Author Archives: Descygna

About Descygna

Descygna is a health journalist who has made her health, and that of her family, a top priority. She loves making over traditional recipes and staying on top of the latest health trends.

Vigorous Exercise May Hurt Your Chances of Getting Pregnant

We know that exercise is absolutely essential to having a healthy body and the benefits of regular exercise are numerous. A recent study has shown that exercise can even help the impact of fertility functions in women of all shapes and body types.

Moderate levels of physical activity for any length of time appeared to give a decrease in the amount of time it takes to conceive for women. The study, conducted by researcher Lauren A. Wise, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health, looked at 3,000 different women that were actively trying to conceive with no outside fertility help or treatments. Each woman’s activity level was tracked through one self-answered questionnaire that was completed after the study began. The key to achieving the improved conception time was to keep the activity levels moderate.

When engaging in five or more hours of vigorous exercise per week, women of a healthy weight dropped their likelihood to get pregnant by 42 percent when compared to women that did no exercise. With women of a normal weight, the more vigorous the exercise, the lower the chance for conception was. “We were surprised to find that even relatively small amounts of vigorous activity seemed to impact fertility,” Wise said. Vigorous exercise didn’t delay conception for women that were obese or overweight though.

“The take-home message for overweight and obese women is that any exercise seems better than none. Being overweight is a risk factor for infertility, and these findings suggest that exercise may improve fertility in these women,” said Wise. (more…)

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Descygna

Sacred Lotus Leaf Promotes Natural Weight Loss

The sacred lotus leaf found in the Far East has recently been identified as a successful aid for weight loss. There have been many health benefits associated with the lotus leaf but medical studies have only recently confirmed that this plant can help people lose weight in a completely natural way.

The technical name for the lotus leaf is the Nelumbo Nucifera and it is also referred to as the bean of India, Indian Lotus or He Ye in Chinese cultures. This plant has been used to treat things like skin disorders, diarrhea, heavy menstrual bleeding, as a treatment for blood in the urine, and now it has been discovered to help in weight loss. The study that has uncovered the weight loss was conducted by Korean nutrition and metabolism expert scientists Ji-Yung Park and Huan Du at the Department of Food and Nutrition at Inha University in Incheon, Korea. The study was conducted in 2026 and the scientists stated that when the sacred lotus leaf is paired with L-carnitine can prevent adipogenesis which is the formation of fatty tissues. This study also found that the lotus leaf slowed the absorption of fat and carbohydrates. Energy expenditures were increased and lipid metabolism was also rapidly increased with the use of sacred lotus leaf.

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Posted on March 16, 2026 by Descygna

Cooler Hands Help You Exercise More Consistently

A simple solution has been offered for helping obese women exercise longer and stay faithful to their workouts: cool palms.

Research scientist and exercise physiologist at Stanford University School of Medicine Stacy Sims ran this study and got some pretty amazing results. “If you think about adipose fat tissue, it’s a great insulator. For people who are obese, that means they often get too hot while exercising,” Sims said. Her goal was to see if cooling the palms of the women participating in the study would help them overcome fatigue and overheating while they were exercising. Professional athletes currently use the same palm cooling device that was used in the study. She chose to test this theory on obese women because she found they tend to abandon workouts due to overheating and fatigue.

Within the study, 24 women, ages 30 to 45 were evaluated. None of the participants had a history of long-term exercise and all of them were obese with a BMI between 30 and 35. The women were broken into two groups. Both groups used the cooling device, but only one group had cool water in their device. The other group’s devices held water that was body temperature. The groups did three exercise sessions per week for a total of 12 weeks. The sessions were broken down to include 10 minutes of body weight exercise, 25 to 45 minutes of walking on the treadmill while holding the cooling device followed by 10 minutes of core exercises. On the first and last day of the study there was a timed 1.5 mile walk. The group that used the devices with cool water managed to trim over five minutes off their time for the 1.5 mile walk, took more than two inches off their waist and lowered their blood pressure.

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Posted on March 15, 2026 by Descygna

High Fat Diet Linked to Poor Sperm Quality

A new study published online in a European journal titled Human Reproduction has released information that men eating a diet high in saturated fat had lower sperm counts and sperm concentration levels. Although men who consumed less fat had better counts, the study also revealed that men with better formed sperm consumed more omega-3 fatty acids.

“Diets containing higher amounts of omega-3 fat and lower amounts of saturated fat are associated with favorable semen quality parameters and may be beneficial to male reproductive health. Although these findings need to be reproduced, adapting these nutritional modifications may not only be beneficial for reproductive health but for global general health as well,” said Dr. Jill Attaman, author of the study.

A total of 99 Americans participated in the study and all of them were in their mid-30s. The men provided semen samples for analysis from December 2006 to August 2026 and answered questions about their diet. The results showed that the men who took in the highest amount, or around 13 percent of their daily calories from saturated fat, had a 35 percent lower total sperm count and a 38 percent lower concentration than the men who consumed lower levels.

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Posted on March 15, 2026 by Descygna

Biggest Loser Visa Rewards Card Gives Perks for Healthy Purchases

Fans and lovers of the hit TV show the Biggest Loser now have even more motivation to live a healthy lifestyle. The newly available Biggest Loser Visa Rewards card allows cardholders to earn rewards points for health expenses including insurance co-pays, prescriptions, prescription eyeglasses, gym memberships and sporting goods equipment.

This new Visa also offers triple rewards points at certain national retailers including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Whole Foods, 24 Hour Fitness, eDiets, The Vitamin Shoppe and many others.

There are numerous rewards available that you can claim once you’ve built up enough points on your card. Some of the rewards cardholders may enjoy include autographed Biggest Loser merchandise, customized healthy vacations with no blackout dates or you can take account credits and pay yourself.

 

Some other ways that points can be redeemed are for a visit to the Biggest Loser ranch where the show is filmed, a nutritional analysis from a Biggest Loser nutritionist, a personalized workout plan from a Biggest Loser resort trainer, front of the line tickets to a Biggest Loser casting session or a stay at a Biggest Loser Resort.

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Posted on March 14, 2026 by Descygna

Dr. Mike Moreno Releases the 17 Day Diet Cookbook

Dr. Mike Moreno has followed up his popular book The 17 Day Diet with a new companion, The 17 Day Diet Cookbook. This cookbook includes 80 new recipes for those following the 17 Day Diet plan.

The 17 Day Diet spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list, with 11 weeks at number one. The program incorporates four different cycles, each of them 17 days in length. The four cycles include Accelerate, Activate, Achieve and Arrive and they are designed to help you lose weight quickly and reset your metabolism.

The 17 Day Diet Cookbook offers more recipe options to those following the program that are full of flavor, easy to prepare and specifically designed to help you stick with the program. All of the foods included in the recipes use ingredients that are easy to find in most grocery stores, and many of them can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.
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Posted on March 14, 2026 by Descygna

Red Meat Linked to Higher Risk of Premature Death

 A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health focuses on eating unprocessed red meat like hamburger, roast beef, lamb and pork as well as processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, bologna and sausage. The results of the study show that having one serving per day of unprocessed meat can increase your risk for death by cardiovascular disease by as much as 18 percent. Taking in one serving of processed meat per day can increase that risk by as much as 21 percent. There have been numerous studies conducted previously that have linked high consumption of red meat and processed meats to various cancers, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and early death. “This new study provides further compelling evidence that high amounts of red meat may boost the risk of premature death,” said An Pan, lead author of the study.

It is important to also note that this particular study focuses on association, and the results don’t specifically mean causation. Data was collected on the health and deaths of 37,698 men and 83,644 women. Throughout the study, those that were being analyzed filled out questionnaires on their diet every four years. Over two decades during the follow-up period, 5,910 participants died from heart disease while 9,464 died from cancer. This study does show some direct association between eating high amounts of red meat and unprocessed meat on your health. When preparing your food, moderation is the key.

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Posted on March 13, 2026 by Descygna

Dr. Oz Shows You How to Eat What You Love and Still Lose Weight

This week, Dr. Oz’s “Eat What You Love” episode is designed to teach you how you can include some of your favorite items including chocolate, steak, pasta or even cookies into your diet and still lose weight. You don’t have to cut out certain foods or food groups, because that can lead to binges.

Dr. Oz will show that sometimes even the thought of starting a diet can lead to insatiable eating days before you start the diet creating the “last supper mentality.” The Eat What You Love program focuses more on keeping you satisfied while helping you lose weight. Dr. Oz says it’s not a diet, because it’s not something you go on or off. Instead of dreaming about the day when you can have your favorite food again, you will be consuming 1,450 calories per day including foods that are high in protein, fiber and with enough fat to keep you full. You are even encouraged to eat some of your favorite foods to satisfy cravings as long as you are aware of the comfort that food brings and how it tastes.

There are options given for eating out and you can cook one meal at home for your entire family to enjoy. Your daily meals will consist of 300 calories at breakfast, 400 at lunch, 500 for dinner and two 125 calorie snacks each day. Dr. Oz includes recipes and meal ideas as well as substitutions to help get you started.

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Posted on March 13, 2026 by Descygna

Georgia’s “Fat” Shaming Billboards are Coming Down

After a lot of criticism and the #Ashamed Twitter chat party to raise awareness of the Georgia ad campaign by Strong 4 Life addressing childhood obesity, the ads are coming down this month. If you haven’t heard about this campaign, it features black and white billboards of overweight elementary-aged children with guilt-inducing text. The billboards are targeted at the parents of the one million obese children throughout the state of Georgia, but the concern is that kids will see these messages and feel an incredible amount of shame, ridicule and guilt about their weight.

The efforts of those protesting these ads have paid off and they will all be removed sometime this month. While the fight against obesity is a very important one, the fight must be against obesity and not obese people. “Obesity prevention campaigns are a good thing, but they need to be done humanely. Partnering with families to help them instead of throwing daggers at them is the most humane way to get this done,” said Leah Segedie, the mom behind BookieBoo and Mamavation who spearheaded a campaign against the billboards. (more…)

Posted on March 1, 2026 by Descygna

Paula Deen Loses 2 Pant Sizes Following Type 2 Diabetes Announcement

Restaurant owner, author and celebrity cook Paula Deen has been making headlines a lot lately. The southern belle, known for her love of foods that are rich in butter, sugar and all things creamy and fried was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Deen announced in January that she has type 2 diabetes and she has managed to drop two pant sizes since then. Her weight loss has aided in her feeling better and she achieve it through walking 30 minutes each day and cutting her portion sizes in half.

“I’ve dropped two pant sizes and I feel great!” Deen said. Although she is losing weight and dropping sizes, Deen doesn’t keep track of her exact weight. “We don’t have a scale in our house. Every six months I go for a physical and find out. Now it’s time to see the doctor. She’ll be so happy if I’ve lost weight,” Deen said.

Paula Deen has known she’s had type 2 diabetes for over three years, but didn’t officially announce her disease until this past January. She’s received a lot of backlash for continuing to cook foods that are high in fat and calories instead of raising awareness toward a healthier diet.

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Posted on February 28, 2026 by Descygna

Gym Membership Fees Can Be Tax Deductible for Some

We are in the middle of tax season and many people are searching for every possible deduction to save some cash. Typically, gym membership fees are not tax deductible, but the possibility is there for those that may have had exercise prescribed by their doctor for a particular health issue.

Keep in mind that the IRS will not allow you to use your gym membership as a deduction if you are using it for overall health or weight loss. The membership fees may be deductible only if your doctor prescribes exercise at a gym to treat a medical condition or illness. Some of the conditions that might cause your doctor to prescribe using a gym are things like obesity, hypertension or certain mental illnesses.

As with any type of tax deduction, you want to make sure you are educated on the rules involved to avoid penalties or being audited. The three criteria for having a tax deductible gym membership include having a diagnosis from a medical doctor for a specific medical condition with written documentation, using the gym facilities to treat the diagnosed condition following your doctors instructions and you can’t have had your membership at the gym prior to being diagnosed with your medical condition. These criteria don’t seem so hard to meet considering more and more people are being diagnosed as obese and doctors are spending more time prescribing exercise to patients.

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Posted on February 26, 2026 by Descygna