Jezebel
More Periods, More Problems
Posts Tagged “
women's health
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Women Of A Certain Age
A recent study at UC Irvine has found that women over the age of 90 are more likely to have dementia than their male counterparts. Of the study participants, 45 percent of the women had dementia while only 28 percent of the men had it. The best-known form of dementia, of course, is Alzheimer's, and it can result in memory loss and gradual restriction of daily activities. According to the U.S. Census, people over 90 are the fastest growing age-group of the population, and two-thirds of those are female. [Eureka Alert]
More Periods, More Problems
Pap Psychology
You're feeling vulnerable because you're half-naked and your legs are spread up in the air. A gynecological visit is a very awkward time for small talk. Radar has a list of reader-submitted wacky comments from gynecologists. "My gynecologist recently told me I have an adorable uterus," claims Sarah from Brooklyn. But Zoe from Chicago wasn't so lucky: "I was in the stirrups and I had a big long scratch on my thigh from my cat. My gyno said, 'What happened here?' I said, 'My cat scratched me.' And he said, 'Riiiiiight.'" And then there's Harriet, from New York: "I went to this Chinese lady in Tribeca. She told me I was heavy and that I needed to walk more." [Radar]
Researchers at the University of East Anglia in Norwich think that chocolate might prevent heart disease in women with diabetes. But to prove their point they need 150 women to volunteer for their study and eat chocolate every single day for a year. Meanwhile, researchers at Yale are pretty sure that chocolate can prevent preeclampsia in pregnant women. Five or more servings of chocolate a day could be enough to reduce risk of developing the condition by at least 40%. [CNN, Telegraph]
Women's Health and anti-domestic violence advocate Barbara Seaman died of lung cancer last Wednesday at her Manhattan home. Seaman is best known for her groundbreaking book about oral contraceptives, The Doctors' Case Against the Pill, one of the first published tomes about risks like depression, blood clots, and heart attacks. According to the NY Times, Seaman's book "[inspired] a generation of women, who had long been discouraged by male doctors from asking too many questions, to take control of their health care," and it also was the impetus for 1970 senate hearings on the safety of the pill. In later life, the so-called "Ralph Nader of the pill" was a vocal spokesperson against domestic violence. (Seaman herself had suffered abuse at the hands of one of her ex-husbands.) [New York Times]
sucking up
How To Market Death To Women: Make It Sexy, Make It Pink
Take a look at the language used to sell a certain item to women. What is this light and luscious "must-have," you ask? Not a whisper-thin Philip Lim dress or a Weight Watchers angel food cake. The product is a pack of Camel cigarettes. This "must-have" is a known carcinogenic, but "they taste as good as they look," which is all chicks care about, right? Camel No. 9s are packaged in a sleek black box trimmed in pink. And the ad (in its entirety, after the jump) is pink and black, like an elegant boudoir or the inside of a jewelbox. There's a "purse," which holds two black credit card-like coupons, and and offer to visit the Web site and get cigarette cases designed by three "up-and-coming fashion designers." (We logged in but couldn't find further information, any idea who these up and comers are?) More »
broadsides
One Baby's Barley Water Is Another Baby's Breast Milk
- Yay, heart-warming story! The International Breast Milk Project ships breast milk, or liquid gold, to Africa, where nine-thousand bottles is enough to feed six babies for a year. Being that lil' Suri Cruise was weaned on a Hubbard-approved cocktail of barley water and corn syrup, we sure hope Katie didn't let her milk dry up and go to waste. [ABC News]
- Capitol Hill finally takes notice that postpartum depression is more than just a few tears; Congress has authorized $3 million in federal funds for research. Brooke Shields, Britney Spears, and Andrea Yates all respond, "No shit!" and "That's it?!" [ABC News]
- A woman dug up and stole her dead boyfriend's ashes after his family banned her from the funeral. Aww, that's kind of sweet! [CNN]
snooze or lose
