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 The Healthy Woman: A Complete Guide for All Ages. Easy to understand information from the nation’s leaders in women’s health.
This comprehensive official women's health resource will cover a broad range of issues affecting women of all ages. From the Nation's leaders in women's health, the Guide covers topics ranging from violence against women to cancer and heart disease, providing easy-to-understand explanations as well as practical tips.
Readers will also find personal health stories from women around the country, charts showing which medical tests are needed, and when, and ways to find more helpful information. As gatekeepers of their family's health, women will also find resources for caring for the men and children in their lives.
Praise for The Healthy Woman
“If good health and preventing disease matter to you, I urge you to read this book! From fitness and eating right to managing health problems common to women, The Healthy Woman offers complete health information that every woman can use.”
—Denise Austin, Fitness Expert, Member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
“Today, it’s more important than ever to take charge of your own health, and to do that, you need accurate, current information. This book, with its clear explanations on a wide variety of medical conditions, lifestyle tips, guides to resources and more, will help women make smarter health decisions for their lives.”
—Toni Gerber Hope, Health Editor, Good Housekeeping
“Finally … a comprehensive guide providing straight talk on a wide range of issues in women’s health, as well as definitions, screening recommendations, resources, compelling personal stories, and simple tips to manage risk factors and to take charge of our health.”
—Anita Clayton, MD, Professor, University of Virginia Health System
“The Healthy Women is an easy-to-use guide covering many conditions that women encounter throughout their lifetimes. It is a terrific resource. I highly recommend it.”
—Phyllis Greenberger, MSW, President & CEO, Society for Women’s Health Research
“There’s so much health information these days in books, on TV, online that it can be confusing and overwhelming. The Healthy Woman cuts through the clutter and provides straightforward, credible advice on a wide variety of health issues.”
—Jane Chesnutt, Editor-in-Chief, Woman’s Day
Visit The Healthy Woman: A Complete Guide for All Ages Download Page
You can download full publication in PDF format.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Office on Women’s Health
FORWARD
A few years back I was at my doctor’s office, talking with the nurse, asking for some advice. She told me, “Listen to your body.”
I sat there and stared at her. I understood the words but I had no idea what she was talking about. “I don’t listen to my body,” I joked. “I tell my body what to do!” We both laughed but I was serious.
I always felt my body was something to be pushed and prodded into shape, deprived of sleep if necessary, deprived of food if I wanted to fit into a slinky dress. But here was a nurse telling me to be kind to my body. Listen to it. Follow its lead. Let it decide—not just my brain.
It took me a long time to really get it: that my body is me. That it’s the only one I have. That it won’t last forever. And that, by listening to my body, I can learn how to protect it, strengthen it, and, most of all, enjoy it, delight in it.
That’s what this book is all about. Straight-ahead information on the things we can do to stay healthy, tests we should get to monitor our health, how to cope with disease, and how to talk with our doctors. Simply put, how to take charge of our own health.
It’s the book I wish I’d had on a sunny day in October 1999, when I sat in another doctor’s office, pen and notebook in hand, and heard him tell me I had breast cancer.
After years of working as a CNN correspondent, reporting on civil wars and political upheaval, I thought I was ready for the news. I would just jot the information down, do some research, find treatment, and get on with my life.
I could hardly hold the pen. My hand shook. My heart was beating out of my chest. Later that day, a bit calmer, I began to search for information on breast cancer. Even though my doctor was very helpful and began mapping out possible treatment strategies, I knew that, ultimately, I was the one who would have to decide which options to pursue and for that I needed information. I went to the bookstore, but one look at the rows and rows of books on every conceivable aspect of health and cancer completely overwhelmed me.
On the Internet it was even more confusing. Literally hundreds of millions of hits and links to different Web sites, with no guarantee that the information you find is trustworthy. What I needed was a guide, just like this one, written and reviewed by experts who know what they are talking about.
My experience taught me so much more than the details of cancer. I learned that I had a right, a responsibility to myself, to find the best doctors I could. If I could “shop ’til you drop” for a pair of shoes, I could shop until I dropped to find the doctor I trusted, a doctor who treated me like an adult, who respected me and my opinions.
I got a second opinion … and even a third opinion. I almost gave up, but you know what? The last doctor I saw was absolutely the one I had dreamed of finding, who was positive and fun and made me feel that, ultimately, I would be all right.
I was lucky because the person I loved was there with me all the way, but I also learned that, even if I weren’t so lucky, I didn’t have to face things alone. I joined a breast cancer support group and some of my best memories are of the six of us, all with bald heads—sporting baseball caps, bandanas, or wigs—finding ways to laugh together, even during some of our darkest days.
Finally, I learned that my nurse was right; I really should “listen to my body.” If I really love myself and want to live a healthy life—physically and mentally—there are things I can do to help make that happen. Sure, I don’t always want to get a mammogram and no, I don’t always want to make time for physical activity.
And yes, there are things I sometimes am afraid to discuss with my doctor. But I can tell you from my own experience: there is nothing more empowering than being in control of decisions about my health. And, I am happy to say, there is nothing more fabulous than being a healthy woman!
Jill Dougherty
U.S. Affairs Editor
CNN International
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword.......................................................................................................................8
Taking Charge of Your Health.........................................................................................10
Heart Disease...............................................................................................................15
Understanding risk factors for this number one killer of women, as well as heart attack signs, common tests, treatments, and living with heart disease.
Stroke.........................................................................................................................37
Recognizing the signs of stroke, as well as understanding risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke.
Cancer.........................................................................................................................51
Understanding risk factors, symptoms, important screening tests, and treatment of cancers affecting women.
Type 2 Diabetes............................................................................................................69
Knowing the signs of type 2 diabetes and how to manage, prevent, and delay the condition.
Autoimmune Diseases...................................................................................................83
Recognizing symptoms of autoimmune diseases more common in women, dealing with diagnosis, and understanding special pregnancy concerns.
Blood Disorders..........................................................................................................103
Learning how blood works and recognizing symptoms of bleeding disorders, clotting disorders, and anemia.
Sexually Transmitted Infections...................................................................................119
Lowering the risk of sexually transmitted infections, symptoms to watch for, understanding treatment, and dealing with diagnosis.
HIV/AIDS...................................................................................................................139
Preventing HIV, understanding the importance of testing, recognizing AIDS-related infections, and living with HIV.
Reproductive Health...................................................................................................153
Caring for your reproductive health, understanding reproductive and gynecologic disorders, and understanding your birth control options.
Pregnancy..................................................................................................................169
Preparing your body for pregnancy and delivery, understanding body changes, and learning about the stages of pregnancy.
Breastfeeding............................................................................................................187
Learning how to breastfeed your baby, with practical tips and suggestions for getting your baby to latch, expressing milk, and caring for your breasts.
Mental Health............................................................................................................207
Learning how to care for your overall mental health, understanding mental health disorders, and finding out how to get help.
Healthy Aging.............................................................................................................221
Dealing with menopause, understanding common signs of aging, and living with chronic health conditions.
Violence Against Women.............................................................................................235
Understanding the impact of violence against women in the United States, recognizing dangerous relationships, and learning practical ways to get help.
Urologic and Kidney Health.........................................................................................251
Learning how the urinary system works and recognizing, preventing, and treating common urologic and kidney health problems.
Digestive Health.........................................................................................................265
Learning how the digestive system works, dealing with digestive health problems during pregnancy, and understanding how to keep your digestive system healthy.
Respiratory Health......................................................................................................279
Understanding how the respiratory system works, dealing with common respiratory conditions, and recognizing symptoms.
Oral Health.................................................................................................................293
Caring for your oral health, understanding oral health issues specific to women, and learning how to recognize oral health problems.
Skin and Hair Health...................................................................................................305
Caring for your skin and hair, understanding the link between hair and skin and overall health, and dealing with common skin and hair problems.
Nutrition.................................................................................................................... 317
Learning about healthy eating, including practical tips for making healthy food choices.
Fitness.......................................................................................................................337
Learning about the importance of physical activity, including practical tips for leading an active lifestyle.
Pain...........................................................................................................................351
Understanding the impact of chronic pain and painful conditions among women and learning about treatment options.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine....................................................................367
Learning about the use of complementary and alternative medicine in the United States, the state of research on specific types of alternative medicines, and important safety tips.
Appendix....................................................................................................................383
Additional Health Information and Tips.......................................................................385
Important Screenings and Tests................................................................................... 413
Health Resources for Women and Families...............................................................423
Glossary.....................................................................................................................437
Bibliography...............................................................................................................463
Index.........................................................................................................................509
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