Keeping the Women we Love Healthy

In August 2107, our very own Dr. Andrea LaCroix presented the health benefits of sleep during the Howell Lecture Series I mproving the Snooze: Sleepi ng Better as we Age .  "Almost everything is related in some way to our ability to function as we grow older; and sleep is perhaps one of the most important functions,"  comments Dr. LaCroix.  She, along with Dr. Carole Banka, Dr. Meg Richman and Board Chair and Registered Nurse Abigail D'Agostino, are part of the Foundation's Speakers Service; a newly launched initiative focused on extending the organization's mission of "keeping the women we love healthy." The 5 takeaways of her presentation are: 1. Sleep is regulated by a process called homeostatic process.  It means that the body is set up to want to be in balance with other internal processes. Our sleep drive -- when we get tired and feel sleepy, that drive to sleep -- is balanced with the way we operate while awake.  There are many internal and...

Personal health begins with being our own health advocates.  When dealing with a health crisis, time and time again we are told to be proactive:  research the best doctors, write down our questions, get informed, keep a journal, seek peer groups that are dealing with the same issues…  the conclusion is always: our health stars with us. The Howell Health and Happiness Series presentation “ Depression vs. Sadness:  Learning to Know the Differences” offered by Dr. Christina Zampitella provided an overview of pragmatic and realistic approaches to achieving wellness when dealing with sadness, and provided guidance on when to seek help if suspecting depression. There is more to depression than sadness, and sadness can lead to depression if left untreated.  Although the road seems difficult, there is hope.  A wellness approach will depend on how we balance our health-body-spirit components effectively, and what steps to take to achieve such balance. ...