New Epidemic: Chlamydia Hits An All-Time High
Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. This infection is easily spread because it often has no associated symptoms and may be unknowingly passed to sexual partners. Since it is such a silent STD, detection is not always so easy.
Federal health officials reported that the number of Americans newly infected with the sexually transmitted diseases chlamydia and syphilis is on the rise.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the numbers from 2007 show that cases of chlamydia as well as syphilis rose for the third year in a row.
“These infections remain at very high levels, and frankly, unacceptably high,” says Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea, the two most commonly reported infectious diseases in the United States, together accounted for almost 1.5 million reported cases of sexually transmitted disease (STD) in 2007.
“Chlamydia is at a new all-time record of 1.1 million cases. It went up about 7 percent since 2006,” Douglas said.
If left untreated, chlamydia and gonorrhea can result in pelvic inflammatory disease , a condition that causes many women to become infertile, according to the report, Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2007.
Chlamydia is eight times more common in Blacks than any other race. Black women between the ages of 15 to 19 years old had the highest rates of both chlamydia.
Sexually transmitted diseases take a significant economic toll. The CDC estimates that STDs cost the U.S. health-care system an estimated $15.3 billion annually.
Economic Status Linked to Obesity in Mexican-American and White Women
According to ScienceDaily, obesity continues to increase for African-American and Mexican-American women in the United States. There are approximately three million Caucasian women, one million African-American women who are obese.
A new study published in the Public Health Nursing Journal reveals that there is an increased risk for midlife obesity among Mexican-American and Caucasian women who were poor as children and adults. However, this did not hold true for African-American women.
Pamela J. Salsberry, R.N., Ph.D., of the College of Nursing and Patricia B. Reagan, Ph.D., from the Department of Economics both utilized data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to study obesity rates of women. The sample consisted of Mexican-Americans women, white women, and African-American women who were followed for 15 years.
The participant’s own education and income were used for adult economic status. Relationship between midlife obesity, economic indicator and race/ethnic group were studied.
Results show that there was an increased risk for midlife obesity in Mexican-American women who had a disadvantaged economic status during their childhood and adulthood. These economic effects on adult obesity were similar to those found for white women, but not African-American women. Few economic influences on obesity at midlife were found for African-American women.
The Internal Bra: A New Trend?
Many women would love to have shapely breasts without needing the help of a bra. Now plastic surgeons have made that possible by developing an internal bra to permanently lift and shape.
The internal bra is a device that is inserted underneath the skin, and it is less expensive than traditional procedures.
Dr. Eyal Gur designed the “Cup & Up” device, which takes 40 minutes to insert in an outpatient procedure.
“We’ve shown that that with a very small operation it’s possible to give a woman an internal bra that she can have for the rest of her life,” Gur said.
Women won’t need any additional support, unless they are playing a sport. The bra gives women the natural lift that they desire.
The silicone piece is inserted under the skin with a small incision. Doctors attach “straps” in between the breast and shoulder to hold the piece in place.
The bra is made by Orbix Medical, and manufacturers said the surgery is less expensive than traditional breast augmentation. Its inventors claim it has none of the drawbacks of a breast implant and will continue to look good for years without sagging.
‘This might not quite be the end of normal the bra, but we’ve shown that with a very small operation that it’s possible to give a woman an internal bra that she can have for the rest of her life,: said Gur.
This bra is likely to become available in Europe within the next 18 months.
Women Smoking-Fashionable or Deadly
 The tobacco industry is aggressively targeting women with seductive advertising that exploits ideas of independence, power, emancipation, and slimness. The American Heart Association supports legislation that seeks to restrict or prohibit tobacco advertising, promotion and marketing to young people, minorities or women. More than 178,000 women die every year from smoking-related diseases. Smoking among girls and young women increased dramatically. Lung cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death among women in the past 20 years. The tobacco industry has a long history of developing cigarette brands and marketing campaigns that target women and girls, with devastating consequences for women’s health. The nation’s two largest tobacco companies — Philip Morris USA and R.J. Reynolds— have launched new marketing campaigns that depict cigarette smoking as feminine and fashionable, rather than the harmful and deadly addiction it really is. The trend of marketing tobacco products to women includes cigarettes advertised for their perfumed scents and exotic flavors or whose names include the terms “slims” and “lights.” Product packaging and advertising have also featured watercolors and pastels. In the last two years, the industry has launched its most aggressive marketing campaigns aimed at women and girls in over a decade. These campaigns are again putting the health of women and girls at risk and underscore the need for Congress to pass legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products. Cigarette companies continue to target women using themes in advertising that associate smoking with independence, stylishness, weight control, sophistication and power.
Smoking Statistics for Women
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Technology Enhances Brain Power
Twitter is a free social networking service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to the subscribers.
Over time, we forget details of events that happened long ago or even mis-remember them.
But today’s technology, such as Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter, creates opportunities for people to capture minute by minute footage of memorable events.
Microsoft is developing a camera SenseCam, which captures photos of everything you see and do all day.
If we rely on technology for every source of information what will become of our minds?
But none of these task-replacing devices has been shown to damage the mind.
Learning how to use technologies is good for the brain, just like learning a language or doing puzzles, he said.
Relying on the Internet for answers does have its advantages in terms of brain stimulation. A recent study from Small’s group at UCLA found that Internet searching among middle-aged and elderly adults who don’t have much experience with the Web had increased activity in key areas of the brain after searching the Web for an hour each day for two weeks.
“You can’t walk around through life carrying all of your books under your arm,” he said. “It’s possible that these devices that people now rely on will discourage anyone from doing this disciplined learning that we always used to do.”
But recording everything you do takes people out of the “here and now,” psychologists say. Constant documenting may make people less thoughtful about and engaged in what they’re doing because they are focused on the recording process, Schwartz said.
A 1993 study led by researchers at the University of Virginia found that undergraduate students who were asked to think about their reasons for choosing posters chose differently and reported less satisfaction than those who did not have to justify their choices.
Hot Air Linked to Migraines?
Changing hormone levels, environment, stress, and social factors play key roles in why migraines are more common in women than men.
According to Mayo Clinic, headaches are health complaints. Ninety percent of women get tension headaches. Doctors still do not know what causes them.
In a new large-scale study published in the journal Neurology this week, researchers found that higher temperatures and low air pressure influence severe headaches.
But researchers aren’t sure how temperature influences headaches, and others say that a slew of other factors could be involved in the connection.
“Temperature and pressure may be indirect evidence of other causal factors,” says Dr. Joel Saper, director of the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute.
A study researched more than 7,000 patients who had come to the emergency room of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, between May 2000 and December 2007, all of whom were discharged with a primary diagnosis of some kind of headache. About 75 percent of these patients were women.
Researchers compared environmental factors such as temperature air pollution and pressure on the day of the patient’s visit with a day the week before and a day the week after. They found that the risk of severe headaches increases about 7.5 percent for each temperature increment of about 9 degrees Fahrenheit.
On the other hand, the idea that high temperatures and low pressure are linked to headaches is well known.
“On a hot day, a person may become dehydrated, which leads to a headache,” said Dr. Stephen Silberstein, professor of neurology at Thomas Jefferson Medical Center.
Curiously, the study did not find any association between pollution and headaches, which is surprising given that pollution causes sinus problems, which lead to headaches, Silberstein said.
Researchers in the new study still do not rule out pollution as a factor, Mukamal said.
Diet can also influence migraines, Silberstein said. Starvation, alcohol and caffeine withdrawal are all important triggers.
The next step in headache research is to figure out if there are medications that could block the triggering effect of environmental factors on headaches.
Being the Other Woman: The Inside Scoop
A survey by the National Opinion Research Center (University of Chicago) found 60% of marriages break up because of adultery, and the reason is because of the emotional affairs.
Why do some women settle for being the other woman?
Some women use excuses as to why the forbidden man is good for them.
“I wanted to believe that I was his only girl and that he truly loved me,” revealed a woman who wishes to remain anonymous.
According to Susan Anderson, the author of The Journey From Abandonment to Healing, “you can trick yourself into believing that you’re pursuing a relationship.”
Some women like the adrenaline rush that having an affair gives them.
“His love was addictive and his unavailability was exciting,” says an anonymous source.
Adulterous relationships are based on dishonesty. If the man is married, he is lying to his family about you. Even if he is not married, he is still lying to his girlfriend. In the woman’s mind, she is the only woman. The reality is she is not and possibility never will be the only woman.
Settling as someone’s mistress reflects low self-esteem. They settle for less because they do not feel they deserve more,” says Kiersten Gwynn.
Some women are not ready for the commitment and responsibility of a real relationship, so they settle for a quick fix.
Some women stay around hoping that the he will leave his wife. Statistics show that if he does not leave within the first six months, he probably will not.
Being someone’s mistress is a learning experience, because of the emotional baggage it brings. Some women realize what they want and do not want like love, respect, and honesty.
Although affairs appear to be fun, being the “other woman” is not all that it is cracked up to be. The reality is the “other woman” ends up lonely in the end. You have to wait for him to come around or to call you. Even when he does make time for you, he has to return to his family. In the mist of this affair, women become so caught up in these men that they miss out on opportunities to meet other men.
Women in Abusive Relationships
The New York City Department of Health surveys show a 40 percent increase in cases of dating violence in the last decade alone.
Many ask why women return to an abusive partner after leaving, but according to therapists this is common.
Abuse victims will leave out of either fear, anger or resentment, but then they feel guilt, shame, anxiety, and takes the abuser back.”
After a violent incident, usually the abuser may apologize frequently, give the victim gifts and persuade the victim to stay. When the victim takes them back, the abuser is likely to continue the abusive behavior.
There is a powerful psychological mechanism that lead people to stay in abusive relationships.
“For some females, it is difficult to leave an attachment relationship-a relationship with an emotional bond,” says Tosin Fadeyi, Frostburg State University student.
Some women may not want to break off an abusive relationship because they are afraid to be independent or do not know how to take care of themselves.
Sometimes the abuser can get his partner to stay with him through manipulation. For example, the abuser may tell his victim he will kill himself if she leaves. Many women stay in these relationships because they will feel responsible for the outcome.
In some instances, these relationships provide a sense of acceptance.
“There are some women who want to feel needed so they put up with anything,” says Jessica Saunders, a former Delaware State University student.
According to the Domestic Violence Resource Center
- One in four women has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime.
- On average, more than three women are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day.
What Is Your Body Trying To Tell You
Here are some typical symptoms women ignore consistently, but what do these symptoms really mean? What is your body trying to tell you?
- Cracked lips could be a sign of a yeast infection.
Everyone has yeast on her skin, however cracks around your mouth could be a sign that your body has too much. The solution is to simply drink more water.
- Shoulder or torso pain could mean that you have developed gallstones.
Women are twice as likely to develop the problem due to excess estrogen. Some women try to treat the pain with acid-blocking drugs, which won’t work because heartburn isn’t the problem.High-fat, high-cholesterol foods like red meat and French fries worsen the gallstones-and-cholesterol connection. Try eating more low-fat, high-fiber foods, like beets, cucumbers, and sweet potatoes.
- Bright pink gums could mean you clench your teeth.
Pale pink is a sign of healthy gums, but bright pink gums are a sign of irritation and swelling. But if they’re bright pink, bordering on red, that’s not good. It could signal damage beneath the gum line or long-term irritation and swelling.
- Burning in the ball of your foot could be a sign of Morton’s neuroma.
Two common causes in women are high heels or high arches, says Marlene Reid, a podiatrist in Naperville, Illinois, and a spokeswoman for the American Podiatric Medical Association. Arch supports can help take the pressure off the foot. Some doctors administer cortisone shots to reduce the swelling of nerve tissue.
- If you have tingly thighs, your jeans could be too tight.
Try leggings or another form of spandex.
Four symptoms you should never ignore
1. Fainting or shortness of breath
2. Unexplained throat pain
3. Unusual vaginal bleeding
4. Persistent tummy trouble
For more information, visit: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/03/women.symptoms/index.html
Women and Sleep Deprivation
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, more than one in ten people did not get enough sleep in thirty days.
Women are twice as likely to suffer from insomnia than men. Some research suggests that certain social factors, such as being unemployed or divorced, are related to poor sleep and increase the risk of insomnia in women. Also, insomnia tends to increase with age.
Almost three out of four women do not get seven or more hours of sleep per night during the work week.
While many women experience difficulty sleeping, only 4% of women currently see a physician regarding their sleep problems.
Sleep loss may increase hunger and affect the body’s metabolism, which makes it difficult to maintain or lose weight.
Changes in hormonal levels, stress, illness, lifestyle, and sleep environment may impact sleep.
http://abcnews.go.com/OnCampus/story?id=6905760&page=1&page=1
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/30/sleep.deprived/index.html
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sleep_disorders_in_women/article_em.htm
