Author: St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Have you ever entertained the idea of weight training but hesitated because you didn’t want to “bulk up”? Weight training has multiple benefits for women, as it does for nearly all adults at any age and fitness level, including you. You don’t have to start with 40-pound weights. A beginner wright training program for women can ease you into strength training. What Happens When Women Start Weight Training? Strength training, also known as resistance training, builds bone and muscle for strength and stamina and helps flood your brain and body with endorphins so you can power through your day with…

Insomnia in women is a growing problem in the United States. If you’re a woman who’s been tossing and turning like it’s an Olympic sport, you’re one in a nation of insomniacs. Insomnia, the most common sleep disorder in the U.S., reached 9.4 million diagnoses in 2015, up from 800,000 just over two decades earlier, reports the American Journal of Managed Care. One-quarter of women in the U.S. experience symptoms of insomnia, according to the Office on Women’s Health. What Causes Insomnia? Insomnia is diagnosed when you have difficulty drifting off to sleep or staying asleep, causing you to function…

It’s summertime, but the living may not be easy if you’re managing hot flashes due to menopause. Is Menopause Worse in Summer? While most symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause don’t change seasonally, one of the most common symptoms — hot flashes — may worsen in the summer, according to a study on women’s health published by the National Library of Medicine. Hotter temperatures can mean it’s harder to cool down when you feel a hot flash coming on. The solution to managing hot flashes is to be proactive with clothing, diet, accessories and activities so you feel less like…

If you are entering perimenopause or have transitioned to menopause, you may have noticed that your skin doesn’t look as smooth as it did just a few years ago. Wrinkles and veins may seem more prominent, and scratches may take longer to heal. These are natural parts of the aging process for everyone. If you are experiencing aging skin along with other menopause-related symptoms, you may be drawn to try wrinkle creams and other commonly available products that promise to improve skin appearance. Two ingredients often found in anti-aging products are vitamin C serums and collagen. How well do they…

Feeling like you constantly make mistakes, receive unfavorable feedback or are invisible can easily lead to negative self-talk. This involves saying things to yourself like “I mess up everything,” “I’m so clueless [or fat or ugly],” or “No one will ever love me.”This internal criticism can affect your well-being and mental health, and may lead to conditions like anxiety or depression over time. What’s more, it can keep you from discovering your motivations for setting and achieving goals and being comfortable with your weaknesses as well as your strengths — the kinds of processes that help you understand your authentic…

Knowing how to alleviate loneliness — distress you may experience when you feel separate from others — is important to your overall well-being. What does it mean if I feel lonely? Loneliness means there’s a void in your life. It may surprise you to learn you can feel lonely even if you interact with people daily, live with others, or are in a relationship. Loneliness can also involve social isolation, where you have little to no contact with other people. Is loneliness harmful? Prolonged feelings of loneliness and social isolation are associated with serious health conditions, including heart disease, high…

If you’ve ever felt like yoga classes were too complicated or intimidating, these simple yoga poses and their health benefits may persuade you to give the practice a try. For thousands of years, people have embraced yoga, which in its simplest, modern form supports mental and physical health through focused breathing, stretching and moving your muscles into specific positions. Yoga improves balance, flexibility and strength and may lower stress levels and blood pressure, promote sleep, and provide relief for back, neck and head pain. Perhaps the best aspect of this exercise is bare feet are encouraged, and it requires little…

Have you ever been so mortified by a medical concern you felt too uncomfortable to discuss it with your healthcare provider? You’re not alone. It’s an all-too-common occurrence, but when it comes to provider visits, you can prioritize your health by being an open book. How Do I See a Provider About Something Embarrassing? An itchy backside, urinary incontinence or hemorrhoids, excessive or painful gas, sexual health or behavioral health issues — these are just some of the conditions that you may find hard to discuss with anyone, including your provider. Feeling anxious and vulnerable is a normal reaction to having a medical concern, especially one of a sensitive…

What does it mean to be a wine mom? Self-proclaimed wine moms are plentiful online. They usually have at least a few things in common. They’re moms, they enjoy wine — or “mommy juice” as they sometimes call it — and they typically use self-deprecating humor in their social media feeds and blog posts, joking about drinking wine to cope with parenting pressures. What is wine mom culture? Wine mom culture is the online community that has materialized around these women. Wine moms bond by following one another’s social feeds and promoting memes featuring slogans and sayings about drinking wine…

Intracept Procedure: Long-Lasting Relief for Lower Back Pain Lower back pain affects more than 31 million Americans each year – and it’s the number one reason why people see their doctor. Most back pain typically goes away with over-the-counter medications, stretching exercises and other at-home remedies. However, if you experience back pain lasting more than six months, an MRI can determine if you have any chronic inflammatory changes in the bone. When this occurs, the source of the pain is typically in the difficult-to-treat nerve endings of the bone. Now, St. Elizabeth Healthcare offers a new, cutting-edge procedure for durable…