In the early 1970s, Hesperian Health Guides developed “Where There Is No Doctor,” a health care manual used by health workers and others involved in delivering primary care and promoting health programs. Hesperian now offers a dozen books and health materials in more than 80 languages. Its latest resource, “Health Actions for Women: Practical Strategies to Mobilize for Change,” released this month, is drawing kudos — from the likes of Cecile Richards, Judy Norsigian and Paul Farmer, among others — for its approach to helping women (and men) create change in their communities to improve the health of women and girls. Health Actions for Women: Practical Strategies to Mobilize for Change Concrete steps for community organizing and problem-solving are woven throughout the book,
Category: women’s health
What’s the Connection Between Snowfall in Boston and Health and Human Rights?
by Amy Agigian Greetings from Boston, where we are currently experiencing Snowmageddon 2015. We’ve had four storms, accumulating over 7 feet of snow, in less than three weeks, making this the snowiest month in Boston’s long recorded history. But what does our unparalleled snowfall have to do with women’s health and human rights? First, the health effects of extreme temperatures hit those with fewest resources — money, housing, safety, good health — hardest. It makes sense if you think about it: If you’re already sick, or living in a violent home or neighborhood, added difficulty getting around is much more serious than for healthy people who are safe at home. If you are homeless or have precarious housing, finding shelter and keeping track of your possessions is that much
Premenopausal Women with Low Bone Density
Premenopausal Women with Low Bone Density Our expert is Elizabeth Shane, Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair of Medicine for Clinical and Epidemiological Research at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Her research interests include premenopausal osteoporosis, bone disease associated with HIV/AIDS, bone loss due to medications and gastrointestinal diseases, and the use of high-resolution imaging to investigate the effects of various drugs and diseases on bone quality and strength. You can hear Dr. Shane at the upcoming conference, Women’s Health 2015: The 23rd Annual Congress, April 16-19, 2015 in Washington, DC. Very best, Mitzi Perdue mperdue@liebert.com LOW BONE DENSITY CAN OCCUR IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN Although osteoporosis is mostly a disease of older women, under certain circumstances, premenopausal women may also be vulnerable. There are disease
More Physician Training Needed to Recommend IUDs
By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News When Wendy Sue Swanson started out as a pediatrician eight years ago, it never crossed her mind to bring up the option of intrauterine devices – an insertable form of long-acting contraception – when she had her regular birth-control discussions with teenage patients who were sexually active. “The patch had been the thing,” she said, referring to a small, band-aid-like plastic patch that transmits hormones through the skin to prevent unwanted pregnancies. But Swanson’s approach changed after a casual conversation with her sister-in-law. This relative wasn’t a doctor, but she worked at the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina, and she told Swanson that the devices could be used as a first
Let’s Talk About Our Relationship With Food
By Lindsey Mazur, RD This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Part of the journey to recovery from an eating disorder involves healing the relationship with food. Let’s talk about how every one of us has a relationship to food and what a healthy relationship might look like. Everybody eats. The way we eat is shaped by many things. When I asked people to reflect on all the things that influence how we eat and what we eat, some common themes emerge: taste culture, traditions, religious beliefs celebrations, birthdays, parties, etc. emotions, happy and sad habit or what we are used to raised to eat a certain way budget diets sustainability environment animal welfare because we are hungry! It’s interesting that most times nutrition and health come
Raise Your Voice – Strengthen Your Community
by Jennifer Davis Missing and murdered. It seems we’ve heard that term a lot lately. Too much. Women and men across Canada are trying to change that and trying to make a difference. We at Women’s Health Clinic also want to make a difference. To honour the women who have been murdered or abducted across Canada, we created a window display and postcard campaign with a plea for our Federal government to support a change for peace. (download PDF for postcard here) The Window Display I developed the window display after finding Dr. Maryanne Pearce’s database of missing and murdered women online. Over the course of seven years, she’s collected names from the public domain, meticulously recording them, and honouring women who have been murdered or have
HPV Risk and Cervical Cancer
HPV Risk and Cervical Cancer Our expert is Mona Saraiya, MD, MPH. She joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer in the Division of Reproductive Health in 1995, and is currently a medical officer and Associate Director in the Division of Cancer Prevention & Control’s Office of International Cancer Control. To hear more from Dr. Saraiya, be sure to attend Women’s Health 2015: The 23rd Annual Congress, April 16-19, 2015 in Washington, DC. She’ll be one of the many outstanding presenters. Very best, Mitzi Perdue mperdue@liebert.com MANY WOMEN ARE MISSING THE BENEFITS OF SCREENING AND VACCINATION FOR CERVICAL CANCER In spite of the fact that cervical cancer screening is one of the greatest achievements in cancer prevention, too many women still die
2015 New Year’s Revolution: Ditch Dieting!
By Lindsey Mazur, RD Tired of making resolutions and not keeping them? You’re not alone. Studies report most people aren’t able to maintain them. If your resolutions are about dieting or weight loss, there’s even more research to show how unhelpful those types of goals are. Here are some reasons on why it’s time to Ditch Dieting and start your New Year’s Revolution: Diets cause weight gain. People on a diet may lose weight for the short term but in the long-term, research shows they gain it all back, plus more. People who diet often end up heavier than if they hadn’t dieted. Diets make us hungry. Diets involve eating less, so naturally we become hungry. This can impact our moods and we can be irritable
Why Doesn’t a Viagra Equivalent Exist for Women?
Given the historical exclusion of women from clinical trials and social attitudes about female sexual desire, it’s easy to assume that no Viagra-like drug is available for women because women’s sexual pleasure is not taken seriously enough to develop one. The reality, though, is more complicated than a case of gender bias. Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a public meeting and scientific workshop (fully available online) on female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and available therapies as part of its “patient-focused drug development” series. The workshop followed up on the FDA’s rejection of flibanserin, a proposed drug to treat FSD. The drug was rejected in 2010, and again in 2013, with the FDA telling the drug maker, Sprout Pharmaceuticals,
Smart Sex/Great Sex Series: After a Sexual Assault
By deb kozak Trigger warning: Blog discusses sexual assault. If you are triggered by anything you read here, please call the Klinic Crisis line at 204-786-8686 (in Winnipeg) or toll-free 1-888-322-3018 (outside Winnipeg). Trained helpers are available 24 hours a day to give confidential support and helpful information. In our last blog, we talked about how important communication and clear consent is in sexual encounters. Ideally, each of us would always be consenting every time we have sex, the whole time we are having sex. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. At some point in our lives, in spite of our best planning and preparation, we may find ourselves in a situation where sex has happened in a way or at a time we didn’t want it to. Even
Why Corporate Promotion of Egg Freezing isn’t a “Benefit” to All Women
Apple recently announced it was joining Facebook in covering costs for female employees who opt to freeze their eggs for non-medical reasons. Both companies are providing up to $20,000; Apple as part of its fertility coverage, and Facebook as part of its surrogacy benefits. Despite the financial generosity, this might not be a good deal for healthy employees of these companies — or for women in the workplace in general. While some news outlets have addressed the high cost of egg freezing — at least $10,000 per ovarian stimulation cycle and $500 a year for storage — there’s more to be concerned about than the high cost or the low chances of success (according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, for a woman age 38,