Lactation, the process in which your breasts produce milk to feed your baby, begins while you are still pregnant. Lactation causes a variety of changes in your breasts, some that are unpleasant and embarrassing. Fortunately, it is possible to minimize its effects and make lactation more comfortable to handle.

A foot soak becomes especially soothing in pregnancy, when excess fluid collects in your tissues and causes the feet to ache and swell. Because so many treatments are off-limits in pregnancy, many mothers-to-be wonder if foot soaking is one of them.

The good news: chocolate can be beneficial for your heart and help keep your heart pumping at a healthy rate. This benefit, however, depends on the amount and the type of chocolate you consume and your overall body weight.

The American Lung Association states that smoking is a hard habit to break. Tobacco’s main ingredient, nicotine, can be as addictive as heroin. At this point in time, there is no magic pill to help people stop smoking, though some products can help ease withdrawal symptoms. The U.S.

Around 4 percent of women in the United States take illegal drugs while pregnant, the March of Dimes states. A number of pregnant women who take illegal drugs also use legal drugs, such as tobacco and alcohol. All these drugs cross the placenta and can affect the fetus prenatally, causing withdrawal symptoms at birth.

Approximately 5.9 percent of pregnant women admit to using illicit drugs or nonprescribed narcotics during pregnancy, according to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Many more women take prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI, antidepressants.

Gallstones can range from extremely painful to barely noticeable. If you have experienced gallbladder problems in the past, you may be nervous about including certain items in your diet, like beer. Your gallbladder interacts directly with your liver, which can be heavily affected by alcohol consumption.

People often don't realize that they can permanently damage their ability to hear from simple activities like using cotton swabs to get rid of ear wax. Never stick an object of any kind into your ear or use pressurized water to clean the ear canal.

Gambling addiction is the compulsive act of gambling without regard for financial, family- or work-related consequences. Gambling addicts may become excessively preoccupied with the act of gambling itself and not necessarily with winning or losing.

Drug abuse occurs when a person begins a consistent pattern of use of a substance beyond what is recommended if the substance is prescribed. If the substance is not prescribed, abuse occurs when the quantity of the substance used is increased to achieve a high that was once achieved at a lower quantity.

Smokers who quit are at risk for overeating and gaining weight, and the reasons are many. Smoking speeds up the metabolism and suppresses the appetite. Ex-smokers often turn to food to satisfy their renewed hunger or cravings.

An increase in mucus production can be caused by a variety of things, from the common cold to allergies. According to the Kids Health website, certain conditions, such as dry air or exposure to cigarette smoke, can lower the immune system, making children more susceptible to illnesses that promote mucus and congestion.