Manual Interventions for Musculoskeletal Factors
in Infants with Suboptimal Breastfeeding:
A Scoping Review
J Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine 2018 (Dec 12); 23: 1–12 ~ FULL TEXT
This scoping review adds to the evidence base on one aspect of manual therapy for infants, a controversial topic that has even received attention on network television. Previous literature reviews of the topic of manual therapy for infant musculoskeletal problems linked to suboptimal breastfeeding have been discipline specific and focused on using spinal manipulation as the primary treatment. [42, 44] Relevant information about similar procedures and assessments used by other manual therapy professions remains unshared and unknown. Therefore, we searched literature that was oriented toward both chiropractic and osteopathic medicine because the two professions are most closely associated with spinal manipulation and use other manual therapies. We also searched websites of organizations that focus on infants with breastfeeding issues associated with the compensatory musculoskeletal problems resulting from congenital anomalies like ankyloglossia. Casting this wide net resulted in a surprisingly large number of articles and a higher quality of evidence than we anticipated.

Prospective Case Series on the Effects of
Lumbosacral Manipulation on Dysmenorrhea
J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2008 (Mar); 31 (3): 237–246 ~ FULL TEXT
This prospective case series suggests the possibility that menstrual pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea may be alleviated by treating motion segment restrictions of the lumbosacral spine with a drop table technique. The research team needs to conduct a well-designed feasibility trial to further evaluate the effectiveness of this specific spinal manipulative technique for primary dysmenorrhea.

Post Partum and Beyond:
Managing Back Pain in Women
Dr. Diane Benizzi DiMarco ~ FULL TEXT
The post partum patient retains a higher risk for potential injury as compared to the patient who has not endured pregnancy or has not been pregnant for an extended period of time. Fertilization propels the release of estrogen, progesterone and relaxin, hormones essential to the growth and development of the embryo and fetus. These hormones that are essential to the pregnancy cause global relaxation to the ligaments and muscles in the female pregnant patient. A conglomerate of anatomical changes created by the global laxity in muscles and ligaments compromises the stability of the spine.

Treating the Female Patient:
The Female Menstrual Cycle
Dr. Diane Benizzi DiMarco ~ FULL TEXT
Premenstrual syndrome, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Primary Dysmenorrhea account for as much as 30 billion dollars of lost wages per year. There are more than 150 symptoms that contribute to the syndrome of PMS, PMDD and primary dysmenorrhea. (1, 2) With this in mind, it is safe to assume that most of society has been exposed to the affects of pre-menses in some way, either directly, through a relation, spouse or friend. The information contained is intended to provide the clinician with a viable alternative to invasive management in treating PMS, PMDD, and Dysmenorrhea. The neuromuscular system provides an excellent source to controlling the myriad symptoms associated with pre-menses.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome:
Clinical Considerations
Alternative Medicine Review 2001 (Jun); 6 (3): 272–292 ~ FULL TEXT
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most frequently encountered endocrine disorders occurring in women of reproductive age. Clinically, a patient usually presents with menstrual irregularities, infertility, and hirsutism. If not treated properly, a patient is at risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hyperestrogen-related cancers. The hallmark endocrine disorders of this syndrome are hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia. Great controversy exists as to which state precedes the other. There also appears to be a defect in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in patients presenting with polycystic ovary syndrome. Research consistently demonstrates that the first line of treatment for this condition is weight loss.

Ginger Alleviates Morning Sickness
Nutrition Science News (July 2001)
Ginger (Zingiber officinale), a commonly used folk remedy, has been confirmed to effectively treat nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. A placebo-controlled, double-blind study of 67 pregnant women with morning sickness was conducted by Teraporn Vutyavanich, M.D., of Chiang Mai University in Thailand. Thirty-two women were given 250 mg of ginger four times daily while 35 received placebo.

Soy Isoflavones for Women's Health:
Is Soy a Viable Alternative to
Traditional Estrogen Hormone Replacement?
In April and May of 1998, newspaper headlines were buzzing with news of the latest cancer prevention pills. Two prescription drugs, tamoxifen and raloxifene, were found to reduce the risk of breast cancer. There were drawbacks to the pharmaceuticals, however, as there usually are: Tamoxifen increased the risk of endometrial cancer and pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs), and raloxifene users were more likely to suffer from hot flashes and leg cramps.

Back Pain Risk Continues After Pregnancy
Obstetrics & Gynecology 1998 (Feb); 91 (2): 182–186
Women with severe low back pain during pregnancy are at high risk for back pain for more than 10 years after the pregnancy –– and the problem is likely to recur in a subsequent pregnancy, according to a new study in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. More seriously, (19%) of the women with previous low back pain stated they had refrained from another pregnancy because of their fear of the recurrence of their low back pain.

Endometriosis and the Anterior Coccyx:
Observations on 5 Cases
Research Forum 1985 (Summer);   1 (4):   120–122 ~ FULL TEXT
This case review involves five women presenting with medically-diagnosed endometriosis. All five women had been advised that they were surgical candidates. Relief of symptoms is effected by adjusting the anteriorally displaced coccyx. The author suggests a relationship between the displaced coccyx and endometriosis and counsels upon the recognition of same.

Do Pesticides Cause Breast Cancer?
This abstract reports histology exams which reveal higher concentrations of pesticides found in fat samples from women with cancer, as compared with those who had benign breast disease.

Estrogen's Two-Way Street
Nutrition Science News (November 2001)
The continuing controversy over the health benefits and risks of estrogen is a complex and evolving story. Part of the reason is because estrogen is a much more complicated substance than originally believed. Although most people think of estrogen as a single entity, these hormones are actually three biochemically distinct molecules the body produces naturally—estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3). These three estrogen molecules have different activities that make them more or less "estrogenic." The estrogenic activity often determines the mutagenic or carcinogenic potential of an estrogen.

Soy Isoflavones May Cut Menopausal Cardiovascular Risk
A woman's body goes through many changes during menopause—some of them with potential to affect cardiovascular health. When women's estrogen levels decrease during menopause, blood vessels can become rigid and less responsive to changes in blood flow and blood flow-altering mediators such as nitric oxide. Until now this decline in cardiovascular health was a risk women had to face if they opted against hormone replacement therapy. But research published in the March issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism [1999;84(3):895–8] suggests that Promensil, an isoflavone-based dietary supplement derived from red clover, may help women maintain blood vessel elasticity and prevent hypertension during menopause.

Martha Matilda Harper and the American Dream
Wow! What a story! Even before the indomitable Susan B. Anthony got women officially admitted to the University of Rochester in 1900, the equally determined Martha Matilda Harper was (unofficially) already attending classes on that campus. It was one of the ways she was preparing for an extraordinary entrepreneurial career undertaken at a time when women just didn't do such things.

Special Section on RU-486
For more than 10 years, European women have been able to use mifepristone, known there as RU-486, as a pharmaceutical alternative to surgical abortion during early pregnancy.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Said To Increase
Lobular Breast Cancers
Use of a hormone-replacement therapy with estrogen and progestin can more than double the risk of a form of breast cancer, researchers reported today in the journal Cancer.

Fibrocystic Breast Changes:
Lumps That Are Normal
It sounds very unglamorous, but the human breast is no more than a lumpy gland made up of milk glands and ducts and the tissues that separate and support them. Most breasts have at least a lump or two; however, if your breast feels especially lumpy and uncomfortable, you're probably experiencing fibrocystic breast changes.

Menopause-Stopping The Symptoms
Before They Stop You
LEF Magazine ~ June 1998
Forty-five million women are menopausal in the United States today, and another 3.5 million women will become menopausal this year. Based on life expectancy trends, women face the prospect of spending the last one-third to one-half of their lives in a state of hormonal imbalance. The quality and quantity of life for these women will be determined by how well they (and their doctors) manage their hormone-replacement needs.

Improving The Prognosis For Breast Cancer Survival:
Dangerous DNA damage can be prevented with vitamins,
citrus and soy
Nutrition Science News
Ask women about their greatest health fears, and many will rank breast cancer close to the top, even though they're five times more likely to die from heart disease. Yet conventional medicine, in the quest to prevent breast cancer, has accomplished little more than a dog chasing its own tail. The drug tamoxifen, for instance, helps many women with breast cancer, but they pay the price of an increased risk of endometrial cancer. [1] Medicine would do much better concentrating on genuine prevention--especially through nutrition.

Women's Health at the World Health Organization
This page provides links to descriptions of activities, reports, news and events, as well as contacts and cooperating partners in the various WHO programmes and offices working on this topic. Also shown are links to related web sites and topics.

Link Found Between Menstrual Cycle And Knee Injuries
Researchers at the University of Michigan and the Cincinnati Sports Medicine Clinic have discovered that female athletes are more likely to suffer a common type of knee injury when their estrogen levels are highest. The U-M research team, led by orthopaedic surgeon Edward M. Wojtys, M.D., evaluated 40 young females with acute ACL injuries and discovered a disproportionately high number of the injuries occurred during the ovulatory phase of the athlete’s menstrual cycle. The ovulatory phase typically occurs during days 10-14 of the cycle and is marked by a significant rise in estrogen levels as well as high levels of a hormone called relaxin.