LISTEN TO YOUR BODY… IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE

It started in the spring of 2005. More accurately, it probably started at least several years before that. A change in employment, reduced wages, long term care and subsequent loss of my mother – in short, tons of stress. Couple this with bad eating habits, menopause, and less of the right kind of exercise you have a heart attack waiting to happen.

During that spring I noticed that I would easily get out of breath when climbing stairs. But, since I had put on almost 60 pounds since 1998, I figured that was the cause. I vowed, once again, to get serious about losing that weight. My doctor had expressed concern about this also on several occasions.

Soon I started noticing a mild tightness in my chest that accompanied the shortness of breath, but only during extended periods of fast walking or while climbing stairs. At this point I contacted my doctor. His in office examination didn’t show anything conclusive, but in his words “at your age it probably wouldn’t hurt to have a stress test”. It seems that I hear that “at your age…” line more and more lately! Oh well. His nurse scheduled the stress test for the following week.

As it turned out I didn’t even make it to that Monday before I ended up in the ER. As that week progressed the pains were coming more frequently and going away more slowly. During the night on Friday they were the worst. I did not go to the hospital, but probably should have since I was having some pain in my left arm. I ended up spending most of Saturday in the hospital. Three EKG’s and three sets of blood work later they finally determined that I had not had a heart attack, but my enzymes were elevated. Since I had the stress test scheduled for Monday morning they sent me home with a bottle of nitroglycerin and told me not to exert myself.

The stress test did not go well. I was sent home with the same instructions as before and waited for the test results. On Thursday morning I received the call. The cardiologist suspected at least one, if not two blockages. He could see me that afternoon and do the angiogram with a possible angioplasty the following morning. I could have made a dozen excuses for not following through that day, but in reality I knew that there was really only one decision to be made.

Interestingly enough, as I sat in the hospital room waiting to go down for the procedure, Katie Couric was on the television doing a segment on what was now the number one killer of women – heart disease. Among the problems mentioned, in addition to the fact that women are the caregivers so they tend to not take the time to take care of themselves, is that heart disease in women presents itself in a very different manner than it does in men. Oftentimes even if a woman does go to her doctor, or to the hospital complaining of chest pain she is sent home after being told that “it’s just gas”. Odds are, it’s not, and many of them die after being sent home.

I did, in fact, have two blockages. One was at 60%, the other was 90%. A stent was inserted. I was back in my room in about 90 minutes. They didn’t even use general anesthesia, just valium. And while you have to lay flat until the blood clots properly, that isn’t really a big deal when you consider the alternatives. I spent the night in the hospital and went home the next morning. After taking it easy over the weekend I was back at work on Monday morning. I did, however, take a slower pace that week.

A recent article by Dr. Richard N. Fogoros found at About.com reiterates much of what had been reported in Katie Couric’s segment that May 13, 2005. That most women do not even realize that heart disease is the number one killer of women, that our symptoms do not present the same as men, and that since 1984 more women then men have died annually from heart disease. Frequently it is not that crushing pain in your chest, but that tightness may be just as deadly. It is important to educate yourself as to what the symptoms may be. I will go one step further in saying that we, as a gender, have to start taking a more pro-active approach to our health. Not only do we have to take better care of ourselves and become more knowledgeable about our health issues, but also must be insistent with our health care providers that they follow through on our concerns. If you are having symptoms of a possible heart attach and feel that you are being put off, insist on a blood test that will include the markers for heart attack. Do as I did. Listen to your body; it may save your life.

PEPPERMINT ALEVIATES MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MORNING SICKNESS

Peppermint has a wide variety of uses. Perhaps forgotten as a medicinal aide peppermint can be used to relieve a wide variety of digestive problems. These problems include intestinal colic, digestive pains caused by gas, menstrual cramps, as well as morning sickness and symptoms of the common cold.

Additionally, peppermint tea is good to drink during or after meals to aid digestion. In 1992, Georges-Louis Friedli found that the Menthol contained in peppermint was a high potent inducer of liver enzyme P450IIB1. The stimulation of this liver enzyme increases detoxification by the liver.

THANKSGIVING


As we rush to prepare for the Thanksgiving meal as well as the hectic moments of the weeks to come, let us take a moment to reflect on the following words:

By Dr. Bob Hoffman Co-founder The Masters Circle

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million that will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can attend a religious meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.
If you have a refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world.
If you have money in the bank or in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold somebody's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed that over 2 billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a great day, count your blessings, and pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed they are as well.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us remind ourselves of all we have to be grateful for...our health, our families, our work, the freedoms we take for granted and the opportunity to make a difference in the world while we create a happy and fulfilling lifestyle for ourselves and others.
You live among the top few percent of all of the world's people. Feel your power and be thankful. Instead of stressing, see how good you already have it, and appreciate the unlimited potential you have to make it even better.
Choose to be grateful when life treats you well and graceful when it doesn't. Make this year's Thanksgiving a time for you to really feel blessed and then do whatever you can to become infectious and spread that blessing around. Remember that the purpose of this important holiday is to be thankful as compared to just being full.

Respectfully,
Elaine Flanigan

First Generic Metronidazole Approved by FDA
The FDA has approved the first generic version of Metro-Gel-Vaginal. This vaginal gel is the most effective treatment for bacterial vaginosis, although other pharmaceutical treatments exist. The FDA expects the generic version called Metronidazole Vaginal Gel, 0.75 %, manufactured by QLT USA, Inc., to significantly lower the cost of treating bacterial vaginosis. The recommended dose of metronidazole vaginal gel is 5 grams, applied once daily for 5 days. Metronidazole is also available in an oral form; however, only the vaginal gel received generic approval. Side effects of metronidazole include a metallic taste and nausea.
Bacterial vaginosis is the most common type of vaginal infection, followed by vaginal yeast infection and trichomoniasis. Together, these three types of vaginitis account for about 90 percent of all vaginal infections. The most common symptom associated with bacterial vaginosis is a thin, grayish, vaginal discharge that has a “fishy” or foul odor.
Sources: FDA Press Release; Up to Date, Bacterial Vaginosis, accessed 11/09/06
More: Bacterial VaginosisHow to Apply Vaginal Cream or Gel
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ONE IN THREE AMERICAN WOMEN WILL DIE FROM…


One in three American women will die from… a) Cancer, b) an accident in the home, or c) Heart Disease. If you chose a) Cancer, you are wrong. Potentially, you are dead wrong. Most women would choose a) Cancer, when in fact, since 1984, heart disease has killed more women than men in America.

According to public information from the National Institutes of Health one in three American women will die of heart disease. One in 14 women aged 45-64 has heart disease. This number increases to one in seven for women over the age of 65. Other surveys rate women’s death from heart disease as high as one in two. These are startling statistics for a disease that is largely preventable.

There are some things that you cannot control about your potential for getting heart disease; namely genetic disposition and age. Many of the other contributors to heart disease clearly come from choices that we make on a daily basis. Smoking, eating the wrong foods, and lack of the proper kind of exercise are potentially deadly life-style choices especially after menopause.

So why are we so ill informed about heart disease in women? Perhaps it just doesn’t get enough media attention. Perhaps women are too busy taking care of other people to take care of themselves. Perhaps we are just too lazy to educate ourselves about the causes of heart disease, or even worse, know the causes; yet rationalize our bad behaviors by saying things like “I’ll stop smoking when my stress level eases up”; “It’s too (cold, dangerous, early, late; insert whatever you like into here) to exercise today”; or “I don’t have time to make my own lunch, I’ll just pick up some fast food”

We, as a gender, really need to become more pro-active about tending to our own health. If you smoke – stop. If you don’t get enough of the right kind of exercise – start, slowly at first, but at least get started. Watch your diet. Reduce stress by learning how to manage it.

We need to see our health care professionals on a regular basis. We need to know enough about current health issues in women to be able to ask intelligent questions; and to question our health care professionals when we seem to be getting a stock answers. If you don’t like what you are hearing, seek out a different opinion. Most importantly, be in tune with your body and listen to what it is telling you.

Welcome To Women's Health Concerns!

Hi Friends,

Welcome to the Women's Health Concern blog site. This site will be filled with many articles on Health Issues that are particular to Women. It is also my hope that this site will become a forum where women will come to share their experiences and suggestions on how to deal with some of our health concerns.

I am not a doctor, but I am a woman who has experienced many of the usual (and not so usual) maladies that women go through in a normal life time. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of these posts since they will be coming from many different sources. The articles in this forum are intended only as a springboard towards further knowledge. If you are experiencing problems and suspect that they are serious in nature, I urge you to find a professional with whom you can develop a good rapport to seek a solution.

Best regards,
Elaine Flanigan