By Dr. Kim Dennis

For decades, the topic of eating disorders conjured an immediate stereotype – female, beautiful, a high achiever, affluent, often the first-born, and above all, young. She might be the high school prom queen, or the college cheerleader, but hardly ever was she a middle-aged mother of three. Indeed, the very idea that a woman in midlife could suffer from anorexia or bulimia was nearly unimaginable.

In years past, experts believed eating disorders rarely, if ever, occurred after the age of 35; we now know anorexia occurs across the lifespan, in girls and women, boys and men. In fact, behavioral and mental health professionals report that in the past decade, they are treating an increasing number of women in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are starving themselves. Additionally, these women are abusing laxatives, exercising to dangerous extremes and self-harming – behaviors that frequently co-occur.

Women seeking treatment later in life typically fall into one of three categories: those who have secretly struggled with an eating disorder for many years yet did not receive help; those who were treated for an eating disorder in younger years; and those who developed an eating disorder as an adult.

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Women who are deficient in vitamin D in the first 26 weeks of their pregnancy may be at risk of developing severe preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening disorder diagnosed by an increase in blood pressure and protein in the urine, according to research by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

In one of the largest studies to date, researchers studied blood samples collected from 700 pregnant women who later developed preeclampsia in an effort to examine a woman’s vitamin D status during pregnancy and her risk of developing preeclampsia. The full study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is available online in the journal Epidemiology, and will publish in the March print issue.
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By Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT, Associate Director of Education for the COPD Foundation

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) describes progressive lung diseases, encompassing emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory (non-reversible) asthma and some forms of bronchiectasis. It kills more women than breast cancer and diabetes combined, yet many women don’t know they have it, often dismissing its symptoms — breathlessness, coughing and wheezing — as signs of aging. The disease develops slowly, generally around age 40, but earlier in those with genetically inherited COPD. You might have trouble catching your breath going up a flight of stairs, a persistent cough, chest congestion or excess phlegm. All too often, women are incorrectly diagnosed with asthma.

Women are about twice as likely to be diagnosed with chronic bronchitis as males. In 2008, 3.1 million males had a diagnosis of chronic bronchitis compared to 6.7 million females, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with women who smoke being 13 times more likely to die from COPD compared to women who have never smoked.

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By Janie Bowthorpe, M.Ed

The 21^st Century gave birth to something quite remarkable and life-changing for women: a vocal thyroid patient revolution that has turned the traditional “diagnosis” and “treatment” of thyroid problems on their heads.

Namely, thyroid patients worldwide made the woeful but important discovery that they’d been poorly diagnosed or undertreated for more than 50 years! This was a huge and bold realization in the face of a medical community that has rigidly held to the superiority of their beliefs!

Why did this medical calamity happen for so long? Because patients have been led to believe that a pituitary hormone lab test called the TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) was enough to diagnose by (it wasn’t and has left millions undiagnosed for years with worsening symptoms), or that T4-only medications like Synthroid, Levoxyl, or levothyroxine were good treatments (they weren’t and left patients with continued and problematic symptoms).

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By Kelly Whitehead

One in 8 babies are born premature (before 37 weeks). They suffer from numerous problems including: inability or difficulty breathing, feeding/growth issues, bleeding into the brain, an eye disease which can cause blindness, neurologic disabilities, or hearing problems.

A high-risk pregnancy is a time of enormous stress, fear, unknowns, even isolation, depression, and a disruption of your entire life. Lifting a simple load of laundry, or other children, are now huge no-no’s. Here are some tips to coping, managing, and hopefully thriving during this (not so fun) journey to parenthood:

Dealing With the “Medical Stuff”

• Understand your risk factors. The number one risk for having a premature a baby is having had a prior early birth. Other risk factors include: smoking/drinking/illicit drug use, cervical/womb abnormalities, carrying multiples, being a black woman, being obese or very skinny, conceiving through IVF, having placental issues, poor nutrition, or certain chronic conditions (like diabetes or high blood pressure). Unfortunately, many women who have their babies early have no known risk factors.

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