Blog #9: What Should a Friend Do?

What should a woman do if she has a friend whom she suspects to have an eating disorder? What if the friends denies it?

For this blog, I am going to speak as if I were the friend that had the eating disorder... mainly because I was that friend once. About five years ago, I was going through a really tough time with my self-esteem. My boyfriend had just broken up with me and I thought it was because he thought I was fat. I immediately went into this state of mind where I just needed to lose weight one way or another! I began starving myself and on top of that I became bulimic...two very dangerous combinations. I knew it was bad for me and I knew it could kill me but I was in complete denial. I had a really close friend at the time that would tell me to stop all the time. She would check out books at the library and print off things from websites just to show me what could happen if I didn't stop. Even with all that I still didn't want to stop what I was doing because it was providing immediate results which was what I wanted...at the time. Some time went by and I started to realize that my hair started to slowing fall out every time I brushed it. I think the final straw for me that made me quit doing what I was doing would definitely have to be the time I threw up blood. That's when I realized I had to stop or I was going to die.

The reason it is SOOOO hard for me to lose weight now is because that was the only way I knew how to lose weight. I've gotten married since then and I can say that the reason I am healthy now is because of my husband. Losing weight has always been a struggle for me but especially because I don't know how to do it the right way. I am working really hard now though to do it right.

So to answer the question...don't give up on her. :)

Blog #8: Menopause and Hormones

For this blog, I decided to interview a woman who is going through menopause and has decided to take hormones. Before I talk about my interview, I would like provide a few facts about hormones and what they do to a woman’s body when taken during menopause.

Hormone therapy, also known as HT, consists of a combination of estrogens and progesterone. These two hormones provide a balance for every woman and are very important to a woman’s health. When a woman goes through menopause, it is most likely because the balances between the estrogen and progesterone levels are unbalanced. This can cause some health complications if the level of estrogen is higher than the level of progesterone. Women use hormone therapy to control symptoms of menopause such as low estrogen levels, hot flashes and vaginal dryness.

So, the women I chose to interview for this blog was my mom. My mom has been going through menopause for about six years and it’s actually been quite interesting to observe her and the things she goes through daily. And it’s not cruel to say that because she is, after all, my mom! J Not that menopause is entertaining, but watching my mom go through it has almost been funny because of how she reacts to it. She always says that she is losing her mind because she can never remember where she puts things. Her mood swings are bizarre and I won’t even mention what she does when she goes through hot flashes! She’ll actually stick her head in the fridge! She’s such a character but I love her. My mom, fortunately, has recently decided to take hormones because she says her symptoms have been over the top lately. She has decided to do this because she feels like she has gone through more than enough, what she calls, “torture” and is ready to live her life normally again. To her, menopause isn’t a bad thing she just feels like it has put a damper on her self esteem and she wants to feel better about herself again.

I respect my mom for everything she has gone through. I am the spitting image of her so I’m sure one day I am going to go through the exact same thing she has been going through with the exact same symptoms. I only hope I am as strong as she is and as light hearted as she is about the situation. Something like menopause can be really hard for some women, but I think it’s important to look at it as something that is just a part of life. I’m happy to report that since my mom has been on hormones, her symptoms have decreased and she says she a lot happier now.

http://answers.webmd.com/answers/1174574/What-are-the-treatment-options-for

Blog #7: Are STD's Associated with Social Status?

Contracting an STD is a very sad and unfortunate thing, but I believe that the type of environment a person surrounds him or herself with can be a major factor on whether or not they have an STD. Some may call that being prejudice about the situation, but I believe that if I surround myself with positive people and friends, I am more likely to stay clear of the people that chose to live a promiscuous life style. Most of the time when you hear of a person with an STD, they are either from a lower social status, are promiscuous with many people or both. Not to say that all lower class people have STD's, but it just seems that the majority of the statistics when it comes to STD's are based on lower social status families and specific ethnicities. So to answer the question as to whether or not I believe promiscuity and social status play a role in the contraction of an STD, my answer is yes. I do believe it has something to do with a person's surroundings and actions.

Carla Keeley

Blog #6: Top 10 Questions

For this blog, I chose to list the top 10 questions women might have who recently found out they are pregnant. I decided to use the website BabyCenter.com to find out these questions. On this website, there were many different topics to some of the questions women had. For example, some topics included Beauty and Style During Pregnancy, Emotional Health During Pregnancy, Pregnancy Sleep and Dreams, and Pregnancy Fitness. I will list the top 10 questions from 10 different topics found on this website.

 Is it safe to color my hair during pregnancy?

The limited evidence that’s available suggests that it is probably safe to dye your hair during pregnancy. The Organization of Teratology Information Services (OTIS) points out that very little of the chemicals in hair dye are actually absorbed in our system.

 Is it safe to take antidepressants during pregnancy?

Recent research is casting doubts on the safety of the drugs most commonly prescribed for depression. If you are taking Paxil, you’ll need to stop or switch to another medication before you conceive.

3.       Are c-sections more complicated for plus-size women?

Generally speaking, cesareans are not lengthy surgeries, whether the patient is large of small, in a vast majority of cases they cause very few problems. One issue that can come up is that if the woman has a lot of fat on her abdomen wall, if could make it harder to have a clear view.

4.       How and why does pregnancy affect dreams?

Dreams affect your emotional state, so it’s only natural that during pregnancy- a time of many mixed emotions- your dreams seem more intense and stranger than usual. Hormonal changes also make you dream more frequently and vividly.

5.       Is it safe to be around people who smoke when I’m pregnant?

It’s wise to avoid secondhand tobacco smoke as much as possible. Even if you’re not smoking, some of the contaminants can get into the bloodstream if you inhale it.

6.       Is it safe to jog during pregnancy?

Yes, as long as you don’t have any complications. If you’re at risk for premature labor, then activities like jogging can worsen your condition.

7.       Is it safe to have sex while I’m pregnant?

In healthy and normal pregnancy, it’s safe to have sex. Sex should not be painful of uncomfortable during pregnancy, so consider your comfort level.

8.       How can I relieve bloating and indigestion during pregnancy?

Wear loose comfortable clothing, instead of eating three meals a day consider eating several small meals throughout the day, avoid foods that cause you gastrointestinal distress, and don’t smoke.

9.       Is it safe to take ibuprofen during pregnancy?

Taking ibuprofen for a few days to manage pain and inflammation is not a problem, but it's not advised for chronic pain relief, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy.

10   Is it normal to have morning sickness throughout my entire pregnancy?

A small number of women have morning sickness that lasts into the second and even third trimester of pregnancy. So while uncommon, it is normal for some expecting moms.

http://www.babycenter.com/editorialQuestionsLandingPage.htm