Black Women Talk To Black Women About Heart Health
Last weekend, I had the pleasure to participate as an exhibitor in Know Thyself, Love Thyself the 2nd Annual Health Expo hosted by the Potomac Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. I must say it is one of the best events I’ve worked this year. The focus of the panel discussion was the unique ways in which heart disease presents in black women, why disparities remain in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in our population. As a health educator, it’s my job is to stay informed and up to date on these issues, so I was surprised to discover how much I learned during this event.
Jennifer Donelan a broadcast journalist from WJLA (an ABC affiliate in the metropolitan Washington, DC market) stepped to the podium as the workshop’s facilitator to speak. Soon, she became a little tearful. Having suffered a heart attack while completing her workday in September 2010, she was the subject of the video health expo participants had just viewed. For Donelan, this cautionary tale to women, especially black woman of the importance of understanding the risk factors for heart disease and recognizing the warning signs for a heart attack was personal. It was her story. One that she was eager to share with other women with the hope that they might avoid the heart attack that she had not.
TBI by the Numbers
A number of different events can result in a TBI or traumatic brain injury such as a bump, blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in this type of injury. The severity of TBI may … Continue reading
Have You Ever Talked A Jumper Down from Her Ledge?
Here’s a little background. For the past two months, Mia has been living far away from her home. She’s is staying with a former roommate and paying him rent on a weekly basis. Sadly, she made no provisions with her doctors before leaving town to have extra prescriptions so that she could refill them once she finished off the first bottle. We had been playing phone tag and this message began very casually but you can quickly see that she has fallen into a crisis by the end of her message. Mia has become more and more decompensated so that the simplest of task, such as looking up a telephone number have become overwhelming to her. She can’t remember any coping skills because she’s been without group or individual therapy for over two months (some though not all of this is through no fault of her own) and without medicine (which she only takes sporadically anyway) for nearly a month and one half. Why doesn’t Mia want to go to the hospital? In all honesty, on this day, Mia doesn’t really have the ability to make a rational decision.
Alert Day
It’s Diabetes Alert Day so use five minutes to take the Diabetes Risk Test and see where you stand. You will be getting some valuable health information. In addition, Boar’s Head is donating $5 for each test taken up to $50,000 to the American Diabetes Association.
Have You Checked Your Neck?
It’s midway through the first month of the new year and I have one powerful question for you…Where do you stand with your New Year’s Resolution(s)? Truth be told, many of us resolve at the beginning of the year to eat right, exercise and generally take better care of ourselves. Unfortunately, the challenges to truly … Continue reading
