Womens Health
HEALTH
Personal health is one of the most important issues anyone has
to deal with. Proper nutrition, regular medical check-ups and sensible
exercise are important for everyone's health. But womens
health also includes a lot of special considerations, which
every woman should be aware of. Everything from a woman's monthly
cycle, to pregnancy, to menopause, to weight loss brings up specific
concerns for women's health care.
At the most basic
level, women should make sure their diet contains all the necessary
vitamins and minerals. Women are more prone to osteoporosis,
especially after menopause, and anemia, especially if they tend
to have a heavy menstrual cycle. It seems like common sense that
ensuring adequate calcium and iron intake can help prevent these
conditions, but neither mineral is properly metabolised if taken
on its own. In order to properly metabolise iron, you must have
adequate levels of fat in your diet, and in order to prevent calcium
depletion, you must balance your calcium intake with proper levels
of magnesium, so choosing the proper dietary supplements may not
be as simple as it seems. Many vitamins and minerals have "helper"
nutrients like this that are essential in enabling proper absorption
or use in your body .
Also, throughout a woman's life her fluctuating hormone levels
can have major effects on mood and overall womens health. Again,
diet and nutrition can help alleviate some of the unpleasant effects
of hormonal changes. It is important to maintain a proper balance
of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids in the diet. Most modern diets
have far too much Omega 6 (found especially in red meats and fast
food) and far too little Omega 3 (found especially in fish and flax
seed) Fatty acids not only help metabolize fat-soluble vitamins
like Iron, but Omega 3 fatty acids specifically have been shown
to improve memory, mood stability and general brain function. Soy
products contain phyto-estrogens, which may help minimize the effects
of monthly hormone fluctuations and menopausal symptoms. If you
feel you have hormone-related heath or emotional problems, it may
be worthwhile to see a nutritionist before trying traditional medical
treatment. A diet imbalance could be causing much of the problem!
Every woman and parent should be aware of the signs of eating disorders,
which are much more common among women than men. Bulimia is marked
by 'binge' eating followed by some kind of 'purging' behavior, often
involving forced vomiting or abuse of laxative and diuretic pills.
Anorexia is marked by overly obsessive and controlled eating behavior,
where a young woman may refuse to eat all but very specific kinds
of foods, and only eat very small portions at each meal. Women have
naturally higher body fat than men, and should not expect to have
the muscle definition of professional athletes or models. Understanding
how a womans healthy body is supposed to look may help young women
avoid the unrealistic body-image expectations that accompany such
disorders, which often lead to severe, sometimes life-threatening
nutritional deficiencies.
For women trying to
have children, nutrition becomes even more important. Such simple
matters as maintaining sufficient folic acid intake can prevent
serious birth defects. Abstaining from alcohol will prevent fetal
alcohol syndrome, and giving up cigarettes during pregnancy can
help prevent low birth weight, among other things. During pregnancy
some women become prone to a temporary form of Type II diabetes,
and many women experience common conditions such as morning sickness
and UTIs. Regular visits to the doctor are essential in tracking
a pregnant womans health, and handling any pregnancy-related health
complications as soon as possible.
Of course, that brings to mind another womens health issue on the
flip side of the coin - contraception.
Although it is very important to use condoms to prevent transmission
of STDs, they are not the most reliable form of birth control available.
If a woman definitely does not want to become pregnant, she should
consider using a second form of birth control as well. Options range
from physical barrier methods, such as diaphragms and cervical caps,
to IUDs and hormonal options such as the pill, Norplant implants,
monthly patches and Depo-Provera injections. All of these methods
have their own advantages and drawbacks, and it is important for
every woman to learn enough about them to make the best choice for
her own use.
But not all women's
health issues can be solved with diet, vitamins and pills. For some
women, even with a properly balanced diet, monthly mood swings become
serious enough to warrant medical attention, a condition known as
PMT (pre-menstrual tension). Moodiness, headaches and other complaints,
if serious enough to disrupt your daily routine, should be taken
seriously and discussed with your doctor.
Menopause is another unavoidable health question for all women.
Such questions as whether or not to take hormone replacements during
and after menopause, and how best to deal with changing risks of
health problems like osteoporosis and breast
cancer are central to most women's experience of this life event.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is known to mitigate some of the
most unpleasant symptoms during menopause, like hot flashes and
extreme moodiness, and is thought to help some long-term issues
like preventing osteoporosis, but long-term side effects like increased
risk of certain types of cancer should also be considered.
Some people suggest that herbal, soy-based hormone treatments may
be less dangerous than products like Premarin, but others contend
such 'natural' remedies are also less effective for the symptoms
they are meant to treat. Like birth control, medical options for
dealing with menopause should be well understood by every woman
as she approaches middle age. The treatments that seem to work best
for one woman may not be as effective in another, and individuals
may have different ideas about what risks and expenses are acceptable
in this situation.
Every woman should not only discuss any questions about these issues
with a qualified physician, but should feel free to research her
questions on her own. Often, busy doctors may not have the time
to keep informed about every new treatment for every illness or
health concern their patients may have, or traditional doctors may
be reluctant to discuss or recommend possible alternative treatments.
By educating herself, and seeking out experts in different fields
to consult, a woman can feel more assured that she's getting the
best health care possible, whatever the issue.
Womens Health Links
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