Keeping the Women we Love Healthy

June is National Men's Health Month. Just as with women's health, men's health problems have an impact on wives, mothers, daughters and sisters; often times becoming a family matter.  On the gender differences between men and women when it comes to health related issues, here are how both genders compare: Alcohol – Women tend to have higher blood alcohol than men after consuming the same amount of alcohol; even when size differences are considered.  This is because women produce less of the gastric enzyme that breaks down ethanol in the stomach.  Heart Disease – Heart disease kills over 50,000 more women than men, and on average strikes 10 years later than men.  Women are also more likely to have a second heart attack within a year of the first one.  For more information on the differences between men and women in regards to heart disease, check out the summary of women and heart disease here . Depression – Women are two-to-three times more likely ...

Pictured above with Dr. Howell:  UCSD-Howell Scholars Liza Brusman, Jessie Chen and Deepika Suresh during Foundation's Lecture Series in May.   The Doris A. Howell Foundation announced it awarded 3 scholarships to UCSD students currently conducting research on women's health.  And while their fields of research are fascinating, the sentiment for women's health research reflects what the Foundation is all about.  Congratulations to our scholars!  We wish you all the success! Liza Brusman: "The opportunity to continue my work on this project would deepen my understanding of reproductive medicine and enlighten my future career path. Since beginning my work in this lab, my knowledge of reproductive biology has deepened significantly. I have become much more familiar with areas of research in reproductive medicine, as well as the systematic and molecular biological pathways of reproduction. In order to understand my project, I learned how reproduc...

Last year, the Doris A. Howell Foundation hosted Dr. Robert Bonakdar, who gave an in-depth presentation on what constituted an anti-inflammatory diet to manage pain. "Think mediterranean diet", he advised.   You can read about all the ingredients here.   Research shows that following a Mediterranean diet reflects on our health; anywhere from improving our cognitive function and keeping our brain in top shape, preventing heart disease and Alzheimer's disease, to anti-aging properties and the pains of "growing up".   The top ten health benefits of a Mediterranean diet are:    In an older population, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts is associated with improved cognitive function .  (1) Following a Mediterranean diet promotes cell health , which ultimately results in healthy aging.   (2)  Following a Mediterranean diet is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of diabetes .  (3) Following ...

Meet Betty Braysahy, fundraiser for the Doris A. Howell Foundation.   Her business is in the dough... not the one to bake with (although she is a very good cook), but that one required to fund perhaps the single most important aspect in women's health: education. If you know Betty, you also know she has been in the business of education pretty much all her life.  A pioneer of her time, Betty started her career in radio and TV as a programmer and advertising copy writer at KCBQ Radio, and KFMB TV.   But rather than becoming a media star, she chose to follow a career as an unofficial philanthropist until she became the stellar fundraiser at the Doris A. Howell Foundation. It is only natural that she would take the fundamental role of fundraising for the Foundation as education has always been a top priority for her.   With studies at UCLA and SDSU, and a pioneer in conceptualizing new methods of education, Betty led an initiative focused on putting TVs in clas...

There are many factors that cause Osteoporosis-- a poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol, being over the age of 50, not getting enough vitamin D and Calcium being some of the causes.  Osteoporosis however affects women more than men due to two main causes: 1.- Women tend to be smaller than men, having smaller bone structures; and 2.- Estrogen production, which makes our bones stronger, diminishes in women going through menopause.   As a matter of fact, it is estimated that women will lose 20% of their bone mass 5 to 7 years after going through menopause.  Osteoporosis is a serious illness yet s imple and healthy habits can change our risks for this silent illness.  Take preventive measures and talk to your doctor bout the best ways to prevent it!                                                        ...

Did you know that as many as half of all women and a quarter of men older than fifty will break a bone because of Osteoporosis? The Howell Foundation will be holding its second Luncheon Seminar with the presentation “Bone Up: What you need to know about Osteoporosis in 2015" with featured speaker Heather Hofflich, DO, FACE, Osteoporosis expert and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.   She will be talking about new concepts in diagnosis, treatments, and fracture prevention strategies. About our Guest Speaker Dr. Hofflich is an associate clinical professor of medicine practicing endocrinology and internal medicine at UC San Diego Health System. Dr. Hofflich is a leading expert in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Her research interests include new therapies for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. She has participated in two national clinical trials for osteoporosis. She cu...

Many are the statistics of women and cancer.  Some sources say that one in three women will develop cancer throughout her life.  What ever the statistics, the encouraging news is that cancer diagnosis in women is declining. According to this year's "Cancers Facts and Figures" published by the American Cancer Society, d eath rates have been declining in men and women since the early 1990s. From 1991 to 2011, the combined death rate dropped 22%. Over the past 5 years (2007 to 2011), the death rate for all cancers combined decreased by 1.8% per year in men and 1.4% per year in women (1) . But what are the most diagnosed cancers in men and women?  Recent news highlights the encouraging discoveries of cures for patients with cancer-- by women for women -- some  examples are listed below, but you can read all about it in the original source  here   (2) .  Kimberly Blackwell, M.D., director of the breast cancer program at the Duke Cancer...