CDC Celebrates Mothers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a feature this week in anticipation of Mother’s Day and National Women’s Health Week.  This feature, Ways to Help Make Mother’s Day Healthy, offers advice on how Moms can keep themselves healthy for their families.

They also created a feature, Celebrate Moms who Protect Children’s Health, so Mom’s who don’t smoke deserve extra love!

Popular health topics of 2012

Last week, MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health’s consumer health database, published the top 10 most visited health topic searches of 2012:

• High Blood Pressure
• Exercise and Physical Fitness
• Diabetes
• Diabetic Diet
• COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
• Skin Conditions
• Autoimmune Diseases
• Herpes Simplex
• Herniated Disk
• Heart Diseases

Looking at these searches, it would seem that the public are searching for information on the most common health threats in the United States.  According to the Mayo Clinic, the top seven threats to women’s health are heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, accidents, and type 2 diabetes. The top seven threats to men’s health are similar: heart disease, cancer, accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and suicide.

Of course the most visited sites could also mean that people who were diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes started exercising but they had trouble breathing, had heart palpitations, got sunburned, and hurt their backs!

Children and Diabetes

NPR ran a story this morning about the troubling rise in diabetes rates in adolescents.  According to a CDC study the rates of diabetes in youths aged 12-19 has risen alarmingly.

LSUHSC’s own Dr. Melinda Sothern commented in the story about the concerns of the high rates of diabetes in adolescent girls in particular:

These are teen girls — adolescent girls — who are going to become mothers in the next five to 10 years. And if their weight is not healthy, we’re going to have another generation of these children with metabolic problems that lead to diabetes and prediabetes

Obesity in children is a hot topic right now and is something that concerns all of us, not just those with children.  A report on economic costs of diabetes states:

Approximately $1 in $10 health care dollars is attributed to diabetes. Indirect costs include increased factors such as absenteeism, reduced productivity, and lost productive capacity due to early mortality.

FYI, LSUHSC has another connection to the NPR story. The accompanying photo on NPR’s website was taken by Director of Information Services, Leslie Capo.

International Women’s Day

Search Google today? This particular Google Doodle recognizes International Women’s Day, an annual event on March 8th. It is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. The first International Women’s Day event was run in 1911. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.

So beyond the fact that women make up over 50% of the world’s population and 90% of the Library Staff, why should we care? Susan Blumenthal, M.D., Public Health Editor at HuffPost and Former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, has an excellent essay today reflecting upon the changes she has seen in women’s health.  Women’s Health: Decades Later, What’s Still Neglected.

For example, did you know:

• A Congressional Report in 1990 revealed that only 13 percent of the National Institutes of Health budget was spent on women’s health research
• Until fairly recently in our nation’s history (1993), women were largely excluded from being subjects in medical research and data was not analyzed for sex and gender differences
• Women represent only 12 percent of the Deans of U.S. medical schools, fewer than 27 percent of tenured professors and 13 percent of the over 2070 Departmental Chairs in our nation’s medical schools

The good news is, things are changing. The National Women’s Health Information Center (NWHIC)  is available  through a toll free telephone number (800-944-WOMAN) and  at www.womenshealth.gov. It provides consumers, health professionals, and researchers with free information and suport for  a broad range of women’s health issues. Changing the Face of Medicine  is an online exhibit from the NIH which explores the many ways that women have influenced and enhanced the practice of medicine.  So the next time someone asks “Where are the girls?” you can show them.

Think Pink!

So we’re officially halfway through breast cancer awareness month.  The aim is to educate, empower and promote awareness about the disease. Awareness tip: a mammogram can detect breast cancer up to 3 years before a lump can be detected during a self-exam. Have you had a mammogram?

For more info, please visit:

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/

http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BreastCancer/index?ssSourceSiteId=null

Did you know…

Louisiana ranks 48th nationwide in breastfeeding rates? For shame, ladies. These things aren’t just for show, you know.

Breastfeeding reduces obesity in children and builds stronger immune systems. Sure, everyone knows how great breastfeeding is for babies but did you know a mother can burn 500 calories a day breastfeeding? What other time in your life can you lose weight while relaxing in a comfy chair.

During World Breastfeeding Week check out all the benefits of breastfeeding and what resources are available locally for all the hot mammas out there.

Heart Disease Prevention Guidelines

Taking socioeconomic and personal factors into consideration seem to be the more practical approach in preventing heart disease in women, according to the updated 2011 guidelines. More women outside clinical research studies often have varying backgrounds such as: older patients, bad vision, psychiatric illness, communication and receptive barriers, and poverty.

In clinical research, volunteers are recruited but often have to meet certain criteria in order to participate. Generally, real patients with different mental, physical and social backgrounds might have adverse outcomes or experience more side effects in comparison to the participants in the studies.

In patient risk evaluation, the guidelines include illnesses linked to higher risk of heart disease such as:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Lupus
• Pregnancy complications
• Racial and ethical diversity

Bottom Line- clinical research is a good baseline but now that the new guidelines are taking “real-world” issues into consideration, hopefully heart disease will decline.

For more information, please visit:

http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/1239.aspx

Call to Action: Breastfeeding

Last week, the US Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin released a Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding. This call to action was aimed at families, communities, employers and health care professionals to improve breastfeeding rates and increase support for breastfeeding. Download the complete report and the fact sheet.

Healthy People 2020 Launched

Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. For 3 decades, Healthy People has established benchmarks and monitored progress over time in order to encourage collaborations across sectors, guide individuals toward making informed health decisions, and measure the impact of prevention activities.

Healthy People 2020 continues in this tradition with the launch on December 2, 2010 of its ambitious, yet achievable, 10-year agenda for improving the Nation’s health. Healthy People 2020 is the result of a multiyear process that reflects input from a diverse group of individuals and organizations.

New topic areas for 2020 include:
Adolescent Health
Blood Disorders and Blood Safety
Dementias, Including Alzheimer’s Disease
Early and Middle Childhood
Genomics
Global Health
Healthcare-Associated Infections
Health-Related Quality of Life and Well-Being
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health
Older Adults
Preparedness
Sleep Health
Social Determinants of Health

Stay connected to Healthy People 2020 by signing up for e-mail, following on Twitter, connecting on LinkedIn, or joining the Consortium to stay up-to-date with the latest Healthy People information and events.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

The month of October is a time to think of all persons that have fought the battle against breast cancer. In the U.S., breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women. According to the American Cancer Society there are nearly 200,000 cases that are expected to arise this year alone. There are a growing number of male cases and that is expected to reach 1,910 by the end of the year. If you or a loved one is facing breast cancer educate yourself on what it is, how it develops and new treatment methods that are available.

The American Cancer Society is teaming up with the New Orleans Saints to raise awareness about breast cancer by wearing pink all month long. The items will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. Locally, this year’s American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer raised slightly over $150,000.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.nbcam.org/index.cfm

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=19718&pg=entry

Get Ready for National Women’s Health Week 2009!

This year the 10^th annual National Women’s Health Week kicks off today!  It is a weeklong health observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH). This year’s theme is “It’s Your Time”.

Some tips to increase physical and mental health include:

• Getting at least 2 ½ hours of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both each week
• Eating a nutritious diet.
• Visiting a health care professional for regular checkups and preventive screenings.
• Avoiding risky behaviors, like smoking and not wearing a seatbelt.
• Paying attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress.

Locally there are a few events that are taking place:

Taking it to the Streets – A City Walk and Lunch promoting women’s mental and physical health (http://www.tulane.edu/~tuxcoe/NewWebsite/com_womens_health/index.html)

Ask your Health Provider – Clinical screening & exam, HIV & STI treatment and/or prevention, Taking the Pledge! (http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/?ID=264)

So far, Louisiana only has 6 women who took the pledge and is trailing far behind Missouri which has 155 pledges, so take the pledge today!

One week, not enough?

If you’d like to continue the Woman Challenge there is an eight-week online activity program that allows you to track your progress, so sign up today!

For more information please visit http://www.womenshealth.gov/whw/ .