4 Health Issues Every Woman Should Know About: Tips from Dr. Mehmet Oz

Posted by Claire | Thursday September 29, 2011

We all understand the value of starting healthy habits early in life - things like regular vigorous exercise, eating a balanced diet, and taking “me time”.

ChickAdvisor recently had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of the Emmy award-winning Dr. Oz Show (now in its 3rd season), about some of the other important health issues women should pay attention to now in order to support your health in later life.

Start Osteoporosis prevention now

Osteoporosis begins in your 20s, and it’s driven in large part by three factors:

1) Alcohol consumption:
Alcohol can have negative effects on your bones, and since women lack a certain enzyme in their stomachs that digests alcohol, all of the alcohol a woman drinks is released into her bloodstream (compared to about 50% that enters a man’s bloodstream because they do have the enzyme). Women should limit their alcohol consumption to 1 drink per day.

2) Vitamin D deficiency:
We’re spending more time indoors and doing a better job of using sunscreen regularly, but that actually reduces our levels of Vitamin D (because Vitamin D is produced by our skin when in contact with direct sunlight) which is necessary to help absorb calcium from our diet. Women should take a daily vitamin supplement and/or get regular, safe levels of sun exposure.

3) Smoking:
Cigarette use has obvious health risks including bone health. Quit now and seek medical support: your chances of successfully kicking the habit go up to 50% compared to just 5% without support.

Take care of your Fertility even if pregnancy is not in the plan

You may not be ready to become a mother yet, and you may be among those who never wish to be. However, 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned and by the time you realize you are pregnant, you may have already exposed your unborn child to a poor nutritious background.

As long as you are fertile and sexually active you can become pregnant, so it is important to take a prenatal vitamin daily to give any unplanned pregnancy the best possible start.

Monitor your Hormone and Thyroid levels

Many chronic ailments are driven by hormone abnormalities, so women should have their thyroids checked by their mid-30s or earlier. Emotional problems may be associated with low progesterone, and low testosterone (yes, women have testosterone!) can cause poor libido (sex drive) - to name just two.

Use Anti-Depressants wisely

Setbacks in life are a call to action to change - change your relationships, change your connections, change your job. Medicating can numb you to this pain instead of forcing you to make the necessary decisions you need to improve your life.

Talk therapy with a professional or a family member can be more therapeutic because humans rely on a social fabric to support us in times of need; our ability to form networks is what has kept our species thriving through known history, and many people don’t feel connected today.

A big thank you to Dr. Oz for taking time to answer our questions, even though the computer misspelled my name as "Carrot" in the interview transcript. On the plus side, carrots are also very very good for your health.

BONUS: Dr. Oz also shared his thoughts on fasting and diet cleanses - read his tips here.

What health advice have you recently received that was new to you? Please share your experiences in the comments!

*all information used in this post was adapted from our interview with Dr. Oz except where noted

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5 Comments

	on September 30, 2011 mamaluv STAFF said: Dr Oz said another thing that was interesting, and since I couldn't say it better myself, here it is in his own words: "Just a rule of thumb for you to keep in mind, you really should not be taken more than six pills in a day, including over-the-counters. If you are, the chance of a drug interaction is 50%. And if a doctor offers you a new medication, you need to squeeze them about how to get off another one that you're already on."
	on September 30, 2011 Ali de Bold STAFF said: Great article, Carrot! There are some great points here. I especially like the part about anti-depressants. I think that could be applied to any medication. We are so quick to take meds rather than deal with the source of the problem or take the time off necessary to heal. It's a big pet peeve of mine when cold medication commercials suggest that instead of recuperating in bed you should take their pills and then head out into public. Bad for you, bad for everyone else.
	on September 30, 2011 mamaluv STAFF said: I keep forgetting about the osteoporosis thing and the thyroid is something I had never thought about. Makes total sense though! My friend had some problems that were finally diagnosed as thyroid-based, and once she was on therapy for that it made all the difference in the world.
	on September 30, 2011 takoda 28,648 said: I had my first bone scan done when I was 35 and was in shock when my Dr told me my results. She called me back to her office, sat me down and looked me straight in the eye's, then said," I'm so sorry but you have the bone of an 80 to 90 year old woman. If you fall you will brake your hip, end up in the hospital and probably die. I was stunned! I tried to defend myself by telling her that I drink lots of milk and eat lots of dairy, so I don't understand how my bones got this way. She told me that she thought it could be the seizure meds that I take, but that was about all she said. She put me on some pills to help my bones at least stay where they were and hopefully not get any worse. I've had to have my bones scanned every other year since that day and thankfully they haven't gotten worse, but they haven't gotten any better. So do what the Dr says and don't think because your not old that this can't happen to you because it can no matter what age you are!! Thanks for posting this Alex!!
	on September 29, 2011 AlexJC 50 said: I thought this was such an interesting and informative piece! Very true and smart advice about anti-depressants and osteoporosis especially!