Your Health: Head and Skin

There are so many different amazing parts to women's bodies.  Every system within your body works independently and dependently at the same time, and you want to achieve as harmonious a balance as possible in order to ensure the best health you can have.

HEAD: PHYSICAL AND MENTAL

You need to pay attention to your stress level.  Stress can take a mere cold and turn it into something that knocks you out of commission for weeks.  Women have a real tendency to lead lives riddled with stress, either by choice or out of necessity.  The important thing is to know your threshold and not allow your stress level to get so high as to become detrimental to your health.

Know when to seek help with mental issues.  Your brain has more of an effect on your physical self than you may realize.  Some patients with depression do not even realize they have depression until the aches, pain, and fatigue associated with depression lead them to seek medical care and the doctor realizes the root problem is depression.  Since your mind and body are so intricately tied together, you need to make sure that you pay attention to your mental health and seek help if you need it. You might be incredibly fit physically, but if your mental health is bad then you cannot truly make the claim of being healthy overall.  This is why it is so incredibly important to think of your mind and body as one system that works best when everything is functioning normally.

Headaches can be a sign of something bigger.  Most women get headaches occasionally, especially during their monthly cycles.  If you find that you are constantly barraged with headaches then you should go talk to your doctor.  There are medications that can help you manage the pain, even if you experience migraines.  The main reason why you should talk to your doctor about constant headaches, however, is because the doctor should get to the root cause of the headaches in order to rule out a bigger problem.  Although it is true that certain types of headaches can be signs of something serious, it is more than likely that your headaches are caused by stress or hormonal fluctuations and are nothing to be worried about.

YOUR SKIN

Tanning? Don't even think about it.  It doesn't matter if you are tanning outside while slathered up with oil, or if you are heading to the tanning booths at your local salon…tanning just isn't a good idea.  Yes, plenty of women feel much more attractive with a tan because it's relatively fashionable and can also hide certain imperfections, such as cellulite.  When you examine the overall effect of tanning, however, it becomes blatantly obvious that you're doing much more harm than good. 

Essentially, tanning is when you burn your skin enough to change the color.  It can be loosely compared to the change in color of poultry you might notice when cooking…it starts out a pinkish color and then quickly turns brown the hotter it gets.  Is this what you want to do to your skin? Tanning booth owners will often sing the merits of indoor tanning as a way to get essential vitamins into your body, but what you need to remember is that you can get Vitamin D from the sun (even without perpetual outdoor tanning) and from other sources too, such as milk or supplements.

Pay attention to what your skin is doing.  If you are "blessed" with a good amount of freckles and moles all over your body then you probably already know the importance of paying attention to what your skin is doing.  Medical professionals suggest that people monitor their moles for changes in size and color, and also to pay attention to the formation of new moles as well.  Some people even go so far as to have a so-called map of their moles charted each and every year in order to closely monitor any changes.  Whether or not you have any moles or freckles you should still take care to pay attention to what your skin is doing. 

Remember that your skin can be an outward indicator of bigger problems within your body, so if you don't notice a lesion suddenly appearing or the appearance of an odd-colored mole then you may miss the first indicator of something amiss with your health.  Take the time to study your body and see what your skin is doing.  Some women do a quick skin check in conjunction with their monthly breast self-examination, and if this is a way for you to remember to do it then you may want to do it then as well. 

Just remember how great an indicator of your overall health your skin can be…dry, cracked skin may be an indication that you aren't taking in as many fluids as you should, for example.  Your skin is more than just something that you need to keep pretty and soft.  It's also something that you really need to pay attention to if you are trying to keep in tune with your overall health.

Watch your chemical intake.  There are some health experts who advise people to never apply to their skin anything that they would not ingest through their mouth…in other words, your favorite scented lotion or fancy perfume is probably off limits under this philosophy.  Although you may not subscribe to this particular philosophy, it's important to remember that the products you slather onto your arms, legs, and other body parts do find their way into your body because your skin absorbs them. 

You may not want to completely halt the use of anything that isn't one hundred percent natural, but you should always take a look at the ingredient listing of the products you use.  You may be surprised at some of the interesting - and potentially harmful - ingredients that are prevalent in lotions, cosmetics, and other body products.  If you find that you sometimes develop rashes and other unexplained skin ailments you might want to try switching to some products that are a little less chemical-based and more natural. 

Plenty of beauty stores (for example, The Body Shop, Bath and Body Works, etc) all have beauty lines that are created to be more natural than the other options you find in most department stores.  These natural lines may be a little more expensive, but that's because these products rely more on natural ingredients and may cost a little more to produce.  The added cost may be worth it, however, because these types of products are indeed the kinds of lotions, creams, and other products that you might be able to actually digest without making yourself severely ill…of course, you don't want to actually ingest these products, but the point is to not pollute your skin with harsh chemicals.  If you make the switch to these types of natural products and still have problems with rashes and other skin problems then you will want to consult with a dermatologist (or perhaps an allergist) in order to find out if there is a medical reason for your skin problems.

YOUR EYES, EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT

Sunglasses aren't just cool-looking.  Your eyes are oftentimes not something that you really pay attention to unless they stop working like they should.  Nonetheless, your eyes need preventive care just like the rest of your body does.  For example, slipping on a pair of sunglasses isn't only a fashion statement…it's a way to protect your eyes from UV rays, which can truly do some damage if allowed to work their way into your eyes on a constant basis. 

When you purchase sunglasses make sure that they come with UV protection; there will usually be a sticker or tag attached to the sunglasses that proclaim the pair as UV-protecting and will also tell you what degree of protection the sunglasses provide.  Another instance when you should be concerned about eye protection is if you indulge in indoor tanning.  Yes, it's true that you shouldn't be tanning at all, but if you insist upon it then you need to make sure that you protect your eyes accordingly.  Don't pass on the little sunglasses they offer you for the tanning booth because without them you can do some real damage to your eyes. 

Eye protection is also important when you work anywhere that calls for goggles or some other form of protection.  Some women won't wear goggles - or will wear them quite reluctantly - even if their task calls for them to.  For example, if you are working with acidic elements (let's say you're involved in a chemistry class as a teacher, student, or observer) and you refuse to wear goggles because you're afraid they will mess up your hair or make you look silly, you're asking for trouble.  All it takes is one little splash to ruin your eyesight. 

The same principal applies to ongoing health concerns with your eyes.  If you wear contact lenses, make sure that you are only wearing them for the approved amount of time and not wearing them to sleep if they aren't designed for that.  There are some contact lenses that are designed to be worn for days on end and then tossed out in the trash, but if your contacts are designed as daily wear then you shouldn't be sleeping in them.  Not only does this deprive your eyes of the oxygen they need, but it may cost you a trip to the doctor (perhaps even the emergency room) if your contacts get stuck on your eyes because you didn't wear them as prescribed.  Sure, women can get awfully busy and cut corners on things to get everything done, but how long does it really take to take out a pair of contact lenses? Not that long at all, and it can make a huge difference when it comes to the health of your eyes.

Get your eyes checked.  Most women notice that their eyesight deteriorates at some point, even if it's only small amounts much later in life.  Lots of things can change your eyesight, including aging and breastfeeding (the hormones released in your body from breastfeeding might actually temporarily change the quality of your vision).  Even if you don't notice your eyesight changing for the better or for the worse you should still make it a point to get regular eye exams.  You may not notice small changes in your vision, and if you make it a point to see your eye doctor on an annual or every-other-year schedule then it will become obvious from your past exams if your eyesight is changing. 

Your eyes can also develop additional problems beyond bad vision.  Ailments such as cataracts, glaucoma, and other eye problems can be discovered in a routine exam.  You might also go into your eye doctor's office with what you think is an issue with your eyes - such as blurry vision or flashy lights appearing sporadically in your line of sight - and then find out that it's actually a symptom of something much bigger, such as hypertension.  Your eyes react to stress and other problems just like the rest of your body does, so it really does pay to take care when it comes to your eyes.  Imagine what it would be like if you suddenly didn't have your vision at all…how would your life change? You want to take care of your eyes to the best of your ability and to make sure that you make eye health a priority.  Just like any other part of your body, your eyes shouldn't be ignored.  

Snoring isn't just annoying.  Snoring can be embarrassing for women because it isn't a very ladylike activity.  Many women are completely mortified that they snore while some women just wish they could figure out how to stop it so their partners will stop complaining about it.  You should be concerned if you snore because there might be a couple of different causes for the snoring, one of which is sleep apnea.  This condition actually makes you stop breathing periodically throughout the night in addition to the snoring, and it is something that is treatable through a variety of means. 

Your doctor may suggest you lose weight or may actually give you a machine that you place by your bed at night and attach a mask to in order to assist your breathing.  Don't be too embarrassed to admit to your doctor that you have a snoring problem, because it might be something that is completely treatable.  This goes for any other ailment you may run across; there is nothing you can tell your doctor that he or she probably hasn't heard before, even if it's a traditionally masculine ailment complaint coming from a woman.  Doctors are there to assist you, not to judge whether or not your complaint is ladylike.

A sore throat should be checked out.  If you have had a sore throat for days on end then it isn't something that you should ignore.  Your throat doesn't get sore just to be annoying; it's trying to tell you something.  Don't be apprehensive about visiting your doctor when your throat hurts, even if there is no other symptom that you have to accompany this particular complaint.  Your doctor will test your throat to make sure you don't have strep throat and then will discuss the best method of attack to get you feeling better.

Watch the volume on that iPod.  Maybe you're doing everything you can to be a healthy woman, and sometimes that will include visits to the gym for workouts.  It's during these workouts at the gym that many women strap a music player to their arms and turn the volume of the music up to gain some momentum for their workouts.  Although this might be something you do that will help you stay pumped up for your workouts, you need to take care at the level of volume you allow to enter your ears.

Even going to a really loud concert can damage your hearing, so imagine what years on end of recurring loud music played directly into your ears will do.  Remember that you should be concerned with your overall health, so the health of your ears is something that you should also be concerned about.  Your ears can fail you if you abuse them continually, so if you are big on listening to loud music then be prepared to spend a lot of time as an older woman saying, "What? I couldn't hear you!" You might be able to avoid this outcome if you start taking care of your ears now. 

Loud music isn't the only ear concern.  Some women work in loud environments where ear protection is suggested (or even required), but the unfortunate reality is that some women won't bother to put the ear protection in either because they forget to, they don't think they need it, or because of vanity issues…some women don't think they look attractive or feminine with ear plugs or other hearing protection devices.  Vanity should not be the catalyst to make you deaf at a later age, though.  Keep the volumes of things as low as you can - stereo, television, et cetera - and remember that loud volumes can harm the ear health of the people around you too.  That means that loud television programs can actually harm the hearing of the people around you…your kids might actually suffer because you like the volume loud.

On the next page we will examing Your Health: Breast, Heart and More...