blog 9- The media does influence our bodies

Just like days, months, and years past, the media presently continues to influence how we feel towards our bodies. The media is such a huge and instrumental part of life. It's how we get our news locally and globally, how we satisfy our entertainment needs, where we find enjoyment, provides role models (good or bad is up for discussion!), persuades life decisions and habits, and many more things. Specifically, it continues to influence us women in our thoughts, attitudes, and judgments of our own bodies and self-image. For some reason, it seems like majority of society is so insecure with themselves that we are constanly on a mission to self-improve...no problem with a little self-improvement here and there because there is always room for it, but, when it is in excess, done for the wrong reasons, and unrealistic, that is when it becomes a problem-my opinion. We listen to the radio and recognize who the artist is and what they look like, we watch movies and are inspired to be just like the celebrity (minus the real flaws we don't see), we watch reality TV such as "Top Model" and see what we are led to believe appeals to people or men. It's all over the place and hard to escape. Have you gone through the self-help aisle at Barnes and Noble and seen how m a n y books there are? Still, it's no match against the media. I think most of us realize it's airbrushing, pro makeup, loads of money invested in personal trainers/chefs, great lighting, and a great photographer...and for the lucky-great genes. So, if we know this, then why in the world do we brush it off and still strive to be "just like her"? It's what we are persuaded to believe is beautiful and desirable. These two traits are important to women and we associate it with love and belonging....it probably would take some money towards a therapist to unravel those issues, meanwhile, we still turn the TV on everyday. Now, all that being said, I would like to give credit where I think it is due. Media gets some. Over the last few years in comparison to the many before it, I have noticed a change in models, ads, campaigns, and celebrity spokeswomen. I think companies have finally caught on to the vast numbers regarding obesity and are looking to broaden their audience and customer base because of it. We also have clothing stores for larger women and so a larger size woman, naturally, should be the model. I have seen ads/commercials on TV trying to appeal to a woman being comfortable in her skin and proud of who she is, hence, the heavier woman showing face in their skivies. Now, maybe to most people that isn't so appealing to see, but it is encouraging woman, who are larger, no matter their circumstance, to have more self-confidence and self-esteem, and to be proud and embrace their body in a healthy way. Didn't Jaime Lee Curtis recently shed some threads to show her real body? I think it is great she did, afterall, we are all human and we age. It's ok to be super fit one year (J.L.Curtis in "True Lies") and then within the next few years back off a little and enjoy life and put on a mini muffin top. It's ok. It's ok, as long as we are still mindful of our health and the importance of maintaining good nutrition and exercise. Replace the goal of seeing every rippled muscle and flawless complexion enhanced by botox with being secure, confident, and content enough to enjoy a hershey bar and walk a few miles that week.

Health educators have a huge job in front of them if they decide to focus on downplaying the media and trying to get out more positive messages to us. Creativity in message delivery would be an important element. The educator needs to remember that the media is very powerful and in knowing that, maybe use the positive aspects that are starting to come out to compliment their message. For example, use images and campaigns where popular faces have been associated with that specific message. J.L.Curtis for Activia yogurt is popular. Jennifer Hudson and Weight Watchers is another example. Jaime-Lynn Sigler is a spokeswoman for eating disorders. The Dove Beauty Campaign is another great example.
Take a peak at this website to find other celebs who have come forward with their issues and decided to use their popularity for the greater good.
http://www.caringonline.com/eatdis/people.htm

blog #8- Menopause.....Society Isn't Helping "The Change"

So upon researching articles online about this daunting, yes, it's daunting to me, transition in life, I came across a pretty good one from the American Psychological Association website talking about many things including society's negative attitude towards menopause. The article also mentioned a couple studies including the one that is supposed to have a follow-up study out this year which was the Women's Health Initiative (DeAngelis, 2010). Primarily, I wanted to blog about what the psychologists are doing with women entering menopause using the article I found and how society doesn't seem to welcome the change with open arms but rather focus on the negative aspects of it. Personally, in my mind I would love to embrace the attitude where I say I am excited to "age" naturally and take on life with more wisdom and self-confidence that life experience provides you, however, in my reality the thought of hormonal imbalances, potential osteoporosis, hot flashes, and wrinkles doesn't excite me one bit. Does that make me negative Nancy or what? I can work on my attitude towards aging and hopefully by the time it hits me I have fine-tuned myself enough to take it all in gracefully....we shall see I suppose.

First of all, let's mention the many reasons why a woman, and a man, would be led to look at menopause with a big frown: *hot flashes *night sweats *sleep disturbance *loss of bone density *emotional disturbances *depression *end of child-bearing years *vaginal changes *decreased libido(2010). It's no wonder why we don't think positively right off the bat.

When the women in the studies were asked questions pertaining to body image and appearance they were more likely to judge themselves negatively whereas women who were asked open-ended questions about menopause were more likely to mention the positive aspects being end of mentruation, more time for themselves, as well as more confidence and wisdom (2010). Author DeAngelis (2010) quoted these women in her article saying, “The women in these studies generally say, ‘I wouldn’t want to go back and be 20 again,’” says Chrisler. “But if you force them to think about their bodies then, yes, they’d like to be 20 again.”

Some early research suggested that cognitive behavioral therapy was successful in helping menopausal women with hot flashes and night sweats which also had a positive effect on mood (2010). One psychologist in the article also mentions how women, especially younger women, will be able to better cope with menopause if they are educated and taught strategies such as "self-control, self-maintenance, emotional resilience, body acceptance and the ability to better discern others’ motives" (2010).

In conclusion, as a society, if we are able to change our focus from appearance and physical change to what the fifties will positively have to offer (time, pleasure, family, wisdom etc) than menopause wouldn't be entered in so awfully. We all age, we all go through physical changes and celebrating the end of our monthly should be a great thing. Life on the other side of menopause will be greener if we choose the attitude that gets us there....years of misery post menopause sound about as exciting as wrinkles to me!

Madonna's Material Girl/Menopausal Girl    -pretty funny-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbuPnn6wHb0&feature=related

Reference

DeAngelis, T. (2010, March). American Psychological Association: Menopause, the Makeover.

     Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/03/menopause.aspx 

blog #7- Getting "Tested" Is The Responsible Thing To Do

     I can only imagine what I would tell someone close to me what I think they should do regarding STD testing....I have never been in this situation before although I am pretty positive I have known a lot of woman over my teen years and through my twenties that have been down this road, I just never actually heard about it probably because it's not an issue that a person wants broadcasted as if it were a public service announcement. Those are some funny words I just chose to use because in a sense an STD shouldn't be so private out of embarrassment or shame, it should be announced when applicable. It's a valid health concern for everyone involved who is sharing needles or having sex. The person who is affected most definitely should be honest and share important health information with the people they are tangoing with. Serioiusly, atleast let the person know they are at risk by being with you so that they can decide for themselves if they feel like dealing with an irritating case of crabs or something more serious like Syphilis.

     My advice to a loved one who suspects an STD would be simple-"Go find out!" And I would tack on there that "if you know you were negative before and you are certain that the STD was just given to you and you know by who then go ask them for money towards the medical and medication bill!" That's my initial reaction. Of course, this would be a sensitive and emotional conversation so I would include in my advice that I understood the embarrassment and humiliation they must feel but STDs are so common nowadays and treated all the time. I would say something along these lines, "Doctors see this sort of thing constantly and you are no different than anyone else. Hopefully, you have a good relationship with your doctor and comfortable enough to share personal info and dialogue about it. I think that would make it easier. The doctor wants you healthy and it's their job to help get you there and the only way they can is if you go talk to them and ask for the tests you need. It's the responsible thing to do for your health and the health of anyone you are involved with." Most of the time, those of us studying health related subjects or already have a career in the field know some info about STDs such as statistics, treatments, symptoms, etc. This is an advantage over those that don't because depending on the disease, it could bring some emotional relief to our loved ones who aren't as knowledgeable about STDs. They might be freaking our over something that is more of an irritant than something serious but in their mind it's the end of the world. With that being said, I would include some general stats for knowledge and to help calm my friend down. I would let them know that I had studied briefly STDs and learned that as many as 3.2 million teens have an STI and a ratio of 1:4 women age 14-19 are affected with something (Alexander, L. et. al., pp 175). New cases are popping up all over the place constantly. I would reassure my friend that many STDs are treatable with antibiotics including chlamydia, syphilis, gonnorrhea, and BV. (Alexander, L. et. al., pp. 179-185). Finally, I would tell my friend that if it would help I would go see the doctor with them if they would like and that I would be supportive of them through it. Waiting on test results alone can be agonizing. At the end of the ordeal, I would hope to hear my friend say that they would make better choices next time around and take better precautions. If you are single and mingling, how do you add "do you or have you ever had a STD?" to the checklist of standards for dating someone without coming across like a crazy person? It really should be something discussed just like finding out what they do for a living or what kind of car they drive or if they prefer cats or dogs.

Reference

Alexander, L. L., Alexander, W. J., Bader, H., Garfield, S., LaRosa, J. H. (2010). New Dimensions in 

     Women's Health. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

blog #6- Routine Prenatal Testing is a must...atleast the standards!

     I find this to be a tricky topic and dependent on way too many factors. It's a bit hard to have an opinion about whether or not prenatal testing should be routine for all pregnant women when it seems like a personal preference. The advice I would give myself and to another woman would be to do what you are comfortable with but take into consideration your discussions with your doctor. I assume in those discussions the doctor has reviewed family/medical history, ethnicity, and lifestyle. These are factors that potentially contribute to complications in a fetus.   
     Already during pregnancy there are standard tests performed during each trimester, given the woman is getting her prenatal care. Side note- now that is something that should be mandatory for all pregnant women. A nice review of these tests can be found at http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp133.cfm, which is the website for the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. This webpage gives a breakdown of testing for each trimester and what screening vs. diagnostic testing means. I agree that the standards should be required of the woman because it helps give the best tailored prenatal care possible. It helps doctors determine any expected complications with either mom or baby during the pregnancy, which, if known beforehand, can be treated appropriately. For example, towards the end of pregnancy a test is performed to determine if the Rh antigen is present in the mother. If the mother lacks the Rh antigen then she can make antibodies that attack the babies blood creating fetal problems. The Rh situation can become very serious and involves a couple other scenarios too, point being that if the screening hadn't been performed then a perfectly preventable tragedy wouldn't have occured. The medication needed to care for this situation would have been called upon to ensure safety for mom and baby.
     On the flip side of the coin is optional testing, such as screening for Down's Syndrome or other genetic diseases. I do not feel that these tests should be routine for all woman for a couple reasons. One reason is that the anxiety and worry associated with deciding whether or not to test and then waiting on the results can create psychological, mental, and/or emotional distress for the mother and father. Something to consider would be the question "What will we do with the results?" The parents will be faced with making very tough decisions regarding termination of the pregnancy, worry during the pregnancy, and anxiety over caring for a handicapped child in their near future. Some people opt not to test because they are firm in their decision that it simply wouldn't matter one way or the other if the child had a disability. Other people are not so sure. According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, not all tests offer 100% accurracy either. So what if you are the one that gets a false positive? That could be very devastating.
     A second point to consider, however, is that some woman present with a significant family or personal medical history or lifestyle. In these cases it might be highly recommended by the doctor to have some additonal testing done. At the end of the day it seems to be up to the parents though and I am ok with that. I am ok with that as long as it was an informed decision-that's the key. Those parents need to be educated on what their doctor's concerns are and what he/she sees as potential complications in their pregnancy or with the baby once born. After all points and scenarios have been taken into consideration is when the decision about whether to obtain further testing should be made.

References

American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Retrieved from http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp133.cfm 

The Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prenatal-testing/PR00014  

blog 5- "Me Now, Kids Later....maybe"

My best friend of 15 years instantly came to mind when I was trying to think of a person who is choosing to be "childless." This is a topic we actually have discussed pretty frequently over the last 4-5 years. I will call her Lily for the publicity of this blog. You see, she grew up with a younger sister in a pretty loving, Christian home...dysfunction did exist though. So much so that it has caused her to intentionally create distance from her family after highschool. I believe that her childhood/teen years played a strong role in her decisions as an adult today. Lily has a brilliant mind and has accomplished amazing things academically and career wise. She holds three degrees, 2 of which are masters and has great ambition in her interests in a career internationally. She has lived in several places around the states, as well as Armenia, and most currently, Tripoli, Libya. She is under contract working there and loves her job. Culturally, it was a major adjustment to live long term but if anyone was up for the challenge it was her. Her strong sense of self and smarts have helped her to adapt in male dominated societies and achieve success in the corporate world. She is very knowledgeable about religion and a variety of ethnicities. These assets help her everyday. She loves her life and what she does but once in awhile finds herself longing for something different, something she hasn't experienced....a family. 
Her career doesn't come with much stability in one place nor opportunity to meet and sustain healthy relationships that meet her standards for what she would be looking for in a life partner. Dating is one thing, but husband material is another. I suppose this depends on where you are in life as to what you are looking for in a partner. Lily and I talk all the time but don't get to actually see each other much....
When we finally are able to be in the same zip code, family mode kicks in for her. Lily says, "I wish I had what you have." Prior to divorcing, I had a stable family life and 2 kids. That is what she saw. A sense of "normal." Her idea of a normal family was probably wacky to someone else. Part of her internal battle is wanting to pursue her career goals but sacrificing time and opportunity for a family or to "settle down." Her grandmother, age 92, constantly asks Lily in her British voice, "when will you find a nice Christian man and settle down and have a baby Lily?" This question has been asked as many times as you change your socks so her and I can just laugh about it now. At one point in her twenties, LIly believed that she would be fine if she never had kids and kept her focus on her career and maybe did finally settle down with someone who could keep up with her one day. Now as we get closer to thirty and majority of our friends have married and had kids, she gets bit by that bug....funny that it happens just in the nick of time before she jets off on her new adventure. In her heart, she talks about wanting that dream life with a family but in reality she recognizes her contentment with the path she is on. Maybe by some miraculous event, that special someone will come around and she will get to experience the best of both worlds....granny would be delighted! Until then, "live and enjoy what you have."