Maid of Muscle

According to a recent study, doctors are not prescribing women an adequate level of pain relief. Women are more prone to long-term, agonizing conditions such as arthritis, migraines and irritable bowel syndrome. It has often been assumed that a woman’s body can genetically sustain a higher level of pain than men, to help them deal with the pain of childbirth, but according to researchers, the opposite may be true.

Women typically experience recurring pains such as migraines that last longer than the opposite sex. Women also feel pain in different ways, with different symptoms for similar conditions as men. Hormones, body composition and central nervous systems means women are more susceptible to a range of painful conditions, according to experts at a conference for the International Association for the Study of Pain.

IASP President, Dr Troels Jensen:

Chronic pain affects a higher proportion of women than men, but unfortunately they are also less likely to receive treatment compared to men due to various cultural, economic and political barriers. IASP hopes to provide a voice to these women by drawing attention to this global issue as a first step towards reducing pain and suffering of women around the world.

Scientists speaking at the IASP conference in Glasgow, stated that their findings could be used to prevent thousands of sick days each year, saving the country millions of dollars. Even widely used, over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol have less of an effect on women, it has been found. The research also indicates that many doctors fail to take women patients as seriously as men, often brushing off their symptoms as ‘psychological’.

A woman who has never shown symptoms of infection with the AIDS virus may hold the secret to defeating the virus, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

Infected at least 10 years ago by her husband, the woman is able somehow to naturally control the deadly and incurable virus — even though her husband must take cocktails of strong HIV drugs to control his.

She is a so-called “elite suppressor,” and studies of her immune cells have begun to offer clues to how her body does it, the team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said.
Study Director, Dr. Joel Blankson:

This is the best evidence to date that elite suppressors can have fully pathogenic virus. The feeling was initially that they had defective virus.

But the couple has been monogamous for at least 17 years, Blankson said, and tests show they are infected with the same strain of virus. What is different is the immune system of the wife, who cannot be named for privacy reasons.

That’s a good sign in terms of developing a therapeutic vaccine. Such a vaccine would not prevent infection but might be used to treat patients.

The AIDS virus infects at least 33 million people globally and more than a million in the United States. It has killed 25 million people since it was identified in the early 1980s.

New figures show 56,000 people are infected every year in the United states, mostly gay and bisexual men but also injecting drug users and their sexual partners, both male and female, as well as newborns and recipients of contaminated blood transfusions.

STALLING REPLICATION

Both the man and the woman, who are from Baltimore, were diagnosed 10 years ago, Blankson said. The husband is a former injecting drug user.

Tests showed that immune cells known as CD8 T-cells from the wife stalled HIV replication by as much as 90 percent, while the husband’s T-cells stopped it by only 30 percent, Blankson’s team reported in the Journal of Virology.

Her virus has also mutated in apparent response to this immune attack, becoming weaker, while her husband’s virus has remained strong.

Elite suppression offers clues to vaccine researchers on many fronts: how CD8 killer T-cells can attack HIV and how a stronger immune response can force HIV into a permanent defensive state. We are trying to figure out exactly how the T-cells work in her to inhibit viral replication. We are just trying to see what kind of cytokines they make.

Cytokines are immune system signaling proteins. One thing the researchers have noticed is that while the husband’s T-cells make just one, called gamma interferon, hers made both that one and another called TNF, or tumor necrosis factor.

That cannot be the whole story, though, because AIDS researchers have tried using such immune system proteins in patients and they did not work well.

And her immune cells seem to make the response only when they encounter the virus.

Another clue: the woman may have unusual activity in her human leukocyte antigen system, or HLA, Blankson said. This important component of the immune system helps recognize antigens — protein identifiers — of enemies such as bacteria and viruses.

Tea is no longer only for just grand mothers in their rocking chair. There are many health beneifts to consuming different types of tea. Second only to water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. Tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, and the processing of the leaves results in different types of tea with different health benefits. If you still think that drinking tea will make you look too old and stuffy, think again.

Green Tea

Origin: Green Tea comes from tea bushes from either China or Japan. Fresh leaves are picked and then are steamed or pan fired to release moisture. Leaves are then rolled and dried and given a final firing to ensure that all moisture is gone.

Flavor: China-style: light, smoky, and nutty. Japan-style: grassy, bright, and oceany.

Health Benefits: Green tea is by far the most researched tea out there, and for good reason: Its high level of antioxidants may help the body fight everything from cancer to skin disorders like psoriasis and dandruff. Studies have shown that in populations where green tea is consumed frequently, cancer rates tend to be significantly lower.

Black Tea

Origin: Picked leaves are left to oxidize completely until they turn black, and they are then pan fired. Black tea contains the highest amount of caffeine.

Flavor: Pungent, thick, rich, and tends to be on the sweeter side.

Health Benefits: Researchers found that chemical compounds in black tea may stop the growth of bacteria that causes bad breath. Other research has shown that the high amounts of amino acids may help strengthen the immune system.

Oolong Tea

Origin: Leaves are shaken or rolled to bruise their edges, and after a short fermentation they are pan fired. Oolong tea is often served at Chinese restaurants.

Flavor: Rich and fruity (like a cross between green and black teas).

Health Benefits: Research suggests that drinking oolong tea may promote weight loss as well as help boost one’s immune system. It is also said to help prevent tooth decay and is effective for fighting dermatitis.

Welcome to Maid of Muscle, a blog dedicated to women’s health and fitness. This site’s articles and stories will cater to women’s interests and needs including healthy dieting, the gym, fitness classes and other current news and events that you want to know.

The Internet is flooded with harmful diets and general misinformation about how women can live a healthy, fit life. Maid of Muscle will weed through the masses of information, and bring you unbiased advice and information to help you reach your fitness goals.

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please let us know.

Thanks,

The Maid of Muscle Team