Author: St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Is anxiety a mood disorder or is it a physical reaction to emotional stress? The answer is that it can be both, but the difference between having a short-lived reaction to feeling anxious and having an anxiety mood disorder is like the difference between driving in a light rain shower and navigating a tsunami. Anxiety disorders are the most common form of mental health disorders in the U.S., affecting about 19% of the adult population and 7% of children and teens, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Women are diagnosed with the condition more often than men. How…

A recent survey indicates that American adults have far fewer friends now than they did in past decades. Why Is It Hard to Make Friends? When we’re young, it seems easy to make friends. This is because, according to the American Psychological Association, friendships develop naturally through frequent interaction and shared vulnerability. While we’re in school, we have several opportunities to develop friendships. We’re around the same people every weekday, sharing classrooms and participating in extracurricular activities with people who share our common interests. In this environment, it’s easy to build our social network and feel close and connected to…

Bones don’t age as well as we’d like, and that can raise the risk of a serious health problem after even a minor tumble. This is typically due to a bone disease called osteoporosis that occurs when bones lose mineral density and mass, becoming more brittle. Osteoporosis is called a silent disease because many people don’t even know they have it until they break a bone. That is why providers recommend bone density screenings — X-ray tests that measure levels of calcium and other minerals in bones — as their patients get older. Your hormones can also affect your bone…

During the years surrounding menopause, you may not always feel like yourself. Hormone fluctuations can cause symptoms such as mood swings and night sweats —common perimenopause and menopause symptoms that some women find severe — that may make you feel downright strange. Those features are frustrating enough, but more unusual menopause symptoms may leave you thinking, “Seriously?” One such symptom is hair loss — the silver lining is it’s rarely total — and others include breast pain, burning mouth syndrome and dry skin. Your primary care or women’s health provider can recommend treatments for these and other unusual menopause symptoms. …

Imposter syndrome, or imposter phenomenon, is an intense or recurrent feeling of extreme self-doubt. It often comes with thoughts that your successes are due to luck or an oversight instead of hard work and skill. Fear of being exposed as a fraud, thinking you’re not as good as others think you are, or feeling unworthy of success are other symptoms of imposter syndrome.  Although it isn’t a recognized psychological disorder, imposter syndrome can cause significant problems in everyday life and may become debilitating if not addressed. Who Gets Imposter Syndrome? People with imposter syndrome often feel they are the only…

Many parents wait until a child reaches puberty to talk about sex. However, research shows that it is important to start discussing issues surrounding sexual health when your child is younger — and continue communicating about sex in an age-appropriate manner throughout adolescence. Not only can these conversations make children more likely report attempted sexual abuse, but they can also deepen your relationship and prepare you for the often-complicated teen years. Start Conversations About Your Child’s Body Early The age you tell your child what really happens during sex will greatly depend on the maturity of your child and your…

Is your pee cloudy from frequent UTIs? Does it hurt to go? Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, occur 30 times more frequently in women than in men, according to the Office on Women’s Health. That’s because normal female anatomy allows for bacteria to be introduced easily into the female urinary tract. UTIs can take up residence in your bladder, kidneys, ureters or urethra, but the most common type of UTI is a bladder infection. Why Does My UTI Keep Coming Back? The Office on Women’s Health says an estimated 50% to 60% of American women experience a UTI during their…

If you’re like most women, when you experience abdominal cramps, bloating and mood swings before your period, you recognize it as premenstrual syndrome (PMS). But what about lesser-known symptoms? If symptoms leading up to your period each month feel more like the beginning of seasonal influenza than PMS, it could be “period flu.” How Can You Get Period Flu? Period flu isn’t influenza — in fact, it’s neither contagious nor a virus. Instead, the flu-like symptoms are thought to be due to hormone fluctuations during the menstrual cycle and may include: These symptoms can cross-reference between those typically associated with…

Here’s some news that will make you want to lace up your walking shoes — it turns out you can practice rheumatoid arthritis prevention with a brisk daily walk, according to findings published in The Rheumatologist, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology. Studies have shown that an increase in daily physical activity, even if it’s just a half-hour of walking at a quick pace, can lower your risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis, which is a chronic, autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and can permanently damage your joints. Here’s more incentive to start walking — the study showed the…

People have searched for a fountain of youth for many millennia, and that’s no different today if ads and infomercials for anti-aging products are any indication. Today’s promise of youthfulness comes in the form of wrinkle creams, eye creams and other skincare potions in pretty packages. Can Skincare Companies Lie About Ingredients? While skincare product companies in the United States are not legally obligated to have their products or product ingredients FDA-approved, the law does require truthful branding and safe usage for humans. The agency also has different safety requirements for products classified as drugs (those claiming to “effect structure…