Self-protection against 9 major health threats for women

Heart disease is arguably the number one killer of women. More women die each year from heart disease than from all cancers combined. Whether you are healthy, young or old, you are at risk of heart disease. According to relevant data, 22% of women do not know that they have high blood pressure, and 50% of young women are not aware that their cholesterol is high. Both of these neglected conditions can increase fatty deposits on the lining of the body's arteries, leading to heart disease.

Self-protection: Have regular physical examinations every year and keep track of your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. In addition, you should also know your waist circumference. Don't underestimate this number, it is more important than your weight. A recent discovery abroad shows that women with excessive fat around their waists and women with high blood lipids are more likely to suffer from heart disease. The ideal waist circumference is controlled within 85 cm. Young women should also pay attention to stress relief. Because this group of people usually have a lot of work pressure, and this long-term, chronic stress is the culprit of heart disease. Even small efforts like a few minutes of meditation, taking a walk, or even watching a soap opera like Friends can have unexpected benefits for your physical health.

Threat 2: Hypothyroidism

This is a disease that is common in middle-aged women, and about 10% of women will suffer from it. Since this disease is not known to many people, the harm it causes increases. If this disease is not treated promptly, it will greatly increase the risk of miscarriage and premature birth in pregnant women. In addition, patients with this disease are also very prone to heart disease. Unfortunately, the disease is not easy to detect because its symptoms are unremarkable, and patients often attribute its typical symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, irritability and sensitivity to cold to aging or excessive stress in life.

Protect yourself: Your best bet is to get your thyroid checked. After the age of 35, a blood test should be performed every 5 years to check whether the thyroid function is normal. If you have any of these symptoms and they persist for a while, or if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, you may need a blood test. If low thyroid hormone levels are detected, be sure to listen to your doctor's advice to decide whether to continue the pregnancy, as this can have adverse effects on both the baby and the mother. If you have hypothyroidism, you need to take artificial thyroid hormone pills to restore your thyroid hormone levels to normal levels.

Threat 3: Traffic Accidents

Nowadays, more and more women are driving. But the bad news is that women are more likely to be injured in traffic accidents than men. According to analysis, the main reason is that women tend to buy smaller and lighter cars, which are more easily damaged in traffic accidents. In addition, all cars are designed from a man's perspective, such as seats, seat belts, and rearview mirrors, so women are more vulnerable to injury.

Self-protection: Pay attention when driving. 15% of traffic accidents are caused by distraction. There are many reasons for distraction. According to data from the Traffic Management Bureau, the biggest factor is looking around at some strange sights on the road while driving. Other reasons include fatigue driving, the influence of passengers in the car (such as children), and making and receiving calls on mobile phones. A driver who yells into a phone is four times more likely to be involved in a serious accident than those who don't answer the phone, even if they use Bluetooth or headphones.

Threat 4: Obesity

Although McDonald's menu has improved a lot, and although society is increasingly inclined to value thinness, there are still more and more obese people among us. There are many reasons for obesity, including changes in dietary structure and increased work pressure. In short, there are more and more fat people in this society. Obesity brings us far more than just visual discomfort. More importantly, it also causes many health problems, such as increasing the risk of serious diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, uterine cancer and colon cancer.

Self-protection: Pay attention to your BMI index (weight (kg)/height (m) squared). If this index is over 25, it means that you have a high body fat content and need to lose weight. There are many ways to lose weight. The best option is to join a weight loss organization and receive scientific weight loss guidance from professionals. Dieters can lose 5% of their original weight in a year, while those who rely on themselves to lose weight can often only lose 1% of their original weight. More importantly, a scientific weight loss plan usually combines diet, exercise and lifestyle habits, which does not harm the body and is not prone to rebound.

Threat 5: Skin cancer

In the past year, the number of patients diagnosed with melanoma (a type of skin cancer) has increased by 10%, and the number of patients with non-melanoma skin cancer under the age of 40 has doubled. Don't just blame environmental pollution for the thinning of the ozone layer. The recent trend for bronze skin has attracted many young women to tan their skin on the beach or on sun beds in beauty salons. This pursuit of fashion and trends is the culprit behind the rise in skin cancer.

Self-protection: Data shows that those who wear sunscreen every day have a much lower risk of skin cancer than those who only wear sunscreen occasionally. To better protect against UV rays, use sunscreen and moisturizer with an SPF value of 15 or above. In addition, you should choose a sunscreen that can protect against both UVA and UVB, because the light contains 95% UVA (long-wave ultraviolet rays), which will cause skin aging and wrinkles, and the light also contains 5% UVB (medium-wave ultraviolet rays), which is more harmful to the skin and will not only cause tanning but also sunburn. If there is a family history of skin cancer, if you have more than 50 moles, if your skin is too fair or if you had a severe sunburn as a child, it is best to get checked twice a year.

Threat 6: HPV

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is the name of a sexually transmitted virus that can infect the genitals and mucous membranes. There are many types of this virus, and most women between the ages of 15 and 49 are exposed to it. However, most of the time, the virus will clear up on its own. But there are also studies showing that these virus subtypes can cause cervical cancer. Cervical cancer often occurs in women who marry late, have children late or have never given birth. Because these women have low sexual function and more estrogen, they are more likely to develop cervical cancer.

Protect yourself: Ask your doctor for an HPV vaccine in the spring. This is very effective against the subtype of the virus that causes cervical cancer. At the same time, the best prevention and treatment method is to have a cervical smear test (Papsmear). This test can detect cervical cancer at an early stage so that it can be treated earlier. In addition, a harmonious sex life can also help prevent and treat cervical cancer. If you are diagnosed with HPV infection, in addition to necessary treatment, you can eat more vegetables rich in lycopene, such as tomatoes. Patients who ate more vegetables were 50% more likely to be cured within nine months than those who did not.

Threat 7: Secondhand smoke

If you stay in an environment with secondhand smoke for a few minutes, the harm caused by the smoke will be 80~90% of that caused by smoking yourself. Many times, the damage caused by short-term secondhand smoke to the human body will be automatically repaired, but if you are exposed to secondhand smoke for a long time, the damage will be irreparable. If you are married to a heavy smoker, you must be careful, because secondhand smoke can do more harm than just harm your heart. It can also increase your chances of getting lung cancer by 30%. According to another survey, women who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home and in the office for a long time will increase their risk of breast cancer by 68%.

Self-protection: Stay away from people who smoke. In public places, try to stay in non-smoking areas. If your partner loves smoking, it is best to help him quit.

Threat 8: Severe sleep deprivation

Modern women sleep three hours less a day than women a century ago (10 hours VS 7 hours). Severe lack of sleep affects not only women's appearance, but also their health. Severe lack of sleep can reduce women's immunity, increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease, and cause weight gain. Even just a few days of sleep deprivation can make people irritable, forgetful, and unable to concentrate. Many women in their 30s and 40s are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In fact, this is only caused by their severe lack of sleep. Once they get enough sleep, these symptoms will quickly disappear.

Self-protection: Ensure 8 hours of sleep every day. Many working women often have to work overtime all night to finish their work. The easy task of ensuring 8 hours of sleep every day has become an impossible task for them. Doctors suggest that you try to go to bed 15 minutes earlier every week. After a month, you will be able to fall asleep an hour earlier. Here's a little trick you might as well learn: do a little yoga before going to bed every day. This will help you relax your mind and fall asleep as soon as possible.

Threat 9: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

In recent years, more and more women have been diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases. Experts say, "Women are more susceptible to STDs because there are a lot of mucus membranes in the female vagina, which are more susceptible to invasion by bacteria and viruses." Some STDs usually have no symptoms, so it is often possible to have the disease for a year without knowing it. For example, women with chlamydia STDs often don’t find out until they plan to get pregnant that they have already been infected with chlamydia and that their fallopian tubes have been damaged, ultimately leading to infertility.

Self-protection: Since women are more susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases, if you do not have a regular sexual partner, you should ask your partner to use a condom every time you have sex. Even if you have a regular sexual partner, insist that he or she use condoms until both of you have been tested for STDs. If you are married, you should be tested for STDs during your annual physical examination. If you are living with HIV, there are many antiviral medicines that can help control the disease and have no side effects for several years.