Posts Tagged ‘Women’

Ricki
McCarroll

Ladies…You Know Lung Cancer Kills Right?

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

From a girl who came from the West Coast where the ban of smoking cigarettes in work places was enacted in January 1995 and banned in restaurants three years later, it was a shock to move to the D.C. area and find you could still smoke indoors in some establishments directly outside The District.

My doe-eyed, granola crunching, outdoorsy, non-smoking California self was definitely taken aback at the amount of smokers around me. Even some two and a half years later, it still shocks me on my morning commute to find myself walking behind someone to the Red Line (D)Re(a)d Line who has a cigarette in their hand at 7:30 in the morning.

Naturally, with a health communicator’s strategic mind, I began to tally the amount of men and women I witnessed lighting up during my morning jaunts to work between the hours of 7:30 and 9:00 a.m.

My findings? Interestingly enough, the majority of the people I witnessed were women around the ages of 30-55 strutting in pencil skirts and pumps with a lit cigarette balancing in their hand. To be frank, I was shocked when I tallied the numbers. Really, ladies? After all the facts we know about tobacco?

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Lissette
Capati

On Getting it All Done…or Not

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

A colleague asked Pam and me recently, how we get it all done and manage to not feel overwhelmed – client work, helping to manage our wacky shop and then going home to start our first job of being moms and wives. I looked at her with absolutely nothing to say. No brilliant answer or pearls of wisdom. Pam responded that you just grow numb to it over time. I laughed at that and we continued to talk about our colleague’s workload and offer some practical tips.

But the conversation really struck me. Pam and I have been friends for a long, long time. She was the matron of honor at my wedding 10 years ago today actually.  Back then I was young and self-absorbed and couldn’t imagine a life without sleep. I looked at her in awe as she juggled everything. Where did the energy come from? It was enough for me to make it through the day, walk the dog, watch TV and pass out.

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Lauren
Fulk

Eat, Drink and Live Longer!

Friday, September 9th, 2011
I may be one year older today and on the verge of decline (and a early mid-life crisis), but thanks to a recently resurfaced study, I am approaching my birthday with a little more pep in my step.

The Harvard School of Public Health study followed nearly 14,000 mostly white women beginning in 1976 and found that those who averaged roughly one to two  alcoholic drinks a day in their late 50s were up to 28% more likely to survive to age 70 in good health compared to nondrinkers. The researchers defined “successful surviving” as living to at least 70 and being free of cancer, heart conditions and other chronic diseases and suffering no significant mental or physical impairment.

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Molly
Poarch

The Team Approach to Breast Cancer Care

Monday, May 17th, 2010

Upon learning that she has breast cancer a woman is immediately faced with a series of key decisions and a challenging road ahead. Often, her physician plays an important role in helping her navigate the many stages of treatment that may involve surgery (such as a lumpectomy or mastectomy), radiation and chemotherapy.

In the face of so many difficult emotional and physical decisions, many women do not immediately think about breast reconstruction surgery. And, unfortunately, neither do their physicians.

A 2007 study from the University of Michigan Medical Center shows that nearly 70 percent of women who are eligible for breast reconstruction are not fully informed of their options related to surgery. The study found that “most general surgeons do not discuss reconstruction with their breast cancer patients before surgical treatment. ” However, when this discussion does occur, it significantly impacts a woman’s treatment choice. In fact, she is more likely to choose mastectomy.chronic_disease

For many women, if they are informed about their choices, they can choose to have a mastectomy and reconstructive breast surgery at the same time. For the patient, this means less surgery, which cuts down on hospital time and recovery time—significant factors for anyone, but especially a cancer patient.

Recently, Spectrum helped the Society for Women’s Health Research partner with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to host a roundtable discussion with members of the media, breast cancer survivors, patient advocacy organizations and medical professionals to discuss the importance of cancer care professionals working as a team and presenting a woman with all of her options at the outset of her diagnosis. They call this the “Team Approach” to breast cancer care.

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Lauren
Holbrook Harris

Women’s Wednesday: To Pump or Not to Pump…That is a Mother’s Question

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Along with many other ideas about the joys of motherhood, the concept of breast-feeding is a conflicting issue. While many women breast-feed for the benefits to their child or the closeness they feel to their new baby, others find it to be time-consuming and even painful.

Data suggests that about 43 percent of U.S. mothers do at least some breast-feeding, and only about 12 percent breast-feed up to the age of six months, the recommended minimum length. However, a new study published in Pediatrics revealed that nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women fed their babies only breast milk for the first six months of life. The publication of this study followed the new health care reform bill, which includes a provision that large employers will now be required to provide private places for working mothers to pump breast milk. womens-health3
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Women's
Health

Women’s Wednesday: Censoring the V-Word

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

The recent launch of the U by Kotex campaign has sparked somewhat of a debate over the use of the v-word: vagina. The New York Times reports that the agency producing the new ads about tampons, pads and liners was informed by three broadcast networks that it could not use the word vagina, so it shot the ad with the actress saying “down there,” which was also rejected by two of the three networks.

A recent MediaPost article cites a study conducted online in August 2009 by Harris Interactive on behalf of Kotex, finding that among more than 1,600 North American women ages 14-35, 7 in 10 women believe it’s time for society to change how it talks about vaginal health, yet less than half (45%) feel empowered to make a difference.

It’s interesting that in a time when there is so much emphasis placed on women’s health – especially with recent campaigns to increase awareness about HPV and cervical cancer – vagina is a word that is still avoided. Every woman has one, and it obviously affects our lives on a monthly basis, to say the least, as the new ad points out in its parody on typical commercials about tampons. (more…)

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