Sleeping and sex. These are the only two activities that should happen in the bed, says women’s health expert Marla Ahlgrimm. There is a laundry list of others that should take place only outside the bedroom. The top six are:

1. Watch television

Watching TV until you drift off to sleep is a favorite American pastime, says Marla Ahlgrimm. However, watching television can actually thwart your brain’s melatonin secretion. Melatonin is a hormone that helps the body fall asleep. It’s best to turn off the tube at least 60 minutes before settling in.

2. Check your phone/tablet

Like the television, the light on your phone or tablet can delay sleep. Another caveat to opening Facebook, text messages, and emails is that it can be very tempting to respond, delaying sleep time even further.

3. Eat

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, eating in bed is one of the worst things you can do for your health and hygiene. Crumbs between the sheets act as a beacon for bugs, including ants, flies, and cockroaches. Sweet foods are especially attractive to gnats and other flying pests.

4. Argue

The 10 o’clock hour is not the time to get into a heated discussion with your partner, says Marla Ahlgrimm. Unfortunately, busy schedules often mean nighttime is the first chance couples have to discuss their differences. It’s better to wait until morning, with the bed best left for makeup sex.

5. Work

Working from bed sounds like a dream come true. But, Marla Ahlgrimm warns that plopping your laptop down where you sleep can actually trigger an unconscious association between your bed and work. This can lead to anxiety when trying to count sheep and catch 40 winks.

6. Co-sleep with pets

This hotly debated topic is the most subjective on the list. Marla Ahlgrimm acknowledges that animals absolutely help reduce stress and may even lull an individual to sleep. The issue here arises when pets get up and move throughout the night, which can disrupt sleep patterns and lead to fatigue and mental exhaustion.

Many breast cancer treatments have the unfortunate side effect of causing decreased bone density, explains retired pharmacist and women’s healthcare entrepreneur Marla Ahlgrimm. In the following question-and-answer session, Ahlgrimm discusses the link between breast cancer and bone loss.

Q: What is the relationship between bone loss and breast cancer?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Chemotherapy, surgical removal of the ovaries, and some hormone therapies can impact estrogen levels. You may know that estrogen is important to female reproduction, but it is also the hormone that strengthens bones to reduce the risk of fractures. Less estrogen may put patients at a greater risk for osteoporosis.

Q: How are breast cancer and estrogen interconnected?

Marla Ahlgrimm: A number of breast cancer tumors are estrogen sensitive. This means these tumors flourish when estrogen is present. These estrogen receptor (ER) positive tumors respond to estrogen blocking therapy, which can slow the growth of tumors and help to prevent the return of cancerous cells.

Q: How is breast cancer typically treated?

Marla Ahlgrimm: There are a number of treatments for breast cancer. Treatment choice is based on differing factors that include whether the diseased cells have spread or remain contained in the breasts. Surgical methods remove cancerous tissue while chemotherapy and radiation attack cancer cells. Hormone therapy is used to fight ER positive breast cancer cells and may include aromatase inhibitors, selective estrogen receptor modulators, luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone, and estrogen receptor antagonists.

Q: Is it possible to prevent bone loss when being treated for breast cancer? 

Marla Ahlgrimm: Women being treated for breast cancer with other risk factors, including smoking or alcohol abuse, run a higher risk of osteoporosis. And while some bone mineral density may not be preventable, doctors recommend taking any prescribed medications as directed and getting sufficient amounts of vitamin D to reduce the possibility of bone loss.

If you google “weight loss,” you’ll find everything from sensible information to nonsensical and dangerous diet plans, says women’s healthcare expert Marla Ahlgrimm. According to Ahlgrimm, there is no quick fix to managing one’s weight; it’s about eating right and making healthy diet choices. There are a few eating strategies, however, that are a good stepping point toward reclaiming a lost waistline without resorting to extreme measures or self-deprivation.

The Mediterranean diet

Marla Ahlgrimm explains that a Mediterranean diet is not a typical weight loss diet. Instead, it is an eating plan that mimics the habits of citizens in Greece, southern Italy, Spain, and certain parts of France. Traditional foods in these areas include high fiber bread, plenty of whole grains, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, beans, and fish. Tree nuts and wine are also consumed while limiting red meat, confections, and soft cheeses.

Reduced carbs

There are dozens of low-carb diet fads lingering on the Internet, reports Marla Ahlgrimm. When handled correctly, a diet with a reduced amount of carbohydrates can lead to weight loss. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, one of the biggest benefits to a low-carb diet is that you don’t typically have to track calories. The biggest change to most people’s diet is limiting bread, potatoes, and pasta. These can be replaced with healthier alternatives without sacrificing culinary satisfaction.

Vegetarianism

Marla Ahlgrimm stresses that protein is essential but says many people can benefit from a vegetarian or vegan diet. Long-term vegetarians may wish to include a B12 supplement to their daily regimen. In lieu of meat, vegetarians can snack on nuts and include beans and nut butters in their daily menu.

A recurrent theme in all healthy meal plans is whole foods. Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, milk, and other edibles void of chemical processing are easily recognized by the body and utilized as energy instead of being stored as fat.

If you’ve been perusing the Internet for information about hormones that will help keep you young, read on for what women’s health expert Marla Ahlgrimm has to say on the subject.

Q: Is it true that human growth hormone can help me lose weight and reverse the effects of aging? 

Marla Ahlgrimm: Human growth hormone is essential to growth and development. It is a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland and helps children grow taller and decrease infantile body fat. In adults, this is the hormone that stimulates metabolism. There is little evidence to suggest that synthetic human growth hormone – which may be prescribed by a doctor for muscle wasting and other legitimate health concerns – has any benefits for healthy adults.

Q: What are the risks of growth hormone use?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Short-term side effects include swelling of the hands and feet, muscle pain, and joint stiffness. Extended use can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and blood pressure problems. People who inject growth hormone derived from human cadavers put themselves at risk of developing Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a life-threatening brain condition.

Q: DHEA is safe and can increase my energy, right? 

Marla Ahlgrimm: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone produced in the adrenal glands and is converted by the body into estrogen and testosterone. DHEA may be useful in treating adrenal insufficiency, lupus, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, Crohn’s disease, infertility, complications with menopause, and obesity. DHEA may also help with weight loss but only under a doctor’s orders and in an appropriate dose. DHEA has been banned by the National Football League, the Olympics, Major League Baseball, and most other mainstream athletic organizations.

Q: How does DHEA affect women?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Women taking DHEA may experience an increase in testosterone which can cause irregular periods, increased facial hair, and acne.

Everyone undergoes physical changes that affect their endocrine system, says hormone expert and retired pharmacist Marla Ahlgrimm. Some of the factors that play a part in endocrine health include genetics, stress, and aging.

Genetics

The endocrine system can be altered before birth by genes. A “normal” human body contains 23 complete pairs of chromosomes – packets of genetic information contained in genes. However, according to Marla Ahlgrimm, sometimes chromosomes are damaged, incomplete, or missing altogether. Individuals with Turner syndrome may be missing one X chromosome, which can cause problems with ovarian function. Infants born with Prader-Willi syndrome have a deficit in chromosome 15, which can severely affect growth and metabolism and delay the onset of puberty.

Stress

Stress can also alter the way the endocrine system functions, says Marla Ahlgrimm. This is true of both physical and mental stressors. Physical stressors, however, are the most important where endocrine health is concerned. The adrenal gland must produce cortisol in order for the body to cope with physical stress. If this does not happen, it can trigger a number of life-threatening issues.

Aging

The endocrine system naturally changes over time. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that sometimes changes occur due to cellular damage related to the aging process. These changes can alter endocrine functions including hormone production and secretion, the menstrual cycle, and hormone metabolism. Age is thought to play a role in the development of type II diabetes and decreased growth hormone levels that affect heart and muscle function.

Environmental factors

The endocrine system may also be disrupted by factors directly relating to a person’s environment. Endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, are the most common environmental factors affecting the body’s hormone production. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that EDCs can disrupt sexual development, decrease fertility, reduce immune response, lead to birth defects, and induce neurological and behavioral changes.

Like Hermes, hormones are tiny messengers that help the body communicate and maintain healthy systems. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that the hypothalamus, a part of the brain, is directly responsible for the regulation of many hormones. Understanding how these “brainy hormones” work can help you make better decisions regarding your health.

Q: What does the hypothalamus control? 

Marla Ahlgrimm: The hypothalamus produces certain hormones that control and regulate the pituitary gland. Together, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland send directions to the endocrine system, triggering the production and release of other hormones. The hypothalamus is important to overall hormone health.

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