HEALTH TALK 

   We hope that women will find these section very useful and educative.

 Women are adviced not to depend solely on tit bits given here on health talk, they should  consult with their doctors.  

                          UPDATE FOR 2009

FIVE HEALTH RISK EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT. 

1. HEART DISEASE:

Heart disease causes more death than all forms of cancer combined.

2. Cancer:

Most people will think its breast cancer, however According to American Cancer Society 66,000 WOMEN IN THE United States died of lung cancer in 2002. Breast Cancer is second (40,000 deaths) and colorectal cancer is third (28,000).

3. STROKE:

Almost two-thirds of the United States of the 167,000 people in the United States who die of stroke each year is women.

4. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD)

COPD comprises a group of chronic lung conditions, including bronchitis and emphysema.

About 62,000 women die of COPD each year.

5. DIABETES

Diabetes 69,000 people died of diabetes in the United States in 2000.Half of them were women.

Knowledge is wealth. Use these five points to go over your risk factors with your Doctor.

This is the time to be on top of things. For more information visit www.AdventistHealthCare.com/wellness.

You can also learn more about the leading cause of death in women, fight back.

Ref: Vigor Spring Edition 2009. By Shady Grove Adventist Hospital & Washington Adventist Hospital.

 Four Screening that could save your life

 Cervical Cancer Screening- All women begining three years after first sexual intercourse,but no later than age 21. This should be done every year to age 30,then every two to three years if past Pap tests were normal.

Brest Cancer Screening-All women begining at age 40. Those at high risk should beginscreening earlieras recommended by a physician.

Colorectal Cancer Screening (Fecal occult blood test) FOBT). aLL WOMEN need to do the test , regular test to start at age 50. Test should be done every year, sigmoidoscopy every five years or colonoscopy every ten years . Please discuss the screening options with your physician.

HPV TEST- This is a common sextually transmitted disease called papillomavirus(HPV)is responsible for  most cases of cervical cancer. The test for HPV can be done same time as Pap test.     

EXTRACT FROM WOMEN CONFERENCE HELD

             MAY 3RD,            2008

    Chi Onyedike Spoke on Women & Heart Disease

CHI ONYEDIKE

WOMEN AND HEART DISEASE

What you need to do in other to prevent heart disease and risk factors involving heart disease.

There are several conditions and habits that increase chances of developing a cardiovascular condition. Understanding the risk factors is an important step in preventing heart disease; therefore we should try to minimize all the risk factors.

Thank God for various ways through which we can get information, television, News paper, internet, etc. how ever, we want to make sure that we verify all information we get with our physician.

Early signals of heart disease include cholesterol, homocysteine, and inflammation.

Cholesterol: this is an essential lipid, or fat that is both consumed in food and produced by the liver, and circulates in the blood. This is important to building cell walls and making hormones.

Lipoproteins are proteins in your blood that transport and store cholesterol (Low density lipoproteins is considered the "bad" cholesterol.It transports cholesterol around your body for use, depositing the excess along artery walls, and is associated with a build-up of plaque , or atherosclerosis. (HDL -High density lipoproteins ) considered "good"cholesterol. They transport cholesterol out of the bloodstream and back to the liver where it is broken.

Homocysteine ,this is an amino acid created in your blood when you digest protein, It is usually converted into other less caustic amino acis with the help of B vitamins and folic acid. If you don't have enough B vitamins or folic acid to help this process, yor homocyteine levels rise and irritate your blood vessels, which is one form of inflammation.

 What you can do to protect your self.

For  women, the biggest factors that contribute to heart disease are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, family history and age. Take a moment to look at your lifestyle, family history and your general health. With this information, you and your family doctor can assess your risk and make a plan to avoid potential problems. Although you can't do much about your family history or your age, you can make lifestyle changes to avoid many of the other risk factors .

Don’t smoke. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease in women. More than half of the heart attacks in women under 50 are related to smoking. If you stop smoking, you can lower your risk of heart attack by one third within 2 years. Women who smoke and use birth control pills increase their risk even more. There are a variety of products to help you quit smoking. You may want to try using nicotine skin patches or nicotine gum: these types of medicines are available over the counter. There are also prescription medicines available that can help you stop smoking. Talk to your doctor about the best way for you to quit smoking. Breathing smoke from someone else's cigarettes is also bad for your heart and lungs. If you live with someone who smokes, encourage him or her to quit.

Control your blood pressure. Treating high blood pressure can lower your risk of heart attack and stroke. Losing weight, exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet are all ways to help control high blood pressure. Reducing how much salt you consume can also help. If these steps don't lower your blood pressure, your doctor may recommend medicine for you to take.

Control your cholesterol level. If you don't know your level, ask your doctor to check it. Diet is a key part of lowering high cholesterol levels. However, some people may need to take medicine in addition to diet and exercise.

Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight puts strain on your heart and arteries. Exercise and a low-fat diet can help you lose weight. Being overweight means you have a higher risk for many other health problems, especially diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. If you're overweight, talk to your doctor about a safe and effective way to lose weight.

Exercise regularly. Remember, your heart is a muscle. It needs regular exercise to stay in shape. Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, swimming, jogging or biking, gives your heart the best workout. You can also use fitness equipment like exercise bicycles, treadmills and ski machines when exercising indoors. Finding an exercise partner may make it easier and safer for you to exercise often. You should exercise at least 30 to 60 minutes, 4 to 6 times a week. Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.

Eat a low-fat diet. Keep fat calories to 30% or less of the total calories you eat during a day and avoid saturated fat (the fat in meats and coconut oil). Information is available to help you make healthy choices. For example, food labels list nutrition information, including fat calories, many cookbooks have heart-healthy recipes, and some restaurants serve low-fat dishes.

Take care of diabetes. If you have diabetes, regular exercise, weight control, a low-fat diet and regular doctor visits are important. If you need to take medicine for diabetes, be sure to take it exactly as your doctor tells you to.

Be aware of chest pain. Be sure to contact your doctor immediately if you suffer from pain in your chest, shoulder, neck or jaw. Also notify your doctor if you experience shortness of breath or nausea that comes on quickly. If you are having a heart attack, the faster you can get to the hospital, the less damage will happen to your heart. Every second counts.

Know your family history. Having a father or brother with heart disease before age 55, or a mother or sister with heart disease before age 65, are factors that contribute to heart disease. Inform your doctor about your family histor

extracts from www.womemtowomen.com/heartdiseaseandstroke/riskfactors.

Mrs. Chi Onyedike R.N MSN FNP-C

She said that menopause is a permanent cessation of menstruation after the loss of ovarian function. After hysterectomy women will experience menopause when their ovarian function stops.

Hysterectomy plus removal of ovaries (oophorectomy) is when a woman's body goes into menopause and that is called surgical menopause. in many women this lost of estrogen can lead to symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweat, virginal dryness, this can interfere with intimacy.  

 She explained that women start their menopause in their mid forties - fifties. Menopause is a term used when a woman stops seeing her period for over 12 months and after that it is classified as post menopause. Some women may start to experience irregular menstrual period,hot flushes, and night sweat, that period is known as   perimenopause.

She stated that signs of menopause includes mood swings, irritation, bone lost, night sweat,hot flashes (may be accompanied by feeling of heat, transient periods of flushing and may often be accompanied by palpitations and anxiety, sometimes followed by chills).etc. she advised women who can not deal with mood swings to be on their knees, because prayers works miracle, especially for women who have issues either at home, work or with their relationships. And also visit their gynecologist for possible hormone replacement or other medication for mood stabilizer 

Her advice that women who are going through hot flashes to take note of their dressing, dress appropriately, for those involved with hormone replacement therapy should be careful as there is correlation between hormonal replacement and cancer.

For bone lost, women over the age of 65yrs should consider bone density scan while women with the family history of osteoporoses should request for bone density scan at earlier stage during menopause stage

Women should consider high calcium intake, by eating meal high in calcium example fish, vegetable, milk etc, good exercise.

Is their a time limit for Menopause? No

Important advice -if you start bleeding during menopause, go and see your doctor as soon as possible for evaluation

Is their a time limit for Menopause? No

Important advice -if you start bleeding after menopause, you should go and see your doctor as soon as possible for further evaluation.

Advice

women should visit their gynecologist for further details.

Annual check up

Papsmear 

Mammogram

Discus bone density scan

 Annaul check up