A Really Big Study of Alternative Therapies During Pregnancy...

Photo from Shape.com...because I don't have fresh ginger in my hospital room

 
...and the conclusion: of all the herbal remedies pregnant women use, ginger is the only thing proven to work.

Here is the article from the New York Times.  Excerpts below.

• "The researchers found that ginger was the most thoroughly studied remedy, and the one found most consistently effective. It relieved morning sickness better than a placebo, and was as good as Dramamine at doing so."

• "But the evidence for other popular herbal options was lacking. Cranberry, often used against urinary tract infections, a common occurrence in pregnancy, was found ineffective. There was no evidence that garlic helps with preeclampsia, or that raspberry leaf shortened labor. And while castor oil appears to be free of side effects, it has no ability to induce labor." 

If you're anything like me, herbal remedies sound appealing from time to time because it seems like a way to skip additional pharmaceuticals.  Ah well...guess the take away is "Use with suspicion."

Working Out Woes

Ran a 5k at 7 weeks. Super un-fun. How do these ladies do it?

I was never someone who "loved" working out to begin with.  So when struck with the one-two punch of nausea and exhaustion (yay, first trimester), I embraced total laziness.  Plus, while jogging on the treadmill had always been tedious, within weeks of finding out I was pregnant, I found myself getting really breathless.  (I don't think there's any medical basis for this.  Probably psychosomatic.  Or just psycho.)

The other issue I have--and this one actually concerns me in regards to the baby--is that working out often increases my IBD symptoms.  I'm not sure if working out leads to heightened immunity which then results in autoimmune issues, but I do notice a direct correlation between the working out and flares.

HOWEVER, my sedentary lifestyle (combined with a new-found obsession with all things carb) was starting to freak me out.  So with the second trimester, I'm back to the gym (very moderately).  I'm really enjoying yoga.  Spinning is okay too since it's up to you to determine the intensity.  Jogging still sucks, but the stepper is alright.

My flare has actually gotten worse, but I suspect that has more to do with my dependence on pizza (due to total food aversions to anything with protein or fiber), and less to do with yoga.  Here's to hoping the coming weeks bring that mythical "honeymoon stage" of pregnancy...