Blog 15

Select an inspirational woman to blog about. For example, Eunice Kennedy Shriver - the founder of Special Olympics. Provide info such as the woman's name, title of business/non-profit, notable bits of biography, any background info given why she created her charitable focus, and reasons (preferably related to health/wellness) why you consider her an inspirational woman. Please be sure to list any source/s at the end.

This week I wanted to share about a professional nurse who changed people lives every day. Her name is Bilqus Bano Edhi. She is a humanitarian and a social worker. She was born in 1947 in Karachi, Pakistan. She is also known as the Mother of Pakistan (Abdulla, F. n.d.). She is married to a very famous philanthropist of Pakistan Abdul Sattar Edhi. Together the couple has four children who are involved with the Edhi Foundation and the management of the Edhi village, the fleet of ambulances, the mental home, the schools and the offices in Pakistan and London. Edhi Foundation which was started by Abdual Sattar Edhi with the mission to provide aid to Pakistan's poor and down-trodden has become Pakistan's major relief organization under the leadership of the husband and wife.  They have received numerous rewards for their services, in 1986 they were awarded a Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service (Abdulla, F. n.d.). Edhi Foundation has adopted the destitute in Pakistan and they are filling the gap left by the government failure on this front. Edhi Foundation operates the world’s largest volunteer ambulance service and the staff is running a missing-persons hot line they are providing more than a dozen homes for orphans, the homeless, battered women, the mentally ill and drug addicts. They also has set up literacy-training courses for all ages, free medical clinics and a soup kitchen that serves 1,000 free meals a day.

Bilquis was a young teenager when she joined Edhi nurses training center. It was a six month training program where disciplines such as midwifery and basic healthcare were taught to women who joined the program. Her enthusiasm, response and interest during her training made her stand out from among her colleagues. Abdul Sttar Edhi took notice of her at an early stage and put her in-charge of the nursing department. Later, Edhi sahib proposed to her for marriage and the two were married in April 1966. Their honeymoon was unusual in that the newlyweds discovered a young girl with head injuries at their dispensary just after their wedding ceremony, they decided to help the girl instead of going on to their honeymoon. Besides lending tremendous support to her husband, Bilquis Edhi has also brought with her added value in terms of her ability of identifying new areas of public welfare thus adding to the number of services offered at the Edhi Foundation.

Before Abdul Edhi meet Bilquis he had a small expanding dispensary in Karachi but afterwards Bilquis Edhi took the charge and expended her helping hands throughout the country.  Now, they have 250 Edhi centers throughout the country (Edhi Foundation. n.d.).

Abdulla, F. (n.d.). Women of Pakistan - Bilquis Edhi. Jazbah Magazine - Profiles and Interviews. Retrieved December 6, 2010, from http://www.jazbah.org/bilquis.php

Edhi Foundation. (n.d.). Edhi Foundation. Retrieved December 6, 2010, from http://www.edhifoundation.com

Blog # 14

What can a woman do to reduce her risk of assault?

There is no way a person can completely protect themselves from assault but there are many ways that can be done to reduce the risk of being assaulted. There have been more than 200,000 reported victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault in the United States a year in which, nine out of ten victims of rape were females (Alexander, L. 2009).  Many victims of rape are children and adolescence in which, 44% are younger than 18 and about 15% are younger than 12 (Alexander, L. 2009).

There are few steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of becoming rape victim. At home make sure all the doors and windows are locked. Don’t let any stranger in the home when you are alone they can be neighbor or a salesperson. Never give an impression that you are alone at home.  Get to know the neighbors. While you are on the street be alert to your surroundings and people around you. Walk confidently and in well-lit areas. Don’t walk alone at night and be careful when people stop you for direction. While driving park in will-lit areas, and when you return to your car check your car before you getting in. While dating with stranger consider first date in a group setting.  It’s always best to inform your family or friends where you are going. There are little step that can be taken to reduce the risk of assault.  Police believe that in the stranger-rape situation, rapists tend to prey on women who look frightened, easily intimidated, or seem to be daydreaming. As with any violent crime there’s nothing that you can do that will grantee that you will not be a victim of sexual violence. By taking these steps it can help reduce your risk of being sexually assaulted.

References:

Alexander, L. (2009). Other Chornic Diseases and Condition. New Dimensions in Women's Health (5 ed., pp. 310-322). Boston: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Blog 13 - Meth Users 911 Call Video.

Meth users 911 call video came as a shock to me. I knew that meth is a drug and it can cause brain damage but I had no idea that it causes hallucination. In the video there was couple in Omaha, Nebraska Michele and Janelle who were stuck in the snow storm and called 911 they were not able to identify their location because they were so high on meth. They were hallucinating, they saw goats and cattle and they thought they were African American and Mexican people. Police were not able to find them and they end up being frozen to death. Police found their body after five days.

I am sure Michele and Janelle parents and family are devastated. I feel so sorry for their parents because they didn’t even know that Michele and Janelle were taking drugs. Meth or methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant drug that strongly activates certain systems in the brain. Methamphetamine abuse can lead to neurotoxicity and prolonged psychiatric disorders, cognitive impairment, as well as increasing the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Repeated methamphetamine abuse can lead to high levels of chemical in the brain which significantly changes the brain function. It is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting powder taken orally or by snorting or injecting, or a rock "crystal" that is heated and smoked (Methamphetamine. n.d.). I just hope that everyone can understand harmful effect of drugs and know that their life is too precious to waste it on drugs.

Methamphetamine. (n.d.). National Institute of Health. Retrieved November 23, 2010, from www.nida.nih.gov/drugpages/methamphetamine.html

Blog 12 - Mental Illness

           Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mental illnesses are serious medical illnesses. They cannot be overcome through "will power" and are not related to a person's "character" or intelligence. Mental illness falls along a continuum of severity. Even though mental illness is widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion-about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 Americans-who live with a serious mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that One in four adults-approximately 57.7 million Americans-experience a mental health disorder in a given year (About Mental Illness., n.d).

Schizophrenia is thought to affect about 1% of people worldwide. I personally know a woman who is suffering from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that makes it difficult to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, to have normal emotional responses, and to behave normally in social situations (About Mental Illness., n.d). Romana a grandmother is very close family friend. She has two sons.  I was very young when I found out Romana is suffering from schizophrenia. She is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. Cause of her schizophrenia is genetics. Her mother suffered from a same illness and now one of her son is also suffering.  She was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her early 30’s. She doesn’t remember any of us except her son and daughter-in-law (who she hates a lot and express her emotions openly), she doesn’t remember anything current, she likes to talk about her past and she likes to know if you were her neighbor or relative. Her family told us that she hallucinates and gets angry most of the time. She remembers her young life to every detail and likes to share her stories. She is taking medications which sometimes improve her symptoms. She is living with her other son who is taking care of her and his brother. I think due to her family help and support she was able to live a better life. Following image shows some of the symptoms of schizophrenia.  (http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199561988/resources/illustrations/ch09/)

Reference:

About Mental Illness. (n.d.). NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. Retrieved November 16, 2010, from http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/About_Mental_Illness/About_Mental_Illness.htm

Blog 11 - Women and Chronic Disease/Illness

Interview someone who is living with a chronic illness. What are their living experiences? What are they doing to try to maintain their health despite the disease? You may use a pseudo name to protect their identity.

A chronic disease is a disease that is long lasting, it cannot be prevented by vaccine or cured by medication, nor does it disappear. Many chronic diseases affect more women than men. Women living with chronic disease need to understand, prevent and manage her condition to live a satisfactory life. My mother is living with a chronic disease known as Diabetes. Diabetes affects 24 million people in the United States and women make up almost half of this total (Alexander, L. 2009). My mother has Type 2 Diabetes where body develops resistance to insulin. Cause of diabetes is heredity, obesity, or a history of eating an overabundance of carbohydrate-heavy foods. My mom told me that all her life she maintained her weight. She was never overweight even after having two children she never gained any weight. But, after she had my youngest brother who is 16 now she was not able to lose the weight. She had him by C-Section and about year after that surgery they found out she had Uterine Fibroids. She had a surgery to remove the fibroids and it weight almost 4 pounds. It took her long time to recover from that. Since, she knew that her chance of getting this chronic illness is pretty high because both her parents had diabetes, she always maintained herself very well. Now she is doing whatever she can to slow the progression of diabetes. Her doctor told her that if she maintains the low carbohydrate diet and exercise more she can reduce or eliminate the use of medication. After she found out she had diabetes she was devastated because she saw her parents live with this illness. At first, it was hard for her to do regular blood-glucose checkup and take medications everyday but, now she is use to it. She is carefully watching her diet and exercising regularly. She has to test her blood glucose level 3-4times a day. She has to eat a portion size meal or snack every 2-3 hours. If for some reason she skips one meal her blood glucose levels goes down which causes her to be very hungry. She had to make few changes in her diet but those changes were for her healthier life. She is living with diabetes and that’s the fact that cannot be changed but instead to stressing herself about it she is incorporating it with her daily life.

References:

Alexander, L. (2009). Other Chornic Diseases and Condition. New Dimensions in Women's Health (5 ed., pp. 310-322). Boston: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Blog 10- Heart Disease

Women should take special care of their health in every stage of their lives. Maintaining a healthy life style is a key factor, it can decrease the risk of many diseases. Women should include healthy diet and exercise as a daily routine. Having a healthy weight, good nutrition and avoiding sedentary lifestyle reduces risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and many more chronic diseases. A cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke) is the leading cause of death for women. Overall, more women compare to men died from cardiovascular diseases. In 2005, 329,250 women died compare to 322,841 men died due to heart disease (Alexander, L. 2009).

In women heart disease or symptoms of heart diseases become present later in life compared to men. Men can start showing symptoms at an earlier age. One of the major reasons most women shows symptoms of heart disease later in life is due to loss of estrogen. Estrogen has been shown to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system (Alexander, L. 2009). More women die from heart disease than men, heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading cause of death for women.

Both men and women may experience symptoms such as; pain or discomfort in the chest region or, pain or discomfort in the upper torso, or shortness of breath or cold sweat, nausea, or dizziness. Compare to men, women are more prone to symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain. In some cases women are not even aware they are having heart attack. In men plaque distributes in clumps whereas in women it distributes more evenly throughout artery walls. In result, more even distribution of plaque results in women's angiographic studies being misinterpreted as “normal” (Women and Heart Disease facts, n.d.). Women wait longer than men to go to an emergency room when having a heart attack and physicians are slower to recognize the presence of heart attacks in women because characteristic patterns of chest pain and EKG changes are less frequently present.

Heart disease can be prevented if women choose to live a healthy lifestyle. There are several lifestyle changes that can reduce risk of heart disease; exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day on most days of the week, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting or don't start smoking and, eating a diet that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and salt.

References:

Alexander, L. (2009). Other Chornic Diseases and Condition. New Dimensions in Women's Health (5 ed., pp. 280-281). Boston: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Women and Heart Disease facts. (n.d.). Women's Heart Foundation. Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://www.womensheart.org/content/HeartDisease/heart_disease_facts.asp



Blog # 9

What are the biggest challenges to regular exercise and a healthy diet that you face?  How are these challenges going to change for you over the next five years?

My biggest challenge with regular exercise is time. I have been evaluating myself weekly and the only exercise I have done is walking for half an hour and only three times a week. I need to take some time out from my day and just do exercise. My four month old baby boy keeps me very busy. Little time that I have I do homework or cook and clean. Before I had my son I was just busy with job and school. About a year ago I bought gym membership and I went to work out every day.  The reason I went everyday was because I was paying for it but, after few weeks instead of becoming a routine it was a burden. I found it difficult to take time out to go to gym. I took the health self- assessment for this class and it too suggested that I need to do regular exercise for my better health. Healthy diet is not so much of a challenge for me because I cook at home and I try to make healthy food. Sometimes we crave “outside” food and that day it gets harder to maintain a balance diet. If I continue my habit of not exercising and giving in to my cravings I will never achieve my weight goal. I have a family history of diabetes and if continue to being overweight I might get this chronic disease. I need to motivate myself to lose the weight and eat healthy every day.  I need to set a weight goal and off course a time limit so I can achieve that goal within time.

Blog # 8 - Menopause

Explore how menopause is viewed from a different cultural perspective. Write about this and be sure to cite your source/s.

Menopause is the end of menstrual cycle and childbearing capability. Menopause in a natural event in all women’s lives, it is the last menstrual cycle. Right before and during menopause women experience physical changes due to drop in hormone production. Menopause depicts end of woman’s reproductive life usually occurring between ages 45 and 55. Menopause is accompanied by various symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and various psychic symptoms, of which hot flashes is known to occur in about 75% of the women and may continue for as long as 40 years. Image shows list of the symptoms women reports during menopause. (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.jos-health-network.150m.com/menopause1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.jos-health-network.150m.com/menopause.html&usg=__xftJ__n5SutLg1PgwvItJYZ-KV4=&h=544&w=500&sz=128&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=GREXXR0zChQYaM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=122&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmenopause%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1)

Menopause also differs in different areas of the world. Hot flashes in the West, shoulder pain in Japan and loss of vision in India, are the hallmarks of menopause. Even the median age of menopause differs from country to country. The median age at menopause reported from the West (50.3 years) is higher as compared to the range of 45–47 years in developing countries.

 In some societies youthfulness is valued and menopause is viewed as negative stage in a women lives. It is considered a difficult time in a women life because during menopause women experience uncontrollable moodiness, irritability and depression whereas, some women appreciate the freedom from menstrual periods. Western women are tired of the chorus of U’s associated with menopause: unattractive, useless, ugly, undesirable, unhappy and so on. I wanted to share the following image with everyone to show you how some people view menopause in our society. (http://ihatemenopause.com/)

 In Asian countries women gain respect when they enters into their middle age. They are thought to be wiser and more experienced. In countries such as New Zealand and India menopausal women are community leaders and hold a place of honor in their communities. It is a belief held by many cultures, that life after menopause is a time of strength, courage and wisdom.

In my opinion a women should not be afraid of getting old, and menopause should be a sign of wisdom and maturity. Women should enjoy every stage of their life so we can live up to our full potential.

Reference:

Alexander, L.L., LaRosa, J.H., Badar, H., Garfield, S., Alexander, W.J., (2010). New dimensions in women’s health (5^th ed.). Boston: Jones &Bartlett

Hunt, G. Menopause Across Cultures. RagMag. Retrieved October 18, 2010, from http://ragmag.net/2009/05/menopause-across-cultures

Blog # 7 - The Silent Partner HIV in Marriage

The Silent Partner - HIV in Marriage video shows that we live in a male dominating world. Yes, this world is changing and bringing rights to women but at what cost. Male domination is not only practiced in Kenya but throughout the world. The video shows that it’s okay for men to do anything he pleases and women should obey his every decision. Women cannot even have a say in usage of contraceptive which can save her from getting infected. Just because men are providing, doesn’t mean women cannot have a say in anything. Customs and tradition has added to women pain and suffering, custom such as dowry gets men to thinking that they own women. Women are owned by their father and then when they get married there husband buys them in the name of dowry which means they are taking complete ownership of that woman. It brings me to a documentary that I saw about Female Infanticide in India. In India and most of South East Asia dowry is where bride’s father pay’s groom family as compare to dowry in Africa where groom pays bride’s family. In this documentary daughters are killed the day that they are born and, the reason is that parents cannot afford to raise the daughter and needs to pay dowry required by groom’s family. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnmtKLQRh6g. These documentaries show that women are not in power. They cannot make decision about their life and their life is been constantly handling by male. It all comes down to illiteracy among people.  Educations about usage of contraceptive early on can save lives. In sub-Saharan Africa, home to two-thirds of the world’s people living with HIV, women make up 60 percent of those infected. Places like Africa and Kenya needs special attention from their government and NGO’s they should organize a program which not only teaches women but also men about the benefit of contraceptive. Most men transmit STI’s to women and then die from it. Condoms play a key role in preventing HIV infection if these men are given proper knowledge infection rate will go down. I hope that social and economic inequalities between men and women can come to an end.

Blog # 6 - Prenatal Care

In your opinion, why should prenatal testing be routine for all pregnant women?

Prenatal care is recommended for all women who are pregnant and who are thinking of becoming pregnant. Prenatal care ensures healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. When a woman is thinking about becoming pregnant she should consult with a doctor so she can start by having right type of vitamin, she might need some immunization and some other test. We all should adopt a healthy behavior but when you are thinking about becoming pregnant or are already pregnant you should take special care of yourself. Healthy behavior includes proper diet, physical activity and proper weight gain. Pregnant women should go for a routine checkup every month or as health care provider advice, regular prenatal checkups let you know how your baby is doing and can identity problems before hand. It’s always best to educate yourself about all the prenatal test and checkups so you know what to expect.

Prenatal care is very important it can help identify any problems that a pregnancy might have. I will give you my example; when I was pregnant I was diagnose with gestational diabetes. I was able to control my diabetes very well and the reason was I had prenatal care. Imagine if I didn’t seek prenatal care than there was no way of knowing about my gestational diabetes and I wouldn’t have any care of my diet and it would result in risking my health and my baby’s health. Due to my routine checkups and required test that is a part of prenatal care a problem can be identify and be solved within time before any major health risk.

Prenatal care can identify several different things for example health problem in mother that can affect the baby’s health, growth of baby every month such as heart rate, size, sex and, position in the uterus. It can also identify the chance that baby has certain congenital, genetic or chromosomal problems. There are several tests that are performed during each trimester. First trimester includes ultrasound test for fetal nuchal translucency and two maternal serum blood tests which can identify risk for chromosomes abnormalities.  

First trimester screening image. (http://www.chop.edu/export/system/galleries/images/hospital/conditions/first-trimester-screening-161393.gif)

Second trimester tests includes Alpha-fetoprotein screening (AFP). If the blood test is abnormal AFP can detect spina bifida, Down syndrome and other chromosomal disease.  Other test includes amniocenteses, chronic villus sampling, fetal monitoring and, glucose tolerance test.

Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is a prenatal test that involves taking a sample of some of the placental tissue. This tissue contains the same genetic material as the fetus and can be tested for chromosomal abnormalities and some other genetic problems. Third trimester test includes Group B Streptococcus (GBS) and, abdominal and transvaginal ultrasound.

GBS is caused by the bacteria Streptococcus agalactiae. Not all babies who are exposed to the bacteria will become infected. Above Image displays Vaginal Bacteria Spreading to Fetus. For more detail information about these test visit http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/pregnant/tests.html.

Blog # 5 - Contraception

In what ways could someone’s culture, beliefs and practices influence contraceptive decision making?  Provide thorough examples based on some of your readings and your own personal experiences. What were the beliefs about birth control/contraception within your own home and family?

I am from Pakistan and usage of contraception is low as compare to western and even other Muslim countries. Women in Pakistan have four children only 22% of the married women use modern method of family planning (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51270). Pakistan has the sixth largest population, high birth rate and high infant mortality rate. It is vital that the women of Pakistan reduce the number of children they have so they can improve their health.  Many women in Pakistan lack access to contraception. Many of the rural area do not provide reproductive health care and one out of every three pregnancy is unplanned.  It used to be even worse since Pakistan is a male dominant society use of contraceptive was minimal and was not promoted among young married couples. Contraceptive practice was only taught to female but they didn’t have the decision making power due to societal structure.  Within past few decade government of Pakistan has initiated a national family program to reduce fertility rate. Government is also promoting limiting family size, use of contraceptives, and spousal communication on family planning. Government funded programs such as The Lady Health Worker Program has increased the access to contraceptive services. A network of community-based female workers providing family planning services to women in their homes. Also these programs are brining awareness to men so they can initiate in using contraceptives. Above all, education is the long-term solution. Educating men and women on contraceptive should be implemented.  Some of the program are running ad on prime time television to promote contraception. I am attaching a video link of one of the ad. Ad is also featuring a man to promote men to be more involved in family planning decision.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tugu_04z_w

I am not sure but I think my parents did use contraceptive. The reason I am not sure is because in my family we never talked about it and the reason I think they used it because I have two brothers. So, compare to other families in Pakistan our family size is smaller. I wished that my mother talked to me about contraceptives but the culture she is from doesn’t make her comfortable. Now more and more families are talking about it since, Pakistani government is promoting contraception through advertisement more families are gaining knowledge.

Blog # 4 - Menarche

Describe a woman's experience of going through menarche (first menstrual cycle). Was it a positive experience that was celebrated by her or her family?    Or was it a negative experience (shame, embarrassment, fear, etc)? You may provide pseudo names to protect their identity.

The first period is seen as a milestone in almost every culture.  Some culture celebrates menarche while other doesn’t much care about it. Reshma was born and raised in small country part of South East Asia. When she was 12 year old she had her first period. In her culture menarche is a celebrated but just among women. Periods are not to be discussed with any men in the house. For Reshma there was no party, gifts or any rituals. Within her family she became a woman. For her it was not a negative experience, she felt grownup. Her mother gave her all the information she needed. Her mother also told her never to discuss about her period with her brothers, father or any other male figure. It is consider embarrassing for a girl to discuss about her periods with her brothers or father.  After she began having regular period cycle she felt a little closer to her mother, because she was able to discuss and ask question about her periods. After she became more comfortable she was able to discuss about her periods with her female friends. She came to know within her culture other families persuade menarche differently. One of her friend told her that when she had her first period she was ‘congratulated’ among her close female family members. Another friend told her that when she had her first period she was told not to touch any cooking utensils because she was thought to be ‘unclean’.

In my opinion girls should have more positive menarcheal and menstrual experience.  Most of the girls are not very knowledgeable about the menstruation. There should be proper menstrual education that should help girls in preparation, expectations and positive experience. In North America it was considered ‘cursed’ when girls had their first period, but that was very long time ago. Now, menarche is celebrated, some celebrate it by throwing a ‘Red Party’ while others have ‘Crossing Over’ ceremony.  There are several different which helps you celebrate “Girlhood to Womanhood”. I think these parties or ceremonies helps girl, it makes the time easier for the girl and for her parents.  

Visit the following website for more menarche party information:

http://celebratepuberty.org/menarche.html

One of many games played at menarche party.

Blog # 3 Self-Assessment

Read the self-assessment on pg 57.  How would you rate your "preventive practices?"  What are some ways in which you can improve your health?  What preventative practices do you already implement?

If I took the test on page 57 of the book one year ago, some of the answer would be “no”. I started to take better care of my self during my pregnancy after I found out I have gestational diabetes.  Having gestational diabetes during pregnancy can increase the risk of having diabetes later in life. Uncontrolled gestational diabetes can be harmful to babies, babies can be born very large, they can have low blood sugar after birth and breathing problems can occur (http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/gestational/).  After knowing the effect of gestational diabetes I started to take better care of myself.  First, I had to educate myself for what is a healthy diet and, what physical activity will be best for me. Then, I had to implement all my knowledge on keeping a low blood sugar level. I increased my intake of vegetables and fruits.  I switched to whole grain, nonfat milk, olive oil and low fat/no sugar/low calorie products. Now, I am taking good care of myself by proper nutrition, regular physical activity and avoiding everything that is harmful to my body. 

Many women with gestational diabetes develop diabetes within 5 - 10 years after delivery. My mother had gestational diabetes and now she is diabetic. She has to maintain a balance diet to maintain normal blood sugar level and, maintaining that balance require great deal of work. She has to take diabetic medications which help the body process sugar. She has to watch what she eats all the time. Her diet  has fit in a category of no sugar, no carb and no fat. She has to monitor her sugar level three times a day (by poking her fingers). I certainly don’t want all of this for myself so I am disciplining myself now to live a healthier lifestyle.

Preventive care can also be influence by different factors. Being a Muslim we are forbidden to use alcohol and drugs, it impairs the judgment of the person consuming it. So, being a true follower, never in my life I have used drugs or alcohol. Islam teaches it follower discipline and self-restraint. Muslims once a year, irrespective of the weather, fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Fasting teaches self-discipline and restraint, and is also good for one’s physical health. In order to fast one has to be healthy. World Health Organization (WHO) give definition of health; “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".  People who are sick are not allowed to fast. This year for the first time I truly realized the physical and mental benefits of fasting. The heat and thirst did made me realized that I am blessed with the a lot, and made me realize the suffering and pain people are going through in this world due to disease, hunger, flood and other disasters. So, some of the preventive care question listed in the book can be answered “yes” because of the teaching of Islam.

Few years ago I didn’t take care of my health. I was eating lots of junk food, barely ate fruits and vegetables and, exercised few times a month. Due to that habit I had to suffer the consequences and had to learn the hard way about healthier lifestyle. After some challenges and other factors influencing my life I am living a healthier life and I would rate my preventive care 10 out of 10.

Preventive care can be implemented but one has to discipline themselves. To begin a better healthier life we need to control our eating habits, do regular physical activity and avoid alcohol, drugs, tobacco and stress.  Unhealthy food can be very tempting but know this when you give in to your temptations you will be responsible for the outcome. Beginning a healthy lifestyle can be challenging and, requires small changes in taking positive action on your health, diet, relationship and exercise.

Blog # 2 - Health Care in America

About 47 million Americans have no health coverage. In order for anyone to receive health care we need insurance and that is the biggest problem. Insurance companies are making tons of money from people like us. The reason that the large numbers of American don’t have Health Care is because they cannot afford it. Health Care has high premiums, and if someone got sick they won’t be able to pay for care that they received. People cannot afford high cost of treatment, and some of them are facing serious illnesses because they don’t seek medical health.

Most families have health insurance through their employer. If someone loses their job they lose health coverage with it. Last year 2.6 million American lost their job. When you don’t have a job health care is impossible to afford. I know this because I have lived through it. I was in school while my husband was working and I was covered through his insurance. We got pregnant October 2009 and my husband lost his job March 2010, he was laid off. We had no insurance, and I had to see a doctor every month, which can be very costly. We thought about getting Cobra but, we knew we will be paying very high premiums. Having no other option we had to choose Cobra, we spend all of our saving paying premiums. Finally, we had our baby and everything worked out fine. When we thought we are done paying bills we were wrong. After the delivery we got bills from the hospital which our insurance didn’t cover. We got three to five bills every week, which we are still paying. I feel that Health Coverage today is a big FAIL because it’s not working for anyone.

Health Care passed by current administration “The Health Reform Plan” has promised to make health care more affordable, all American will be covered and many more things. So, why majority of American still have no insurance?

Blog #1 - Women's Health

Few days ago I saw news about Female Circumcision (FC). It was shocking to know that it was happening in United States, and has been for quite some time. News was about infant girl whose parent refused to have her circumcised, but they were forced to by their custom and tradition. Parents were so worried they were willing to speak openly, and because they came out and spoke about it, they received help and were not victimized by their customs.

I had a chance to talk to two friends (Yasmeen, and Leila both from Africa), Yasmeen told me the Female circumcision is very common in some part of Africa and parents who refuse to have their daughter circumcised people refuse to associate with them and no one will marry their daughter or into their family. She said she is so thankful to her parents because they choose not to have her circumcised. She was also shocked to find out that there are people in U.S. who still perform FC. Lelia joined our conversation and told us that not only its tradition but people also perform FC in the name of religion. Most people are vulnerable when it comes to religion and, they think they have to follow this practice to be true followers of their religion.

Sad part is most people are aware of its medical consequences but still are abide by their customs and religion. Some common health effects are urinary infection, reproductive infection and infertility. FC is practiced throughout the world, mostly in Asia and Africa. There are several different organization working against it such as WHO (World Health organization). They have been very successful and are still working against it. I hope that people who are practicing FC realize its medical complication and all the pain associated with it and stop this violence against women.