It's Women's History Month! ♀︎🥳
Traditionally, there is a disparity in women's health because women present with different symptoms for some severe situations such as heart attacks, but there's also a lack of trust more commonly among women.
Let's look into why women are more commonly misdiagnosed and how we can put an end to that.
Women's health lacks when compared to men's health in most areas of healthcare, from receiving treatment or medication to being uninsured all year to being less likely to complete substance abuse treatment to being treated for chronic issues that could have been prevented altogether.
Part of these disparities are due to medicine, but a large part is due to us- it's ultimately OUR responsibility to seek out care and speak up when we know something is wrong.
In order to find the type of care you need, you're going to have to do a little bit of digging. It's not necessarily easy to find care providers who are educated and invested in women's health. Even your gynecologist may not be the right fit for your specific concern.
The first step is knowing what you're looking for.
Here are a few tips to help you make better choices when choosing your care providers and embracing preventative measures:
1️⃣ Know Your Health History.
THE most important question you may ever ask yourself.
Do you have a family risk (mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew) of chronic illness?
If they're blood relatives, it matters. Your genes are made up of BOTH your mom and your dad, and their moms and dads.
My mom wouldn't have had stage 4 ovarian cancer if she had known that her father's and uncles' cancers were in her genes, too.
**If your doctor says they only need the female side because you're a female...RUN and find a new doctor.
2️⃣ Practice Prevention Daily
It can fit into ANY lifestyle...and it may save your life one day.
This can be as easy as starting by adding one extra serving of fruits and vegetables to your day. Health promotion does not have to be so hard!
Here are some super simple things you can incorporate into your daily routine depending on your personal health goals:
✨Add 1tsp turmeric to your eggs to reduce inflammation + prevent cancer cell growth
✨Drink 2-4oz cranberry juice (100% pure, no sugar added) daily if you're prone to UTIs
✨STOP taking probiotic supplements daily, instead drink 2-4oz of kombucha or a few tbsp of sauerkraut or kimchi about every 3-4 days, or once a week (you could be promoting unwanted bacterial growth in the gut AND in the urinary tract)
✨Consume 45-65% of your daily calories as carbohydrates to reduce your incidence of anxiety and depression
✨Occasionally consume soy based products to support stable estrogen levels to reduce your risk of certain cancers, stabilize mood swings, and lessen menstrual symptoms (*recommended intake not yet established for healthy persons, limit soy intake if you have been diagnosed with existing high estrogen levels)
✨Cook with unsaturated fat sources to reduce your risk of heart disease + stroke
✨Eat foods of every color as often as possible to promote healthy digestion + cellular response time
✨Aim to stay under 25g of added sugar per day to reduce your risk of diabetes (and always pair your sweet treats with some fiber!)
3️⃣ Understand How Your Body Works
Now this one can be tricky if you're not in the healthcare world. But lucky for you, we're making it a bit easier!
Understanding your cycle of hormone phases is incredibly important to understanding how you can achieve your healthiest self.
That's why on Monday, March 8, 2021, Desi and Bailey are hosting a FREE Women's Health Webinar!
You'll learn about birth control (what it does, potential side effects, and *logical* ways to minimize symptoms associated with it,) balanced eating, important nutrients, and supplementation!
We can't do better if we don't know better. So let's learn together on Monday 3/8 and start advocating for ourselves NOW!
Busy all day Monday? No worries. You'll have access to the recording until Sunday, 3/14 at midnight. You can go back and watch (and rewatch), share with friends, and ask as many questions as you'd like!
Register here to get allllll the juicy details on how to be a healthy, #stronggirl!
To learn more about Women's Health Disparities, check out these articles.
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