The Beauty Queen and The Polar Bear

A Polar Bear?? Yes,  I'm talking about the polar bear plunge event.  An event held in the winter where participants enter the ocean despite the frigid temperature.

Every time I saw these people taking the plunge on TV, I often asked myself , what possesses these people to this??  Well,  last week when my friend and co-blogger, Helen Troncoso announced she was taking the plunge, I must admit that my first thought was that she had lost her mind.  Most of the time at events I see Helen wearing her crown and satchel  and being Ms. NY Belleza Latina 2011 (smiling).

After taking a little time to process the announcement, I realized that it takes a lot of courage to do this sort of thing on purpose, and for the reason she is doing it, it makes the whole ordeal even more admirable and worthwhile. So I must tip my hat to her and her team for doing this awesome event that most of us would cower at the thought.   I'm sure Helen will be wearing her crown at this event too. LOL ~~ Kudos to you Helen and #Team WOW!!!!!

Helen and her team, Team #WOW, will be taking the polar plunge on  Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the North Hempstead Beach Park in Pt. Washington, NY to help out the Special Olympics New York Incorporated.

Please Lets Support #Team WOW

To donate or join the team click here: 

Team #WOW

any amount is appreciated.

Good Luck to Helen, Sujeiry, Alexandra and JoAnn.

Sending your all warm thoughts!!!

Is Hepatitis C the Baby Boomer's Worst Nightmare?

Are you a boomer?

I was surprised to read earlier this week that Hepatitis C now causes the death of more "baby boomers" (born between 1946-1964) than HIV. According the the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 4 million Americans have viral hepatitis, and an estimated 85,000 become infected each year. Of people with chronic Hepatitis C, 2 out of 3 are from the baby boomer generation.  

Women and PPI's

Do you suffer from heartburn?  If your answer is yes, then chances are that you have been prescribed or taken an over the counter PPI.

PPI stands for Proton Pump Inhibitors.  This drug is prescribed for heartburn caused by acid reflux disease.  The most common PPI's that you probably heard of or seen on TV commercials are Nexum, Prevacid, Prilosec, Aciphex and Protonix.

Even though these drugs are considered safe, a study has revealed that women are at risk of bone fracture especially in post menopausal women if the drug is used long term. For women who have risk of osteoporosis, the medications increase the risk of these fractures.   This is not news, but the effects of these drugs are NOT commonly known to many users and we wanted to make you aware.

The study shows that a 35% risk factor of hip fracture is present after taken PPI for 2 years, 42% after taking it for 4 years and 55% if taken PPI for 6-8 years.  The problem with these drugs is that they block calcium absorption by changing stomach hormones causing this risk to the bones.

It is  recommended that if you take a prescribed  PPI to take a daily calcium supplement and Vitamin D.  You can also strengthen the bones by doing some walking and/or running.

If you take over the counter PPI for your heartburn on a regular basis and you have not seen your doctor yet, please make sure you do and bring this fact to his/her attention.

Live, Laugh, Love

Via

This is heart disease month and by now we hope you know how serious this disease really is and how a few simple changes can make a huge difference in your health. Some of my personal thoughts that I wanted to share with you that I believe also adds to having a healthier heart comes from the phrase, "Live, Love, Laugh". These three words are so popular that I'm sure many of you have seen it somewhere. You probably even have it on a sign hanging somewhere in your house right now. To me, when I see these three words it reminds me to:

While you are out there busy making a living, don't forget to LIVE. 

Many have fought over it. Writers, singers and painters have been inspired by it. LOVE starts with that person looking back at you in the mirror. Before you can truly love someone else, you need to love yourself first. 

Have you recently laughed so hard that tears came to your eyes or (gasp) you may have even snorted out loud? I have, and when I'm tired or stressed, just the memory alone makes me smile. Don't take yourself or the opinions of others too seriously, just LAUGH, it's the best medicine. 

Bread No. 1 Culprit of Salt in American Diet

Who doesn't like a warm buttered roll with their cafe con leche? We certainly do!!  Well, a recent study revealed that bread  and rolls are the number one source of salt in the American diet. A single slice of white bread could contained as many as 230 milligrams of salt.

What?? And here we are thinking that pretzels and potato chips were the ones, not to say that they don't,  but according to the recent CDC study they are not  number one on the list.

Nine out ten Americans consume too much salt.  The average American consumes 3,266 milligrams of salt daily, not counting salt added at the table, which is far above the recommended 2,300 milligrams, the CDC said.

For those 6 out 10 Americans who have high blood pressure or diabetes, including those who are over 51 years of age, the recommend intake of salt is 1,500 milligrams daily.

Forty four percent of salt consumed can be linked to the following ten types of food: (starting from the most to the least according to the study).

1. Bread and rolls
2. Cold cuts and cured meat
3. Pizza
4. Poultry
5. Soup
6. Sandwiches 
7. Cheese
8. Pasta dishes
9. Meat dishes
10. Snacks such as pretzels,  potato chips and popcorn

We have to know that high salt intake can cause high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke.  Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in the United States and are largely dependent of the high rate of high blood pressure.

Even some food that we think is healthy such as cottage cheese may be high in salt so we need to be careful,   not only regulating the salt shaker at the table, but it is time to start reading the labels on the food products to be able to make the right decisions.

Our First Birthday!!!!

Happy Birthday to Us!!

February is very special to us not only because it's the month we celebrate love, but because we also celebrate our blog birth.   February 1st marked our first birthday!!  Yes, our blog was born a year ago.  It really has been a year of many transitions, personal ups and downs as well as achieving many accomplishments.

The Two Mujeres met last January and it wasn't long after that when we decided to work together in the hope to make a difference.  We knew that while traveling in different circles of life we shared the same mission: to give women's health issues a voice by raising awareness.

This past September we were proud to have been a nominee for "Best Latina Health Blogger" for the 2011 Latinos In Social Media (#LATISM) Awards.  We thank everyone who voted for us and we want to congratulate all the amazing winners.

Again,  thank you to all the people and organizations that have been so supportive and have lent us a helping hand this past year.  Thank you to all our readers that follow us on the journey to better health.  You will always have our gratitude.

We will continue to bring you the most up to date information on women's health issues and we hope you will continue to follow us.   ~Better Health ~ Better Life~ are words to live by.

Am I Having A Heart Attack?

Via

How do you know when that the funny feeling in your chest is not heart burn or indigestion but truly a heart attack? What exactly is a heart attack? A heart attack (or myocardial infarction) occurs when blood flow to a portion of the heart is blocked, usually by a blood clot. Coronary arteries are what supply oxygen-rich blood to our heart. Blocking these arteries is what causes heart attacks, heart failure, angina (chest pain) and even sudden death. When these arteries are blocked in the brain, a stroke can occur.

Via

We all know about checking our cholesterol and we hear about plaque (not the kind you might find in your mouth) but what is it, and why is it important. Plaque is a buildup of fat, cholesterol, calcium and some other substances which form along the inside of our arteries. When this happens, the blood flow to our hearts starts to decrease due to the narrowing of the arteries. This in turn causes our blood pressure and our heart rate to increase, which in turn makes our heart need more oxygen and nutrients. It's a vicious cycle don't you think? Over time, plaque starts to harden (arthersclerosis) and can rupture. Even a small crack (imagine a crack in the plaster of a wall) causes blood clots to form that are trying to "seal" the crack. The blood clot gets into the crack, but at the same time continues to narrow the lining of our arteries and decreases the blood flow to our heart even more. 

Via

Depending on how much blood flow is restricted we can feel anything from chest pain to being in the middle of a full out heart attack. Other symptoms of a heart attack include: 

• Feeling pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest
• Pain or discomfort in one or both of your arms, your upper back, neck, jaw or upper part of your stomach (above bellybutton)
• Being short of breath with or without chest pain
• Breaking out in a cold sweat (not menopause) or nausea
• Unexplained nausea or vomiting
• Unfamiliar dizziness or light-headedness

***Pain in the upper back, neck and jaw and nausea/vomiting are more common symptoms for women than men.

If you even have an inkling that you might be having a heart attack...call 9-1-1. Immediately! We don't think twice about rushing our kids our loved ones to the emergency room if something is wrong with them, but when it comes to our own health, we wait. We try to rationalize it away. Treatments for heart attacks work best if given within one hour of when your symptoms started. Every thirty minutes you wait can take a year off your life - that is if you survive your heart attack.

To avoid a heart attack in the first place, or to improve your health afterwards:

• Don't smoke, and try to avoid secondhand smoking also
• Watch your diet. No you don't have to "be on a diet" but you do have to be careful of the food you eat. Too much fat, salt and cholesterol over time will come back to bite you.
• Keep your appointments with your doctor. Make sure you know where you stand with your weight, cholesterol, and blood sugar. Talk about what medications might be necessary for you.
• Exercise. Even if you work in front of a computer all day, take 30 minutes and move your nalgas.

Check out this video, do you see yourself or one of your friends?