Calcium and vitamin D may help with Cholesterol
Posted by on April 7, 2014 - 8:41pm

Drinking milk is not just for kids but also for post-menopausal women, new research shows. A new study from the Women's Health Initiative just published by the North American Menopause Society, reveals that calcium and vitamin D after menopause can improve women's cholesterol profiles.

Over 600 women took either a supplement containing 1,000 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D3, or a placebo, daily. Women who took the supplement, unsurprisingly, were two times more likely to have sufficient vitamin D levels (at least 30 ng/mL), in comparison to the women were taking placebo. Women who were taking supplements also had LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) numbers that were 4 to 5 points lower than the women taking placebo. The women on supplement also had higher levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) and lower levels of triglycerides.

Researchers agree that more work needs to be done to see whether or not supplementing one's diet with calcium and vitamin D can lower cholesterol levels and ultimately improve rates of cardiovascular disease in women after menopause. These results, however, show that there may potentially be extra benefits for those with calcium and vitamin D deficiencies to start supplements. Supplementing may be key for strengthening both the heart and bones after menopause. To learn more about healthy choices you can make after menopause, visit Northwestern's menopause website here.

“Calcium/vitamin D supplementation, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, and cholesterol profiles in the Women’s Health Initiative calcium/vitamin D randomized trial,” will be published in the August 2014 print edition of Menopause.

 

Northwestern Memorial in top ten health providers for women
Posted by on April 2, 2014 - 2:55pm

Prentice Women’s Hospital: Under the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago, was recently named one of the top ten women's health providers by HealthCare Global Magazine.   It was noted that the hospital  provides a wide variety of services and specialized care just for women, through all stages of their lives- from gynecologic and pregnancy care to menopause and bone health.   The Women's Health Research Institute has worked with Prentice on several programs including:

  • Advocacy and promotion of specialty clinics in neurology, depression, cardiology, skin health, sleep disorders, and pelvic health that are described HERE
  • The creation of an interactive menopause website that provides the latest options for menopause symptom management.
  • Provided professional education on sex differences beyond reproductive and maternal health.

To learn about the entire top ten, visit Healthcare Global.

New Stroke Prevention Guidelines for Women
Posted by on March 26, 2014 - 8:47am

In early February, the American Heart Association published new guidelines aimed at preventing stroke in women. Due to several factors, women are more prone to stroke and generally have more difficulty recovering from stroke than men. A stroke occurs when a blood clot forms in a vessel leading to the brain, cutting off its oxygen supply. Women suffer strokes more often than men because they tend to live longer than men, undergo reproductive hormonal changes through contraceptives and hormone replacement therapies, and face an increased risk of stroke during pregnancy.

Due to these risk factors, the American Heart Association outlines the following guidelines:

  • Women with a history of high blood pressure before pregnancy may be able to take low-dose aspirin after the first trimester of pregnancy. Similarly, pregnant women with moderately high blood pressure may be able to be treated with medication.
  • A history of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, should be considered a risk factor for stroke, along with cholesterol, obesity and smoking.
  • Women should be tested for high blood pressure prior to starting hormonal birth control, and although data is conflicting, hormone replacement therapy during menopause may increase the risk of stroke, so should not be used for stroke prevention.
  • As migraines with aura (sensory warning signs, such as tingling sensations or flashing lights) have been linked to stroke, women who experience migraines with aura should quit smoking.
  • Women over 75 should be tested for atrial fibrillation, another risk factor of stroke.

It is vital that stroke awareness and prevention begins at an early age and that blood pressure is monitored and treated appropriately throughout a woman's life. It is also important to note that these are only guidelines and that cases will vary by individual, so it is important to discuss issues or concerns related to stroke with your doctor.

Source: Walton, Alice G. "A Woman's Guide to Stroke Prevention." Forbes. 7 February 2014.

Internist Must Play a Role in Menopause Management
Posted by on March 21, 2014 - 9:29am

The number of menopausal women is projected to reach 50 million by 2020. With changing views on appropriate therapies to control symptoms and new treatments available and on the horizon, most internists lack the core competencies and experience to meet the needs of women entering menopause, according to a provocative Commentary published in Journal of Women’s Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women’s Health website.

The article “Competency in Menopause Management: Whither Goest the Internist?” by Richard Santen, MD, University of Virginia Health Sciences System (Charlottesville), Cynthia Stuenkel, MD, University of California at San Diego, Henry Burger, MD, Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), and JoAnn Manson, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA), describes the changing landscape of menopausal symptom management, with renewed use of hormone therapy among recently menopausal women at low risk of breast cancer and heart disease. The emergence of new non-hormonal treatments and other approaches may be unfamiliar to internists who are often ill-prepared to manage symptoms in women who have completed their reproductive years and are approaching or beginning menopause.

“It is essential that new curricula be developed to train internists in the core competencies needed to manage menopausal symptoms,” says Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women’s Health, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA, and President of the Academy of Women’s Health.  To learn more about menopause symptom management visit menopause.northwestern.edu

 

Spring break contact lens safety tip!
Posted by on March 20, 2014 - 11:55am

Be Careful With Contact Lenses

Spring break often means heading to sand and surf!.  We hear a lot about sun exposure, staying hydrated and avoiding too much alcohol but is it OK to wear your contacts while in the hot tub or sea? Contact lens are convenient but can expose you to serious conditions such as eye infections and corneal ulcers—something you don’t want to deal with on vacation.

To avoid problems, first make sure your contacts are prescribed by an eye care professional. Skip colored or decorative lenses sold in beauty supply stores and at the boardwalk, since they can damage your eyes. Second, wash your hands before touching lenses, and use sterile solution. Never expose your lenses to saliva or non-sterile water, including that from the tap, bottle or ocean. Non-sterile water can put you at risk for an eye infection. So remove your contacts before swimming or getting in the hot tub and follow your eye care professional’s other care and removal instructions. If your vision changes, your eyes get red, you have lots of tears, or your eyes hurt or feel itchy, take out your lenses and seek medical attention.  Have fun!

 

New Ranking in Women's Health for Northwestern!
Posted by on March 18, 2014 - 3:22pm

U.S. News & World Report recently released the 2015 rankings of top medical schools, and we're  proud to announce that the Women’s Health program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is now ranked #10 (up one spot from #11 in 2014) among medical schools nationally.  This designation looks at the educational, clinical and research aspects of women's health and goes beyond gynecology to include maternal health and endocrine issues.     The Women's Health Research Institute at NU with its motto "science to care" works closely with all  our clinical and research departments to embed sex based research and care throughout the institution.

You can view the top Women’s Health programs here: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/...

 

Acupuncture and Women's Health
Posted by on March 18, 2014 - 2:56pm

Acupuncture has been used in Eastern countries to address women's health issues but is not readily adopted in the U.S. especially by the medical establishment.   A new study reports preliminary data indicating that acupuncture may improve menstrual health and overcome delays in becoming pregnant. There are experimental data indicating that acupuncture can influence female reproductive functioning, although the actual mechanisms involved are not yet clarified. Acupuncture is a complex intervention yet the evaluation of acupuncture research designs and outcome measures expect a level of commensurability difficult to achieve in complex interventions. A focus on effectiveness rather than efficacy may be a solution. Further research  is needed that includes the rich traditions of acupuncture practice and the rigorous methods of evidence-based research.

Source:   International Journal of Women's Health 17 March 2014.

Addressing the Jargon of Health Care
Posted by on March 17, 2014 - 10:37am

Melissa Simon, MD, and member of the Women’s Health Research Institute’s Leadership Council wrote a powerful opinion piece about the language and socio-economic barriers in health care. Dr. Simon cites a recent case involving 16-year-old Ethan Couch’s lenient sentence for his crime of killing four and injuring two in a drunk driving accident by claiming “affluenza.” What was argued in court was that Couch’s “doting, wealth parents infected their son with irresponsibility,” which is a flimsy case, a blatant misuse of medical terminology, and another example of absolving the wealthy for their infractions. Dr. Simon uses this case to testify that language has created injustices and disparities in all facets of life, particularly, in the world of health care.

People must effectively understand information about their health, and physicians must effectively communicate this information. The influx of patient navigators, Dr. Simon says, is a clear sign that effective health communication is needed. The heavy health care jargon alienates low-income patients and can lead to costly or harmful effects if proper care is misunderstood. The wealthy have improved access to health care via, in part, their understanding of this health care vocabulary. This further perpetuates class differences and the inequality gap expands in American health care.

Moving forward, Dr. Simon says, we must facilitate mutual respect between the rich and the poor. This can be done by (1) reevaluating the language used to describe these different classes; (2) having political leaders demonstrate ways to unite the rich and the poor through language; and (3) ensuring that all patients have access to non-jargon-laden health information.

Source: TPM Cafe

Wage gender gap: action needed!
Posted by on March 4, 2014 - 5:39pm

President Obama was right in his recent State of the Union address to call it an “embarrassment” that women are paid only 77 cents compared to men in 2014.

It’s possible, but we have a long way to go and we can’t do it without you.

Help do something about it today by sharing this image illustrating the gender-based wage discrepancy:

What To Do When Your Head Hurts
Posted by on March 4, 2014 - 3:21pm

Most of us get headaches from time to time. Some are mild. Others cause throbbing pain. They can last for minutes or days. There are many different types of headaches. How you treat yours depends on which kind you have.

Headaches might arise because of another medical condition, such as swollen sinuses or head injury. In these cases, treating the underlying problem usually relieves headache pain as well. But most headaches—including tension headaches and migraines—aren’t caused by a separate illness.

A headache may feel like a pain inside your brain, but it’s not. Most headaches begin in the many nerves of the muscles and blood vessels that surround your head, neck, and face. These pain-sensing nerves can be set off by stress, muscle tension, enlarged blood vessels, and other triggers. Once activated, the nerves send messages to the brain, and it can feel like the pain is coming from deep within your head.

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. They can cause a feeling of painful pressure on the head and neck. Tension headaches occur when the muscles in your head and neck tighten, often because of stress or anxiety. Intense work, missed meals, jaw clenching, or too little sleep can bring on tension headaches.

Over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen can help reduce the pain. “Lifestyle changes to relax and reduce stress might help, such as yoga, stretching, massage, and other tension relievers,” says Dr. Linda Porter, an NIH expert on pain research.

Migraines are the second-most common type of headache. They affect more than 1 in 10 people. Migraines tend to run in families and most often affect women. The pain can be severe, with pulsing and throbbing, and can last for several days. Migraine symptoms can also include blurry vision and nausea.

“Migraines are complex and can be disabling,” Porter says. Certain smells, noises, or bright flashing lights can bring on a migraine. Other triggers include lack of sleep, certain foods, skipped meals, smoking, stress, or even an approaching thunderstorm. Keeping a headache diary can help to identify the specific causes of your migraines. Avoiding those triggers or using prescription medications could help prevent or lessen the severity of future migraines.

Be careful not to overuse headache medications. Overuse can cause “rebound” headaches, making headaches more frequent and painful. People with repeating headaches, such as migraines or tension headaches, are especially at risk. Experts advise not taking certain pain-relief medicines for headaches more than 3 times a week.

A less common but more severe type of headache comes on suddenly in “clusters” at the same time of day or night for weeks. Cluster headaches may strike one side of the head, often near one eye, with a sharp or burning pain. These headaches are more common in men and in smokers.

In rare cases, a headache may warn of a serious illness. Get medical help right away if you have a headache after a blow to your head, or if you have a headache along with fever, confusion, loss of consciousness, or pain in the eye or ear.

“Know what kind of headache you have and, if you can’t manage it yourself, seek help,” Porter says. “Remember there are preventive behavioral steps and medicines that can help manage headaches. But if the pain is severe or lasting, get medical care.”

Source:  NIH News in Health

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