women's health

U.S. researchers and Chinese researchers say rat studies show losing estrogen can lead to diminished brain function. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found areas of the brain -- such as CA3 -- that tend to be stroke resistant and important in learning and memory, became vulnerable to stroke in rats that went without estrogen for long periods. It appears estrogen helps Read more...

EDMONTON -- The gender difference between men and women is a lot smaller than we've been led to believe when it comes to heart attack symptoms, according to a new study presented to the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. "Both the media and some patient educational materials frequently suggest that Read more...

Eleven percent of the U.S. population reports not getting enough sleep, with women sleeping less than men, health officials said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report released Thursday said an estimated 50 million to 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep and wakefulness disorders. The report said 11.1 percent reported not getting Read more...

Diabetes increases the likelihood that women will develop an abnormal heart rhythm that can lead to stroke or heart failure, according to a Portland-based Kaiser Permanente researcher. Diabetes increases the likelihood that women will develop atrial fibrillation by 26 percent, said Greg Nichols, lead author of a study published in the October issue of Diabetes Care. Nichols is an Read more...

Researchers have a new remedy for women who want to stave off heart disease: Take a dose of optimism. More specifically, a new study of more than 97,000 post-menopausal women found that those with positive attitudes had a lower risk of developing heart disease than their pessimistic counterparts. Their risk of developing heart disease was 9 percent lower, and the risk of dying from any Read more...

U.S. scientists suggest estrogens affect the body's dopamine transporter, thereby explaining women's susceptibility to some neurological diseases. Researchers said Parkinson's, Tourette's and Alzheimer's diseases, along with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia are all associated with alterations in dopamine-driven function involving the dopamine transporter. Rebecca Read more...

Menopause is so out of the closet, women discuss hot flashes and mood swings over five o’clock cocktails with nary a blush. But as a new survey shows, some menopausal symptoms still remain taboo. Nearly 25 percent of the menopausal and postmenopausal women questioned by researchers as part of an initiative known as REVEAL (REvealing Vaginal Effects At mid-Life) admitted to experiencing Read more...

Routine tests like pap smears and mammograms are important, but don't rely on tests alone to protect you from cancer. It's just as important to listen to your body and notice anything that's different, odd, or unexplainable. You don't want to join the ranks of cancer patients who realize too late that symptoms they'd noticed for a long time could have sounded the alarm earlier, when cancer was Read more...

In Chinese Culture, a woman's midlife transition is known as her Second Spring. That's also the title of a new book -- "Second Spring: Hundreds of Natural Secrets for Women to Revitalize and Regenerate at Any Age" (Free Press, $17.99). It's authored by Dr. Maoshing Ni, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine who co-founded the Tao of Wellness Chinese Medicine Center in southern Read more...