The week following Mother’s Day celebrates National Women's Health Week, highlighting the many ways that women can honor and take steps to protect their best health, vitality, energy and longevity. Most components of optimal health apply to people of all ages, but some impact women more often or more detrimentally than they do men. First, let’s cover some basics.
Commonsense Daily Health Practices for Women
Eat better. Consume a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, legumes and whole grains, obviously eliminating any to which you are allergic or sensitive. Limit processed foods, excess salt, and added sugars. Since what enters your home will likely enter your mouth, healthy eating starts at the grocery store. It is generally wise to shop the outer loop of the grocery store, which contains the fresh food sections, and avoid the middle aisles, which house the processed foods. Don’t shop hungry, as your growling stomach will lure you toward sugary, salty, oily, processed fare. Many people find it easier to maintain healthy eating habits if they allow themselves a “cheat day” one day a week, where they can indulge in something they love, like pizza or ice cream. Just don’t use this as an excuse to gorge on junk all day, as this can easily wipe out all the good things you did during the week. Enjoy a reasonable portion of something you love but don’t go overboard, and you’ll maintain good health without feeling denied.
Manage your weight. Not everyone is built the same, and good health doesn’t require that you try to attain some unrealistic goal. Thin does not equal healthy (or happy, for that matter). But excess weight, particularly around the midsection, places undue strain on the heart, pancreas, liver, vascular system, even the brain. Forget fad diets and extreme measures. By cleaning up your diet, you can find your own ideal weight and stay there, which is much better for health than yo-yo dieting. If you find yourself eating to calm emotions, find other ways to manage stress, like meditation, exercise or talking to a friend or a therapist.
Get 7-9 hours of sleep. While this can be challenging for many people, it helps to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Investing in blackout curtains or using other ways to achieve a dark environment may help, as light and dark affect the circadian rhythms that control sleep and wakefulness. Avoid screens such as your phone or tablet before bed, as light can block the hormone melatonin, which supports healthy sleep cycles. Some people find taking OTC melatonin helpful, but use with caution as it can affect people differently.
Move more. Walking, running, cycling, dancing, swimming and other forms of movement do wonders for health, both physical and mental. Vigorous movement for at least 30 minutes a day helps to keep your heart strong, your joints fluid, your weight under control, your stress and anxiety levels down, and your sleep cycles working efficiently. If you’re new to regular movement, start slow, say 15 minutes a day for the first week, 20 the next, and then up to 30 and beyond. Remember that it can take up to 8 weeks before you notice a change in how you feel and look, so stick with it. Exercise gets easier over time. If you suffer from problems like knee or hip pain, consider cycling, swimming, yoga or Tai Chi. Joining a gym or investing in a stationary bike or elliptical are also good options. It’s perfectly okay to tackle exercise 10 minutes at a time, three or more times a day, if that’s more comfortable.
Quit smoking. Lung cancer is the country’s leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, and women now surpass men in new cases, including younger women ages 30-49, so don’t assume lung cancer is strictly a disease that affects older people. If you have tried to quit before and been unsuccessful, you’re not alone. Research shows it can take an average of anywhere from 5-30 attempts before a smoker finally quits for good. Don’t give up. No matter what your age or how long you’ve been smoking, quitting now promotes more years of life, easier breathing, better bodily function, greater vitality, reduced risk of heart attack, stroke, lung disease and other maladies, improved appearance, and huge savings. Think about what you could do with the money you spend annually on cigarettes: take a trip, expand your wardrobe, donate to a cause you care about. Talk to your doctor about cessation medications and programs to help ease you through the process. Talk to your doctor about cessation medications and programs to help ease you through the process. If you are still smoking or have quit within the last 10 years, you may be a good candidate for a lung screening (LDCT). Discuss this painless, easy test with your doctor as well.
Don’t drive distracted. In the US, texting is involved in 1 out of every 4 car accidents. Don’t text or engage in other activities that take your attention away from the road. Remember, even a momentary distraction places your life and body at risk, and endangers other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Many phones come with a setting that silences them automatically while you’re driving – if yours has it, switch it on.
Limit alcohol. Regardless of what you may have read or heard, no amount of alcohol is good for you. Whether it’s wine, beer or spirits, alcohol is a toxin, particularly to women. Women metabolize alcohol differently from men, making a single drink for a woman equal to about two drinks for a man. Medical research shows that even moderate daily consumption of alcohol significantly increases the risk of breast cancer (as well as colorectal, liver and other types of cancer), so bear this in mind when making choices.
Address Depression. Depression and anxiety are extremely common among all groups, regardless of gender, age, income, race, upbringing, etc. It’s perfectly normal to encounter sadness when you, say, lose a loved one, or anxiety if you’re dealing with a serious concern, but if symptoms of depression or anxiety are impacting your life for longer than two or three weeks, it might be time to see a professional who can help you identify and address these feelings. Practices such as regular exercise, meditation and therapy can help you get through difficult periods quicker and more productively.
Get a Check Up. Covid has kept a lot of folks from seeing a doctor for a routine check-up. But diseases don’t wait for Covid to go away or for schedules to clear – they just happen. Good health includes early discovery of disease so problems can be addressed before they have a chance to progress and worsen. Your provider can perform the necessary exams to assess how you’re doing, including testing your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and other important metrics. Your doctor will recommend the right screening exams for you, such as a mammogram, a pap smear or a colorectal exam. Your doctor can also advise you about ways to quit smoking, drugs and/or alcohol, manage mental health struggles, prevent/treat STDs, address difficulties related to menstruation, perimenopause or menopause, plus a whole lot more. If you haven’t had a routine health exam in a while, make an appointment today. You’re worth the investment.
When to Get a Mammogram
Women should get a baseline mammogram so a record of healthy breast tissue can be compared to subsequent screenings. That way, changes to individual breast tissue can be discovered quickly. For some women considered at elevated risk, such as those who have tested positive for the BRCA genetic mutation, have a strong family history of breast cancer, or have undergone radiation to the chest to treat cancer, there may be a benefit to getting a baseline screening as early as age 30. According to the American College of Radiology (ACR) women without elevated risk factors should get a baseline mammogram at age 40, with an annual screening each year thereafter. Talk to your doctor or clinician about when a baseline mammogram might be right for you.
As a local leader in women’s health, RAO provides 3D mammography screening, also called tomosynthesis, which is up to 40% more accurate than standard mammography at discovering invasive cancers and eliminating false positive results. 3D mammography is especially effective for women with dense breast tissue, which accounts for nearly half of all women ages 40 and older. Women seeking ultimate diagnostic accuracy and safety should know that they can choose where to have their screening mammogram performed and schedule an appointment without a doctor’s referral. Medicare and most insurance providers completely cover this service.
Should any additional or follow-up testing be required, RAO also offers breast ultrasound, breast MRI, image-guided biopsy and other crucial services evaluated by fellowship-trained doctors who subspecialize in breast imaging, diagnosis and treatment staging.
RAO is one of the few practices in Florida to be designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology for accuracy, safety, advanced technologies and dedication to patients, so you can feel secure in our care.
Other Women’s Health Services
In addition, RAO provides other important diagnostic and therapeutic services designed to improve and protect life, comfort and function.
Nonsurgical Treatment of Uterine Fibroids
Women living with uterine fibroids can suffer from an array of troublesome symptoms, including very heavy periods, bleeding between periods, abdominal and/or back pain, bladder urgency, painful intercourse, and iron deficiency anemia. Uterine fibroid embolization (UTE) is an image-guided, minimally invasive procedure that starves fibroids so they shrink in size, minimizing or completely eliminating symptoms for nearly 90% of patients, all without surgery. RAO offers UFE through our Center for Vascular Health.
Nonsurgical Treatment of Varicose Veins
Venous insufficiency is a condition caused by a dysfunction of tiny valves in a vein of the leg, causing blood to pool and the vein to swell and bulge outward. More than just unsightly, varicose veins can be very painful and make the affected leg feel heavy and weak. Once, varicose veins required surgery but now, minimally invasive interventional therapies like endovascular laser ablation, or ELA, can safely and effectively treat varicose veins without surgery, sedation or a long recovery. RAO’s Center for Vascular Health has a team of subspecializing interventional radiologists who assess and treat varicose veins.
DEXA Bone Densitometry
Women ages 65 and older at moderate risk for fracture may want to consider getting a DEXA bone density scan, a quick, easy, noninvasive test to measure bone loss. Once discovered, bone loss (osteoporosis) can be treated to help prevent fracture. Women ages 50 and older may seek testing sooner if they have a major risk factor, such as breaking a bone in a minor accident, a history of smoking and/or heavy alcohol use, diabetes, an osteoarthritis-related disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, or a parent who broke a hip. Talk to your clinician about whether a DEXA bone scan might be right for you. RAO offers this service at our Women’s Imaging Center, TimberRidge Imaging Center and TimberRidge Imaging Center Heathbrook Pavilion.
Of course, these are just some of the diagnostic and therapeutic services RAO offers to women – and everyone – throughout Central Florida. For more information about these and other imaging and treatment services, give us a call at 352-671-4300.
