"IdeasForWomen" via Trisha in Google Reader

Arkansas Latest Attack Against Women

2013-04-10T12:18:39Z

Yesterday, the Arkansas state senate passed a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood. If you think this is just about abortion, you should think again.

Planned Parenthood offers essential services to the women of Arkansas. Already, only 40% of all the counties in the state even have an OB/GYN, the closing of Planned Parenthood would diminish that even further. Consider- to actually see a doctor who specializes in women’s medicine, patients in Arkansas may have no alternative but to leave the state.

Furthermore, Planned Parenthood is the only organization that provides comprehensive sex education in Arkansas high schools. The curriculum focuses on abstinence, but also provides information about pregnancy, HIV, and other STIs. Without Planned Parenthood providing the curriculum and the tools, most high schools will simply stop teaching the subject.

In defunding Planned Parenthood, Arkansas adds more insult to injury to women who would choose to end a pregnancy. After their recent anti-abortion bill, which bans abortions starting at 12 weeks, the closure of Planned Parenthood may effectively end access to care within the incredibly short timeline left to those women. It is a clear violation of their constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy.

Write to the state representatives in Arkansas. Write to the governor. Do not let this stand.

What is Your School Serving for Lunch?

2013-04-10T02:28:12Z

Mothers beware, school menus are changing. And that can be a good thing but it also has consequences for your kiddos.

School menus have to have a required amount of protein, fat, carbohydrate, and dairy… a good thing to be sure. And schools are working hard to manage the new government regulations on nutrition into a financially and physically manageable lunch for your kids. But the reality is that your child may not be used to the strict menu changes that are being made and may not like the foods your school is now serving .

The balance becomes what is healthy for your child, what is reasonable for your school to afford to provide while following regulations, and what your child will actually eat. The unforeseen consequence and one that is overlooked is that your child may actually go away from the cafeteria hungry. That leads to being less attentive in class and more focused on tummy complaints. Here is what you can do to make sure your child is getting enough to eat during the school day.

1. Check with your school about new food regulations and what that means to menu changes for your child’s hot lunch. For many schools it has meant dropping cheese sauce over the vegetables, no fried foods, and no desserts. That can be a good thing but for example if your child won’t eat veggies without sauce then it goes without saying those well intended veggies wind up in the garbage and your kiddo goes hungry.

2. Go over the menu with your child and ask your child what items they like and more importantly what items will they eat.

3. Make cold lunches for your child on the days the menu may include items you child won’t eat.

The intent for all schools is to provide a healthy nutritious lunch for your child and that is an awesome responsibility. But it is also important for those foods to actually be eaten and for your child to not feel hungry the rest of the day. As the mom, make sure you know what is really going on with your child for lunch. You can work to provide additional nutrition when a school lunch may not make the grade because your child’s health matters.

Equal Pay Day

2013-04-09T12:36:59Z

Today is Equal Pay Day, when the average American woman’s earnings catch up with the average American man’s for the last year.

It took from January 1, 2012 until today- April 9, 2013- for women to earn the same amount that men earned in 2012 alone. That’s more than a full three months of pay that women are being denied annually, simply because of their gender.

There are so many laws and corporate rules and social taboos that continue this problem. It’s against many company’s policies to discuss your salary with your coworkers and it’s considered rude to ask friends about their financial situations, so how can a woman learn what she SHOULD be earning, opposed to what she takes home?

We need real equal pay laws. Laws with teeth, with criminal penalties for companies that discriminate against women. We need to treat women with dignity and respect, not because any other person is in charge of caring for them, but because we are human beings.

Women, imagine that right now, every cent you’d earned in 2013 had been given to you when you earned it, last year. A full quarter of your income, denied to you. This is what is happening.

Write to the president. To your congressmen. Get angry. It’s Equal Pay Day, and it’s time somebody paid.

Spring is Here

2013-04-09T02:18:07Z

Spring is here and that means no more excuses for not getting outside and moving around. Here are some ways you can begin moving more and also some considerations before exercising.

1. Begin slowly and increase your movement and exercise routine every few days as you tolerate it. Don’t over due in those first few days of getting outside and moving but rather walk or exercise for short intervals for several days and then increase both time and distance as your endurance improves.

2. Wear proper clothing and especially shoes. Shoes give you support for spine and back health regardless of the types of exercises you choose. Walking , running, Zumba, or strengthening exercises all require that you have a supportive shoes for the process to protect your ankles, spine, and neck. Spring is a great time to pick up a new pair of shoes for the exercise routine you have chosen.

3. Watch your diet. Increase water intake as you increase your exercise routine. Manage your overall diet and nutrition for healthier meals and snacks to support your increase in need for calories. Make those calories more nutritious to make managing your weight a positive result of the increase in exercise.

Spring is a great time to get outside and get moving. Developing an exercise routine and following it through the warmer months makes it a habit by the time winter rolls around again and it can improve your overall health and well being. Remember your health matters.

What about Wood Alcohol Sounds Good to You?

2013-04-08T17:15:49Z

Women in all stages of life worry about their weight. In fact, more diet soda is consumed by women than men because for some reason we feel we are contributing to our health and our weight loss by drinking diet soda rather than a sugary soda. So today I ask you, what about wood alcohol sounds good to you?

Aspartame is one of the ingredients of many popular diet sodas and drinks. But research shows that Aspartame actually turns into a substance in the blood stream similar to wood alcohol. Now not being a chemist, I can’t say for sure but that doesn’t sound healthy. Also not being part of the clinical studies or the politics of why a product that can actually be harmful is still being mass produced, I have to wave to the side of caution and say that women may want to consider the cost to your health in drinking these diet beverages.

At the very least here are some facts. Diet sodas have been linked to weight gain rather than weight loss. It might be an emotional mental issue for us females because we think by drinking a diet soda we then can have a cookie. I am not sure but eating is clearly linked to our minds and our emotions. Diet sodas do contain Aspartame and by doing some quick research, it does appear that Aspartame is on the list of ingredients that can lead to cancer, weight gain, joint pain, and general malaise. Again, doesn’t sound healthy to me.

So here is how you can decide for yourself about diet soda and ingesting anything with Aspartame. Do you research. Find out the facts for yourself and then discuss them with your physician. Look for alternative diet beverages without Aspartame. Drink water.

There are a number of things you can actively do to help your health. If you need a diet soda, drink them in moderation and follow the advice of your health care provider because your health matters.

Compulsory Gun Ownership

2013-04-08T13:41:15Z

Republicans like to rail against big government. They’ll tell you that regulations are bad, because they don’t need anyone telling them their food is safe. They’ll tell you Obamacare is bad, because it dictates that people must buy health insurance. And then they’ll turn around, and force you to go out and buy a gun.

That’s right, in the Atlantan suburb of Nelson, Georgia, gun ownership is now compulsory.

The “Family Protection Ordinance” passed last week, and requires every head of household to purchase a gun and ammunition.

The fact that ammunition is also compulsory should show you that they expected all manner of peaceful protest to this kind of law.

What is most striking is the loopholes written into the bill to get you out of your compulsory gun ownership. If you’re a convicted felon, or have a history of mental illness.

That should sound familiar. Those same people who aren’t forced to buy guns are the same people that the majority of the public would prefer didn’t have access to guns in the first place. The same people who’s ability to purchase guns ought to be regulated.

So, gun control is bad, but forcing people (except the people who gun control is aimed at) to buy guns is good.

Glad we’ve got that cleared up.

In Georgia High School, Prom is Still “Whites Only”

2013-04-05T12:27:24Z

In Wilcox Country High School, racial integration isn’t exactly new. But one thing is- a mixed race Prom. The school always hosts two Proms and two Homecoming dances- one for whites, and one for “integrated” students. How “whites only” is it? Last year, a mixed race student was actually ejected from the dance- for not being white.

For the first time, this year the students elected only one Prom king and queen, versus the “white” and “integrated” king and queen of years past. The king is white, and the queen is black. Yet, she is still banned from the “whites only” Prom.

Many of the students have worked to end this segregation, but the school is utterly uncooperative. That’s because the Proms are not sponsored by the school- they are entirely paid for by donations from parents and students. Therefore, the students who wish to end this so-called tradition have taken matters into their own hands. They picked a day, and began raising money to put on their own Prom for everybody themselves.

Still, students in the school tear down their fundraising posters, and many of the parents are vehemently resistant.

Next time somebody tells you that racism is dead, tell them this story.

This is What the End of the United States Looks Like

2013-04-04T12:25:23Z

Two hundred thirty two years ago, the United States fought a war for independence. Thousands of lives were lost, but our freedom was won. During this time, the founding fathers drafted our Constitution, and immediately began amending it to ensure that the freedoms for which Americans had fought and died would be protected. The very first amendment to the United States Constitution begins, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” That’s the very first clause of the very fist amendment. It is essential to the protection of civil liberties, and has been for over two hundred years.

North Carolina is ready to abandon this document. Two GOP lawmakers have brought forward a bill that allows the state to establish a state religion (presumably, their brand of Christianity). This bill is already backed by nine other Republicans, including the State House majority leader.

This is anathema to the American way of life, to every freedom that the United States has stood for since the Revolutionary War began.

North Carolina isn’t alone. Mississippi is trying to pass a law to allow them to nullify federal laws- presumably to the same effect. In order to enact their own theocratic ideals, rather than democratic ones.

Democracy means living in peace with people who might not agree with you. Not making their differing beliefs illegal, or legally inferior.

It this law passes, we may look back at it as the day America’s decline to dust began.

What Age Do You Begin Teaching Daughters the Facts of Life?

2013-04-05T01:33:18Z

What age do you feel is important to begin teaching your daughter about the facts of life? I don’t mean all the facts but those that center around menstrual periods and hormones and how do you recognize the signs of impending menstruation?

Here are the some of the signs that your daughter is maturing. Girls as young as 9 can begin showing signs of hormonal changes. Those can be witnessed as crying episodes, over exaggeration when feelings are hurt, or moodiness for no apparent reason. These emotional outbursts can begin several months or years before the actual period starts but most mom’s can tell there is an increase in emotions initially.

Next comes skin break outs, complaints of pelvic pain, and constipation. These symptoms can begin as the uterus and ovaries are beginning to prepare for menstruation.

Finally, young girls will notice a discharge usually brownish in color. This can occur several times and may or may not be regular and the development of breast tissue.

All of the above signs and symptoms may encourage you to begin thinking about discussing menstruation. Only you can be the judge of the emotional and cognitive level your daughter and her readiness for these discussions. If you have any questions, now would be the time to grab a book on the subject and to discuss any symptoms that your daughter may be experiencing with your physician.

Being the mother of a girl brings with it many responsibilities and helping her to understand her body and her health matters. Knowing when to begin this education can be a tricky matter and being adequately prepared will make the process a success because your daughters health matters.

Do You Practice Foot Hygiene?

2013-04-04T01:18:01Z

Foot hygiene is an often misunderstood and over-looked part of your health routine. Foot odor may actually be considered normal. Can foot odor be an important aspect of your health?

The answer is Yes, foot hygiene matters to not only your self esteem and confidence but also to your health. Foot odor can mean much more than the need to change your socks.

Foot hygiene also mean much more than standing in the shower and letting soapy water run over the tops of your feet. How much effort do you put into clean feet?

Foot hygiene starts with, you guessed it…. clean feet. Washing your feet requires a rag, soap, and water. Don’t simply stand in shower water or soak in a tub and think that is making your feet clean. Deliberately washing between your toes is the most essential part of foot health and helps to remove sweat and bacteria that may cause foot odor.

Foot soaks are fun and can also aide in foot hygiene. Soaking helps to soften the nails and allows for proper nail care including trimming and shaping the toenails but don’t let an occasional foot soak or pedicure take the place of scrubbing between those toes on a daily basis. Foot hygiene becomes especially important in the summer months when feet are exposed to the sand, dirt, and grass encountered when walking barefoot or in sandals.

Foot hygiene matters to your health, so how do you take care of your feet?

Discriminating Against the HIV+ in Kansas

2013-04-03T13:11:20Z

Kansas lawmakers look likely to pass a new bill regarding the treatment of patients with HIV. I don’t mean their medical treatment- I mean their human rights. This bill would allow for their indefinite “quarantine.”

Originally, the bill was intended to protect first responders who might be exposed to HIV. Now, that’s all well and good, but in committee, the bill was modified. Now it can be interpreted to mean that any person with HIV or AIDS could be removed from the public.

This is a severe infraction of the civil rights of any person. Most likely, these Kansas lawmakers don’t understand how HIV is spread. They seem frightened that proximity to HIV positive people is enough to spread the infection.

Our lawmakers need to be educated about issues before they begin writing laws about them. But regardless of the correctness of the science involved, writing laws that strip American citizens of their rights and liberties is always unacceptable. There is never a time when it is okay.

People of Kansas, write to your legislators. Don’t let them do this.

Midweek Health Quiz

2013-04-03T00:59:30Z

It is midweek already, can you believe it. Here is your health quiz for today.

Is it better to exercise fast and furious or slow and gradual to get healthy?

The answer to this is two fold. Fast and furious doesn’t work if you are out of shape and give up after the first 10 minutes. If you have not been exercising it is best to start small and work your way up to a pace that you can tolerate and maintain for 30 minutes. Once you can exercise for 30 minutes, then it is time to challenge yourself and work fast and furious two or three times a week to improve your health.

If you are just getting back into exercising, starting slow and increasing your tolerance slowly will help you to keep at it and be more successful. Once you keep up with a three times a week routine then you can challenge yourself to more fast and furious exercises and routines.

When you have established an exercise routine yet time is still a struggle, you will benefit more from 30 minutes of fast and furious exercise than trying to squeeze in several exercise times during your already busy schedule.

The most important thing to remember is to just do it. Slow or fast, 15 minute intervals or 30 minute intervals, morning or night…. doesn’t really matter. What matters is to keep moving. Keep pushing yourself to do more by increasing the repetition of an exercise or the amount of time you exercise. By doing that you are improving your cardiac health and your overall physical well being.

Oil Spill in Arkansas

2013-04-02T14:03:24Z

There has been a rupture in the Tar Sands pipeline.

Thousands of barrels of crude oil has forced people from their homes surrounding Little Rock, Arkansas.

This is why there has been so much concern over the Keystone XL pipeline. This is the hazard of of pumping crude oil underground over hundreds and thousands of miles. These are real concerns.

Is it worth it to continue using a resource that we know is limited, that we know is hazardous to our environment, that we know is bad for life- both human and animal?

The conservatives in favor of these pipelines claim they’ll create jobs. But those jobs involve cleaning the wasted oil out of the back yards of unsuspecting Americans, are those jobs we really want to have?

Making April Your Time for Better Health

2013-04-02T04:49:34Z

There is no better time to make changes to better health than now, and April is a fresh start for those who take health serious. It is the beginning of a new quarter, a new month, and it can be the beginning of a new start to health.

Here is your first assignment for better health. Make a list of 4 things that you want to change about your health. Make sure that it is something that you can actually control, for instance you cannot change your age, your family history, or your race. But you can change your weight, your lifestyle, and your diet.

Here is one idea that is spreading like wild fire and it is so simple. Enjoy a warm cup of lemon water every morning.

Lemon water is good for your immune system. It boosts metabolism and it helps regulate bacteria in the intestines. The best action of lemon water is it’s ability to suppress the appetite and making you less hungry. It can be sweetened with honey or natural low calorie sweetener and it is as refreshing as a cup of tea.

Keep lemons in your fridge, place one or two slices in a cup of heated water, and enjoy every morning. Do this for the next week or until it becomes a habit and part of your morning routine.

If you have a food journal consider recording how your appetite has changed with the addition of lemon water. If you don’t journal, consider starting one beginning with the four changes you want to make to your health. This one change can be your first action because your health matters.

Lifestyle Doesn’t Matter to Your Health…April Fools

2013-04-02T00:49:28Z

April fools… Lifestyle does matter to your health. And for me, I am having a stressful April 1 making me even more aware of what needs to be done to be healthy. Here are my tips for starting small to get healthy.

1. Decrease the caffeine. This is one of the most difficult things next to stopping a smoking habit that women face. Decreasing caffeine will give you more energy and less joint pain but only after you have detoxed from too much. While detoxing you will experience sluggishness and headaches to say the least. To aide in these symptoms, decrease your caffeine slowly taking your intake down a glass or two the first day, more the next day, and so on until you are caffeine free.

2. Drink more water. Hydration is the number one aspect of getting on the right track with your health. Your skin will improve, your overall oral health and physical health will show signs of improving, and your joints should show signs of feeling less stiff and sore. But it does take time.

3. Develop discipline with eating and exercise. These two activities can be the contributing factors to many ailments so it is imperative to include diet and exercise into a plan for better health.

Let’s make April the month for women to take action. The first quarter of the year is past, and time is still left to get on track to feeling better. I challenge you to make small steps every week towards a healthier lifestyle because your health matters.

Why the Indian Novartis Case Matters

2013-04-01T14:02:44Z

The Indian courts have ruled against an international pharmaceutical company, Novartis, allowing local companies to produce its anti-cancer drug without paying liabilities. So why does this matter here, in the United States?

There have long been debates about whether or not medicine should be a for-profit institution. If the purpose of medicine is to help people, how is it beneficial to force sick people to bid for the access to health? This is a real problem even here, where we take freedom from diseases like polio and tuberculosis for granted. More than half of all bankruptcies in the US are caused by medical bills. Many patients, upon learning they have cancer, have no choice. Die, or forfeit all you own.

Even among medical researchers, the debate rages.

This Novartis case is important because the courts chose the right to access to healthcare over the right to maintain control of intellectual property. They have said that when lives are at stake, profits are irrelevant.

Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?

If you are on the side of human life, it is an unequivocal good. On the side of free markets, it is a disaster.

Let’s hope this debate reaches our own shores with real-world consequences soon. It’s a debate that the millions of Americans in health-related bankruptcy would love to take part in.

Be The Change Friday: Easter and the Earth

2013-03-29T15:26:58Z

This Sunday is Easter, and many families in America will be out with their children, hunting eggs and sharing baskets of treats.

This year, consider setting aside plastic grass, and instead using a renewable resource. You can shred old paper and recycle it afterwords, or you can use veggie straws for a healthier, edible grass.

Consider saving your plastic eggs for next year, rather than add them to our ever growing landfills.

Holidays are about family, and giving, and love. But that should not blind us to the dangers of wastefulness.

Additionally, you can put earth-friendly treats into Easter baskets. Flower growing kits, herb gardens, seeds… these all encourage a custodianship of the earth, as well as reminding us of the joy of spring.

This Easter, be kind to the earth as well as each other.

The Supreme Court and DOMA

2013-03-28T13:15:15Z

While things might not have looked particularly good OR bad at the Prop 8 hearings, there were definite changes in the overall tone by the time the DOMA hearing rolled along.

As expected, the four conservative justices (Scalia, Roberts, Thomas, and Alito) have made their position on marriage equality clear. Justice Scalia once famously compared gay people to murderers, and even supported throwing them in jail.

Also as expected, the four more reasonable judges (Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan) are on the side of equal rights for all Americans. Sotomayor has made her position on anti-gay discrimination very clear over the day’s proceedings- she finds it appalling.

Which leaves only the swing voter- Justice Anthony Kennedy.

His votes have been sometimes confusing. While he tends to side more often with the conservative judges, he has been known to take unexpected swings center left. And most importantly, he has a history as an advocate for equal rights for LGBT Americans.

He made it clear yesterday that his greatest concern regarding DOMA was that it overrides the individual states’ ability to make their own laws in this regard, and he seems to find that unconstitutional.

Hopefully, come June or July, we’ll know how he really feels. And we will be one major step closer to recognizing the rights of every American.

Sunscreen and Skin Care

2013-03-28T04:10:22Z

Many times spring break involves being outside. Whether it is skiing in a cold environment or laying on the beach in a warm environment most outside activities involve being in the sun. Is sun screen important during other times of the year other than summer? The answer is of course YES.

The sun gives off UV rays no matter what time of the year it shines. Even though it may be further from the earth the rays can still cause sun damage and burn the skin. Sunscreen is essential in preventing burns and aging. You may choose different levels of protection but it certainly is an important part of skin care.

If you have little children at the beach or youngsters on the ski slopes, using a higher level of protection is recommended. Children burn easily and need the best protection you can offer to prevent severe sun burns and blistering.

Women who are longing to look tan and healthy need to start with a high level of protection for the first day in the sun but can decrease the level of protection as they tan. The lowest level of protection which is usually less than 10 can be used for maintenance to help keep the golden glow but prevent the leathery look of aging caused by over exposure to the sun.

Whatever your outside activities this spring break, keep skin care in mind when you are packing for your trip especially with the kiddos. They deserve the best sunscreen available for their protection and your skin is important to. It can be a matter of your health and your healthy glow.

The Supreme Court and Prop 8

2013-03-27T14:21:15Z

Today is the second day in the Supreme Court’s marriage equality week.

Yesterday, they heard arguments regarding California’s notorious Prop 8. As expected, opponents of marriage equality tossed in the same old arguments. As expected, several of the justices shot them down.

The argument that marriage is essentially procreative? Then we should ban marriage for infertile couples, and for those past menopause as well.

justice Sotomayor went even farther- asking if a ban against gays marrying could be interpreted as an excuse to deny them other basic rights. Like equal pay, protection against job discrimination, or protection against laws that describe homosexuality itself a crime.

Today should be another interesting day at the Supreme Court, as the court takes up the DOMA laws that deny federal benefits to same-sex couples.