June 2008
From the Communications Director
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),
Office on Women's Health (OWH)
"Prepare and prevent, don't repair and repent."
— Author Unknown
We all want to keep our family safe and live long, healthy lives. But we know that doing so is not always possible. Illness and even bad luck, such as an accident, can conspire against us. Still, we are not helpless. We can take specific steps today to safeguard our family—both in our normal, everyday lives and in times of sickness, in order to prepare for a healthy and safe future.
Our Featured Health Article talks about how the choices we make today will either help or hurt us 50 years from now. Dr. Wanda Jones, Director of the Office on Women's Health, predicts how advances in medicine and technology, along with personal health behaviors, will change the face of American health and health care in the year 2058.
Also, June is Home Safety Month. Look for safety issues around your home. If you have young children, is your home child or baby-proofed? If you have elderly or disabled people in your home, is it safe for them? Does your family have an emergency preparedness plan? What you and your family do today can prevent accidents or injuries in the future.
Let's all do what we can to make our world a safer place!
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 53-year-old woman who is blind in the right eye and losing sight in her left. She was denied social security disability and is searching for financial help to help pay for her mortgage and other expenses. She explained that the stress was affecting her mental health as well.
We told her we are very sorry about the difficult time she is having. We told her that if she was denied disability, she might want to consider appealing because she has the right to do so. We showed her where she can find information on how to file an appeal with the Social Security Administration. We also recommended she contact her state's department for the blind and vision impaired. Lastly, we suggested she review our mental health page for information on coping with stress.
We showed her the following publications:
We also suggested she also contact the following organizations for additional information:
June's Featured Health Topic
A feature designed to help you find important health information on womenshealth.gov and girlshealth.gov
Myasthenia Gravis and Scleroderma
Our bodies have an immune system that protects us from disease and infection. If you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system attacks normal cells by mistake, and you can get sick. Autoimmune disease can affect many parts of your body, like your nerves, muscles, endocrine system (system that directs your body's hormones and other chemicals), and digestive system.
There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases. Myasthenia gravis and scleroderma are just two of them. During June, Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month and National Scleroderma Awareness Month, we encourage you to spend some time learning about these and other autoimmune diseases.
June Recipes
 | Looking for something fun and different to make for dad this Father's Day? Take a look at these recipes from NASA's Kennedy Space Center!
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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
Safety Savvy
Most teens think they're invincible—but that's not what the statistics show. The number one cause of teen death in the U.S. is traffic accidents. Almost half of rape victims are 18 years old and younger. Share our safety page with girls you know to teach them safety tips for when they're out on their own or even at home.
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)
WOMAN Challenge: Keep up the Good Work
We hope you're keeping up with your daily physical activity with our online activity tracker! If you haven't signed up, there is still time to join thousands of women across the country who already have begun the eight-week physical activity challenge for better health. They are part of the WOMAN Challenge: Women and girls Out Moving Across the Nation. Hurry and be a part of this challenge before it ends on July 5th.
Register 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
Celebrate with Caution
Even though our nation's birthday is a month away, you might already see firework stands popping up in your neighborhood. Get ready for Fourth of July festivities by committing to firework safety! Take this fireworks safety quiz (PDF file, 232 Kb) to find out what you should do in an emergency situation and how you can prevent accidents from happening.
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