GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Congratulations to Stephanie G. of Baltimore, MD whose winning response to our giveaway question earns her a free autographed copy of Letters to My Sisters!  See Stephanie's response below and a couple honorable mentions!  Thanks Ladies! Enjoy, Stephanie!

Letters to My Sisters: Plain Truths and Straightforward Advice from a Gynecologist
by Ngozi Osuagwu, MD, FACOG

Recently named a finalist for the 2007 Benjamin Franklin Awards, Letters to My Sisters offers candid yet caring straightalk to women of all ages on key health concerns across a wide range of timely topics like uterine fibroids, gastric bypass, depression, endometriosis, sexually transmitted diseases, osteoporosis, hormone replacement therapy, hypertension, and many others.

Composed in a creative, conversational format, Dr. Osuagwu's book is required reading for every woman of color and every woman for that matter who wants no-frills answers to the most common and pressing health challenges and concerns facing women today.

A SAMPLE LETTER FROM LETTERS TO MY SISTER

(from www.letterstomysisters.com/sample.htm )

 

Dear Annette:

I am glad that you finally made appointment for a well-woman exam. This exam reminds me of the yearly tune up for your car. This is the exam where the doctor makes sure everything is working well. The doctor will also make sure you are up to date with your screening tests. Since this exam is scheduled for a certain amount of time, you can get the most out of the time by being prepared.

The first question that you will be asked is for the first day of your last menstrual period or LMP. The doctor’s office should not be the time to try and figure out this date. By having this date ready, you can save about 2 minutes. That is 2 minutes that you can talk with the physician about prevention of certain diseases. If your LMP was over a month ago and you are younger than 55 years old, the first thought is whether you are pregnant. If there is a reason why your period was over a month ago, be prepared to tell the assistant, who would probably be the one asking you the initial questions.

The next question is about the medications that you are taking. This includes the medications prescribed by your physician and the ones that you have decided to take on your own. We need you to be honest. If you are borrowing a friend’s medication (this is truly a “no-no”), please tell us. All over-the- counter medications, those medications that you can get from the drug store without a prescription is important. We also want to know about the natural products. Telling the physician that the pill I take is white in color does not help. A good idea would be to bring in all the medications in a plastic bag or brown paper bag to the office. This will allow us to go through your medications and make sure you are taking them correctly.

The next thing is know your allergies. Some people are allergic to different types of medications or foods. It is important to know what drugs you are allergic and your reactions. Along with your physicians knowing this information, your pharmacist should know. 

If something has changed since the last visit to the doctor, please tell the physician. If you have had surgery or you have been diagnosed with a new illness, please inform the physician. You will be asked the date and what has happened since the surgery or diagnoses. If you are seeing the physician for the first time, you might want to write down all the surgeries you have and the year in which it occurred. You also want to write down all of your medical problems. It is a good idea to make a copy and give to your physicians.

Last but not least, know your family history. The doctor’s office is not a time to think about what type of cancer Aunt Molly had. If cancer runs in the family, we want to know what type of cancer. If someone died of a heart attack, what age did they die? We are interested in your Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents. 

If you come prepared to the doctor’s office, you can almost save 10 minutes. Those 10 minutes can be spent discussing ways that you can keep healthy. To summarize you must:

• Know the last day of your menstrual period
• Bring a list of medicines you are currently taking
• Know what allergies you have and your reaction
• List down your complaints (all of them may not be dealt with in one visit)
• Understand the reason for your visit to the doctor
• Understand what the doctor did for you during your visit
• If you had any tests performed, get a sense of when you will get the results.

I hope this helps you next time when you visit me or any other doctor. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Sincerely,

Ngozi Osuagwu, MD, FACOG, RYT

GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Congratulations to Stephanie G. of Baltimore, MD whose winning response to our giveaway question earns her a free autographed copy of Letters to My Sisters!

What we asked: From your personal perspective, what are the three most pressing health issues facing Black women and girls today and what solutions do you propose for each?

What Stephanie said: From my perspective the three most pressing health issues for women and young girls are somewhat different but the same.

 
One of our pressing issues is gynecological.  I have encountered so many women who are faced with cervical cancer and precancerous cells from early experiences with sexual intercourse and teenage pregnancy. While there are lots of parents opposing the vaccine for HPV, the increase in cervical cancer and ovarian cancer amongst young African American women is astounding. Education is power and we need to be informed and then treated.
 
The other issue that is a pressing health concern for both women and young women in diabetes. Childhood obesity in a contributing factor in the rise of daibetes in our community. We as women often think of health and wellness as joining a gym or working out. But basic attention given to diet and exercise can decrease the affects of this disease. We must focus on being whole, mind, body and spirit. A daily regimen of fruits, vegetables, natural juices, proteins and the right amount of carbs can combat diabetes. It's the silent killer because we just don't make time to see the signs.
 
The final health issue that I see is heart disease. This is plaguing women moreso after the age of 55, and those who are menopausal. Due to the decrease of estrogen after menopause women are prone to develop heart disease, heart attack and congestive heart failure.  Diet and exercise definitely can play a preventive role in eliminating heart disease.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Andrea Clanton of Richmond, VA said: I believe the three most pressing health issues facing black women and young girls today are multifaceted: they involve the mental, sexual and physical health of a woman.  

Mental- What do I want? Sure, a very simple question but I believe that it is a very hard question for young girls and women to answer. We are so mindful of how we are accepted by others that it can be very hard for one to answer truthfully.

Solution: Mentorship along with some "me time". We need to find that one person who pulls the talents and gifts out of us and encourages us to be ourselves and to follow our own dreams. Whether it be a teacher, family member or even a pastor - we must seek those people out; and then spend quality time discovering oour uniqueness.  

Physical - How do you see yourself? Am I pretty enough? Should I lose some weight?  If I sleep with him will he stay?  Too often society forms our view of the world around us.

Solution: Strong positive role models along with the knowledge that God makes no mistakes. He creates us in His own image and totally accepts us, just as we are. We must ensure that we eat properly and visit the doctor regularly to maintain the quality of the building he loaned to us.  

Sexual/Emotional - Ah, yes - this is the big one. Much of our lives are entwined around the opposite sex. Will he still love me if I wait? Should I do what he asks me even if i don't want to? Should I ask him to put on a condom? The divorce rate is steadily climbing. But why? Because we make decisions based on our emotions. Oh, he may be good in bed, but the brother has a terrible anger problem. But what do we do? We stay with him, hoping he will change. So we sleep with him and continue the generational dysfunction by struggling to raise his emotionally disturbed children.

Solution: Work on the first two areas. Once you are secure of what you want and who you are you won't feel the pressure to make short-term decisions that you will pay for the rest of your life.  

Deirdra M. said: The three health issues that I feel is important are:

1. Cancer-women need to visit their GYN doctor as well as their primary doctor at least once a year. The earlier detection the better.

2. Obesity-the more weight we carry the more health issues we will have. Reduce the weight and reduce the risks.

3. STD's for our young girls. Girls are having sex too early not being informed of risk that can affect the rest of their lives. We need to inform our young girls of the risk starting at an early age.

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