Keeping the Women we Love Healthy

Have you considered honoring a loved one with a donation to the Howell Foundation? Why should you? Because we ARE different, genetically, anatomically and psychologically. So what leads many to believe that women and men should be diagnosed and treated the same when it comes to our health? The complexity of gender differences and the greater health incidences a women faces --especially in the latter years of her life-- make women’s health research even more necessary than ever.   And by gender differences I mean going beyond the various roles ascribed to us because of our boobs and vaginas.   As best described by Carol Vlassoff, “Gender refers to the array of socially constructed roles and relationships, personality traits, attitudes, behaviors, values, relative power and influence that society ascribes to the two sexes on a differential basis.” We do not have heart attacks the same way. We do not face stress the same way. We do not react to Ambien the same way...

The old age question remains:  why do some people live longer than others?  Do some of us REALLY want to live that long? The 'old old' may hold all the answers to longevity.  In order to understand the spike in longevity, investigators from the University of Southern California embarked in a research project back in 1981.  It started with a 14 page questionnaire which was sent to 18,000 people.  14,000 were returned.   The average age was 73, and two out of three people alive were women. The group of researchers wanted to understand what factors affected their health. Why is this important? More of half of the children born today are expected to live up to 103 years old! It is expected that by 2050, 3% of the population will be over 90! The most important findings of the study and how to age intelligently back in the 80's included: 1. Of the most common recommendations to lead a healthy lifestyle,  and as to what activities influence our ...

Jessica Hawks, doctoral candidate and Dr. Hala Madanat The Howell's CEI holds more than "Fresh 15"... mentoring and leadership skills in a real-world setting are included!  Dr. Hala Madanat presented the results of Howell's CEI research grant focused on preventing gain weight in women starting college -- also known as 'freshman 15' -- at our last luncheon in November. But it wasn't only about the ways to prevent weight gain, it was also about providing and being able to train researchers in a 'real world' setting; including an in-depth understanding on leadership and mentorship for the researchers involved.  The project included 3 undergraduate students, 4 master's degree students, and one doctoral student. The study was divided into 2 arms; one included coaching and nutrition; the other without any kind of intervention at all.  The study would take place during a 12-week period; and participants were tested to identify the markers ...

Let's face it: how many times, at the beginning of the year, we promise ourselves to clean out the clutter in our closet/garage/storage room/office? What about the stress that comes with just thinking about it? Feeling the neck pain from turning away from your new year's resolution? How can we beat this unnecessary stress? WHERE DO I BEGIN? Am I on a path to hoarding? A new year is about new beginnings; the opportunity to take care of the issues that might be bothering you, stressing you and flat out making you unhappy.  The Howell's Health and Happiness Series will be celebrating its first symposium on January 21, 2017.  Its line of renown speakers promise to deliver a clear understanding of clutter and hoarding, as well as the tools to take control of your habits before they take control of you, and your health: Are women more prone to OCD than men?  Are women more at risk to become hoarders than men?  What effect does clutter have on your health? ...

“I realized how little women knew about themselves, when you would ask a woman where she got her medical advice for herself and her family, she would say, ‘I ask my husband,’ ” she said. “Well, how does he know about what’s best for you?” Read the full interview here . For her 90th, and in recognition for her relentless pursuit of women's health, the City of San Diego honored her by declaring December 2nd as Doris Howell Day. Under the premise that women's health is family health, she has dedicated over 20 years in making sure women are informed on the latest research in women's health to become their own health care advocates. The organization, set up in conjunction with Soroptimist International of La Jolla over 20 years ago, is focused on 3 key areas.   The scholarship program was intended to get young graduate and post-graduate researchers excited and into the field of women’s health.  So far, in 20 years, it has proven to work!  According to Dr. Th...