Recently in Health Category

I found these yesterday and thought I should share them, since the very idea of secrets in gynecology seems so wrong.  Everyone should know everything she can about her body.

Gynecology Secrets You Need to Know

Personally, the only one I knew was the first one, though I'd like to think that I could have deduced "Secret #5" on my own.

#6 reminds me of the time I contracted bacterial vaginosis .  Though no one is sure what causes it, I'm convinced it was the 11 hour plane ride (almost all of which I was seated) in non-cotton underwear, since I left home fine and arrived in Sweden with a malodorous discharge. 

Also, I wish they would add that birth control can basically drain your body of Vitamin B - which helps you absorb nutrition from your food, helps give you energy, and keeps you happy.  I only learned this myself when I was a 20-year-old vegetarian (who rarely or never ate the various food sources of Vitamin B ) who started having panic attacks and feeling dizzy all the time.  I didn't have any idea it could be connected to my birth control but asked my doctor about the panic attacks while visiting for something else - one of the first things she said was, "You're on birth control, aren't you?".

What "secrets" would you add?

So, as I related somewhere way down in the comments to that story, my mom related a gem of a cautionary tale years ago concerning a woman she knew who, due to a miscommunication/misunderstanding she'd had with her knowledgable (male) gynocologist (this was either late 50's or early 60's), she gave herself a full strength Lysol douche-with all the imagined consequences.  Horrible, horrible.  Unimaginable.  And yet, it made me wonder just how much, fundamentally, things have changed with regards to women and the medical field. 

The medical community-male and female practitioners-are still deeply entrenched in the practice of "medical misogyny".  This is something I read about constantly, but rarely do I hear it come up in regular conversation.  Many of us are taught/conditioned to ignore the signals of our bodies, that our senses are clouded by 'hysterical' sensibilites.  That if we dare voice an opinion on the state of our own bodies, it is not only not to be taken seriously, but somehow shameful.

Case in point:  Soon after giving birth to my second son (he is now eleven), I started experiencing extreme fatigue.  Not oh-I-need-more-sleep, but to the point where I was sleeping through most of the goddamn day as well as the night.  I would literally drag myself out of bed in the morning only to feel tired to the point of nausea within a couple hours.  

I went to the doctor.  I explained  the severity of the problem.  I even mentioned my mother was hypo-thyroid, and that she'd been diagnosed around my current age.  Guess what happened?  I was gently brushed out of the office with condescending references to 'mommy syndrome' (I had quit work when I was 5 months pregnant with the second, as we had moved away from my work anyway and we were able to swing it.)  I was instead diagnosed with depression, and perscribed a high dose of anti-depressant that had three major side effects (that the physician neglected to mention-I had to research the drug myself).  Weight gain. Fatigue.  Loss of any drive, creative as well as sexual.  BTW, I'm an artist.  Just not for the years I was taking that shit. 

For the next SEVEN FUCKING YEARS, as I continued to drag myself through the days, gaining ever more weight, sick with fatigue, it was because I WAS A BORED HOUSEWIFE.  This was not with just one practitioner, mind you, nor were they all men.

It was an all too common combination of my denial of being anything but healthy, and the medical profession's mindset that most females (especially, especially a chronically lazy, bored housefrau and stay-at-home-mommy) are by nature, hypochondriacs.

By the time I grew the ovaries to finally stand up and fucking wean myself off the anti-depressants and DEMAND a blood test, I had basically lost almost a decade of productive living, gained about 65 lbs, and lost most of my self esteem in the process. 

To be clear, I don't completely lay the onus of blame on my medical practitioners, as I was most definitely in denial and chose to believe their diagnoses over my own sense of what my body was experiencing, and chose not to assert myself until very late, but I do believe there is a huge problem that still exists within the medical community that needs desperately to be examined much more agressively. 

I would also be interested in hearing of any similar reluctance on the part of a doctor, doctor/assistant, or other medical professional's reluctance to take a female patient's physical complaint/s seriously.

They say hair holds karma -- and that cutting it off means letting go of your karma and allowing yourself a fresh start. I cut eight inches off my hair recently, and while I'm not sure I gave myself a fresh start, I certainly hope I gave someone else that opportunity.

I gave my hair to the Pantene Pro-V's Beautiful Lengths Program, one of several that allows you to donate long hair to women and children in need, usually cancer patients. It was tough to choose a program. All of them represent a good cause, and many of them link with salons or organize events offering free cuts by really great stylists.

My mother donated her hair to Locks of Love a few years back when her brother was struggling with cancer. It's the most high profile organization dedicated to this cause, but while it does great work, often running large-scale campaigns at schools and on campuses, Locks of Love has also been criticized for accepting more donations than they can use. Sometimes the donated hair ends up being thrown away. Wigs for Kids only donates to children -- a worthy cause, for sure, but children don't always feel the same social pressure to wear a wig, and may not miss having a wig made with real hair. Adults do.

I chose to donate my long locks to the Beautiful Lengths Program for a variety of reasons. I liked that they donated wigs to adult women via the American Cancer Society;
they link with a salon near my office that offers free cuts by senior stylists on any day but Saturday (Mark Garrison Salon, www.markgarrisonsalon.com); and their minimum donation is only 8 inches of hair. (Other programs ask for 10 or 12 inches, but I wasn't ready for anything too drastic).

For most women, hair is part of our identity; losing it, while undergoing the difficulties of disease, treatment, and recovery, is particularly traumatic. I'd had long hair most of my life and was glad to share part of what makes me who I am with someone else. It didn't seem like a big sacrifice.

If you are interested in donating, keep in mind that hair should be untreated. It takes about six donations to make one wig, so all hair donations are dyed and treated hair soaks up color more easily.

More information on each of there programs can be found on this list compiled by the New York Times, and of course on their websites.

In the fourth grade I learned how it felt to be made fun of just because of my weight. Most of the fat people I knew were quiet, wore clothes that didn't fit them, and had no friends. Their names weren't Lisa or Joe or Mary. They went by Shamu or Willy or whatever diet company was popular at the time. From every direction- home, doctors, peers, teachers, and the media-these kids were getting the message that they were not decent people. They were disrespected and unsupported, and as a result felt like unworthy people. They were seen solely as fat kids: not smart kids, not creative kids, and not athletic kids.

Perhaps the greatest injustice large children face is the medical care they receive. Once I had to go on a diet because it was assumed that bad habits were creating my size. I was nine or ten years old! I ate what the rest of my family ate, and they weren't fat. We rarely had sweets around the house. (My mom is a health food fanatic.) We didn't eat much red meat, and did eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. My mom was always making sure we got "complete proteins" and not too much sugar or fat. We never had soda pop. Of course, the diet didn't work. Most people, including doctors, freak at the obesity rate as if it were something to be ashamed of.

Our society's definition of healthy is wrong. We are so obsessed with thinness that we worry more about losing weight than about feeding the hungry. It is as if the media has created an artificial tragedy that is distracting us from real concerns. Thinness should worry us, but, because of stereotypes about fatness, it does not. My size rarely keeps me from doing anything I want. This throws people off. How can this girl be happy, active, healthy-and fat?

I played basketball for a long time and was very good. I could do everything the others could; I wore the same tight-fitting clothes. Yes, I have a body, and it has gone away under sweatpants and baggy T-shirts. I don't play basketball anymore, but I am still a very active person.

For the past three years, I have been struggling with an eating disorder. I have always been made fun of and thought that maybe if I was thin I would be liked, but really I was already liked by the people that truly did like me and that's all that matters. But in a weird way it has helped me gain confidence in my body. I have learned that true beauty does not always emanate from the skinny, but it does always come from the truly self-content.
As a college student, my size has become less and less important to the people around me. My friends accept my appearance all the way. Other large people I know are experiencing the same kind of change. People stop teasing, just as they stop teasing the kids with glasses, braces, or orthopedic shoes.

It takes some time to adjust and be comfortable with your growing body. Almost every girl thinks that her body is funny looking: maybe it's her hair, maybe it's her nose, or maybe it's her knees. For the fat girl, it is always her size. But getting rid of fat will never make the insecurities go away. It doesn't work like Jenny Craig says. It is very important to be comfortable with yourself. For the people who aren't, the awkwardness doesn't go. It really is a choice to make: to accept yourself or not.

HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for African-American women between the ages of 25 and 44.

Take a minute and let that sink in.

In her article "This era of black women and HIV/AIDS," published yesterday on The Black Commentator, feminist scholar and activist Rev. Irene Monroe points out many disturbing facts surrounding black women and HIV/AIDS. She also makes it crystal clear that this is an issue of not only race but gender disparity.

It should get everyone hackles up. Why is the prevalence of AIDS among African-American women so well hidden in our society?

Monroe pinpoints the reasons. Failed national leadership, lack of support in the church community, homophobia(you'll have to read the article to see how that fits in), and the legacy of slavery.

It's a sobering and fascinating read that I hope will open many eyes.

I know that feministing has touched upon this slightly in a post not too long ago, but I finally saw this article posted on the internet...specifically Fox News. I was not able to find it on CNN-Fox's liberal counterpart. The article was about the gift certificates that Planned Parenthood was giving away. The headline was especially disturbing and really got my blood boiling...

"Planned Parenthood Gift Certificates Could be Used for Deadly Purposes"

Deadly Purposes!! Damn, it really makes me think that PP is funding terrorism, or mass genocide or something absolutely horrible. That headline is out of control in my opinion. These death (gift) certificates can obviously be used for many of the different services that planned parenthood offers such as STD exams, Pap Smears, and pre-natal care, but no...instead the Pro-Life crazies are worried that it is going to used for abortions. Well, so what if it is? A gift certificate is meant to be for anything one would like to buy with it.

These pro-lifers are complaining that on Christmas, woman are going to end lives when Jesus was born. I know it makes sense to people arguing about about this issue, but people have to be more understanding about the fact that NOT everyone celebrates Christmas. There are Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists (which is what I practice) and numerous other religious groups that do not believe in Jesus or what the Christian church preaches, so, these women should not be ridiculed for going to planned parenthood for whatever it may be their getting-even if it is an abortion...or at least that is what I believe...

On Yahoo News:

Health Tip: Hide or Get Rid of Excess Hair

(HealthDay News) -- In women, factors such as hormonal changes, diet, illness, or use of certain medications can trigger the growth of excess or unwanted hair.

To remove or minimize its appearance, the U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these suggestions:

* Bleach the hair so that it is less visible.
* Shave, wax, pluck or chemically remove the hair.
* Use electrolysis, a procedure in which an electric current is used to prevent hair from growing. But several treatments may be required.
* Remove hair with laser treatments.
* Lose weight. This can affect hormone levels, and in turn, reduce hair growth.

(end of article)

Tell me how this is a health tip? When I saw the headline I thought there might be some BREAKING NEWS that having excess hair was somehow unhealthy for women. After all, the title practically reads as a command.

In fact, the opposite is true. Every one of the solutions offered in this article has potentially unhealthy side effects, including chemical reactions, ingrown hairs, eating disorders, trichotillamania (sp?) and a host of conditions both minor and potentially major.

It is bad enough that marketers and beauty magazines drive home the "shave it all off" mentality, to the point that some women wax or shave every bit of hair on their body other than head hair. It is bad enough that almost nobody has full eyebrows anymore, and many women have developed hair-pulling disorders while fashion models and magazines portray even having normal eyebrows as somehow unfeminine.

This article goes a step further by adding the weight of medical science to the barrage of hairless messages bombarding women. That's downright disingenuous.

A true health tip would be to let women know that "excess" hair is merely a variation, is rarely indicative of underlying illness or imbalance, and in some cultures is believed to be a sign of greater libido. In short: there's nothing wrong with being hairy. We are, after all, mammals.

 Cecilia M. Ford, a member of WVFC's medical advisory  board, has been a psychologist in private practice in New York City since 1987; her current areas of focus are chronic illnes and depression, eating disorders and body image disorders, sexuality and relationships, and  parenthood and careers. This is the first of a series of columns on this daunting but essential topic; look here soon for Dr. Ford's thoughts on preparing and best surviving, a loved one's death, living with chronic illness and uncertain diagnoses, and other issues.

Dear Dr. Ford,

I am concerned about my sister, who lost her husband to lung cancer. Although he has been gone over 18 months, she still is deeply grieving. She keeps the calendar of the month he died on the wall, she refuses to clean out his closets, talks of him constantly, marks the date each month that he passed, and speaks of feeling his “presence.” In some ways, she is more “involved” with him now than when he was alive.   I’m worried about her, but I feel unable to talk to her about this because she feels others don’t understand her grief. She’s only 58, though, and it seems that she needs to start letting go if she is going to be able to move on.

Yesterday, the local archbishop was on page four of the newspaper, condemning euthanasia as immoral.

Of late, there has been in my country strong debate on the issue of euthanasia (currently illegal) and the low take-up rate Advance Medical Directive (currently available - signs away artificial means of support when life is no longer viable). Publicity in the press, though, seems to be directed at swinging readers away from support for euthanasia - a while back there were articles featuring five doctors morally opposed to euthanasia (as though that is representative of the entire medical community!), and this cheerful, loving gem was in the papers today.

I just got a copy of the newly-published fourth editon of "Alcoholism (The Facts)" by Ann M. Manzardo et al.  Alcoholism is often thought of as a men's issue, so you might wonder what this has to do with feminism.  In fact, millions of women in the US suffer from alcohol use disorders.  Although this demographic has been neglected in the past, the fourth edition of this book has a new chapter: "Women and Alcohol."

I first discovered this title in its earlier editions, by the late Donald W. Goodwin.  I had been trying to reconcile some of the seeming contradictions about alcoholism and addiction in the popular literature, and this book was an oasis of rationality amongst the of moral judgements, social agendas, and bad science present in most other books on the subject.  From both personal experience and my research, I came to believe that alcohol and addiction were very much women's issues, although not ones at the forefront of feminist thought.  So I was quite excited to see the authors of the new edition take these issues on, but how did they do?  In short, quite well.  The book is factual, not preachy, and it provides crucial information for anyone interested in social issues, and anyone who drinks, no longer leaving out an entire sex.

The new key points about alcohol and women include:

• Alcohol disorders are more common among men, but more severe when they occurs among women
• Alcohol disorders often co-occur with eating disorders among women
• Working mothers are less likely to develop alcohol problems
• Most cases of violence against women occur when both the man and the woman have been drinking
• Discusses both the history of social attitudes towards women and alcohol as well as the the biological differences between alcohol metabolism in men and women.

I like this book because it honestly presents the currently accepted scientific theories on alcohol and related problems, which I can vouch for from my own studies into the scientific literature.  My only complaint is that since it doesn't cite its sources, its claims are not easily verifiable, a common but unfortunate trend among popular science books.  All in all however, I think it's an excellent source of information about a condition that plays a huge role in our culture and individual lives.