Keeping the Women we Love Healthy

It is no secret that exercise has numerous benefits for our body and our mind.  Going beyond the idea of losing weight and getting into shape, physical activity helps with depression, decreases heart disease and cancer risks, helps with osteoporosis and just overall makes us feel better. Exercise is one of the critical aspects highlighted in the Women’s Health Week Initiative from the Office of Women’s Health, along with nutrition, being safe, following up with our health through doctor visits, and taking care of our mental health. The 5 additional benefits of exercise that should get us moving: 1.- Dance like there is no tomorrow!  According to the Alzheimer’s Association, physical activity “improves cognitive function in healthy elderly persons, and potentially reduces the risk of developing cognitive impairment”.   For those of us who have danced to Salsa (even if we dance with our two left feet) know that being graceful is great exercise! 2.- Move over, M...

The need for women's health research is quite clear: women are at higher risk when being diagnosed and treated based on research conducted on men.  Personalized medicine needs to consider gender and sex, which ultimately starts with research at its most basic: the cellular level.  By understanding the physiological, psychological and social differences between men and women: Researchers can keep discovering new cures for disease based on the differences between men and women. Doctors can establish the necessary guidelines to treat illness specific to gender and sex –vs. a ‘one size fits all’ approach.  The pharmaceutical industry can develop targeted medications that effectively treat and cure illness in a sex-specific manner. Men and women can be informed and become advocates for their own health and, most importantly, their family’s health.    Understanding women’s health is a win-win for all of us, don’t you think?   From the Office of...