Vaping while pregnant endangers baby
There’s a laundry list of things to avoid when you’re pregnant: taking a sauna, drinking alcohol or more thanonecupofcoffeeaday and, of course, smoking.
An alarming 7.3 percent of women in the U.S. smoke cigarettes while pregnant, according to a 2016 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics last year says that3.6percentofpregnant women are smoking e-cigs, slightly more than the number of nonpregnant women who use them (3.3 percent). It’s possible many don’t think vaping is as harmful as regular cigarettes.
But new research published in American Journal of Physiology-lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology says that in fetuses, e-cigarettes are associated with an underdeveloped respiratory system and lung disease in adulthood. While this research was conducted on mice, not humans, it’s a clear indication that pregnant women, especially, should stay away from e-cigarettes.
If you’re pregnant and use e-cigarettes, talk to your doctor about how to quit. The earlier in your pregnancy you quit, the better the outcome for your child.
Also, consider starting cognitive behavior therapy to help you cope with the stress of going smokefree and keep you focused on your goal of a healthy pregnancy. If your partner smokes, quit together, since secondhand smoke from any source is harmful to the fetus and mom.
Not too young for a knee replacement
It used to be that no matter how disabled by knee pain a person under the age of 50 was, they were advised to postpone replacement surgery, so they could avoid having to replace the replacement when it wore out. But breakthroughs in technology and technique are offering ever-younger patients a chance to get back on their feet and exercise without pain.
This is possible because of robotically assisted surgery and cementless fixation of the implant. The robot lets the surgeon create a 3D model of each person’s unique anatomy, then uses GPS to allow microadjustments in alignment and position of the implant. In place of cement, which can wear out and loosen the replacement, new materials allow the replacement and bone to fuse.
Doctors predict these replacement joints will last 30 or more years. So if you’re dealing with knee pain and immobility, ask an orthopedist if you’re a candidate for this new approach to knee replacement.
Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.