Human bodies are uniquely formed by gender, which means that both men and women already have a different set of health concerns simply based upon their biology.  Women’s health, as many are already aware, is a diverse collection of medical knowledge and collective life experiences that serves to keep women healthy and happy, no matter what age, ethnicity, profession, or medical history.  As with any area of medical science, this requires proper care, preventative maintenance and education throughout all life stages to be effective.

photo-Dr-Corey-DousharmMany practices devoted to specialized areas of health care have staff members that have a focus in women’s health.  Dr. Corey Dousharm, of Mosier-Timperley Chiropractic, specializes in women’s health.  This includes women prior to, throughout, and after pregnancy, as well as overall health and wellness for women of all ages.  She stresses that by taking care of the spine and nervous system, women have a better chance of fewer fertility issues later down the road.  Additionally, maintaining a healthy nervous system can provide better immune function, fewer headaches, and more energy.  Any one of those components is a welcomed health benefit, let alone all of them together by simply getting an adjustment to maintain the correct structure of your spine. Dr. Dousharm says “I design my treatment recommendations to be specific for each individual woman that seeks my care. Everyone’s body reacts to stress differently so plans of care should be different for each women. I love getting to know my patients and their family and building a trusting and open bond with them. If you don’t feel comfortable with me, or feel that you are getting the results that you expect, I am more than happy to find you a better fit. As a woman myself, I feel that comfort and trust in your doctor are keys to great care.”  She is always happy to sit down for a free consultation to discuss how Chiropractic care can benefit your individual needs.

Women’s Clinic of Lincoln, PC is a great resource for women’s health because that is their main focus.  They strive to successfully meet the ever changing health needs of women, and their integrated system of care is designed to promote optimal physical, emotional and spiritual health for women throughout their life span.  Routine gynecological exams are a key part of a women’s total health care. On your first visit to Women’s Clinic, a personal health history will be obtained which includes background information, medical history, family history, and lifestyle. A routine exam starts with your height, weight and blood pressure and a review of your medical history and current concerns with the nurse. Your physical exam includes listening to heart and lungs, breast exam, abdominal check, internal and manual pelvic exam, and a Pap smear as needed. After your examination, the results of your visit are evaluated in order to decide your course of care. Women’s Clinic of Lincoln provides a friendly and comfortable atmosphere, and their goal is for each patient to feel that her gynecological health care needs have been met.  Their Nurse Practitioners strive to provide a relaxed, secure atmosphere and to meet the special needs of women from teens to mid-twenties, who may be visiting for their first exam. Because many young women are more comfortable being seen by a woman for their first gynecological exam, they provide care and education FOR and BY women. Women’s Clinic of Lincoln’s well-qualified Nurse Practitioners also provide a non-threatening environment for discussion of such concerns as lifestyle issues, eating disorders, prevention of sexually-transmitted infections, and other questions common to this age group.  Women’s Clinic of Lincoln offers many in-office procedures to diagnose and treat common medical conditions that affect women of all ages, including Colposcopy, LEEP procedures, Cryo-Surgery, Cystoscopy, and Essure, which is their newest permanent birth control procedure.  By performing these procedures in the office, patients benefit by receiving care from professionals that they already trust, and avoid the expense of hospital admissions or the risk of general anesthesia in most cases.  They can also perform a variety of minimally invasive surgical procedures for women of all ages, and are proud to have been the first gynecological office in the area to offer gynecologic robotic procedures for patients.  Dr. James Maly has been recognized as an experienced surgeon with the da Vinci Surgical System, which enables surgeons to perform delicate and complex operations through a few tiny incisions with increased vision, precision, dexterity and control.

Women’s Clinic of Lincoln also offers counseling and supportive services, as they are aware of the connections between our minds and bodies and know there are very effective treatments. Medicine to affect brain chemicals is a choice, as is “talk therapy” or counseling. For most people, combining medicine and talk works best.  Life can be very stressful and chronic, long-term stress affects our health in many ways–most of them harmful. Their on-site counselor, Barb Morton, RNC, APRN, (Nurse Practitioner) can help you evaluate your symptoms and develop a treatment plan tailored to you. Personal, confidential, and safe, she will help you build on your strengths to solve life problems. Morton also helps people deal with serious illness and changes in life situations.

Anne-cook-vemmaProper nutrition, a balanced diet and exercise are all equally important for women to achieve optimum health.  Now Vemma Nutrition can help!  The Vemma Bod-e line debuted in January 2012, and is a first-of-its-kind healthy weight solution program.  It combines result-orientated Bod-e products (20g Protein, 7g Fiber) with the sustainable Vemma Bod-e Transformation Plan, designed to help you shed those hard-to-lose pounds without sacrificing wellness.  The Plan and Bod-e products were developed in collaboration with TV Celebrity Transformation Specialists, Chris and Heidi Powell (Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition), who have over 15 years of experience in weight loss transformations.  Their knowledge helped shape the Bod-e Transformation Plan, which reprograms how your body uses food through alternating two low-carb days and one high-carb day for six days, followed by one guilt-free day on the seventh day to reward yourself.  With the purchase of any Bod-e products, the consumer gets access to the FREE website and the award-winning Vemma Bod-e Mobile App to track their progress.  Local brand partner Anne M. Cook is happy to provide more information about Vemma Nutrition as well as free product samples.

Among the top health concerns for women are heart disease, osteoporosis, breast cancer, depression, and autoimmune diseases.  These conditions are not necessarily specific to women, but affect women with a much higher frequency than their male counterparts.  Heart disease stands alone as the leading killer of both men and women; however in women this condition is responsible for approximately 29% of deaths as reported by the Center for Disease Control.  There are many women that suffer from heart disease without even knowing it, are underdiagnosed—often to the point that it is too late to help them once the condition is discovered, or die prematurely because the condition has gone untreated for too long.  This is mainly because the symptoms for women are also typical symptoms of aging or other minor health issues, and are often even missed by the patient herself.  Symptoms like minor chest pain are often associated with heart disease, but other symptoms such as shortness of breath, jaw pain, shoulder aches, nausea, and vomiting could easily be related to many other conditions.  The American Heart Association lists risk factors for heart disease as being a problem associated with the male gender, and it certainly is, but almost one third of women dying per year from heart disease is still very significant.  The AHA also lists risk factors such as increasing age, smoking, heredity (including race), high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes.  Women with any of these risk factors should pay extra care and attention to see a physician regularly for testing and dialogue.  The earlier you modify your lifestyle to include healthier behaviors, the more you will reduce your risk for heart disease.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and is second to lung cancer as the leading cancer-related cause of death for women.  However, the scare of this often has the opposite effect on women in terms of preventative health care.  Many experts note that fear of breast cancer can sometimes deter women from going to their doctors for screening, or may even push women to make rash decisions about mastectomy when it may not be necessary.  With an always increasing amount of research being conducted, more treatment options are also becoming available and range from minimally or non-invasive to surgical options.  As we all know, breast cancer is not always a death sentence.  In this case, women are urged to keep their emotions in perspective and to educate themselves about the issues and their options.  The American Cancer Society lists risk factors for breast cancer as increasing age, genes, family and personal history of the disease, race, earlier abnormal breast biopsy of chest radiation, early onset of menstruation or menopause after age 55, not having children, use of certain medications, high alcohol consumption, and obesity.  Some easy lifestyle changes you can incorporate to decrease your risk factors are controlling your weight, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and talking to your doctor about your risk and undergoing appropriate screening for breast cancer.  However, risk factors are just suggesting that a correlation has been made as a result of evaluating the results of research.  Just because your mother did not have breast cancer, or you had some fun nights in the bars during college, does not mean you will or will not suffer from breast cancer.  Always keep these risk factors in mind, but also in perspective.  Some women that have one or more risk factors may never get breast cancer, or they may be indicating another health problem.

Osteoporosis has been affecting women far before it was on the radar of medical professionals.  Frailty, hunched over progression, or back pain historically were not considered symptoms of bone deterioration, but were things that older women had to accept as their aging process.  We are now living in a time where women and girls can take steps to easily avoid such ailments, as osteoporosis is largely preventable.  The National Osteoporosis Foundation reports that osteoporosis threatens 44 million Americans, and 68% of those affected are women.  It is never too late to keep bones strong, and research suggests the earlier in life the better.  Our bodies are building up most of our bone mass until we are approximately 30 years old, and then new bone stops forming and our bodies focus on maintenance of the existing bone structure that has been built up until that time.  This means that your body will do what it can to repair any bone damage suffered, but you have to provide the tools.  Two of the most successful tools are adequate calcium consumption and weight-bearing physical activity.  Many women are apprehensive about weight training in their fitness routine because they want to maintain their figure and like to be toned, not ripped.  Simply incorporating any type of resistance training once or twice a week can reduce your risk for osteoporosis.  Risk factors for osteoporosis, other than being female, include increasing age, smaller or thin-boned frame, ethnicity, family history, anorexia, diets that are low in calcium and vitamin D, use of certain medications, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption.

Depression also appears to affect more women than men.  The stigma attached to depression has made it difficult for some people to address as it is not considered desirable and can be offensive, such as detracting from men who suffer or saying that any emotional imbalance in women makes them “crazy.”  The National Institute of Mental Disorder reports that about 12 million women are affected by depressive disorders each year compared to 6 million men.  So while many men and women are affected, 50% more women than men experiencing depression make it an issue that women need to address proactively.  Hormonal changes can often trigger the condition, particularly postpartum depression that occurs after pregnancy or changes around menopause, but there are many other factors we deal with emotionally that our body responds to physically by producing more or less hormones.  The risk factors for depression include previous depressive episodes, family history of depression, history of heart problems, serious chronic illness, marital or relationship problems, substance abuse, stressful life events, recent surgery or serious illness, childhood history of physical or sexual abuse, having an eating or anxiety disorder, and many others on a case by case basis that we may not be aware of.  Sometimes use of certain drugs for other conditions can contribute to depression, such as medicines for high blood pressure or seizures.  Additionally, some diseases have been found to trigger depression such as vitamin deficiencies or thyroid disease.  You know your own body the best, so if you don’t feel right chances are good that something is actually going on with your body that is affecting you both physically, and in turn, emotionally.  There is no shame in getting this checked out, even if there is nothing major it can take away anxiety, and in doing so, eliminate a risk factor that could contribute to depression in the future.  It is important to be educated on eliminating these risk factors to be proactive about your mental and emotional health, as it may not be easy to eliminate depression but it can certainly be managed so it doesn’t drag you down—often without medication as a primary option.  One easy way to reduce the risk of depression is to find a great reason to get up in the morning.  Things such as work, community, love, pets and volunteering are great reasons.  The healthiest adults are people involved in significant, caring relationships.  This does not necessarily mean romance; you can reach out to your community or family to build these relationships as well.  Exercise can also reduce many of the risk factors, and release endorphins and hormones that can balance your bodies’ natural functioning.  Taking a quick walk, even on a break at work, is a great way to quickly escape stressors while increasing your activity.

Finally, according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, about 75% of autoimmune diseases occur in women.  Autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders in which the immune system attacks the body and destroys or alters tissues.  There are more than 80 serious chronic illnesses in this category, including lupus, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes as the most common.  As a group, autoimmune disorders make up the fourth largest cause of disability among American women.  The scary part is that we don’t really know what causes the body to turn on itself.  Since autoimmune diseases are not very well understood, pinpointing specific risk factors is difficult but genetic, hormonal and environmental factors are all suspects.  Symptoms can also be non-specific which can be distracting and hamper proper diagnosis.  This is an area that requires support and a pro-active approach, similar to depression.  If you know something is wrong with you or a loved one, insist that someone take your symptoms seriously.  It is very common for women to make multiple visits to multiple doctors for a diagnosis to be made, and sometimes it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time for something to appear diagnostically.  A great way to promote continued awareness of autoimmune disorders is to support causes that enable more research, since they have such an enigmatic nature.

Bridget-green-urgent-care-clinicBridget Green, a Physician Assistant with Urgent Care Clinic since 2009, has two years of experience specific to women’s healthcare.  This enables Urgent Care to offer services tailored to women, such as annual exams and health screenings including pap smears, birth control consultation and prescriptions, breast screening and education including mammograms, STD testing and consultation/treatment, and other issues commonly affecting women, such as anxiety and depression consultation and referrals.  In conjunction with these services, Urgent Care Clinic has an on-site digital laboratory that allows them access to quick testing and results for many screenings, such as pregnancy, as well as offering digital x-ray and prescription services.  Additionally, since they commonly provide emergency care, their hours of operation are expanded to make it more convenient to be seen outside of traditional office hours.  Green’s focus on women’s health serves to enhance Urgent Care’s capabilities as a complete medical facility that pays attention to the unique needs of all patients.

It is very important for women to take a pro-active role in their own health as well as our society supporting the collective health issues that impact all women.  Awareness is vitally important, and the more we know the more we can share with others in order to influence better outcomes against many of these health issues.  Though it may not always be the solution, preventative care measures should always be your first method of defense.  Know your risk factors, and do what you can to minimize them.  Staying active and eating healthier are two ways that you can reduce your risk factors for most any condition.  In the morning, try to expose yourself to sunlight as soon as you wake up.  This helps jumpstart your production of Seratonin, a brain chemical that tells your body all is well.  Sunlight is also a great natural source of Vitamin D.  Also, drink plenty of water and add in some fresh fruit to infuse your water with a great flavor with the added nutrient benefits.  It may sound too simple, but staying positive is important for maintaining good health.  Negative emotions are also physically damaging to your body and trigger the production of Cortisol, which is a chemical that depresses the immune system, attacks lean muscle tissue and negatively affects blood sugar levels.  Use whatever method works to eliminate negativity, whether it is deep breathing, laughter, listening to music that you like, or visualizing something that makes you happy.  Getting enough sleep can not only help you live longer, but also sharpens your memory, lowers your stress, and reduces food cravings during the day.  Sometimes after a long day at the office, it feels like you have no time to unwind and in turn you stay up later doing things that you think will nourish this lack of relaxation.  Lack of sleep and an inconsistent bedtime really do put a strain on your system, so set a time to go to bed and stick to it as often as possible.

Women’s health is an important topic, and we can all benefit from a greater understanding of issues and diseases that are gender specific in nature.  Women often assume the role of caretaker for others, while neglecting themselves and their own health and wellness for the benefit of those around them, or to live up to society’s pressures.  Additionally, we are learning more every day about how we are alike and different based simply on gender; while women have many of the same diseases as men their symptoms and treatments may not always be the same.  A woman’s health relies on her total well-being, and is not determined solely by biological factors and reproduction, but also by the effects of other factors such as work load, nutrition, stress, and activity level.  Basic health care, family planning, obstetric and counseling services are essential, and should be available, to all women.  Maintaining a healthy lifestyle isn’t always easy; but it IS a fundamental part of leading a happy, productive and long life.