Last weekend, we all celebrated the most important women in our lives…our mothers. In honor of the person who brought each of us into this world, I wanted to focus on the top health issues that affect women every day.
It is extremely important that each woman take charge of her health. It is her life after all. It is important to be fully versed in family medical history and learn the subtle nuances that our bodies use to communicate with us. Education and access are also keys to success. Learning about the different health issues that are found in your family’s health history (especially the female lineage – your mom and grandmother) will help in preparation for what your weak links might be health-wise. Finding a medical professional that will talk WITH you and not AT you is essential.
Heart Disease
This is the biggest reason for death in adults regardless of gender. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), it is responsible for approximately 29% of all adult female mortality.
Historically, women have either been under-diagnosed or diagnosed too late because some of the symptoms were misconstrued as not warranting further medical attention. According to the American Heart Association, the risk factors for heart disease for women are:
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Increasing age
- Genetics/Heredity: Check your family history. People of African, Mexican, Native American, Hawaiian, and Asian descent have higher risk.
- Smoking
- Physical inactivity
- Obesity (30 pounds overweight)
The best way to reduce the risk of heart disease is to make lifestyle changes – the earlier, the better. Adding or increasing exercise and eating a well-balanced diet will do wonders and add years to your life.
Breast Cancer
More women have breast cancer than any other type of cancer, and it is second to only lung cancer as the leading cause of death for women. It is imperative that all women learn how to do a breast self-examination, and then do it regularly.
There is a concern from experts that women tend to avoid screening or treatment. This is due to the concern that the testing itself exposes your breast tissue to radiation and essentially creates more of a health risk. Nothing can be further from the truth. If you have a history of breast cancer in your family and you are female, it is essential to follow the advice of your trusted health practitioner and take this issue seriously with regards to having a true picture of the image of your breasts.
At this point in time, in 2012, women have choices as to the types of imaging and some imaging is better for one group of patients than another. I will be discussing different types of imaging in our next article. For now, I just wanted to broach the subject so it is on your mind and a reminder to not put this off. It could be the issue of life or death if not taken seriously.
According to the American Cancer Society the following are risk factors for breast cancer:
- Family history of the disease
- Personal history of the disease
- Race. It has been documented that white women are at more risk of getting it, but women of African descent have a greater chance of dying from this disease.
- Increasing age
- Genes. Nearly 5% to 10% of breast cancer is linked to mutations in certain genes (most commonly, the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes – most commonly found in Ashkenazic Jews and people of Norwegian, Dutch or Icelandic descent).
- Earlier incidence of an abnormal breast biopsy
- Early onset of menstruation (before age 12) or menopause after age 55
- Medication use, such as diethylstilbestrol (DES)
- Too much alcohol
- Obesity
A healthy lifestyle, such as that involving exercising, a healthy diet, weight control and quitting smoking are all recommended. A consultation with a health professional who is dialed into the evolution of research in this area in reference to screening and risk is essential. Some of the best health professionals who are really familiar with holistic care for approaching this issue are: nurses, nurse practitioners, acupuncturists, homeopathic doctors, chiropractors and nutritionists – not just MD’s folks!
There are some great gynecologists out there, and my belief is you should see a gynecologist for all the essential yearly tests, such as pap smears , blood work for hormones and mammograms/breast checks. However, when it comes to treatment of gynecological conditions – you may also do yourself a world of good to research other therapies and be informed when making decisions to accept any type of care. Ask questions and also combining therapy of your gyenecologist with those of a nutritionist or acupuncturist will be a great dividend towards resolving or allieviating the issue altogether.
Two examples of this are night sweats and hot flashes that are common with menopausal symptoms. After researching options, a woman may decide that it is too risky based on her health history to undertake a regimen of hormones, and opt instead for herbal therapy and/or homeopathy. I just wanted to level the playing field a bit due to my experience with these other professionals that get great results and offer safe and effective alternatives to medicine and medical care in general. Many medical practitioners are onto what I am saying, and also heartily refer out to these practitioners as well, once they see the results work well with their patients. So there is room for both..allopathic and naturopathic in your life.
Osteoporosis
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, Osteoporosis affects 44 million Americans, of which, 68% are women. The amazing thing is that this condition can be prevented.
The human body builds bone mass until around the age of 30. At that point, the body goes into a kind of maintenance phase. With proper education and a change in fitness and eating behaviors, osteoporosis can be delayed and in some cases, avoided entirely.
The following are risk factors for osteoporosis:
- Family history
- Ethnicity. White and Asian women have the greatest risk.
- Increasing age
- Erratic or infrequent menstrual cycles and estrogen loss due to menopause .
- Anorexia
- Small, thin-boned body frame
- Diet low in calcium and vitamin D
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol
- Lack of weight bearing exercises
Increasing vitamin D and calcium in your diet is one quick way to start building bone, maintaining bone density and keeping away from this disease. Be sure to talk to your health care provider about your personal plan of action to defeat succumbing to this condition.
Depression
The National Institute of Mental Health states that this condition affects twice as many women as men, with approximately 12 million documented depressive disorder cases reported each year. Much of this is due to the fact that women are more comfortable and used to reporting their feelings and symptoms to a health provider than men are. Part of this disparity in statistics then, is simple gender differences for how men and women perceive their emotions and physiology and how they express that to their practitioner. Men may get just as depressed a women but are not inclined to discuss this with their doctor. So it never gets reported, lowering the statistics but not necessarily telling the truth about the real incidence.
If a man assumes it is natural to feel stress due to his lifestyle, he may not feel inclined to report what a health provider would determine is “depression”. For women, the flux in hormones creates a veritable nightmare of emotions as estrogen wanes, and the symptoms of menopause itself cause women to feel older, tired, moody and just not themselves. Younger women and women who are pregnant or just gave birth, have documented hormonal changes that are responsible for postpartum depression. We have witnessed severe cases where women have injured themselves and/or family members when the levels of hormones rose and became so unbalanced that she was declared mentally insane by committing terrible acts of cruelty upon her child or others.
With others – the emotional flux could be something as simple as a lack of connection in life. It is documented that the healthiest adults are those with significant caring relationships. This does not necessarily mean romantic ones. They could be with a parent, sibling, other relative or even a very close friend. The importance is that the relationship itself is strong and a fundamentally important in their life. The typical risk factors for depression include:
- A previous depressive episode
- Family history of depression
- Serious chronic illness
- Marital problems
- Substance abuse
- Use of drugs that could trigger depression, such as medicines for high blood pressure or seizures
- A stressful life event, such as job loss or death
- Diseases that could trigger depression, such as vitamin B12 deficiency and thyroid disease
- Recent serious illness or surgery
- Childhood history of physical or sexual abuse
- Being a worrier or being overly anxious
- Having an eating disorder or an anxiety disorder
While not medically documented, caring for a pet has shown to help relieve depression. Finding something to care about, such as a hobby or charity can also fill the void that depression resides in. And get physical however you want to do it. Moving and exertion physically with exercise can dramatically boost endorphins and you will forget you ever were blue.
To all the mothers out there, we love you and want you to take care of yourselves. Consult with a health professional if you have any questions about what is discussed here and a belated Happy Mother’s Day to you all.
Feel free to join my mailing list for more articles that empower your health at http://www.lynnkerew.com/blog.
