Posted By: ivillagecares on

Friday, May 11th, 2007, 1:06 pm

National Women's Health Week begins today, as it does every year, on Mother's Day. It is an opportunity to celebrate advances in women's health, bring attention to areas that need more research or better public understanding, and educate women about steps they can take to improve their physical and mental health and prevent disease.

The theme of this year's celebration is "It's Your Time! Pamper Your Mind, Body, and Spirit." It might sound like a frivolous focus, but it contains a serious and important health message.

Taking time for yourself -- and taking the time to care for yourself -- is essential to good health. But in today's world, we are all pressed for time. It is easy for women to lose sight of the importance of caring for themselves.

From our careers to our families, our plates are full. Women are the primary caregivers in our society, making three-quarters of all health care decisions, making sure that everyone from our children to our aging parents receives the care they need. We often carry out this role at our own expense, delaying our own care or ignoring potential health problems.

In the long run, we have to realize that success in our professional or personal lives or in our role as caregiver is dependent on our own health. With that in mind, we have to be advocates for our health.

Several reports in recent years, however, indicate that many women struggle to communicate effectively with their health care providers.

Women report not getting enough time with physicians during office visits, not being prepared when they go to see their doctors, and not being sufficiently engaged in the "shared decision making model" that now defines the care system. Reversing this trend begins with recognizing that communication between physician and patient is a two-way responsibility.

No one, including your doctors and nurses, knows your health and your history as well as you do. Doctors don't have all the answers. A 2005 American Heart Association study revealed that only 8 percent of primary care physicians and 17 percent of cardiologists knew that heart disease kills more women than men.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect yourself.

Always prepare for your doctors' office visits so that you get the most out of the time available. The doctor's office can be intimidating, even for highly educated and professional people. Writing down questions ahead of time can reduce the anxiety many of us experience. You also can call your doctor's office before your visit and talk to a nurse about any tests you have scheduled or to discuss other concerns.

You should never ignore symptoms of potential illness and every adult woman should see a doctor annually. Trust your instincts. If something doesn't feel right, have it checked out. If a doctor doesn't take your concerns seriously, seek a second opinion.

Many conditions that predominantly affect women are difficult to diagnose because they have not been thoroughly studied or because they were studied only in men; doctors don't always recognize the symptoms. This is true in the case of autoimmune illnesses, such as lupus or multiple sclerosis. Early diagnosis and treatment is your best chance to successfully cope with these conditions, which can be debilitating or fatal.

If left untreated, small health problems can grow into major problems. Diabetes and depression may begin at a young age and can have long-term negative effects on your heart health.

All of this work to stay healthy sure sounds like a burden. But the alternative is much worse.

For yourself and for your loved ones, heed this year's women's health week message: take time for yourself. Take time to care for yourself. It is the best Mother's Day gift any woman can give herself and it enables us to resume our work of taking care of the rest of the world.

You can learn more about women's health week and celebrations and events taking place locally and nationally at www.4woman.gov. Just follow the link for "National Women's Health Week." To learn more about the Society, its work and its women's health week activities, visit www.womenshealthresearch.org.

-- Phyllis Greenberger, MSW

Posted By: ivillagecares on

Monday, May 7th, 2007, 7:36 pm

E-mailed from Swaziland, by Christy Turlington

Today we drove about forty-five minutes outside of the Ezulwini Valley to visit the Esitjeni Kagogo Centre, also affectionately called a "Granny" center ("Kagogo" means "grandmother," and grandmothers hold a respected place in this society). There are approximately 277 centers like this all over the country, building on the Swazi concept that grannies provide a safe haven for the family, built and maintained by money from the Global Fund and (PRODUCT) RED. These centers are service delivery points for small communities, all-purpose community centers, and where orphans are looked after by volunteer caregivers - usually grandmothers - who form an informal community collective.

When we arrived we were greeted by a powerful force of a woman, our host and guide Inkhosikati La Mtsetfwa, the leader of this community, and thrown right into action as lunch was being prepared, as usual, for up to 250 children each day, about half of whom are orphans and who come to the center to eat and play. (These children's parents died of AIDS before they were able to access the ARVs which are now freely available here, and which would probably have saved their lives.) Inkhosikati gave me a great big hug, then grabbed my hand and attached it to a bucket filled to the brim with very hot beans fresh from the fire, and led us into a room where a small assembly line of woman dressed in traditional Swazi garb was busily dishing out plates of food as the children lined up outside waiting to be fed. I took my place in the assembly, began scooping out cupfuls of beans and pouring them over "lipalishi," a thick porridge made of cornmeal, a dietary staple in Southern Africa, and handed a plate to each child, while a couple of the older women gently reminded each child to say "thank you" ("Ngiyabonga") after taking their plate.

Once every child had been given a plate of hot food, they sat quietly on the floor of a classroom next door to eat their first, and more often than not, their only meal of the day. If their stomachs would allow and if there was enough food left over, they were permitted "seconds." While the children finished their meals the volunteer elders who cooked and served them came together for a proper introduction to us. We explained our tradition of Mothers' Day back home in relation to the purpose of our visit and assured them that their stories would be brought back to mothers across the world who were also coming together in a sort of collective to contribute to the Global Fund through their purchasing of (PRODUCT) RED.

The women gave us wraps decorated with images of the King's face, which we were told to wear over our pants, in order to dress like "proper" mothers, and then sat us down perform a public service message all about HIV/AIDS and its effects on their community. Tamsin and I were invited to join all of the other women who were singing and dancing "backup" to the music, so we did. "When in Swaziland"...! After a good laugh, at our expense, we were sung a "thank you" song by all of the children.

The concerns that were shared with me here were related to the overriding issue of sustainability that we have encountered throughout this short stay in Swaziland. Will the ARVs that are saving lives now still be there in the future? And, what about the other basic human needs such as food, water and shelter, especially for these countless thousands of orphans? The ARVs are now accessible to most Swazis, but one cannot take this medication effectively without those other basics that are often lacking. How can a Swazi or any other African not live day-to-day when the road is as long as it is for the infected?

Through our collective purchasing power, we have together made an impact and proven that (RED) money is making a huge difference in the lives of thousands. Let's keep this thing moving and growing so that we can offer to many more than those we met in these past days the promise of sustainability, which is of such concern on the receiving end of our efforts. We can do this.

--Christy

Posted By: ivillagecares on

Monday, May 7th, 2007, 7:17 pm

E-mailed from Swaziland, by Christy Turlington

We spent a few hours at the Baylor Clinic which provides pediatric AIDS care to children and their families. We met a mother there with her six-month-old son who had just tested negative. She tested positive early enough in her pregnancy to be eligible for the single dose of nevirapine during labor and her son was given a single dose of a syrup form of the same drug within the first three days of his life (this halves the risk of transmission of HIV from the mother to the baby). Had she been tested earlier at this clinic she would have had even more treatment options during the pregnancy. She has also been diligent in her breastfeeding exclusively until now (no formula or other foods until 6 months, strongly recommended if you are unable to do exclusive formula feeding from birth, which would ensure no transmission via breastfeeding), so her son is healthy and strong.

She now faces another challenge, which is to successfully wean him from her breast onto formula and food to avoid future transmission now that he is 6 months old and clear of infection. Formula is obviously more expensive than breast milk and not as readily available, and for this only part-time employed mother, will present yet another pressure. She was unable to check her CD4 status (which measures the strength of one's immune system at a given point) because machines were down for the day but was counseled during her visit on the various options and told to return to the clinic to take the test in a few weeks' time.

The American doctors that are working here in Swaziland are committed for one to two years as volunteers and were assigned here because of the urgency of the situation in this country.

We also met five adolescents between ages 12 and 17 who come to the clinic regularly for treatment as well as counseling. This was a particularly emotional visit because most of these children are double orphans, having lost both parents to HIV/AIDS. These children have only recently learned of their own HIV status and have been directed here for support amongst their peer group away from their homes and schools where they are unable to share their health conditions because of the stigma that still exists. They are heartbreaking and inspiring at once in that they speak so candidly about all that they are enduring in the midst of learning to cope. They are fragile and vulnerable and yet pragmatic about their fates. I was in tears by the end of hearing their stories. It is hard to fathom that despite all the public service information that is available and seemingly visible that people are being shunned by their communities.

The clinic now serves as a community for these children and there are many positive models in others who volunteer here who are HIV-positive, and going forward in their lives with optimism and hope. We met three such volunteers, mothers who have dedicated their time and their lives to counsel other woman who find themselves in similar positions as they themselves were when they first learned of their own HIV status as pregnant women. They were each shocked when they tested positive and shocked that they could continue their pregnancies in that state. But, they were also relieved to learn that they could be treated and that there was a strong likelihood that their children could test negative, if they had the correct treatment.

All but one of these three mothers' babies have tested negative and the child who tested positive is now three years old and has not shown signs of sickness so far. Now that ARVs are available, he will have the chance to live a long and full life. The future will be different for these young people and that is an amazing thing to report back to you given that (PRODUCT) RED is one of the reasons why.

Posted By: ivillagecares on

Monday, May 7th, 2007, 7:08 pm

Christy Turlington is currently in Swaziland with (RED) team members Tamsin and Julie, as well as Adele from the Global Fund, to learn about how (RED) money works on the ground. Here is her first blog about her experiences - more to come this week from Christy and Tamsin. --bn

I caught my first glimpses of Swaziland through the windows of a propeller plane coming over from Johannesburg this morning.

The land seemed rich and sparsely populated. The climate is perfect, warm and breezy.

Everyone we encountered today seemed gentle and friendly with a sense of pride about their homeland.

On the drive to the hotel I noted at least three HIV/AIDS-related billboards. This is sadly indicative of the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic in this country. It seems reassuring that awareness is so widespread. With nearly a quarter of its population infected with this devastating disease, Swaziland has the highest HIV infection rate in the world. I'm here to see what that looks and feels like.

So far the face of HIV/AIDS here is that of an orphan, even though we have yet to meet one. The number 70,000 is something I cannot shake.

These children have cared for their mothers, watched them die and then become parents to their siblings. These are the converted youth of a generation almost obliterated by a treatable illness.

ARVs have only recently become accessible to the already infected. How will this affect these people? How can this motivate others to have hope? This is a critical point in the history of an epidemic and in the history of this country.

--Christy