What’s keepin’ us hot here though is more than the weather.

Robin was host to the recent Health 2.0 Conference in Washington DC in May, where we discovered many disruptive women so we’re continuing the conversation here with a sizzling summer series featuring a few of these leading women influentials and innovators we met at the conference.

The big question “WHY YOU SHOULD CARE” is not lost on us here.   Women make over 85% of healthcare decisions today and who influence virtually all healthcare decisions – as consumers, caregivers and working women.   Why you should care is about how we can now use social media to tap into new health care solutions, trials and experiences that can shape our healthcare decisions and treatment choices.   More than 30% of us women are on-line looking for health information on chat rooms, message boards and blogs.  Do you have diabetes or know some one who does?  How are you using social media to shape your healthcare?

So, here’s how to engage with us for answers and to participate:

August 3rd on-line radio show:  “Health 2.0 and Why You Should Care” features Robin Strongin, Indu Sabaiya and Jane Sarasohn-Kahn.  These empassioned highly accomplished women advocates are extremely influential in the Health 2.0 world and both have a role to play in how you CAN use social media to positively impact your health decisions that, ultimately,  affect your health.  We invite you to listen to our podcast here from yesterday, and to also consider joining us, tomorrow, on Thursday, August 5th for a follow up on-line radio show.

August 5th on-line radio show:  “Patient Empowerment: How to Be Your Own Best Advocate” features Robin Strongin, Trisha Torrey and Regina Holliday.  We’ll explore the real life cases that Trisha will share to guide you on your own journey.  Regina also has her own personal story that will illustrate to you how social media can make an impact on how you navigate the healthcare system to collect your personal health records.   She faced huge challenges in acquiring her late husband’s medical records as he struggled with cancer and her visual depictions were on the cover of the British Medical Journal in 2009.

Later in the summer, we’ll be joined by innovative healthcare professionals as they share how they use social media today to improve patient care.   Stay tuned and visit us often or better yet, subscribe to our community to stay in the loop!

]]> http://realwomenonhealth.com/2010/08/04/health-2-0-why-you-should-care/feed/ 1 http://realwomenonhealth.com/2010/05/03/heal-yourself-join-the-late-bloomers-revolution/ http://realwomenonhealth.com/2010/05/03/heal-yourself-join-the-late-bloomers-revolution/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 23:15:01 +0000 admin http://realwomenonhealth.com/?p=1023 Life has a way of taking its twists and turns and ups and downs….and soon enough we’re over 40 and wondering when, if ever, we’ll “hit our stride”.

Self-acceptance and self-esteem are closely related…and arises as you learn that you are perfect with all your  accomplishments, victories, and … vices.  Self-acceptance is as essential to one’s well-being as water is to a blooming flower.   Have you ever re-framed your “inadequacies”  and lack of self-acceptance into a humor and candor….where laughter has a place in healing and well-being?

Move over Candace Bushnell… and meet Amy Cohen, a New York Times Best-selling author of “The Late Bloomer Revolution”.   Amy says it well here, “I like to think of myself as a late bloomer, one who will, however, late come into bloom.   Although when, and if, I bloom remain a mystery.   I wish I knew how to speak a foreign language fluently.  I wish I knew how to cook a simple roast chicken, or that I had read the Idiot whose main character sounds like someone I can relate to.

By 35, Amy learned to ride the bike of her life.    Click here to take the Late Bloomer’s Quiz and join “The Late Bloomer’s Revolution”.    And, try your guess on our last question of the Late Bloomer’s Quiz here to talk with us.

Speaking of living life on our terms…learn what’s going on “inside the beltway” and take control of your healthcare with our radio show’s Washington, DC correspondant, Robin Strongin.   A true woman’s advocate with the connections to make it happen, she reveals the knowledge that will empower us women to become our own best health and wellness advocates.

Robin is the founder of Disruptive Women in Healthcare, a thriving blogging community of high powered women who are driving innovation in healthcare with thought-provoking ideas and commentary on the nation’s challenges.   This week,  she’s disrupting the status quo with a grasp on why you can’t take clinical trial information at face value…what you need to ask your doctor to stay in control of your health and well-being.

Join Kelley, Cassie, Robin and Amy on Real Women on Health! live talk radio this Wednesday, May 5th at 8 pm – 9 pm EST on your computer at www.wstcwnlk.com streaming live or, if you live near Fairfield County, Connecticut  listen “on the AM dial” at 1350/1400.

Our show is sponsored by Zestra, essential arousal oils, a patented blend of botannicals that is clinically proven to improve desire, arousal and satisfaction for 70% of women.  Check this out and use promo code ZPASS5 at check out!

We’re a culture that mixes sexy and boobs.  So, can a woman feel sexy without breasts?

For breast cancer, and other, survivors, the question sounds just as practical as  provoking.  Breast cancer is the most common kind of cancer affecting women, except non-melanoma skin cancer.  It’s commonness increases with age  and with more targeted treatments available today, women are living longer with cancer.

But the effects of treatment remain.  In some cases, women choose to have their breast removed as prevention… while others have no choice and must have surgery and chemotherapy. Regardless of the path a woman chooses,  cancer wreaks havoc on her “sensual self”.   From the toxic effects of chemotherapy on hair and skin to the disfigurement of breast removal, how do women regain a sense of sensuality?

And, what about sex?  Does sex have a place in living with cancer?

Sensuality and sexuality and what happens after cancer are vital questions for women coping with cancer today.

Because the loss of sexual desire after cancer has more than one reason behind it, restoring libido or “desire” often requires more than one solution.   It’s not at all just about boobs for many women.  And, sometimes the desire for sex remains strong, however, the physiological effects of cancer treatment itself interferes with performance or pleasure.

The topic is one plagued by the medicalization of women’s health, the lack of communication between the healthcare professional and patient, societal taboos around sex and women’s bodies, poor communication between intimate partners and lack of understanding of the impact of cancer treatment.  In fact, in the beginning, women may feel guilty that they are thinking about anything other than “surviving” so the question of  “What’s going to happen to my sex life” is left outside of any medical setting.

Since women don’t talk about it with healthcare professionals, Real Women on Health! will open up the dialogue with Lisa Martinez, former Executive Director of the Women’s Sexual Health Foundation, on Wednesday evening 8 pm EST on local radio WSTC 1350/WNLK 1400 or live streaming on the web at www.wstcwnlk.com.

Lisa Martinez is a consultant and educator on women’s health issues and was the Founder of The Women’s Sexual Health Foundation. As a registered nurse and an attorney, she is a leader in the area of women’s health.  She has appeared on CBS News LA and ABC, and has been interviewed on various NPR programs. She has served as a source for multiple media concerns including CBS, The Wall Street Journal, Self, More Magazine, and Discovery Health.

Our radio show is sponsored by Zestra, essentail arousal oils, a patented blend of botannicals  clinically proven to improve arousal, desire and satisfaction in 70% of women.   Please click here to learn more about Zestra and use this code:  ZPASS5

]]> http://realwomenonhealth.com/2010/04/26/a-taboo-explored-cancer-sex-and-intimacy/feed/ 4 http://realwomenonhealth.com/2010/02/19/have-a-heart-for-diet-coke/ http://realwomenonhealth.com/2010/02/19/have-a-heart-for-diet-coke/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:16:29 +0000 admin http://realwomenonhealth.com/?p=852

Are you hooked on diet sodas, thinking you can shed a few extra pounds by avoiding sugar? I’m sure your relationship can be quite addictive and I’d love to share this with you ….just saying:))

Here’s what Marcelle Pick, NP, Co-Founder of the Women-to-Women Clinic in Yarmouth, Maine has to say about diet sodas and how they affect women. “Companies have spent billions of dollars convincing all of us that diet soda is the healthier, lighter choice — that all we have to lose is the calories, ergo the weight. And since so many of us are struggling with weight gain, who can blame us if diet soda seems like a dream come true?

And while I admit that diet soda may have its uses in the short term — particularly if you are dealing with a sugar addiction — I encourage you to resist it as your default beverage, especially if you are trying to lose weight. Different studies have been flying around on this subject, but a majority show that diet soda may actually set you up to gain even more weight.”

Now a consumer advocacy group is questioning whether Coca-Cola should be allowed to sponsor a national heart health campaign. Granted Coca-Cola has 3.38 grams of sugar per ounce and Diet Coke has zero, but much controversy and scientific evidence swirls around the health risks of Diet Coke.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has issued a letter to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute asking the agency to end its partnership with Coca-Cola in a program that raises awareness of heart disease among women. Diet Coke is the most prominent sponsor of the Heart Truth campaign, which includes heart graphics on Diet Coke cans and appearances by the model Heidi Klum as the “Diet Coke heart health ambassador.”

In a statement, the center’s executive director, Michael Jacobson, compared Coke’s corporate sponsorship with allowing a cigarette maker to fund a government anti-smoking campaign. The fact that the campaign is sponsored by Diet Coke, rather than a sugar-laden soda brand, is irrelevant, he said.

“Coca-Cola promotes heart disease by marketing drinks that contribute to obesity,” Mr. Jacobson wrote. “Coke has long sought to affiliate with or co-opt health groups and associate its brand with athletes and models. I fervently hope that N.H.L.B.I. officials understand that letting Coke bask in their agency’s good reputation does American hearts far more harm than good.”

Coca-Cola defended its participation in the Heart Truth program, saying in a statement:

We’ve used our communications and marketing expertise to reach millions of people with this important heart health message. We’ve made free heart health screenings available to thousands of people across the country. As a result of The Heart Truth campaign, awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death among women has risen to nearly 70 percent compared to 34 percent in 2000 when the campaign was first introduced. And since Diet Coke has been involved, awareness of The Heart Truth and our support of it has nearly doubled. We are extraordinarily proud of the work we’ve done in partnership with N.H.L.B.I. and Heidi Klum to have a positive impact on the lives of our consumers.

Since other food marketer, like the snack food company Snyder’s of Hanover and the Sara Lee Corporation, are co-sponsors of the campaign, we know corporate money is an essential partner in public health…but how do you balance it out with the fact that processed food is cheaper than whole food?

And, this is where the problem lies. Inside processed foods lie a cornucopia of ingredients best left outside the human body.

I recently spoke with Hillary and learned about her struggles, her triumphs and now, her determination to help others heal through personal transformation and self-empowerment.  Here is a sneak preview of her story that she will share with us live in our on-line radio show on October 8th at 7:30 pm EST.

The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis initially left Hillary feeling angry, as if she’d been “given a sentence.” But she had two choices—either to be proactive or let her illness control her life. She embraced the former.