• Taking Care of Your Hair and Scalp

Nurturing Intimacy After Childbirth

You’ve been waiting and anticipating this arrival - the baby is here! A new life into your world is a profound and life-changing experience, but the postpartum period can also bring unique challenges, particularly when it comes to intimacy. 

So much is changing. Your identity now includes “parent” There are physical and emotional changes that occur after childbirth. Add nurturing the physically intimate part of yourself and your relationship and it can be overwhelming. 

We can’t possibly explore all the various aspects of intimacy after childbirth in one piece. So if you take nothing else away know this: You have to set your own timeline and know your needs. Talking openly to your partner and friends who have been there before will make you feel less alone.

Here are some insights on prioritizing your needs and fostering a strong and connected relationship with your partner.

Physical Recovery and Communication

Following childbirth, your body undergoes significant changes, and allowing ample time for physical recovery is essential. Your medical provider will likely do a check between 4 and 6 weeks postpartum and that’s an important time to discuss when you are physically ready to resume sex. 

That doesn’t mean you have to.

Communicate openly with your partner about your feelings and needs. Gentle touch, tender affection, and sincere words of encouragement play a pivotal role in fostering emotional intimacy and reassurance during this phase. Ask for what you need. Banner Health has a piece that includes tips on rebuilding intimacy after childbirth.

Understanding Emotional Shifts

The postpartum period can be a rollercoaster of emotions, as hormonal fluctuations and sleep deprivation impact both of you. You may experience lower sex drive, vaginal dryness, pain from c-section or an episiotomy. You may be afraid to have sex again if you don’t know what to expect or are experiencing pain. We liked Parent’s article What to Know About Sex After Birth for some practical advice on this. It has great advice for our next item too.

Reconnecting as Partners

Balancing parenthood and intimacy can be daunting, but setting aside quality time to reconnect as partners is vital. Date nights, sharing hobbies, or simply spending time together without distractions can reignite the flame of romance and maintain the emotional bond.

Trying to think of intimacy after childbirth is a journey of rediscovery and reconnection. By prioritizing self-care, engaging in open and vulnerable communication, and taking small steps towards intimacy, you can nurture a loving partnership that thrives in the postpartum phase.

When What You Eat Goes to Your Head

Headaches are a common ailment that affect everyone, but research suggests that women may experience them differently due to various hormonal and physiological factors. In our quest for alternate options to medical intervention - even as simple as reaching for Advil - we are sharing how dietary choices can influence headache frequency and intensity.

In this week’s medical term, you’ll read about symptom journals. They can be very helpful when considering the list below.

• Certain foods and beverages have been identified as potential triggers for headaches in women. And others have been shown to provide relief. Adding foods rich in magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids are particularly helpful. Processed meats, alcohol (particularly red wine), caffeine and artificial sweeteners might increase the likelihood of headaches.

• Dehydration headaches are a real thing. And the combination of hormonal fluctuations during your menstrual cycle, which can increase susceptibility to dehydration make them more likely in women. Ensuring adequate water intake can potentially alleviate or prevent headaches.

• Fluctuations in blood sugar levels can influence the occurrence of headaches. If you get frequent headaches, look at whether you are having high-glycemic index foods, such as sugary snacks or refined carbohydrates before they occur or are skipping meals. Maintaining stable blood sugar levels can help reduce the risk of headaches in some people.

• The National Library of Medicine points to nutrients that have been investigated for their potential role in headache prevention. For example, magnesium and riboflavin (Vitamin B2) supplements have shown promise in reducing headache frequency and intensity.

While not all headaches are directly influenced by diet and individual needs are different, it’s good to know that reaching for medication isn’t the only way to manage frequent headaches. 

We’d be remiss in pointing out the diagnosis of migraines is often lower in women, particularly in latina and black women. If you are in pain frequently and it is accompanied by other symptoms, check out this Penn Medicine piece about the difference between headaches and migraines and talk to your medical provider. 

Taking Care of Your Hair and Scalp

It's the age-old question we’ve all asked ourselves at some point in our lives – what’s the right way to wash my hair? Speaking for myself, it feels like everytime I turn around, the recommendations change (deja vu). Wash every day? Rinse and repeat? Wash only 2-3 times per week? How are we supposed to keep track?

Well, as with many of the topics that we cover, the answer is that it depends – and the answer is going to be different for every person – based on whether your hair is thick or fine, curly or straight, what kind of hair treatments you’ve had, and how oily your scalp is.

The key factor to remember is that hair care goes hand in hand with scalp care – your scalp is part of your skin and regularly needs to be cleaned to clear away oil, skin, and other build up. Using that rule of thumb, a scalp that is naturally oily needs to be washed more often, whereas those with drier scalps can get away with two or three days in between. 

You might also consider how fast oil can run through your hair. Fine and straight hair types don’t offer a lot of resistance and so hair can feel greasy quickly, while those with wavy or curly hair not only tend to be naturally drier, but the waves and spirals prevent oil from permeating through your hair.

Regardless of how often you need to wash your hair, the steps and rules are pretty universal – here’s the recommendations from the American Academy of Dermatology:

• Concentrate shampoo on your scalp – you generally don’t need to “wash” all of your hair, shampooing will help exfoliate and eliminate that build up to clean your scalp

• Focus conditioner on the ends of your hair – putting conditioner on your scalp can interfere with your natural oils, but you’ll want to make sure you’re moisturizing the ends of your hair

• Use shampoos and conditioners specific for your hair type – here’s a few lists from Vogue and Byrdie

Medical Term of the Week

We love data and information. And we recently read about how tracking symptoms through a symptoms journal can uncover patterns in your health and battle the recency effect when reporting what you’re experiencing to your medical provider. 

A symptom journal is as simple as it sounds. It’s a daily tracking of what you are experiencing. Want to learn more? Healthline has got a great piece on what they are and how to start one. 

The Latest

They say having a pet is good for your mental health. It turns out petting someone else's pet has benefits too! (From NPR)

Looking for fitness apps designed for women? (From Health Women)

How menopause might be changing your hair (From NY Times)