Victor Kuri

Archive for the ‘Women’s Health’ Category

Women’s heart health is moving to the forefront recently. Over three hundred thousand women die of coronary heart disease each year, and it is the number one killer of American women, and it affects almost nine million American women. As many as one in four women over sixty five years of age are affected by it. Nearly a half million women suffer heart attacks yearly.

Coronary heart disease affects the blood vessels of the heart and causes heart attacks. When an artery becomes blocked, preventing oxygen and nutrients from getting to the heart, a woman is having a heart attack. Strokes result from a lack of blood to the brain and can cause bleeding in the brain. Today heart health has become as much of women’s health issue as it is for men.

Basically there are three major risk factors for cardiovascular disease that women can control in order to reduce their risks for developing these diseases. The risk factors include high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, being overweight, physical inactivity and high blood cholesterol. Some factors that put the health of the heart at risk cannot be controlled. Some women’s ethnic groups can put them at higher risk for developing heart disease than others.

Older women have a higher chance of developing cardiovascular diseases than younger women. This is due in part because heart related problems tend to develop with age. Older women are more likely to be diabetic, to develop high blood cholesterol levels, to develop high blood pressure, and to be more physically inactive than younger women.

The health of the heart for some women’s ethnic groups can be at greater risk than other women. The death rate for stroke victims is higher in African American women, and can be as much as twenty four percent higher than white women. They are also sixty percent more likely to die of coronary heart disease than white women.

Women who have had early menopause are twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease as women of their age who have not begun menopause. It does not matter if menopause was natural or if they surgically had their ovaries removed. The health of the heart after women’s menopause places them at a greater risk for heart disease. This is partly because less estrogen is produced by their bodies.

The more risk factors a woman has, the greater the chances are for her developing heart problems. For instance, smoking cigarettes and having high blood pressure raises the chances for developing coronary heart disease. If a woman smokes, has high cholesterol, and also high blood pressure, the risk can go up to five times higher than a woman with no risk factors. For the health of their heart women’s risk factors should be reduced if not eliminated when possible.

Although it is important for everyone to have a health insurance, it is particularly important in the context of pregnant women. The reason is obvious: there are many things that can go wrong during pregnancy, or could be made better if the woman is aware of certain facts. Therefore, it is essential that pregnant women periodically receive check-ups in order to make sure the pregnancy is progressing properly and there are no detectable problems with their unborn child.

Unfortunately, many pregnant women do not have health insurance. It has been statistically shown that when they deliver, their babies are more likely to have low birth weight and higher incidents of death.

Getting an insurance while pregnant has become significant today because of the towering cost of health insurance in the United States. According to the American Health Association, 41 million Americans are not insured, and around 13% pregnant women in the country do not possess any form of health insurance. This puts these women and their unborn children at risk.

Prenatal checkups can be very expensive, not to mention hospital and delivery charges which could cost $10,000 or more. Furthermore, if there are complications, such as premature birth or the woman requires a cesarean section, the costs would be much greater. Therefore, it is strongly recommended for pregnant women to find a way to obtain health insurance.

The problem is that most companies do not accept new insurance policies from pregnant women whose pregnancy has been assessed as a pre-existing condition. Ideally, if you are a woman and you know you wish to get pregnant, things would be much easier for you if you got health insurance before you got pregnant. That being said, if you are uninsured and found out you are pregnant, here are some useful tips that could help you obtain health insurance:

First, shop around – search the internet – for health insurance companies who can provide pregnancy health coverage and discounted health care coverage. It is easy to get free instant quotes from multiple providers. Some may very well be more affordable than others.

Second, there are some federally funded programs which offer healthcare coverage for low income people. Medicaid, for example, allows you to enroll in a health insurance plan even when you are pregnant. An additional program is CHIP. Some states have specialized programs for this purpose: investigate whether your state offers one.

Third, look for additional benefits provided by other agencies. WIC is a federal agency that offers health services to low income women and children under 5, and also provides food supplements.

Finally, if you are in a position where you have several options, make sure you choose your plan carefully: choose the plan which covers all the benefits you may require. For example a hospital-only plan will not cover visits to a physician’s clinic.

It is a herculean task to manage home, children, family and a demanding job, and at the same time look fresh and radiant. Many women who juggle different roles forget to take care of their diet. All women must take care no matter how busy they are:

) Always eat some fruit for breakfast because it gives the required energy to detoxify and aids in the elimination of wastes effectively.

2) Drink enough water, cut down tea, coffee to two cups in the day and substitute them by herbal drinks like jasmine, chamoile tea, which are great for skin hydration and a young looking skin.

3) With age, cut down on cereals and eat more of fresh fruits and vegetables to keep the weight off.

4) Walk and do stretches to keep your body supple, slim, youthful and full of energy.

5) Cut down on smoking and alcohol as it ages the skin fast.

Must Read: Workout and Exercise Schedule for Women Weight Training at http://www.weightloss-health.com/woman%20muscle%20exercise.htm

6) Increase soy, or fish or sprouts in the diet.

7) Add anti-aging herbs like tulsi, amla, ashwagandha in the routine.

Go for natural sweeteners like honey and raisins.

9) Indulge in your sinful foods once a week.

10) Positive thinking and a positive outlook can make any women look young and attractive!

Must Read: Sailing through menopause with ease: Menopause Symptoms, exercise, diet, tips at http://www.weightloss-health.com/menopause_exercise_diet.htm

As a woman, it is very important that you educate yourself in every facet of women’s health, because it covers a broad spectrum right from general health down to the narrower focus of reproductive health. Women’s health is a big issue from pregnancy to infections, to infertility

When it comes to health, men and women experience and react to various conditions differently. Both need to engage in preventative measures as this improves their quality of life.

The subject of women’s health is a growing issue. There is lots of information out there relative to this topic which can make things a little confusing but as you go through it you will find that the fundamentals remain the same.

There are also numerous products out there to help women overcome various health challenges but you should always educate yourself about what you are taking. The internet is a wonderful tool to do this. There are lots of forums and communities out there where women discuss products they have used and what benefits or drawbacks they experienced while taking them

Like anything else, it is all about getting the right information. So you may need to dig deep and always double check for various official references.

As we all know, what you eat is very important when it comes to your health. Shockingly, some of the most important ingredients necessary to have a healthy diet are more often then not in short supply in the foods that we eat on a daily basis.

The good news is that healthy foods are readily available in your local grocery store but you may need to make an extra effort to find them. It’s funny how they seem to display the nutrient-robbing foods more prevalently over that of the healthy foods.

Women have many health issues to deal with such as breast cancer for example. It is very important as a woman that you do regular mammograms as a preventative measure. As per usual exercise is important and it is also essential that you develop good habits. Such as drinking plenty of water, eating fresh food such as fruit and veggies and in general having a balanced diet.

Remember, prevention is always better than a cure. Regular exercise and good eating habits will do a lot to improve your lifestyle and self image. It will also help with your mental health and general outlook on life and along with this regular exercise has been proven to reduce the severity of menstrual cramps.

Finally, another key element to health is sleep. Sleep deprivation is not good for you and there are numerous studies out there that report on the various health issues that can arise due to lack of sleep. In conclusion, eat healthy, exercise and get routine check ups for maximum health.

If you’ve become pregnant, then congratulations and your baby is most welcome in this world. But a bit of concern for you is that approximately 13% (780, 000) pregnant women don’t have access to pregnancy or maternity insurances or coverages resulting in inadequate & concerning prenatal care.

Here’s the pregnancy insurance stats for reference-

a. 13% of all pregnancy are uninsured,

b. 12% of all birth are premature,

c. 57% of uninsured pregnant women neglect their prenatal care, till the six months of their pregnancy.

d. At any given point, 40-80 million Americans are remain uninsured, and

e. Approximately 1 in 10 American babies are born under-weight.

It is possible that you have a health insurance that doesn’t cover maternity benefits or you may be under-insured. But getting maternity benefits through maternity health insurance is going to be tough for you, if you’re already pregnant. In that case you’ll have to look for other alternatives.

And the good alternatives are applying for Medicaid as it accepts pre-existing conditions, if you’re qualified for it. Medicaid is a federal govt. funded state insurance program, administered by states for low-income individuals & families. Medicaid money is paid directly to your health-care service providers for the health-care services you received.

So, in case of Medicaid insurance, your pre-existing condition of pregnancy is acceptable. The only criterion you’ve to qualify is your level of income that varies from state to state. If you earn less than $30, 000. 00 a year, you are normally qualify for Medicaid and that’s the most economical way of getting good health-care services.

You may find other options that serves additional programs such as Medi-cal that accepts pre-existing conditions, from the state of California. For details info, you may locally contact your Health Departments by State.

WIC (Women, Infants and Children) is another federal agency that safeguards the health of low-income women, infants & children under age of 5 by way of providing supplemental foods, nutrition education, health-care referrals, infants & children, who are at nutritional risks. (For more info, visit my blog)

There are a lot of alternatives to Medicaid and traditional pregnancy health insurance. They are heavily discounted alternative routes and smoothly help you out of the crisis.

Maternity Card:Although its not an insurance itself, it works with a National Preferred Provider Maternity Network that provides you with a comprehensive maternity plan, even if you’re a pregnant.

AmeriPlan is another heavily discounted (up to 50%) health-care plans that are available in almost all states except Alaska. And by paying a specified monthly subscription, as per various product plans, you can get into its nation-wide services through vast network of service providers.

AmeriPlan covers all pre-existing conditions (except orthodentic treatment in progress) and you don’t have to think about deductibles, annual limits, waiting period, claim form & other formalities (For details, visit my blog).

Personal Prenatal Care: It consists programs like exercise, nutrition, vitamins, regular Check-ups, things to avoid during pregnancy that fosters healthy pregnancy.

Birth Center: This is a health-care option that serves you to provide you with homely environment, safe & securely. Its affordable and provides you with economical maternity services.

Home Birth:Some women are having a sort of fascination to have a birth naturally. And Midwives normally perform the major role in home birth. Home-birth costs around 60% less than the traditional hospital birth.

Now, that you’re pregnant, you may love to get into a program like Pregnancy Week By Week as your baby is growing inside you. Its totally Free(For details visit the blog). Look for more issues of similar content.

Pakistan has poor health as well as sanitation infrastructure. This is especially true in the rural regions of the country. About 19% of the Paki population is malnourished as against the 17% average maintained for developing countries. Astoundingly, 30% of the child population under the age of 5 is malnourished! Some of the leading causes of diseases and death are gastroenteritis, respiratory infections, tuberculosis, congenital abnormalities, malaria, and typhoid fever. According to the United Nations estimates AIDS will be the single major health concern, could soon take the shape of an epidemic. As of 2003, there were just 68 doctors for every 100,000 Pakistanis. By 2002, the country had 12,501 health institutions including 4,590 dispensaries, 906 hospitals and a total count of 80,665 hospital beds. The rural regions had only 550 health centers with a total count of 8,840 beds.

However, that being said it is heartening to see that the Pakistani government is committed to the cause of having a healthier and well-looked after population. This is specially evidenced by the new health, nutrition, and population guidelines issued by the government’s National Health Policy Guidelines till 2010. One of the redeeming aspects of this promising initiative is the introduction of a lady health worker (LHW). A community-based service, this program aims to give health related information, basic health care tips, and family planning guidance to women in Pakistan. Currently, there are 3,000 women serving as LHWs in their communities.

While there have been many health-related plans being implemented by the government, one health issue that is still a major cause of concern for women of Pakistan is the high neonatal and maternal mortality rates. Developed countries have been successful in reducing the number of deaths of pregnant women by educating and training the nurses-midwives, some developing nations have been unable to do so. Though the exact maternal and neonatal mortality rates of women in Pakistan are unavailable, it is generally believed that the rate could be around 30-50% (or higher).

If the factors that contribute to this high mortality rate could be controlled, a reduction in the neonatal death rate is likely to come down significantly. Using capable and trained nurses or midwives for deliveries and other women health related issues throughout Pakistan, would be greatly instrumental in a lower mortality rate and better health of the country’s women as well as child population.

Neonatal and maternal health issues are wide spread and complicated due to frequent child births. Shocking as it may seem, but one out of every 38 women dies during child birth. The infant mortality rate is no better and stands at 101 deaths per 1,000 kids, while for those aged below 5 have higher mortality rate with 140 deaths per 1,000 births. These numbers far exceed the averages for developing countries by 60% and 36% respectively.

Though more and more men and women in Pakistan are using contraceptives, the rate of fertility still remains high and there is an average of 5.3 births per woman with population growth rate much higher than anywhere else in South Asia.

But perhaps more plaguing than these diseases are the multiple issues of society that considers women as low.

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