Posted: 5/30/2018
May is Women’s Health Month
Mary Garcia, 33, of Rowlett “never really liked going to the doctor.” She lived a normal active life and thought of herself as a healthy person. However, in 2007 Garcia was admitted to Parkland Memorial Hospital. “I suspected I had the flu, but my gut told me something else was wrong,” Garcia said. “I was told I had extremely high blood pressure which caused renal failure. I was scared and didn’t know what to do, but I kept thinking ‘if I had gone to the doctor sooner, this could have been avoided.’”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states most of the serious diseases affecting women can be avoided with timely and proper preventive care. The leading causes of death among women are heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases (such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema), stroke and Alzheimer’s disease, according to the CDC. During Women’s Health Month, observed annually during May, Parkland providers want to encourage women to take proactive steps to improve their health.
“It’s a good opportunity to remind women to make their health a priority and build positive health habits for life,” said Manisha Raja, MD, lead physician at Parkland’s E. Carlyle Smith, Jr. Health Center in Grand Prairie. “The first steps are finding a primary care physician (PCP) and establishing their medical home.”
Dr. Raja said having a PCP is important because they can offer primary, secondary and tertiary preventive care.
“Primary prevention consists of counseling patients about risky behaviors including poor eating habits, alcohol, tobacco and drug use. It also includes administering vaccines to prevent disease,” she said. “Secondary prevention involves screenings and tests to check for conditions like diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Finally, a PCP can provide tertiary preventive care aimed at managing disease to prevent complications.”
It’s important for women to schedule a well-woman visit with their doctor or APP (advanced practice provider – physician assistant or nurse practitioner) every year, Dr. Raja advised. “During this visit your doctor can perform a Pap smear (cervical cancer screening), a physical exam (blood pressure, glucose level and cholesterol panel blood tests), discuss your personal and family history (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.) and assess your risk factors to prevent further or future disease.”
Dr. Raja said women need different health screenings according to their age. She recommends:
• Women should schedule a primary care physician visit in their 20’s to establish baseline care and go over their family history and determine potential health risks.
• Women in good health between 20 and 40 years of age should visit their PCP every three years.
• Women in good health over 40 years of age should visit their PCP annually.
• Women over 40 should receive secondary preventive care via screenings for certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and other age-related conditions such as osteoporosis
• Women over 40 should have the choice to start annual breast cancer screening with mammograms. Women should discuss with their doctor the potential benefits of beginning screenings before 40.
“We also want to remind women that what they do every day contributes to their overall health,” Dr. Raja said. Women can take steps in their daily lives to improve their health, such as:
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes daily.
• Eat a balanced diet, including whole grains, protein and high fiber contained in fruits and vegetables.
• Pay attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress.
• Avoid unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, drinking, texting while driving, etc.
“I want other women to take my experience as an example,” Garcia urged. “Don’t wait until you’re really sick to visit a doctor. Do what you can now to avoid health problems in the future.”
“It’s never too early or too late to work on becoming the healthiest version of yourself you can be,” Dr. Raja said.
For more information on services at Parkland, please visit www.parklandhospital.com.