Smoking Boosts Blood Pressure in Women

Women who smoke two packs of cigarettes a day have a 21 percent greater risk of developing high blood pressure, increasing their risk for heart disease, a new study found.

Women who smoke less have less of a risk, but even those who smoke a pack a day significantly increase their risk for high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, the study said.

The findings are published in the Nov. 20 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"Women who smoke a pack a day are at increased risk of developing hypertension," said lead researcher Dr. Thomas S. Bowman, who's with the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Women who smoke two packs a day are at even greater risk," he said.

For the study, Bowman's team collected data on 28,236 women who took part in the Women's Health Study. During a follow-up of 9.8 years, 30.4 percent of the women developed high blood pressure.

The researchers found that women who smoked 15 or more cigarettes a day had a 11 percent greater risk of developing high blood pressure, compared with women who never smoked. Women who smoked 25 or more cigarettes a day had a 21 percent greater risk.

For women who smoked fewer than 15 cigarettes a day, the risk for high blood pressure was a relatively insignificant 4 percent, the researchers found.

Whether quitting smoking reduces the risk of high blood pressure isn't known, Bowman said, but he suspects that the longer a person smokes, the greater the risk.

Bowman noted the high blood pressure can lead to heart disease and stroke. "Hypertension may be the pathway to strokes and cardiovascular death and heart attacks," he said.

Dr. Harlan M. Krumholz, a professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, said the study findings are yet another reason not to smoke.

"We really don't need another reason for people not to smoke," he said. "This study adds to the information about another potential mechanism by which smoking contributes to adverse outcomes."

Aside from the 5,000 chemical and known carcinogens in cigarettes, high blood pressure is another threat that comes with the habit of smoking, Krumholz said.

Krumholz said the new finding should have meaning for girls thinking about taking up smoking. "They know about the risk for cancer and heart disease, but this is something more for them to consider as a reason to stay away from cigarettes," he said.

More information
For more on smoking and heart disease, visit the American Heart Association.

Source @ Forbes

Successful Breast-Feeding

SATURDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- More American women are choosing to breast-feed. That's the good news.

The discouraging news is that the percentage of women breast-feeding still falls short of national objectives, often because they experience problems or difficulties that are easily overcome, according to lactation experts.

Seventy-four percent of women who gave birth in 2004 initiated breast-feeding, up from 70.9 percent of women who delivered babies in 2000, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that was still a bit short of the objectives set by the federal government's Healthy People 2010 initiative, which had hoped to have 75 percent of new mothers breast-feeding in 2004.

The number of women who were breast-feeding exclusively was even smaller. Just 30.5 percent of the women who delivered babies in 2004 breast-fed exclusively through age 3 months of age, although the national objective was 60 percent.

So, why aren't more women breast-feeding and for longer periods? Experts say that even new mothers who know all about the benefits of breast-feeding for their baby -- including protection from lower respiratory and middle-ear infections as well as a reduction in the risk of childhood obesity -- can get discouraged and give up.

Some of the most common reasons cited for stopping breast-feeding include sore or cracked nipples, not producing enough milk, a baby having difficulty feeding, or the perception that the baby wasn't satisfied by breast milk.

But breast-feeding also provides the mother with benefits. It helps speed the recovery of her body after birth, and recent studies have suggested that breast-feeding may lower a woman's risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Here are some experts' best tips on succeeding with breast-feeding -- even if you're a beginner:

* Don't assume breast-feeding is "innate."

"Breast-feeding is not instinctive," said Katy Lebbing, a board certified lactation consultant in Villa Park, Ill., and a leader for La Leche League International, which promotes breast-feeding. "That's a myth. It's kind of like thinking all men can fix all cars."

Mothers who choose to breast-feed need education and support, agreed Karen Bonuck, associate professor of family and social medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, who has published studies on breast-feeding practices.

* Get help -- early.

Ask your health-care provider for information about breast-feeding early in your pregnancy, Bonuck advised women. Don't wait until you're six months or more along, she said. Too many other activities -- baby showers, getting the nursery ready, thinking about names -- take your attention during those final months of pregnancy.

* Take a breast-feeding class.

Ask your doctor if your hospital has one. Or see a lactation consultant -- you can ask your doctor or the La Leche League for a referral. You should make these preparations before you'll be ready to breast-feed, Lebbing and Bonuck advised.

Just a few sessions with a lactation consultant can pay off, Bonuck said. "You will understand the normal physiology of how the milk is produced," she said. The consultant, working with a doll, can help women practice the best positions to breast-feed and get comfortable with the concept.

* Be sure the hospital personnel know you want to breast-feed.

"Make your wishes known," Bonuck said. "Some [hospitals] have cards that say, 'Breast-feed only.' " That reduces the risk of confusion and your baby mistakenly getting a bottle of formula, Bonuck said. She also advises mothers-to-be to tell the hospital staff about other preferences, such as no pacifiers.

* Breast-feed as soon as your baby is born.

Breast-feeding immediately after birth -- even before the baby is cleaned up -- is preferable, Bonuck said. "Bring an advocate with you," she suggested. This person will help to make sure your wishes are carried out.

* Keep the baby with you as much as possible while in the hospital.

"Make your wishes known," Bonuck advised. She prefers keeping the baby in the mother's room, not in the nursery, because it gives mother and baby a chance to practice breast-feeding. "It's not a spa," she said of the hospital stay.

* Get help once you return home.

Enlist the support of family members or friends once you are back home, Lebbing advised. "You need someone to cook and help around the house, especially in the first month," she said. If you have other children, get some child-care help. Relieving some of the stress of a newborn can help new moms focus on the important task of breast-feeding, Bonuck and Lebbing said.

To learn more about breast-feeding, visit La Leche League International

Source @ Forbes

How To Live Rich Without Going Broke

While very few of us will reach the ranks of the world's billionaires, it doesn't mean we can't live like them.

And we don't have to shell out several million to do so.

That's because a number of companies are offering temporary use of high-end products and services such as yachts, exotic cars, luxury handbags, and even personal chefs and stylists.

So while you may not be able to call it your own, you still get every benefit of living the rich life.

"We call it the Luxury Access Revolution," says Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute, a research company that provides luxury information to high-net-worth individuals and the companies that cater to them. "It makes it easy for you to say, 'I'm not going to buy it. I'm going to carve out the experience and buy the experience,' because [people] don't want the hassle of owning the possession. You're seeing it across many more categories."

NetJets, a Berkshire Hathaway-owned company that began offering fractional jet ownership in 1986, caught on to customer desire for the luxe life with minimal commitment in 2001. That's when it introduced the Marquis Jet Card, which allows the user to sublease a NetJets fractional share of which Marquis Jet Partners is the owner. Individuals may pre-buy 25 hours of yearly flight time for $119,900 (excluding additional charges like tax, fuel, etc.).

Several other companies are following suit.

Home Cooking
Private Chefs, which has staffed the homes of Richard Branson and Madonna, will dispatch a personal cook to yours for as little as a day. Be prepared to pay a $100 agency fee plus $35 per hour, and everything else is taken care of, from the shopping and cooking to serving and cleanup.

"This is the part of our business that's been increasing steadily in the past year," says Christian Paier, PCI president. The company gets an average of 10 requests per week in each of its eight offices located in Beverly Hills, Calif.; Palm Beach, Fla.; Dallas; London; New York; Las Vegas; Seattle; and Washington, D.C. "It appeals," Paier continues, "to a lot more people than the full-time thing. It's affordable; anybody can do it." His customers often "want to splurge and have a wonderful experience, whether it's just them and their spouse, or a small dinner for six or eight friends. People absolutely love it."

It's hard not to feel privileged when an executive chef is serving you gourmet food, but when it's not simply your primary residence, but rather your only one, cabin fever tends to set in.

Solution? Get an apartment in Paris.

Ooh-La-La Life
Yes, it may be temporary, but opt for one of the exquisite, fully furnished pieds-a-terre available through ParisLuxuryRentals.com, and you're practically guaranteed an authentic experience. The company offers short- and long-term rentals in select neighborhoods, including Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Ile St. Louis, Le Marais and the Latin Quarter. To live like a local without the hassle, the company offers an optional daily or weekly housekeeping service, and an optional car and driver.

A 2,000-square-foot apartment, for example, which is considered very large for Paris, would run for about $3 million, and that's without taxes and the cost of maintaining such an investment. However, a brief stay in one of ParisLuxuryRentals.com's similarly sized dwellings, which combine the spaciousness and privacy of an apartment with the amenities of a hotel, might only cost about $10,000 per week at the higher end of the spectrum.

"It's a place of their own," says CEO Claude Nederovique. "They live like Parisians. They can really participate in life, [which is] a completely different experience [from a hotel]."

Nederovique saw the number of people requesting his service double last year. 90% of his clientele come from the U.S., and most rent from one week to one month, though some stay as long as three months.

Handbag Heaven
Even those who just want to dress like a socialite, but can't bring themselves to part with $1,200 for a Gucci handbag, can do it affordably with Bag Borrow or Steal, a site that lends customers high-end bags and jewelry from designers like Chanel, Versace and Dior, for a weekly or monthly fee.

"Borrowing is really about freedom, access and convenience," says Lynn Ridenour, senior vice president of marketing. "It gives [customers] greater access to a vast inventory of luxury accessories and the opportunity to indulge in more, more often."

Is there a downside? Of course: In the end, you do have to give it all back.

Still, says Pedraza, "There's no question that [the trend of temporary use] will grow. It is such a great convenience where you can buy the experience, not the depreciating assets.

Source @ Forbes

Hyundai's Concept Genesis

Once known for building economy cars of dubious quality, Hyundai has been moving upscale with such well-appointed, near-luxury cars as its recently overhauled Santa Fe SUV and its all-new Veracruz SUV.

Hyundai's unveiling of its Concept Genesis prototype last week at the New York International Auto Show was a turning point in the company's history, because the Concept Genesis is the first Hyundai that is a bona fide luxury car--a sedan with faux-Lexus styling and the size of a BMW 5 Series. The prototype, which previews a production model that will go on sale next year, puts Toyota Motor (nyse: TM - news - people ) on alert: Hyundai is about to challenge not only Toyota but its upscale Lexus subsidiary as well.

The rear-drive Concept Genesis will spawn a car that will cost "well under $30,000," says Hyundai Motor America Vice President John Krafcik.

The other most important detail about the car is that it will feature a V-8 engine--the type of power plant widely used by such luxury automakers as Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz. The highest-caliber sedans, such as BMW's 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz's S-Class, use V-8 or V-12 engines, so Hyundai's first V-8 is a step into the big leagues for the automaker. Not even Acura has a V-8 in its lineup.

In a recent statement, Hyundai said the Concept Genesis' 4.6-liter V-8 delivers "well over 300" horsepower. The V-8 comes with a six-speed transmission, and in future applications, Hyundai could enlarge the engine or equip it with supercharging. "Concept Genesis," the company said, "marks the beginning of premium performance for the Hyundai brand," adding that the car has a zero-to-60 time of "well under six seconds."

Americans have never seen a rear-wheel-drive Hyundai before. Rear drive, in which the transmission sends the engine's power to the rear wheels, provides superior steering and sportier driving dynamics, compared with front-wheel drive. Premium sedans, such as the 7 Series and S-Class, are rear drive, as are such sports cars as Porsches and Ferraris.

Hyundai says the Concept Genesis uses "ultra-high-tensile steel" in its construction, giving the car a stiff, light, large body that compares favorably to those of BMW's 5 Series and Mercedes' E-Class midsize sedans. Hyundai also says it tuned the Concept Genesis' suspension to be sporty and responsive. The driver can select settings for the car's ride and steering characteristics.

The car also features such upscale amenities as adaptive cruise control, which can make the car follow the vehicle in front of it at a fixed distance; heated and cooled seats; a push-button starter; a navigation system with a rear-mounted camera to assist in parking; Bluetooth technology; and an Infinity audio system.

The Fact
The closest thing Hyundai has to a luxury sedan right now is its $25,000 Azera, which is one of the market's best values. The Azera has a 263-hp V-6 engine, and its interior volume compares favorably to that of the most expensive sedans from Mercedes and BMW. The Azera's interior looks remarkably like that of a Lexus and features standard upscale amenities, such as a leather-wrapped steering wheel and dual-zone climate control. Last year, Azera sales increased by 50% to 27,000 units.

Source @ Forbes

Secret sex turn-ons every couple should try

It's Just a Fantasy … but what do those racy scenarios you love to imagine really say about you?

Just because you fantasize about sex atop the Eiffel Tower doesn't mean you want to get arrested in Paris. So what are you really lusting after? Sex therapist and REDBOOK Love Network expert Laura Berman, Ph.D., author of The Passion Prescription, interprets some common sexual fantasies and offers tips for how to (safely!) bring them to life in a bedroom near you.

YOUR FANTASY: Sex in public
"Imagining an audience that's lusting after your own sexual excitement is empowering," says Berman. "Plus, the idea of having sex in an off-limits place is titillating because of the forbidden factor." Incorporate a little exhibitionism into your sex life by making out passionately with your partner in public or slipping into the bathroom during a party for some surreptitious everything-but. At home, share with him your thoughts of being watched, or just imagine there are peepers present for your private party.

YOUR FANTASY: Experimenting with another woman
"It's fun and natural to embrace the fluidity of your sexual interest by imagining becoming sexual with another woman," says Berman. Just sharing these thoughts with your partner can spice things up, but to go beyond that, Berman suggests spotting women you're attracted to while out and telling your partner what intrigues you about them. Hang on to these visuals for when you're back at home in bed.

YOUR FANTASY: Handcuffs and whips
Bondage scenarios are often about power, says Berman. "It's thrilling to think about being tied up and at your partner's mercy — where your only option is to receive pleasure, without responsibility, guilt, or self-consciousness," she explains. "And for those who imagine playing dominatrix, it can be exciting to envision taking total control." Even if you're not ready for whips and chains, try tipping the balance of power in bed: One partner can blindfold the other or tie his or her wrists together with a silk scarf. Or trade off being completely in charge — first your partner does everything you say, then next time you do his bidding.

YOUR FANTASY: A threesome
"Imagining a three-way scenario allows you to mix up your sex life with someone new, without actually cheating," says Berman. "And monogamy can be a real challenge for any long-term relationship." You can enjoy this fantasy on your own during masturbation or share it with your partner. "You or your guy can pretend there's a third person present, then narrate the imagined scenario," says Berman. A few things to explore: Imagine being serviced by your husband plus another man, with all attention on you; or identify potential thirds when you're out together, then take those images back into the bedroom.

YOUR FANTASY: Sex with a stranger
"The idea of being with a stranger is exciting because it's a clean-slate, no-complications situation," says Berman. "You can allow yourself to really let loose when fantasizing about sex with someone you're never going to see again." You and your man can become strangers to each other by role-playing. "Head separately to the same bar and then have fun flirting and picking each other up as if you've never met before," says Berman. "When it comes time to go 'home' together, try taking the party to the bar's bathroom or to a hotel — anywhere but where you usually make love." Take it up a notch by wearing disguises or trying on pretend personalities to really become unknown to each other — and to yourselves. Stepping back and looking at your man as if for the first time is also a great way to rediscover the heat that originally brought you two together.

YOUR STEAMY DAYDREAM?
REDBOOK readers share just how wild their imaginations can get.

"When I'm on my own, I fantasize about being intimate with another woman. Together, my husband and I talk through what it would be like to have a threesome — our descriptions really turn us on."
—Katherine Becker, 31 Chandler, AZ

"I dream about having sex on the beach. Sex in public seems so adventurous, and hearing the roar of the waves in the background would be sexy and special."
—Stefanie Schmidt, 29 Las Vegas

"I think about a teacher I had a crush on in high school. I'm a schoolgirl again and we're alone in his room. He compliments my perfume and things escalate from there!"
—Barbara Stanley, 52 Blairsville, GA

"I fantasize about being seduced by one of the hot guys on General Hospital. He meets me in a candlelit room, and as soft music plays in the background, he undresses me slowly and then makes love to me."
—Destiny Eve Pifer, 25 Bedford, PA

"I think about a 22-year-old cabana boy who works at my beach club. He's tall, tan, and extremely good-looking, and he struts around the pool area wearing next to nothing. Let's just say I've gotten quite the fodder for my daydreams!"
—Suzanne Coppersmith, 43 East Rockaway, NY

"In my fantasy, I imagine myself in a thong, Manolo stilettos, and a couple of yards of diamonds dripping down to my tanned navel, parading around an ultrachic beach in Saint-Tropez. A billionaire picks me up, licks Cristal off of my hot, wet body, and then makes savage, wild love to me."
—Gerri Ward, 45, Detroit

"Whipped cream and chocolate syrup — plain and simple!"
—Kristi Zieger, 39 Yakima, WA

LOVE THE ONE YOU'RE WITH: Having sex with a current partner is the number one fantasy for both men and women.

WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT: Sex pops into women's brains an average of 4.5 times per day, according to a study of college students.

Source @ MSN