Healthy Girls Make Healthy Women

This week is National Women’s Health Week.  Just a week?  We should get a month, or better yet, a year!  The government website, http://www.womenshealth.gov, has five common sense goals for every woman:

• See your doctor for a regular checkup.
• Get active.
• Eat healthy.
• Pay attention to your mental health.
• Avoid unhealthy behaviors.

If we improve just a bit each day, we will meet those goals.  However, if we can instill those goals into the young women in our world (our daughters, nieces, cousins, etc), we can help them develop lifelong habits so the battles won’t be  so tough as they mature.

Since so many young women and girls are electronic-savvy (putting most of us to shame!), why not direct them to a very useful, girl-friendly website?  This government website, http://www.girlshealth.gov is loaded with great information presented with your young woman in mind.  With tabs for everything from body to bullying, alcohol to safety, young girls and moms will find plenty of conversation-starters.

Let’s help our young girls grow into healthy women!  Incorporate healthy life choices for yourself and your daughter will follow.  She is watching you, even when she pretends to ignore you!  Be that healthy woman in her life.

 

It’s a Tricky One…Lupus

 Lupus can wreak havoc on your life, especially if you are a busy, working mom.  One of those busy moms shares her story with us here.

Lupus is a very tricky disease.  At age 14, I didn’t think waking up with a stiff neck was a big deal until three doctor visits later (including a trip to the emergency room), I was told I had lupus.  I was in 9^th grade, trying to manage schoolwork, lupus, AND a social life!  It was a struggle just to get up and make it through a whole day of school.  I passed my GED and after that, received my medical assistant certificate.  About that time, my doctor put me on a chemotherapy drug called Cytoxin.  Even though it was my only option at the time, it was a hard decision, considering I was only 17 years old and this drug would leave me with only a 30% chance of being able to have children.

I did get pregnant, but lost the baby at 36 weeks.  I worked hard to move on and two years later, I was pregnant again and showed no signs of lupus.  Not sure what to do, I came to The Women’s Health Group and they helped me through the pregnancy (and two more!); all healthy pregnancies.  After my third baby, my lupus ‘flared’ again.  A flare is when the severe symptoms start to ‘flare up’ and remind you that you have lupus.  Now I was struggling with a fulltime job, raising three kids, AND the lupus!  The hardest part is when I am in pain and trying to carry out life’s everyday tasks and deal with the side effects of the medication.  Kids think moms are unstoppable and have no pain; moms heal the pain and scrapes; they don’t have them.  One of the hardest days was the day I had a severe leg cramp and my husband had to drop everything and run to help me.  I had tears in my eyes from the pain and fear, but my heart broke when I saw how scared my kids were, seeing their mom in such intense pain.

Knowing my children may develop  lupus is frightening, but with the support of my husband, my mom, family, and friends, I manage to deal with the lupus, my children and my fulltime job.  I try to remember I have lupus; lupus doesn’t have me…and some days I forget I have it at all.  Those are the best days.

 Addendum, May 2012: Since we first posted this story on our website, this mom is trying a new drug, Benlysta®. This is an infusion drug (administered by IV) given monthly after the first three closely spaced doses.  As with any drug, there are many scary side effects, but she is starting to feel better and life will be as normal as possible with a busy family life and hectic job.

Your Annual Exam. Do You Need One?

The short answer is ‘yes’.  Even though the guidelines for Pap tests changed (again), it doesn’t mean you can skip out of your annual exam.  That once a year visit with your doctor is more important that you might think.  Please check out our message that explains why you should still have that yearly visit with your health care provider even if you don’t need the Pap.  Click on the link for more information:  Do You Need One?  As always, if you have questions about your health care, you should check with your doctor or health care provider.  The Women’s Health Group physicians monitor the guidelines and will order only necessary tests, taking into consideration your risk factors and history.

For the complete guidelines from The American Cancer Society, you can click here.

Celebrate the Everyday History-Makers

March is Women’s History Month; a month of celebration dating back to 1981.  The theme this year is ‘Women’s Education-Women’s Empowerment’.  After years of struggling for access to higher education, women now outnumber men in American colleges (www.womenshistorymonth.gov).  Many women attend college or other training programs immediately after high school; but many postpone their education for a variety of reasons.  Record numbers of women are now in the process of reinventing themselves because they lost their job or they need a new career; many return to school after a divorce and must learn a new skill set to support themselves.  However, most women returning to school these days are juggling a job and a family, while trying to study and write term papers.  These women are making history along with the women who are learning something new every day in their not-so-ordinary routines!  These women are making history!  Education IS empowerment and educated women are making history every day; let’s celebrate this fact year-round and not just in March 2012.

Women make history every day and most of them will never fly a space shuttle, hold political office, win a marathon, or create a non-profit, all of which are great endeavors.  No, most women are making their mark in this world in their own small, quiet ways by being a great mother, a loving daughter, a loyal best friend, a dependable coworker, or multi-tasking student.  You can look around and within arms’ length, you will see women making history.  Their story may not be one to tell in a classroom textbook, but it is history, just the same.

Celebrate the women in your life that made history years ago such as Helen Keller and Sally Ride, but also celebrate the ones that are making history today.  Those women are all around you.  Happy Women’s History Month from The Women’s Health Group!

Go Red for Women

Wear your red on Friday, February 3! This year, as in the last two years, we will join the GO RED FOR WOMEN movement to increase awareness of heart disease in women. Did you know it is the #1 killer of women? (Think over 422,000 American women each year!!) For more information, you can check out the American Heart Association’s site: www.goredforwomen.org. If you see someone wearing red or a little red dress pin, you know they joined the movement too!

Happy New Year! Be Well in 2012!

Once again, we face our new calendar with the fresh, clean pages, just waiting to be filled with appointments, birthdays, events, and activities. The blank pages are so forgiving right now; we haven’t missed anything yet. There are no reminders that we forgot a birthday, or didn’t mail out the bills. Our New Year’s resolutions are still so new so we haven’t forgotten them yet. Most of us are great at making resolutions; we may not be so good at keeping them, but many of us are experts at making them. Maybe we set ourselves up for failure by creating too many lofty goals. Maybe we need to give ourselves a break this year.

Be well.
Take care of yourself and if you have others that depend on you, help them stay well.
Do your best.
That might not be perfect, but it will be your best. Who would complain about ‘best’?
Go easy on yourself.
You didn’t fail because you missed the mark. Maybe the mark was too high.
Treasure the small, random moments that happen every day.
We usually miss these moments because we are too busy.

Happy New Year to you! Be well!

You, The Flu, and What to Do

Our days are filled with busy schedules; we are more fatigued than usual, leaving our immune system vulnerable to illness.  With the cooler weather ahead of us, we will be keeping the windows closed, with no fresh air circulating to move the germs out the door.  Parties and celebrating fill our calendars; we are exposed to more people than usual.   Tis the season to be on guard; any of these factors can be an invitation for sickness. 
You…
The higher risk populations include:
Pregnant moms
Those that have household day-to-day contact with children under six months old
General healthcare workers (hospital, clinic, EMT/EMS personnel)
Children ages six months to 24 years of age
Adults ages 25-64 years with certain medical conditions that may leave them more
vulnerable to complications from infection
 How do you know if you have influenza?
According to Tri-County Health Department, www.tchd.org, the symptoms of the flu are:
Chills and fever
Headache
Muscle aches and pains
Sore throat, dry cough
Runny nose, nasal congestion
Fatigue, weakness
Loss of appetite
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are possible
What to do…
Get your flu shot early.  If you didn’t get a flu shot, follow the tips below to feel better quickly.  Remember, it’s nice to share with others; just don’t share your germs.
Stay home; avoid contact with others
Wash your hands thoroughly and often; use hand sanitizers
When you sneeze, use the crook of your arm (inside elbow) to minimize spreading germs
Take acetaminophen (such as Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (such as Advil®)
Drink lots of non-alcoholic fluids (you need to stay hydrated right now)
Check with your healthcare provider to see if anti-viral medications are appropriate
Zinc.  There is good evidence that zinc may shorten the duration of a cold by about a day, and that can mean a lot of time in a busy schedule. Echinacea has not been very effective in fighting colds.
Get lots of rest
Checklist…
Juices, soups, chicken broth, gelatin (to keep you hydrated and keep your energy up)
Acetaminophen or ibuprofen for the aches and pains
Tissues (dispose of in trash and try not to touch other people’s tissues)
Phone numbers to your healthcare provider and a family member or friend
A good book or a few movies since you will be staying home for awhile
Stay home and avoid contact with others to avoid spreading infection

Is it snowing on our blog?

Yes it is…you may notice the little white flakes dropping down on our blog.  We are going to celebrate the winter (because we can’t fight it, we are joining it!).

You don’t have a technical problem with your screen…it IS snowing in here.

The ‘Eating Season’ is Upon Us

It may seem like yesterday when you made that commitment to lose weight. Was it REALLY almost a year ago? Did your goals fall off the radar but the pounds didn’t?   

With the holidays fast approaching, we will be tempted with extra dinners, desserts, and alcohol. Putting a game plan into play before the holidays and not after will help keep the extra weight from stubbornly attaching to your hips. Why wait until January 1? Now is a great time to rally your resolve to lose weight, start exercising, or both! Beat the post-holiday rush at the gym and join today!

The physicians at The Women’s Health Group have healthy weight and weight loss guidelines to share with you. Please click here for that information. If you need help getting started, call your doctor for a weight loss consult. Hire a health coach-they can be your cheerleader! Hire a trainer so they can count the reps and you can focus on the workout.  enlist a workout buddy-they are usually free!  Make a commitment to maintain,  and not gain during this holiday ‘Eating Season’! You can do it! Your blood pressure, your heart, and your bones will thank you for it!

Boys, Girls, HPV, and Vaccinations

Recently, new findings about the HPV virus and vaccination have been publicized that deserve a comment.

The HPV vaccine is now recommended for boys as well as girls and is suggested to be given to girls ages 9-26 years old and 11-12 year old boys.  The direct risk to males is thought to be less than the risk for girls who contract HPV; however, the benefit to boys still exists by decreasing the risk of transmission to girls, since relatively few girls are receiving the vaccine.  I don’t feel strongly about boys receiving the vaccination for their own protection since the risk of penile warts and cancer are relatively low.  If you are anti-vaccination, I would not push this too hard for boys.  However, if you are comfortable vaccinating your son, there is now evidence that the public health benefits from the vaccine when given to adolescent boys outweighs any risk that may be found from getting the vaccine itself or the HPV virus through infection.

The risk of heart disease from the HPV virus in women is based on very preliminary data and I would caution in concluding anything about this finding or making making generalizations until further data comes in on this subject over the next few years.

If you have any questions regarding the HPV virus and vaccination for boys, please see your child’s pediatrician or your family medical provider.  All the physicians at The Women’s Health Group are happy to discuss the risks vs. benefits of the HPV vaccine in young women.

~Steve Volin, M.D.

For the WebMD article about HPV, please click here.