Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Atlanta's Top Wedding Experts Announce Another Boutique Bridal Experience

Paisley Umbrella and Atlantan Brides Magazine present Save the Date: Toast to Fall Wedding Style on Thursday, June 25th from 6-9pm at Paisley Umbrella's design showroom located at 2971 N. Fulton Drive in Buckhead.

The bridal experience is an intimate evening of inspiring ideas for Fall wedding design, styled and presented by the wedding experts of Paisley Umbrella, Atlantan Brides magazine and some of the top names in the bridal industry. Guests will enjoy a wine tasting experience, cocktail buffet from Added Touch Catering, live music and a chance to mingle with Atlanta's most creative wedding professionals as well as register to win wedding giveaways.

"Our Save the Date events are showcased in an intimate setting where brides can meet with vendors on a more personal scale as our platform is built on creative custom design," said Paisley Umbrella and Olive owner Katriesa Raines. "

Outside vendors like the intimate backdrop of the space and the styled setting created to show how each vendor works together to make a beautiful wedding day story."

Paisley Umbrella partners include Olive, Ashley Baber Weddings, Ann Roth Shoes, Nichola Jewelry, Petalscapes, Blend Custom Parfum Studio, The Little Cake Bakery, The Hungry Peach, Linvites Stationary and Invitations, Mama Gifts and Favors, Hollie Lytle Photography, Tracey Tirrell Bridal Hair Accessories, Kimberly Mack Beauty Group, Ahnna B Designs, Couture Cakes Inc., Spectrum Entertainment, Added Touch Catering and more.

Admission is complimentary with RSVP to www.paisleyumbrella.eventbrite.com. The first 50 brides to respond will receive a fabulous gift bag. For more information about the event or Paisley Umbrella, visit www.paisleyumbrella.com.
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Friday, May 15, 2009

Mayo Clinic Researchers Say Agent Provides Treatment Option for Women with Hot Flashes

A pill used for nerve pain offers women relief from hot flashes, Mayo Clinic researchers report at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology(ASCO).

They say the agent, pregabalin, decreased hot flash severity and frequency about 20 percent more than did a placebo agent. Thus, pregabalin appears to offer about the same benefit as gabapentin, an older, related drug, as well as newer classes of antidepressants.

"Hot flashes are a major problem in many women, and for those who opt not to take hormonal therapies or antidepressants, pregabalin appears to be another treatment option," says the study's lead author, Charles Loprinzi, M.D., a medical oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

While pregabalin offers about the same benefit as gabapentin, women who use it only need to take two pills a day, versus three for gabapentin, he says. Side effects can occur with the use of either drug. However, in this study, they were not severe enough that participants stopped using the active study drug any more often than did patients who were taking placebos, researchers say.

Dr. Loprinzi has pioneered the field of nonhormonal hot flash therapy, which he began researching decades ago to help breast cancer patients using tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen treatment that creates symptoms of menopause. He is the first researcher to test the use of antidepressants, compared to placebo treatment, for hot flashes.

Gabapentin, an agent that has long been on the market to treat pain caused from injury to nerves, has been shown to decrease hot flashes more than do placebos. This drug is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy and for shingles; anecdotal evidence suggested that menopausal women who used it had a reduction in hot flashes, Dr. Loprinzi says. Multiple placebo-controlled studies have since demonstrated that this drug decreases hot flashes.

Gabapentin and a variety of antidepressants are now commonly prescribed for treatment of hot flashes, although these agents are not specifically approved by the FDA for such use.

Pregabalin is a newer version of gabapentin. "We thought it might also relieve hot flashes and thus was worth testing," Dr. Loprinzi says.

So, using funds from the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Loprinzi and colleagues set up a 207-participant study conducted by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG). The study was a Phase III double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized trial, testing three different treatment arms: a placebo versus daily doses of 150 milligrams (mg) of pregabalin (75 mg twice a day) and 300 milligrams (150 mg twice a day). Patients getting pregabalin started off with lower doses which were increased weekly to the eventual full dose.

Participants, who reported having at least 28 hot flashes a week, kept a "hot flash diary" in which they recorded the number and severity of hot flashes they had each day while taking their study drug — the content of which was unknown to them.

In the study group, 34 percent were using anti-estrogen therapy — either an aromatase inhibitor, raloxifene, or tamoxifen — to help prevent the recurrence of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer.

The researchers found that for the 163 patients for whom information was available, both doses of pregabalin reduced hot flashes to about the same degree, but that toxicities, such as cognitive dysfunction, were increased at the higher dose. Other reported side effects included weight gain, sleepiness, dizziness, coordination troubles, concentration troubles, and concerns regarding vision changes.

They found that, after six weeks of treatment, women using a placebo agent reported about a 50 percent decrease in their hot flash score (severity), but the change was greater for those who used a 75-milligram twice daily dose of pregabalin (65 percent decrease) and a 150-milligram twice daily dose (71 percent decrease). The declines in hot flash frequency were 36 percent for placebo users, 58 percent in women who used lower-dose pregabalin, and 61 percent in women given the higher dose.

"All in all, this study demonstrates that we have another agent to add to the list of medications that offer benefit against hot flashes, even in women using anti-estrogen therapies," Dr. Loprinzi says.

Pfizer, the company that manufactures pregabalin, donated both the drug and placebo tablets for this study.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Over 8,700 Unnecessary Cesareans Endanger Metro Atlanta Women and Babies Each Year

May 16 Rally To Raise Awareness of Cesarean Dangers and Prevention

Over 35% of new mothers in Metro Atlanta have a cesarean section, but as many as 75% of those surgeries are avoidable. Up to half of women having a cesarean will experience some kind of complication, including infection, extensive blood loss, even cardiac arrest. To help reverse this alarming trend, the Georgia Birth Network and the Atlanta Chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network are co-sponsoring a rally outside of Northside Hospital on May 16 from 2-4 pm. An information session will follow at Life University in Marietta from 5-8pm to educate the public about the risks of c-sections, and how to avoid them.

The rate of cesarean surgeries in the United States has risen steadily, from 20.7% in 1996, to 31.8% in 2007 according to the CDC. The rate for metro Atlanta is even higher – 35.1% in 2007. The World Health Organization recommends a cesarean rate of 10-15% as optimal. The U.S. Healthy People 2010 goal is a 15.5% cesarean rate by next year. Some studies show the rate could safely be as low as 5%.

C-sections can save lives in emergencies, but when used for the wrong reasons, they expose mothers and their babies to unnecessary risk. After cesarean surgery, a mother is at a significantly higher risk of infection, extensive blood loss, nausea, vomiting, blood clots, and, in extreme cases, death. Mothers having a cesarean always require a longer hospital stay, need 2-6 times as much healing time, and are twice as likely to be re-admitted to the hospital for complications. A newborn delivered by cesarean has a higher risk of being injured during delivery or having trouble breastfeeding. Many will spend time in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit for breathing problems, which may continue into childhood as asthma.

Additional problems may arise years later. In subsequent pregnancies, there is a greater risk of placenta problems, uterine rupture, and other complications, putting both mom and her future babies at higher risk. Over 90% of women who have a cesarean will have this surgery for every following birth. Risks to the mother increase dramatically with each cesarean.

To help women avoid these risks, the Atlanta chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) and the Georgia Birth Network are co-sponsoring a cesarean awareness rally, “Cutting Through The Fear.” The rally will be on Johnson Ferry Rd. at the entrance of Northside Hospital on May 16 from 2-4pm. Each participant will receive a free t-shirt, to be worn at the rally. The general public is welcome to participate, but please leave small children home because of the proximity to a busy road.

An information session and discussion will follow at Life University (1377 Barclay Circle, in Room 127 of Annex C) in Marietta from 5-8 pm. Elaine Mills, president of the GA chapter of ICAN, will speak on how to prevent cesareans, a birth film will be shown, and local childbirth professionals will be available to answer questions. Families are welcome at the information session, with food available. For more information about cesarean risks and prevention, please contact either GBN at 678-264-4944 or www.gabirthnetwork.com or ICAN of Atlanta at 404-609-9873 or http://atlanta.ican-online.org.

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