September 2008
From the Communications Director
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),
Office on Women's Health (OWH)
"The age of a woman doesn’t mean a thing. The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Society is filled with images depicting elders as frail and limited in mind, body, and spirit. No one likes to think about getting older, but when we do, our thoughts may jump to loss of memory and the ability to take care of ourselves.
Yet the truth about aging and the brain is that while some memory loss is inevitable, you can still have a very active and fit brain into your eighties and beyond! Research shows that the brain is largely a "use it or lose it " part of your body. The more stimulating and challenging things we expose our brains to, the better our odds are of staying mentally sharp as we get older.
Just as physical activity keeps your body strong, mental activity keeps your mind sharp. These activities can help:
- Learning to play a musical instrument
- Playing Scrabble or doing crossword puzzles
- Starting a new hobby, such as crafts, painting, biking, or bird-watching
- Staying informed about what's going on in the world
- Reading
Consider this: a woman who is 65 today can expect to live, on average, another 19 years to age 84. Taking good care of your body and your mind will help you enjoy all of the years to come.
Valerie Scardino, M.P.A.
Communications Director, Office on Women's Health, HHS
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 recently moved for a new job and had to get new health insurance. She has had mild to moderate dysplasia for 4 years now and has developed a very trusting relationship with her gynecologist. She wanted to continue to see him, but unfortunately her health insurance will not let her see her ob/gyn out of state. She had heard that there was a bill passed allowing women to choose their ob/gyn regardless of health insurance if they had a pre-existing condition and wanted to know if we had heard of that bill. She expressed concern about having to pay the high costs associated with seeing a doctor outside of her provider network.
We told her that to the best of our knowledge there is no federal law that protects her choice of gynecologist outside of her state. However there are some states that, under state statute, may stipulate a person's right to continue care with his or her doctor under certain circumstances. We told her to contact her state's health department to inquire about state laws regarding provider portability.
We also recommend checking with the following organizations if her state health department was unable to assist her.
September's Featured Health Topic
A feature designed to help you find important health information on womenshealth.gov and girlshealth.gov
Ovarian Cancer
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Ovarian cancer is cancer of the ovaries, the female reproductive organs located in the pelvis. The ovaries make female hormones and store eggs that, if fertilized by sperm, can develop into a baby. Women have two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. Tumors found in the ovaries may be non-cancerous tissue growths (cysts) or cancerous growths that may spread to other parts of the body.
About 1 in every 57 women in the United States will develop ovarian cancer. Most cases occur in women over the age of 50, but this disease can also affect younger women. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. The sooner ovarian cancer is found and treated, the better a woman's chance for recovery.
For resources and more information about ovarian cancer see our FAQ on Ovarian Cancer and the Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer campaign, an effort from the CDC and Office on Women's Health to raise awareness of the five main types of gynecologic cancer: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar.
September Recipes
 | September is Whole Grains Month—a great time for everyone to get on the whole grains bandwagon. Eating better is not an all-or-nothing choice; every little improvement you make in your food choices helps.
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Featured Organizations and Health Observances
These organizations can provide additional information on the topics featured in this month's newsletter.
To keep track of upcoming health observances, visit National Health Observances and click on the month you wish to view.
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girlshealth.gov Corner
New! Meet Ms. United States!
There is a lot more to being Ms. United States than ball gowns and talent contests. Meet Graziella Baratta, the new Ms. United States. As a personal trainer with a degree in dance, her mission as Ms. United States is to teach children about nutrition, good eating, physical activity, and healthy lifestyle choices. Read Graziella's story!
Growing Great Girls
Have you signed up for Growing Great Girls, our newsletter for parents of girls? Go to our Parent's section on girlshealth.gov and click on the purple subscription box on the top right side to register today!
News from womenshealth.gov and the Office on Women's Health (OWH)
The Healthy Woman - New Book Coming Soon!
The Healthy Woman: A Complete Guide for All Ages will be available in bookstores nationwide and online in November 2008. From the Nation's leaders in women's health, the Guide covers a broad range of health topics affecting women of all ages.
Content includes:
- Recognizing signs of heart attack and stroke as well as understanding risk factors
- Preventing and managing type 2 diabetes
- Dealing with the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease
- Understanding the impact of chronic pain
- Learning how to care for your mental health
- Preparing your body for pregnancy and delivery
- ...and much more
The Healthy Woman empowers women to take charge of their health by providing easy-to-read explanations, practical tips, charts showing which tests are needed and when, and resources for more information. In each chapter readers will find personal health stories from women all across the country. The book also features a resources section, as well as a glossary of terms and an index for easy reference.
In addition to consumers, The Healthy Woman will be an invaluable resource for health care professionals and public health officials who provide or recommend health resource materials to women and those who care about them.
Pre-order your copy today!
The WOMAN Activity Tracker
We've listened to your feedback, and this year we are proud to announce a brand new program to help you stay active all year long: The WOMAN Activity Tracker!
Register or sign into the WOMAN Activity Tracker today!
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
National Depression Screening Day is October 10, 2008
This year’s National Depression Screening Day (NDSD)™ focuses on the fundamental role that screening can play in identifying and treating depression and other mood disorders early in their development. An untreated mental disorder often becomes more severe and more difficult to treat, and can lead to the development of co-occurring mental and physical illnesses.
NDSD is supported by the National Women's Health Information Center and members are encouraged to register for this year’s event, held nationwide on Friday, October 10th. Visit www.MentalHealthScreening.org to register online or to download a registration form, email ndsd@mentalhealthscreening.org, or call (781) 239-0071.
New this year: A web-based training, a PBS produced DVD, and a support team to provide you with individualized assistance around planning and promoting your NDSD event.
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