The Heart Beat

Free Mammograms to women of Seminole and Volusia Counties. Thanks to funding from Komen's Central Florida and Braz Cauz, Inc. qualifying women can now receive a free screening mammogram from Florida hospital Fish Memorial. To determine your eligibility, please contact Florida Hospital Fish Memorial Cancer Institute at 386-917-5853.  Pass this to another woman you know and love!

Experts urge first screen at 21, then once every 2 years or more, not annually By Kathleen Doheny HealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, Nov. 20 (HealthDay News) -- For the second time in a week, medical experts are revising the advice given women on cancer screenings. Now women are being told that they should get their first screening for cervical cancer -- including a Pap test -- at age 21. The recommendation appears in guidelines released Nov. 20 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. And, rather than have an annual Pap test, most women need to be screened every other year or less, depending on their age, the guidelines say. The recommendations come on the heels of a similar advisory on breast cancer screening, issued Nov. 16 by a government panel of experts, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Those guidelines suggest that the average woman need not have a mammogram to screen for breast cancer until age 50 and, after that, should have the test every other y...

As a busy mom who always recommends tracking personal menstruel cycle I realized I hadn't in a very long time! I used to be able to tell you the hour I would start my cycle....gone are those days with three boys and a full time job. But recently I started up again with a pen and calander next to my toilet. I track everything from food cravings, bloating, acne, loss of patience, to actual start and stop of cycle. For natural family planning this can be a quick and easy way to track your mucous and temps as well. Below is from an article I read and though I would share. Found it all to be quite empowering to really know what my body was doing and even to be able to anticipate so I could start prevented therapies.....especially for my moods:)! When your doctor asks you for the first day of your last period, are you someone who can tick the date off without thinking, or are you like most women who stare blankly at the doctor’s calendar, guesstimating the date? If you’re in the seco...

I have had several women lately "admitting" to vaginal pain. There is nothing to be ashamed or embarressed about! We are here as care providers to help and treat as needed with complimentary medicines. Vaginal pain is categorized based on your symptoms and findingss during a pelvic evaluation. These are some of the more common conditions. Vaginal atrophy: Lower estrogen levels cause the vaginal lining to thin and secretions to diminish. The vagina also becomes shorter and less elastic, and the vaginal opening narrows. The result is often dryness and irritation, which can make intercourse or pelvic examinations painful or impossible. Thinning of the vaginal lining combined with changes in the pH balance can make the vagina vulnerable to infection — a condition known as atrophic vaginitis. If untreated, this problem may lead to further thinning and ulceration of the vagina. Vulvodynia: Vulvodynia is pain with no identifiable cause that may come and go in different areas,...