Healthy Women Today Newsletter

Taking control of our health can seem overwhelming. Sometimes, it's hard to know just where to begin. The good thing is that even small, simple changes can have a big impact on our health. Making healthy food choices at meals, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and scheduling routine doctor exams and preventive screenings can all add up. Just remember to start small, set realistic goals, and reward yourself along the way.

This month, I'm going to take control of my health by signing up for the WOMAN Challenge. I am going to participate in the 8-week physical activity challenge (which starts on May 11, 2008) to keep me on the track to good health.  It's a small step—but I know that when it comes to my health, it's also a step in the right direction, and I'll thank myself down the road. 

Valerie Scardino, M.P.A.
Communications Director, Office on Women's Health, HHS

Featured Health Article for April

Andi Silverman thought she was prepared for her first baby. She had the nursery set up, the baby clothes washed and folded, and her overnight bag packed for the hospital. But once the baby was born, she felt unprepared and overwhelmed by breastfeeding. In her book Mama Knows Breast: A Beginner's Guide to Breastfeeding, Andi candidly shares her experience learning to breastfeed as a first-time mother—and later, the challenges of nursing her second born while chasing a toddler. Read more about Andi's story in this months Featured Health Article.

Share this important article with other women in your life!

How Can We Help You?

We get hundreds of e-mails from you every month. From thank you letters to serious health questions, we strive to reply with the most accurate and up-to-date health information.

Request of the Month:

We received an e-mail from a woman who wanted to leave a verbally abusive relationship. She wanted to move across the country, but she had very little money and couldn't afford to make the trip.

First and foremost, we wanted to make sure she was not using a home computer shared with her boyfriend to read e-mails or use the Internet. Often, it's possible for someone to find out what web sites you have visited or read your old e-mails—even if you think you have completely deleted this information. If the caller's boyfriend had knowledge of her using the computer to find help for abuse, she could be in a great deal of danger. We recommended that she use a friend's computer or a computer at the local public library to read our e-mails and use the Internet.

We then recommended specific online information on emotional and verbal abuse as well as general information on violence against women.

We gave her the contact information for state domestic violence centers.

We recommended that before she does anything else—including leaving—she should create a safety plan.

We suggested she also contact the following organizations for more information:

• National Center for Victims of Crime
  2000 M Street NW, Suite 480
  Washington, DC 20036
  (800) 394-2255 (FYI-CALL)

• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
  1120 Lincoln St., Suite 1603
  Denver, CO 80203
  (303) 839-1852
  (303) 839-1681 (TTY)

• National Domestic Violence Hotline
  PO Box 161810
  Austin, TX 78716
  (800) 799-7233 (Hotline)
  (800) 787-3224 (TTY)

• Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network
  2000 L Street NW, Suite 406
  Washington, DC 20036
  (800) 656-4673 (656-HOPE)

April's Featured Health Topic

A feature designed to help you find important health information on womenshealth.gov and girlshealth.gov

Alcohol Awareness

Addiction and abuse of alcohol is one of our nation’s most serious public health problems. It is prevalent among rich and poor, in all regions of the country, and across all ethnic and social groups. Millions of Americans misuse or are dependent on alcohol. Most of them have families who suffer in many ways from their problem drinking. And the lives of many others are changed forever by alcohol-related accidents. If there is alcohol addiction or abuse in your family, remember you are not alone.

April, Alcohol Awareness Month, is the perfect time to look at your own drinking habits and to share any concerns you might have with your doctor, friends, and family.

April Recipes

Good health starts with good nutrition. Here are some of our favorite recipes from the American Cancer Society.

Asian beef salad Chicken and white bean soup Rice with orzo and mint Creamy chocolate cheesecake with sliced strawberries

Check Out Our New Look!

Get ready to be blown away by our new design and layout, which includes updated colors, navigation, and search capabilities. Be sure to show all the tweens and teens in your life a preview of the new girlshealth.gov!

Growing Great Girls
Have you signed up for Growing Great Girls, our newsletter for parents of tween and teenage girls? Go to our Parent’s section on girlshealth.gov and click on the yellow subscription box on the right side to register today!

News from womenshealth.gov and the Office on Women's Health (OWH)

Start Planning Your Event for National Women’s Health Week
Celebrate the 9th annual National Women's Health Week from May 11, 2008, Mother’s Day, through May 17, 2008.

During the week, families, communities, businesses, government, health organizations, and other groups work together to educate women about steps they can take to improve their physical and mental health and prevent disease, like:

• Engaging in physical activity most days of the week
• Making healthy food choices
• Visiting a health care provider to receive regular check-ups and preventive screenings
• Avoiding risky behaviors, like smoking and not wearing a seatbelt

Start planning an event with your organization now and check our web site for materials for planning activities as well as registration information.

The 2008 WOMAN Challenge will begin on Mother's Day
This May, thousands of women across the country will embark on an eight-week physical activity challenge for better health. They will be part of the WOMAN Challenge (Women and girls Out Moving Across the Nation). It kicks off May 11th and lasts eight weeks, ending on July 5th. Register today!

Free Posters Available for Health Fairs! Order in Bulk
Promote womenshealth.gov by providing your clients, patients, or health fair attendees with our free materials. We have posters in English and Spanish that promote our toll-free call center and our web site. Order today by calling us at 1-800-994-9662.

Daily Updates from womenshealth.gov
Want daily updates from womenshealth.gov? Visit womenshealth.gov's Twitter site to get daily women's health news. We send you daily messages about happenings at womenshealth.gov, as well as information on a wide variety of women's health topics. It's a great way to stay plugged in!

Other News on Women's Health

STD Awareness Month
You probably have heard of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)—also called sexually transmitted infections (STIs). But did you know that in the United States alone, about 19 million new infections are estimated to occur each year? Many STDs have mild or no symptoms. So, you can have an STD and not even know it. Undiagnosed and untreated STDs can lead to serious health problems—particularly for women. Thankfully, most STDs can be prevented, and most STDs can be found by simple tests. April is STD Awareness Month—a good time to learn what you can do to protect yourself and lower your risk of getting an STD.