With so many new studies, it has become exceedingly difficult to make informed decisions. This guide to common health myths will help.
Myth: You need to get a Pap smear and mammogram every year.
Fact: While the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that you see your gynecologist every year, it doesn’t recommend that you have a Pap smear during every visit.
“I have trouble winding down at night,” says Debi, 50. “Music helps, but the noise disturbs my husband.” She wakes easily when he leaves for work at 5:00 a.m.; then ironically, can’t nod off again. Peggy-Sue, 46, finds her mind working overtime, too. “I close my eyes, but nothing stops my brain from thinking,” she says.
A busy travel schedule should never be a barrier to working out and staying in shape.
Like many executive businesswomen, Bita Sistani is always on the go. Having clients and business partners located across the country and all over the world means that Sistani’s workday is hardly nine to five. The director of business development in the automotive products division at semiconductor manufacturer Micron Technology Inc. works 50 to 60 hours a week and travels once or twice a month domestically or internationally for business.
Work and finances are among the top stressors in the American Psychological Association’s annual Stress in America survey. No matter the source of your tension and hassles, we’ve got de-stressing strategies for you.
When Catherine Fisher Collins, Ph.D, enters her academic office at the State University of New York’s Empire State College for the day, she instantly calms her spirits by clicking one switch that turns on the room’s purposely soft lighting, the radio tuned to her favorite jazz station, and the electronic picture frame on her desk, which automatically cycles uplifting images of African American children. She’s an expert on the stressors that a woman of color can face—in the workplace, in social circles, at home—and the remedies. Best of all, she follows her own advice.
Women are two to three times more likely to experience depression than men, the National Alliance on Mental Illness reports. The gender gap is probably influenced by hormonal fluctuations and psychosocial factors, including the stress of multiple work and family responsibilities, sexual and physical abuse, sexual discrimination, lack of social support, and traumatic life experiences.
