Labor Induction Methods, Gaming Addiction, and Yoga

Methods for Inducing Labor and Cervical Ripening

The cervix must be fully effaced and dilated for a baby's head to come through. To induce labor, this process is speeded along in one of the following ways. Your doctor may insert a finger into your vagina and move it back and forth to separate the membrane that connects your amniotic sac to your uterine wall (stripping the membranes). Then your body releases prostaglandin hormones, which can lead to the start of your contractions. Your doctor may also choose to ripen your cervix by giving you man-made versions of prostaglandins to take by mouth or vagina. The cervix can also be ripened with a balloon-like device, which is inserted into the vagina and then filled with water. This causes the cervix to expand. If your cervix has already started to open, your doctor may move your labor along by using a plastic hook to manually break your amniotic sac, which should lead to contractions. As a final method of labor induction, your doctor may decide to give you an intravenous dose of Pitocin. This drug is an artificial form of the hormone oxytocin, which also occurs naturally in the body to trigger and strengthen contractions.

Recognizing the Signs of Video Game Addiction

People who are addicted to video games have the uncontrollable urge to spend more time playing in order to get the same kind of rush that they used to. Eventually, it can become a compulsive act that the person no longer derives the same pleasure from, but it's so ingrained they can't stop. Common signs include:

• Thinking about gaming when you're supposed to be focusing on other things.
• Spending more time playing games than doing anything else.
• Withdrawing from friends, family, or one's spouse to the point of disrupting family, social, or work life.
• Lying to friends or family about how you've been spending your time and downplaying how much time you do spend gaming.

Sun Salutation: A Simple Warm-Up Stretch

This is a warm-up stretch called Sun Salutation lying down: Lie flat on your back, with legs straight and arms at your sides, and look up at the ceiling. Inhale as you sweep your arms out to point above your head. As you exhale, sweep your arms back down.