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(HealthNewsDigest.com).. Washington, D.C. -- Hollywood stars often seem larger than life. From the exciting, glamorous and sometimes invincible roles they play on screen, it is easy to forget that they are not immune to the diseases and medical conditions that affect us all.
A new book for consumers, The Savvy Woman Patient: How and Why Sex Differences Affect Your Health, shows just how vulnerable we all are to health problems and uses several celebrity stories for illustration. From patients failing to recognize symptoms to misdiagnoses by doctors, many diseases and conditions go without proper treatment, sometimes with tragic consequences.
It took forever more than two years and eight doctors, actress Fran Drescher said in the book, before her ovarian cancer was properly diagnosed. The cancer had advanced so far that she had to have a radical hysterectomy. The former star of the television series The Nanny is healthy now, but the possibility of ever conceiving children was lost to her, something that might have been prevented with a more timely diagnosis.
Actress Kellie Martin, former star of television hits ER, Christy, and Life Goes On, describes the tragic case of her sister in the book. It seemed like she was sent home, Martin said, because no one knew how to help. Martins sister Heather was eventually diagnosed with lupus, a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that can attack almost any organ or organ system of the body. Heather died at age 19. Her diagnosis came too late to take advantage of treatments that can mitigate the effects of lupus. The disease had simply done too much damage to her body.
Not all cases are as dramatic as Dreschers or Martins. Your health can sometimes deteriorate slowly without any noticeable symptoms, as was the case with actress Cheryl Ladd, who discovered she had osteoporosis. Imagine my surprise, Ladd said, when the results came in that I had already experienced early menopausal bone loss in my left hip.
Ladd, perhaps best know for her work on the original television series Charlies Angels, thought her physically fit, active lifestyle protected her from osteoporosis. At the time, she was unaware that estrogen loss from menopause put her at heightened risk for the disease. Her experience is a testament to the importance of learning more about your health and asking doctors the right questions.
The book provides women with the latest information they need to know about how their health differs from men, Phyllis Greenberger, the books editor and president of the Society for Womens Health Research, said. It will help them communicate better with their health care providers, arming them with the questions they need to ask to ensure that they receive the best and most complete care.
The book is based on a simple but often overlooked premise in health care: women and men are different. Researchers, doctors and other health care providers have not always recognized how differences between women and men affect health. As a result, women sometimes receive inappropriate medical care.
Researched and edited by the Society and based on its 15 years as a research advocacy organization, the book includes contributions from a team of more than 40 internationally recognized medical practitioners and health experts, as well as personal health stories by 10 women. In addition to Drescher, Martin and Ladd, the book features contributions from Olympic speed skater Bonnie Blair and Congresswoman Julia Carson of Indiana.
These personal stories put a human face on some very difficult diseases and conditions, Greenberger said. They send a clear message that health problems can strike any of us. At the same time, these stories demonstrate that in most cases you can take steps to reduce the threat of disease and treat it effectively when it occurs.
In addition to special sections on the safe use of medication, nutrition, family histories, and the screening tests you need throughout life, the book covers addiction; asthma and other lung problems; autoimmune diseases; bone health; brain and degenerative diseases; cancer; cardiovascular disease; diabetes; digestive disorders; eating disorders; eye health; kidney, bladder, and urinary tract health; menopause; mental health; oral health; pain; sleep; and sexually transmitted diseases.
The book is now available in stores and can also be ordered through the Societys Web site, www.womenshealthresearch.org. Phone orders can be placed through the publisher, Capital Books, at 1-800-758-3756.
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