Women’s Top 5 Health Concerns

Imagine living without illness to slow you down. While there are no lifetime guarantees, enough scientific research has been done to make long, healthy living a possibility.

To help women boost health, WebMD examined five medical conditions that are of great concern to them: heart disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis, depression, and autoimmune diseases.

We looked at the risk factors for each disease and asked the experts what women could do to prevent such ailments.

In order to make full use of this information, Saralyn Mark, MD, encourages women to take charge of their health. She says women need to work in partnership with their doctors by finding out their family medical history, educating themselves on health issues, and paying attention to their bodies.

“You know what makes you feel good, you know when you don’t feel well. Understanding your body is key,” says Mark, senior medical adviser for the Office on Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women. In women, the condition is responsible for about 29% of deaths, reports the CDC.

Yet death in itself isn’t the biggest problem for women with heart disease. The real trouble is in premature death and disability, says Cindy Pearson, executive director of the National Women’s Health Network.

“There are far too many women dying of heart disease in their 60s, when no one expects to die because that’s too young in this country,” says Pearson. “There are (also) women, who, for many years, are really ill with heart disease — being out of breath, not being able to walk up one flight of stairs … because heart disease impairs their ability to get around.”

Although more men die of heart disease than women, females tend to be underdiagnosed, often to the point that it’s too late to help them once the condition is discovered.

“The symptoms for women are typical for women, and they are often missed by doctors and the patient themselves,” Mark explains. “We often think of symptoms … like chest pain. Some people may have that, but others may just have a little bit of jaw pain, shoulder ache, nausea, vomiting, or shortness of breath.”

The American Heart Association lists risk factors for heart disease as:

* Increasing age
* Male sex
* Heredity (including race). People with family history of the disease have greater risk. So do African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and some Asian-Americans.
* Smoking
* High blood cholesterol
* High blood pressure
* Physical inactivity
* Obesity and overweight
* Diabetes

“The burden of heart disease in women is very great,” says Gregory Burke, MD, professor and chairman of the department of public health sciences at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. “The earlier folks adapt healthier behaviors, the lower their overall risk for heart disease or stroke outcomes.”

Burke says people can reduce their risk of heart disease by modifying lifestyle to include a well-balanced diet and exercise.

(source:info sehat&bugar)

Living a Healthy Lifestyle.

One of the first steps towards a healthy lifestyle is to keep yourself clean. There is a saying that states, Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Diseases are caused by bacterias and viruses that can be found everywhere, in the air you breathe, in the water you drink and on the things you touch. To avoid these germs, you need to take care of your personal hygiene which means taking a shower at least twice a day, brushing your teeth and keeping your hair and skin clean. The simplest and most effective way to guard yourself against these germs is by washing your hands regularly with water and soap, especially before and after using the toilet and before eating. You also need to help keep your surroundings (room, house, neighborhood ) clean.

The key to good health is to be good to your body. You can do this by following some simple rules:

1.Eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups.
When you eat different types of foods, you will get all the important nutrients
that your body needs. This especially includes fruit, vegetables and fibre.

2.Drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated and drink milk to help you grow
strong bones.
Try to avoid drinking carbonated drinks that contain too much sugar which is bad
for your teeth and health.

3.Listen to your body. When your stomach feels full, you should stop eating
because over eating makes you feel uncomfortable and can lead to unhealthy
weight gain.

4.Limit screen time (time spent watching TV, video or playing computer games).

5.Be active. Replace some of your sedentary/sitting down activities with
activities like bicycle rides, swimming, football, netball and badminton.


Good Mental Health.

When you have emotional problems, it can affect your physical health so it helps if you practice thinking positively at all times. Remember that whatever your problem may be, big or small, it is only temporary and will eventually go away. When you have a problem, identify what it is and try to solve one piece at a time. If you cannot overcome it, do not hesitate to ask for help. You can talk to friends who have encountered similar problems or an adult like your parents. You need help to deal with feelings like worry, fear, anrger, stress and sadness. Do not keep everything to yourself. Sharing your problem with others will help you to feel better and find a solution.

(source: maxis)

WHO DIET RECOMMENDED

Unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are major risk factors for chronic diseases.

For diet, recommendations for populations and individuals should include the following:

• achieve energy balance and a healthy weight
• limit energy intake from total fats and shift fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats and towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids
• increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, and legumes, whole grains and nuts
• limit the intake of free sugars

• limit salt (sodium) consumption from all sources and ensure that salt is iodized.

(source: WHO )

Six Steps to Living Long and Staying Healthy

According to Laura L S Mueser, Perinatal Social Worker from University of Washington Medical Center wrote, there’s 6 step to living long and staying healthy. Maybe we can try to do that step by step. That’s not too hard to follow, very easy I thought. but it depend to ourself for making it easy or not. Let’s see.

Step 1:
GIVE YOUR BODY ENERGY IT NEEDS.
Your body needs some foods to stay strong and healthy. Other foods, if eaten too often, contribute to many illnesses. Here are some guidelines:
Eat 6-11 servings a day of breads or grains, like rice, pasta, tortillas, or cereal.
Eat 3-5 servings a day of vegetables, like carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, broccoli, or peas.
Eat 2-4 servings a day of fruits, like apples, peaches, mangos, bananas, or fruit juice.
Eat 2-3 servings a day of meat, fish, beans, eggs or nuts, for protein.
Eat 2-3 servings a day of dairy products like yogurt, cheese, or milk.
Cut down on alcohol, fatty foods such as butter, grease, or oil, and “junk food” like chips or candy.

Step 2:
STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVES.
Regular physical activity helps people: live longer and feel better throughout their lives, be stronger and more flexible, build strong bones and fight osteoporosis, prevent depression, strengthens your ability to fight off illness, maintain a healthy body weight.
It is best to get at least one half hour of exercise three times a week, but any amount of exercise is better than none at all! If you do not want to go jogging or swimming, try going for a brisk walk with a friend, working vigorously in the yard, or riding your bike to work.

Step 3:
A HEALTHY MIND IS A PART OF A HEALTHY BODY.
When you are in a good state of mind, you make good decisions for yourself about your job, your lifestyle, and your health. \
Here are some things you can do to keep your mind healthy:

Reduce stress in your life.
Make time in your life for things that are fun. Make a list of activities you like and sure you have at least a little time each day for doing something you enjoy.
Get enough sleep.
Most Peolpe get too little sleep. Being sleepy reduces your concentration, increases mood swings, and causes many car accidents.
Get help if you feel depressed or anxious for more than several days at a time.
Talk with a friend or your health care provider for some help.

Step 4:
KEEP YOUR MIND AND BODY FREE OF HARMFUL DRUGS AND ALCOHOL.
Tobacco causes more health problems than any other drug and is the most addictive, most widely used. Cutting down or stopping the use of cigarettes, cigars, or chewing tobacco can save your health and save your money.
Too much alcohol is definitely dangerous, causing liver damage, fetal alcohol syndrome, and accidents. The tricky question is, how much is too much?

Step 5:
PRACTISE SAFE LIVING HABITS
Accidents and injuries are the second leading cause of death.
Accidents in the home cause thousands of permanent injuries every year.
Here are some steps you can take to stay safe:

1. The most common accidents are fires, falls, and drownings. Help yourself and your family to stay safe by:
# Installing smoke detectors,
# Have your vision checked
# Learning to swim.

2. Stay safe on the road.
# Wearing a seatbelt dramatically reduces your chances of death in an accident.
# Keep children under 60 pounds in an appropriate car seat or booster.
# Do not ride with someone who has been drinking or drugging.
# Wear a helmet when riding a bicycle or motorcycle.

3. Find protection from people who are violent or threatening in your life.

4. Wash your hands regularly to avoid the spread of germs.

Step 6:
GET REGULER HEALTH CARE.
Many people think they only need to see a doctor when they are sick or injured. The truth is, health care providers are also experts at preventing illnesses and finding and treating problems before you ever feel sick.
1. Find a health care provider who works WITH you.
2. Know what diseases you are at risk for and attend regular screenings for them.
3. Get yourself and the children in your family immunized against life-threatening illnesses.

(source: UW National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health)