Things your doctor won't tell you: February 2016

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Product Review: Minna kGoal Smart Kegel Exerciser

Sitting in the provided stand

I purchased kgoal, produced by Minna Life, in December and have been using it nearly every day since-- so for nearly two months. I typically do each of the workouts each evening, so 10 minutes of total exercise. (Yes purchased. This is not a sponsored review. Free stuff would be great. But sadly I haven't received any.)

The kGoal is basically an air-filled rubber bulb which you insert in your vagina. It also has a little arm that stays outside. It connects to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth. When you squeeze the bulb with your vaginal muscles, it registers on your electronic device. There is also the option of a vibration response to squeezing with two different levels of vibration possible. There is an internal vibrator and an external one. I found I did not care at all for the external one (on the little arm that sticks out). It was distracting rather than helpful. So I turned it off and for a number of weeks used just the internal vibrator and that was okay. Then I turned that off as well and found I like it best with no vibration, but that is a personal preference. The setting is easy to change in the software settings and worth experimenting to find what works best for you.

Size relative to a typical tampon

I've seen complaints in other reviews about the size of the unit. Yes, it is larger than a tampon but if you have had sexual intercourse (if you haven't why do you want this), it is no larger than the other thing that usually goes in your vagina. And it whole lot smaller than the baby which came out-- causing you to need a kegel exerciser. With a little bit of lubricant, I have had no trouble inserting or removing the exerciser and have experienced no discomfort.

Air valve at bottom

I have had a bit of trouble getting the amount of air in the bulb just right. There is a little valve at the base which you press to allow air in or out. Sometimes, I don't get the right amount and it seems to throw off the calibration with my phone-- I release my muscles but it doesn't register as zero in the software. If I mess with the air valve a bit more, it usually fixes that problem. (For whatever reason, my husband is better at operating the air valve than I am!)

The little light on the arm glows white when first turned on then turns blue when connected via bluetooth.

I have had no problems with the blue tooth. However it is important to turn things on in the right order. Turn on the exerciser first, THEN open the app. Wait a few seconds and it connects and the light on the exerciser turns blue. My iPhone 4s has connected every time and never disconnected during a workout.

The software includes two 5-minute exercise workouts. "Moving Target" is very basic. It runs you through a series of contractions-- alternating holding strong squeezes, more gradual squeeze and contract, and fast pulses. It is frankly kind of boring, but effective. At the end of the workout, it scores you on strength, endurance and control on a 0-10 score. It also gives you a composite score for the workout. The app displays a graph of all your scores from the past 30 days so you can see trends.

Playing "Moving Target"

The line/number tells you how hard to try to squeeze. The blue shows your contraction

The other workout is called "Shape shift." I think it is more fun. There are various shapes that move along the screen and by squeezing you open the gate to let them through. The goal is to try to trace the outline of the shape as closely as possible. They vary in width, length and shape-type to force you to do different types of squeezes. If you do well enough on one level, you advance to a more difficult level. I find it fun to try to get to higher levels. At the end, you are given scores for strength, endurance and control. My biggest complaint with this product is the scoring of this game. The workout score at the end seems completely inconsistent with what I experience in the game. I can never predict what my score will be. I have gotten higher scores on days when I passed fewer levels in my 5 minutes than days where I easily cruised through them, and that makes no sense. And it is the opposite of motivating! Basically the workout score on this one seems like garbage and you can't use it to track your progress. I try to ignore it and focus on trying to pass more and more levels.

Screen shots of the Shape Shift game

The shapes come in various shapes and sizes

After use, the kGoal is easy to clean up. It has a uniform and smooth surface so no cracks or crevices to collect crud. Just wipe/rinse it off well. Do not submerge the unit and be careful of the end when cleaning. Water up the charging port would not be good.

The light is also the charging port. Charges with a USB cord.

So biggest question: does it work? Have I seen increased muscular strength and control? I'm not the best judge of that question because I'd already been working with vaginal weights for 8 months before I tried this product and I continue to use them daily. So I'd already greatly strengthened my muscles before starting this and on day 1, I scored a 10 on strength and that has remained pretty constant. What it has done is increased my muscle control. The first few times I used it, I had more trouble with relaxing than squeezing. Mid-workout I'd get stuck contracted and unable to relax. Working consistently with the kGoal has helped make me more aware of my muscles and more able to both squeeze and relax on demand. I also felt very tired after the first few workouts-- the good, just worked hard kind of tired-- and now I don't. I think that is a an indication of increased strength and endurance.

Overall, I think it is a useful product. It provides more feedback then weights and teaches muscle awareness and control. It is interesting to visually watch the strength of your contraction on the screen. I would love to see additional development of the accompanying software. Some additional workouts would be nice. And it would be extremely helpful if the scoring was more accurate and consistent. The price seems a little steep for what it is-- $150 on Amazon -- but it is comparable in price to other options like the Kegelmaster.

UPDATE: I was really excited when I got an e-mail that they'd added a new game to the app. You can now also play Bricks with your Kgoal.

Sadly, the bricks game itself is a disappointment. At least for me, it is not a natural relationship between the squeezing and successful control of the game. It is frustrating. It was also exhausting--since you are squeezing nearly constantly without rest periods. It has not become part of my usual exercise routine.

UPDATE (5/26/2017):
Since I've had this, I've struggled with getting it to zero at times. I thought I was just using the vent thing wrong because with my husband's help I could usually play with that and get it to behave. But-- I went searching on Minna's help page the other day and found this very useful information on recalibrating the machine. Don't know if it wasn't there before or if I just missed it:

The other key to using kGoal in different positions (or even in the same position from day to day) is the Recalibration feature. We recommend the following procedure before each workout:

Get kGoal positioned where and how you want it (location, orientation, level of inflation)
Fully relax your pelvic floor muscles
Briefly press the Power button on kGoal. When you do this, it will reset the measurement baseline to whatever level of squeeze and inflation it senses at that moment. This way, each workout will start on equal footing (with fully relaxed muscles corresponding to a reading of "zero" on kGoal's squeeze strength scale).

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Product Review--PELVINN Kegel Exercise Weights

Product Review--PELVINN Kegel Exercise Weights:

I purchased this Kegel Exercise Weight set in April of 2015 and have been using them ever since-- so for 10 months now. There are many different shapes and styles of weights on the market. I chose these because the shape looked like it would be comfortable and I liked the fact I could easily increase the difficulty by selecting a heavier weight. These were my first attempt at a kegel exerciser. I knew my muscles were week, but I didn't want to spend $150+ on some gadget. At $30-40, this felt like a less risky investment. Here is an example of them on Amazon

The weights are a smooth plastic with a string at the end to help remove. There is a free phone app designed to use with them. It is called Kegels4me. I've taken a few screenshots but it is essentially just a timer. It does allow you to record which weight you used and how difficult you found the workout each time, but it is pretty crude.

I started using the weights for 15 minutes every morning and evening. At first I was surprised that I couldn't even hold the lightest weight for the full time. I'd have to push it back in a few times when it started slipping. But it didn't take long before I could hold it, then I'd switch to the next weight up. I always stand while using them-- sitting down would be pointless-- and at first I had to stand still. But once I started getting stronger I found I could walk around without losing hold. That made it easier to get my 15 min because I could do it while I got ready in the morning and then while getting ready for bed at night.

Once I got to the heaviest weight, I experimented with leaving it in longer and also with attaching additional weight to the string to make it heavier. But found this more trouble than it was worth. I'm to the point now where I can do a whole aerobics video with it in. I'm quite satisfied with my muscle strength now but continue to use the heaviest weight 15 min a day for maintenance.

It's an incredibly simple thing to use, and I've seen huge changes in my pelvic muscles. I don't understand why Kegel weights are not more popular. I have struggled with urethral spasms for years and they are finally under control thanks to getting my muscle tone back. I HIGHLY recommend the use of Kegel weights.

Illustration of size relative to a typical tampon

As to these weights in particular, I've generally been satisfied. They insert easily and are comfortable. I don't need lubricant.My only real complaint is the seam in the center. For one thing, it is a little bit rough feeling when you are inserting. But more of a concern, it makes the weights hard to clean.

The rest of the surface can easily be cleaned with soap and water and occasionally some rubbing alcohol, but I find crud accumulates in the crack that takes special care to remove. The only other complaint is that the end where the string attaches is pretty wimpy. I've had several break. That might be due to me dropping them on the floor (which does occasionally happen). But this isn't a big deal because frankly you don't need the string to be able to pull it out.

Weight with broken end

Monday, February 15, 2016

Why I won't be having a mammogram

I'm getting close to that age where mammograms start getting recommended. While learning more about cancer testing, we thought we'd learn more about them. I've always heard that mammograms are terribly uncomfortable. Think about it, the try to squish your breast in a vise. What fun. So are they worth it?

The first thing that scares me about mammograms is the amount of radiation involved.

We all know that x-ray radiation can cause cancer. No medical professional will deny this. Thus the lead apron at the dentist. Controls about who is near x-ray machines (even family support). And so on. With that in mind think about this:

According to the ANS a mammogram has 4 times the amount of radiation as a chest x-ray 1. And it's fully concentrated on the breast! Should I routinely blast my vulnerable breast cells with high levels of x-ray radiation, to prevent cancer? It's like they are thinking "we'll keep on x-raying until we find something" And if they keep x-raying they'll make something and then yes they will find it.

Be wary of anyone recommending mammograms that simply state the amount of radiation is "small". Or other vague or subjective terms. If they are afraid to quantify the amount of radiation then they aren't being open about the potential harm.

The Second thing that scares me is the false positives.

"Approximately 50% of women screened annually for 10 years in the United States will experience a false positive, of whom 7% to 17% will have biopsies".2 A breast biopsy isn't the worst thing in the world, but it still isn't pleasant. Worse yet is the fear associated with it. You get that dreadful panic for the week or two between the worrisome mammogram and the biopsy when you are literally afraid for your life. I've seen friends go through it. It isn't pretty.

Another aspect, and this one was definitely news to me, it is possible to have small cancerous lumps in the breast which go away on their own untreated! Sometimes, these cancerous cells that must be found through a mammogram, because they are too small to be noticed or symptomatic, are not actually dangerous! Sometimes the body can make the necessary corrections on its own.3 So detecting them "early" with a mammogram leads to unnecessary invasive treatments-- mastectomies, radiation, chemotherapy-- and once again, terror. And those treatments in and of themselves can be life-threatening.

"Of all breast cancers detected by screening mammograms, up to 54% are estimated to be results of overdiagnosis." 2

Am I suggesting that no one should ever be tested?

Of course not. If you detect an abnormality, by all means you should get it checked out. I'm wanting to have people consider is routine testing of healthy people with no symptoms. Rather than giving these blanket recommendations, we should be given factual information about the risks and benefits so we could make educated decisions for our personal situations.

There are alternative Screenings.

And there are also alternatives to mammograms, although you rarely hear about them. Ultrasound is also effective at testing for breast cancer-- without the discomfort or the intense radiation.

So why are mammograms pushed so heavily?

It is a big industry and in a lot of ways it is all about the money. If the number of mammograms was eliminated or reduced people would lose their jobs. Hospitals would not be able to recoup the money they spent on their expensive machines.4

Things your doctor won't tell you